Regular arrays of 2nm metal nanoparticles for deterministic synthesis of nanomaterials

A novel method for patterning individual metallic nanoclusters with tunable and monodisperse sizes down to 2 nm scale into desired arrays is presented, using an electron-beam lithography technique that has a resolution of ~20 nm. Besides catalytic nanosynthesis, this method might prove to be powerful in various scientific and technological applications, ranging from catalysis, surface science, single-molecule spectroscopy, and data storage.