Photostable Copper Nanoclusters: Compatible Förster Resonance Energy-Transfer Assays and a Nanothermometer.
To address the concern of material chemists over the issue of stability and photoluminescent (PL) characteristics of Cu nanoclusters (NCs), herein we present an efficient protocol discussing PL Cu NCs (Cu/HSA) having blue emission and high photostability. These PL NCs were illustrated as efficient probes for Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a compatible fluorophore (Coumarin 153). Our spectroscopic results were well complemented by our molecular docking calculations, which also favored our proposed mechanism for Cu NC formation. The beneficial aspect and uniqueness of these nontoxic Cu/HSA NCs highlights their temperature-dependent PL reversibility as well as the reversible FRET with Coumarin 153, which enables them to be used as a nanothermometer and a PL marker for sensitive biological samples.
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Indore By-Pass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal 462 066, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Subhadip
S
Ghosh
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Indore By-Pass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal 462 066, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Nirmal Kumar
NK
Das
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Indore By-Pass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal 462 066, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Uttam
U
Anand
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Indore By-Pass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal 462 066, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Saptarshi
S
Mukherjee
D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D003374:Coumarins / Q000737:chemistry; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation
D003374:Coumarins; C488877:coumarin 153; D003300:Copper
Coumarin 153; Cu NCs; FRET; molecular docking; nanothermometer; photostable