title: Controlled formation of emissive silver nanoclusters using rationally designed metal-binding proteins.
abstract: The metal-binding properties of rationally designed, synthetic proteins were used to prepare a series of emissive silver nanoclusters having predictable sizes and emission energies. Metal-binding α-helical coiled coils were designed to exist as peptide trimers, tetramers, and hexamers and found to uniquely bind 6, 8, and 12 Ag(+) ions, respectively. Subsequent treatment with a chemical reducing agent produced a series of peptide-bound Ag(0) nanoclusters that display a strong visible fluorescence whose emission energies depend on the number of bound metal ions in excellent agreement with theory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Center for Photochemical Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States.
authors.forename: Vasily A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Morozov
authors.forename: Michael Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012834:Silver