Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: a versatile tool for the separation of nanoclusters

Atomically precise nanoclusters comprising 1–100 atoms have emerged as a new class of nanomaterials with intriguing size-dependent physicochemical properties. The significant changes in the properties of nanoclusters were observed in tailoring the number of metal atoms and ligands that determines their functions and applicability. Since 1990, thiolated gold nanoclusters have been studied. The separation of monodispersed clusters was crucial and time-consuming. To address these shortcomings, several separation techniques have made it possible to separate the series of metal nanoclusters with a precise composition of metals and ligands. Among these techniques, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was utilized for hydrophilic cluster separation. This review shall focus on the principle, operation and application of the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique to encourage a greater understanding of the characteristics and usefulness of this method.