Coinage Metal Complexes with Di-tertiary-butyl Sulfide as Precursors with Ultra-Low Decomposition Temperature.

We report here the synthesis of [Cu2 (TFA)4 (t Bu2 S)2 ] (1), [Ag4 (TFA)4 (t Bu2 S)4 ] (2) and [AuCl(t Bu2 S)] (3) (TFA=trifluoroacetate), which decompose in solution medium at ultra-low temperature (e. g., in boiling toluene) to afford phase-pure and highly crystalline Cu9 S5 , Ag2 S and metallic Au nanoparticles, respectively. The low decomposition temperature of these precursors is attributed to the facile decomposition mechanism in the di-tertiary-butyl sulfide ligand. These results are a significant step in the direction of establishing a general low-temperature strategy spanning a range of systems including thermodynamically metastable materials and incorporate them in technologies that are sensitive to the harsh conditions.