One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of orange fluorescent silver nanoclusters as a general probe for sulfides.
Water-soluble fluorescent silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) with almost seven and nine silver atoms and a quantum yield (QY) of 5.38 ± 0.25% were successfully prepared via one-pot hydrothermal synthesis using polymethacrylic acid sodium salt (PMAA-Na) as a template. The as-prepared PMAA-AgNCs displayed a mono-distribution, they were uniform in size and the color of the fluorescence, emitting at 579 nm, was orange when excited at 502 nm. What is more, we found that the as-prepared PMAA-AgNCs could be quenched by sulfides based on the formation of a metal-ligand bond Ag-S, and thus sulfides could be sensitively detected by spectrofluorometry. As proof of concept, thiourea (TU) and other sulfides including cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH) and dl-methionine could be detected. For example, the color of the orange fluorescent AgNCs solutions darkened upon the addition of TU and the fluorescence of PMAA-AgNCs was quenched. The detection limit for TU was 6.10 μM in the linear range from 8.57 μM to 2.29 mM.
Key Laboratory of Luminescent and Real-Time Analytical Chemistry (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. chengzhi@swu.edu.cn.
Jing
J
Lan
Pu
P
Zhang
Ting Ting
TT
Wang
Yong
Y
Chang
Shao Qing
SQ
Lie
Zhu Lian
ZL
Wu
Zhong De
ZD
Liu
Yuan Fang
YF
Li
Cheng Zhi
CZ
Huang
D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D036103:Nanotechnology; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013440:Sulfides / Q000032:analysis*
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; D013440:Sulfides; C030613:polymethacrylic acid; D012834:Silver