Luminescent Metal Nanoclusters for Potential Chemosensor Applications

Abstract

Studies of metal nanocluster (M-NCs)-based sensors for specific analyte detection have achieved significant progress in recent decades. Ultra-small-size (<2 nm) M-NCs consist of several to a few hundred metal atoms and exhibit extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Similar to organic molecules, M-NCs display absorption and emission properties via electronic transitions between energy levels upon interaction with light. As such, researchers tend to apply M-NCs in diverse fields, such as in chemosensors, biological imaging, catalysis, and environmental and electronic devices. Chemo-and bio-sensory uses have been extensively explored with luminescent NCs of Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt as potential sensory materials. Luminescent bi-metallic NCs, such as Au-Ag, Au-Cu, Au-Pd, and Au-Pt have also been used as probes in chemosensory investigations. Both metallic and bi-metallic NCs have been utilized to detect various analytes, such as metal ions, anions, biomolecules, proteins, acidity or alkalinity of a solution (pH), and nucleic acids, at diverse detection ranges and limits. In this review, we have summarized the chemosensory applications of luminescent M-NCs and bi-metallic NCs.

Red-emitting gold nanoclusters for rapid fluorescence sensing of tryptophan metabolites

“…The fluorescence of Au NCs strongly depends on the chemical environment [29,30] and the enhancing or the quenching of the luminescence of the clusters have been occurred in the presence of different analytes. In this work, the detection of the ten dominant metabolites of the KP (Fig.…”

Luminescent metal nanoclusters: Biosensing strategies and bioimaging applications

“…For this purpose, several strategies have been developed to effectively and accurately modulate the luminescence signal of MNCs, which helps to selectively and sensitively detect various biological analytes, including ions, small biomolecules, DNA/RNA, proteins and cells. [66,67] Here, we summarize the main strategies for constructing biosensing systems based on MNCs in recent years. Representative examples of these strategies and the performances of MNC‐based luminescent probes in these examples can be found in Table 1.…”

Review on Nanomaterial-Based Melamine Detection

“…(7) For metal nanocluster-based assay of melamine, the quantum yield should be improved by modifications with suitable groups [240], otherwise the LODs on melamine quantification will not be improved. (8) Nanocomposite-based discrimination of melamine is restricted by the compositions of the mixtures which require essential property.…”