N-Heterocyclic carbene-based C-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters with intense phosphorescence and organelle-selective translocation in cells

Photoluminescent gold clusters have unique chemical and physical properties based on their perturbed electronic structures. Here, the authors report the synthesis of carbon-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters with high phosphorescence quantum yields using N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.