ABSTRACT
Theoretical design of new species with unique properties will inject new vitality into the development of material science. Superalkalis are a type of clusters or molecules characterized by lower ionization energies (IEs) than that of cesium atom and, thus, exhibit excellent reducing property. These special species have been widely applied in various fields, such as the synthesis of special cluster-assembled nanomaterials with tailored properties, hydrogen storage materials and noble-gas-trapping agents, catalysis, etc. In the past decades, extensive efforts have been devoted to designing and characterizing superalkalis of new type according to different rules. To provide a broad overview of the designing rule and potential application of such special species, the recent progress on the study of superalkalis has been summarized in this chapter. It is hoped that this chapter could lights up the prospect of designing and synthesizing various superalkalis, and then extend their practical applications in the future.
