Structure and assembly of a hexanuclear AuNi bimetallic nanocluster.

An Au 4 Ni 2 nanocluster containing a square-planar [-PPh 2 -Au-S-Au-] 2 ring and two nickel-pincer arms is reported here. Abundant intra- and inter-cluster noncovalent interactions promote the assembly of the nanocluster into a porous framework material. The assembly-dependent unique solubility and photoluminescence were also investigated.