荧光金纳米团簇在小分子化合物检测中的应用

金纳米团簇(gold nanoclusters,Au NCs)是一种新型的荧光纳米材料,由几个到几百个原子组成,尺寸接近于电子的费米波长。由于量子尺寸效应,金纳米团簇显示出独特的光学特性。荧光金纳米团簇具有尺寸小、水溶性好、光物理性质好、比表面积大、表面易于修饰以及荧光性质随尺寸可调等优点,是近年来的研究热点。通过改变配体或者生物支架合成的各种荧光金纳米团簇,在传感检测、纳米标记、医学成像和光电子学等领域具有潜在的应用前景。作为新型荧光探针,荧光金纳米团簇已成功用于对阳离子、阴离子及重要的生物活性物质如过氧化氢、葡萄糖、谷胱甘肽、三磷酸腺苷、氨基酸等小分子化合物的检测。本文结合当前的研究现状,介绍了金纳米团簇在小分子化合物荧光检测中的应用,并简要评述了金纳米团簇研究中所面临的挑战及应用前景。     

基于乙醇和铝离子聚集诱导的铜纳米团簇（英文）

金属纳米团簇(MNCs)作为一种新型的纳米材料,具有合成方法简单、光稳定性强、毒性低、生物相容性好以及发光效率高等优点。在本研究中,使用"一锅法"合成谷胱甘肽保护的铜纳米团簇。在激发波长为370 nm时,GS@CuNCs的荧光发射波长在610 nm左右。铜纳米团簇可以通过有溶剂诱导和阳离子诱导两种方法聚集诱导增强其荧光强度。通过测定在不同溶剂(乙醇、甲醇、N,N-二甲基甲酰胺)中铜纳米团簇的荧光强度,探究了溶剂极性对聚集的影响。研究结果表明:在水溶液中铜纳米团簇只发射弱的荧光,随着乙醇含量从0%到85%,其荧光强度逐渐增强。此外,我们开发了一种新的选择性好、灵敏性高的检测铝离子的荧光探针。线性范围为2-20μmol·L-1,且检测限(LOD)为33 nmol·L-1。进一步探究可得,乙醇和铝离子能使GS@CuNCs荧光强度显著增加的机理为聚集诱导荧光增强。     

金团簇的荧光性质及其生物应用

金纳米团簇作为一类新型纳米材料具有独特的光学特性。当金纳米团簇颗粒的尺寸小到与电子的费米波长（〈1nm）相当时,由于量子尺寸效应,金颗粒会受激发射出荧光。作为一种新型荧光材料,金纳米团簇具有发光颜色随团簇尺寸可调、荧光不易猝灭等许多优势。本文主要综述了金纳米团簇的荧光性质及其在生物标记、生物成像以及生物检测等方面的应用...     

基于乙醇和铝离子聚集诱导的铜纳米团簇

金属纳米团簇(MNCs)作为一种新型的纳米材料,具有合成方法简单、光稳定性强、毒性低、生物相容性好以及发光效率高等优点。在本研究中,使用“一锅法”合成谷胱甘肽保护的铜纳米团簇。在激发波长为370 nm时,GS@CuNCs的荧光发射波长在610 nm左右。铜纳米团簇可以通过有溶剂诱导和阳离子诱导两种方法聚集诱导增强其荧光强度。通过测定在不同溶剂(乙醇、甲醇、N, N-二甲基甲酰胺)中铜纳米团簇的荧光强度,探究了溶剂极性对聚集的影响。研究结果表明：在水溶液中铜纳米团簇只发射弱的荧光,随着乙醇含量从0%到85%,其荧光强度逐渐增强。此外,我们开发了一种新的选择性好、灵敏性高的检测铝离子的荧光探针。线性范围为2–20 μmol·L^-1,且检测限(LOD)为33 nmol·L^-1。进一步探究可得,乙醇和铝离子能使GS@CuNCs荧光强度显著增加的机理为聚集诱导荧光增强。     

一步法合成D-青霉胺稳定的铜纳米团簇 用于ClO-的检测

以D-青霉胺为还原剂和保护剂通过化学还原一步法合成铜纳米团簇(Cu NCs)。采用TEM和XPS对铜纳米团簇的结构进行表征,通过荧光光谱对铜纳米团簇的光学特性进行分析。该铜纳米团簇具有很好的稳定性。在探究该铜纳米团簇的应用方面,实验结果表明:ClO~-能够有效地猝灭铜纳米团簇的荧光。在ClO~-浓度范围1-9 mM时,荧光强度(F_0-F)/F_0与ClO~-的浓度呈线性关系,检出限为2 mM。因此,该铜纳米团簇可以高选择性、高灵敏度地识别并检测ClO~-。该方法用于实际水样中ClO~-的检测,精密度、重现性和准确性均较好,可作为测定水中ClO~-含量的快速检测方法。     

贵金属纳米团簇的制备及在生物检测中的应用

介绍了贵金属纳米团簇(noble metallic nanoclusters, NMNCs)的研究现状及其作为一种新型荧光标记纳米材料在生物检测中的重要作用。重点总结了贵金属纳米团簇的优异性质、三种常用的制备方法(模板法、单分子层保护法和蚀刻法)及其近年来在生物传感器、生物探针、细胞标记及成像等领域的应用进展。简要评述和展望了贵金属纳米团簇的发展方向和应用前景。     

基于蛋白和多肽为模板的贵金属纳米簇合成研究

贵金属(Au, Ag, Pt等)纳米簇通常指的是由几个到约一百个原子组成的分子聚集体, 具有生物相容性好、超小尺寸(<2 nm)以及优异的物理化学性质, 尤其是能发出较强荧光等特点引起了人们的广泛关注. 目前多种贵金属纳米簇的合成方法已相继被报道, 且已应用于生物荧光成像、电化学发光、生物传感器以及细胞标记等多个领域. 本文共分为五部分, 首先重点介绍近几年兴起的以蛋白和多肽为模板来合成纳米簇的方法及优点, 并随后总结列举了文献中所采用的蛋白以及自主设计的多肽组分序列的类别, 随后探索了蛋白和多肽中的特定氨基酸与合成的贵金属纳米簇的荧光波长、量子产率、粒径之间的联系. 本文最后总结阐述了蛋白和多肽为模板成功合成贵金属纳米簇的先决条件并对其生物医学应用前景进行了展望.     

基于金属纳米簇的荧光传感平台的最新研究进展

荧光纳米生物传感平台由于具有灵敏度高、选择性好、操作简单、成本低、实时监测等特点,吸引了广泛的关注。近年来,随着纳米技术的飞速发展,具有纳米结构的材料(纳米材料)在生物传感领域显示出独特的优势。与传统材料相比,纳米材料显示出独特的物化性质,如光学、电学、机械、催化和磁性等。金属(如Au、Ag、Cu及其合金)纳米簇(MNCs)是纳米科学和纳米技术领域中一种新颖的多功能纳米材料,其通常由几个到几十个金属原子组成,其核的尺寸通常小于2 nm。由于其发光能力强、易于合成和进行表面功能化、生物相容性好、尺寸超小、毒性低等优点,金属纳米簇在能源催化、医学诊断、电子器件、生物传感等领域得到了广泛的应用。此外,金属纳米簇的荧光性能极佳(如大的斯托克斯位移、可调节的荧光、高的光学稳定性和荧光量子产率等),因此被作为荧光纳米探针广泛应用于生物传感领域。该综述介绍了近年来基于不同构建机制的金属纳米簇基的传感平台的研究进展,及其在检测离子、生物分子、pH和温度传感等方面的应用。相信该综述能为从不同传感机理构建更具前景的生物传感器提供一些新见解和理论指导。     

基于金纳米簇检测碘单质的荧光分析方法研究

以蛋白质保护的金纳米簇Au NCs@BSA作为荧光探针,高灵敏地检测碘含量。结果表明,碘单质可引起金纳米簇的荧光猝灭,在2.0 nmol/L~35μmol/L浓度范围内具有良好的线性响应关系,检出限为1.8nmol/L。利用建立的方法对水样中的碘单质进行定量测定,并与ICP-MS检测结果进行对比,结果证明该方法在实际样品的检测中具有应用潜力。同时基于Au NCs@BSA与碘浓度的依赖效应,改变温度,诱导荧光响应变化,利用热力学计算,深入探讨了Au NCs@BSA与碘单质之间的作用机理,圆二色谱与红外光谱的结果表明碘单质引起的配体BSA的蛋白二级结构变化,诱导了Au NCs@BSA的荧光猝灭。该文的机理研究为无机小分子与蛋白质保护的金纳米簇之间的相互作用提供了参考。     

Au_n团簇催化水煤气变换反应机理的密度泛函理论研究

利用密度泛函理论(DFT)研究了Au10、Au13和Au20三类团簇的稳定性和对水煤气变换(WGSR)反应的催化活性,考察了各物质在Aun团簇上的吸附行为和微观反应机理。结果表明,三类Aun团簇的稳定性顺序为Au10Au13Au20,而Aun团簇中电子离域性及吸附能力大小趋势为Au13Au10Au20。在三类Aun团簇上,水煤气变换反应的控速步骤均为H2O的解离,但其反应机理路径有所不同。Au10团簇上为羧基机理,COOH*中间体直接解离;Au13团簇上为氧化还原机理,两个OH*发生歧化反应;Au20团簇上为羧基机理,COOH*和OH*发生歧化反应。通过对三类团簇上的最佳反应路径进行比较发现,Au13团簇在低温下具有较好的催化活性。     

Synthesis and characterization of colloidal fluorescent silver nanoclusters

Ultrasmall water-soluble silver nanoclusters are synthesized, and their properties are investigated. The silver nanoclusters have high colloidal stability and show fluorescence in the red. This demonstrates that like gold nanoclusters also silver nanoclusters can be fluorescent.     

Insight of the photoluminescence of atomically precise bimetallic nanoclusters with free electrons

Noble-metal nanoclusters with emission properties are promising candidtes for cell imaging, biosensing, photo-therapy applications due to their ultra-small size, good photostability, and high biocompatibility. It is of great importance to realize the atomic precision of such metal nanoclusters (NCs) because they allow us to investigate the origin of fluorescence at the atomic level. However, compared to quantum dots (QDs) and organic dyes, noble metal nanoclusters usually suffered from low quantum yield, which significantly limited their applications. Doping with other metal atoms is an effective strategy to enhance the fluorescent properties of metal NCs. Therefore, bimetallic nanoclusters possess enhanced emission properties relative to their monometallic counterparts. Although a couple of reviews have existed for bimetallic nanocluster, few of them concern their emissive properties. In this context, the emissive properties of atomically precise bimetallic nanoclusters are summarized in this minireview. Synergistic effect, state of aggregation, assembly, and isomerism on the fluorescence of bimetallic clusters and structure-photoluminescence property correlations are also discussed.     

Biomolecules as promising ligands in the synthesis of metal nanoclusters: Sensing,bioimaging and catalytic applications

The use of metal nanoclusters as sensing probes has recently attracted considerable interest from researchers. In particular, metallic nanoclusters (e.g., Au, Ag, Cu, Pt) have been noticed a wide range of applications in the field of fluorescence sensing and bioimaging. The stabilization of metal nanoclusters with organic molecules, proteins, and amino acids enhances their optical properties and analytical applications. In this review, synthetic routes for the fabrication of metal nanoclusters are summarized. This review also describes the metal nanoclusters properties including aggregation-induced emission, optical absorption, non-linear optical, and chiral properties. We discussed the analytical applications of metal nanoclusters for sensing of wide variety of analytes including drugs, biomolecules, biomarkers. Further, the catalytic applications of metal nanoclusters are also briefly summarized. Finally, we summarize the challenges and future perspectives of metal nanoclusters in analytical chemistry.     

Enhanced Emission of Silver Nanoclusters Through Quantitative Phase Transfer

Silver nanoclusters composed of only a few metal atoms present appealing properties such as fluorescence. We have previously reported on aqueous solutions of this fluorophore using poly(methacrylic acid) as scaffold and their sensing properties. Here we report on the preparation of organic solutions of fluorescent silver nanoclusters by quantitative transfer from aqueous solution to an immiscible organic solvent. The fluorescent silver nanoclusters in the organic phase present enhanced emission properties and increased purity, which may expand the range of applications of this promising fluorophore.     

Chemiluminescence and electrochemiluminescence applications of metal nanoclusters

Due to strong photoluminescence, extraordinary photostability, excellent biocompatibility, and good water-solubility, metal nanoclusters have attracted enormous attention since discovered. They are found to be novel fluorescence labels for biological applications and environmental monitoring. Recently the chemiluminescence (CL) or electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of metal nanoclusters has received increasing attention. This review covers recent vibrant developments in this field of the past 5 years, and highlights different functions of metal nanoclusters in various CL and ECL systems, such as luminophores, catalysts, and quenchers. Latest synthetic methods of metal nanoclusters used in CL or ECL are also summarized. Furthermore, we discuss some perspectives and critical challenges of this field in the near future.     

Site-specific DNA-programmed growth of fluorescent and functional silver nanoclusters

Precise organization of metallic nanoclusters on DNA scaffolds holds great interest for nanopatterned materials that may find uses in electronics, sensors, medicine, and many other fields. Herein, we report the site-specific growth of fluorescent silver nanoclusters by using a mismatched double-stranded DNA template. Few-atom, molecular-scale Ag clusters are found to localize at the mismatched site and the metallized DNA retains its integrity. The DNA-encapsulated nanoclusters can be utilized as functional biological probes to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms by taking advantage of the very bright fluorescence and excellent photostability of the nanoclusters. This approach offers the possibility of constructing novel DNA-based nanomaterials and nanomechanical devices with more sophisticated functions and will be highly beneficial in future biochemical, pharmaceutical, nanomechanical, and electronic applications.     

Uptake and imaging of glycine functionalized gold nanoclusters in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells

Journal of Cluster Science - Fluorescent gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have attracted considerable interest in biological application. Here, we reported a novel Au NCs with blue fluorescence,...     

DNA-templated fluorescent silver nanoclusters

In this review, we discuss the synthesis and applications of DNA-templated fluorescent silver nanoclusters in aqueous solution. Various oligonucleotide sequences or conformations have been utilized to synthesize silver nanoclusters with excellent fluorescence properties. The range of applications has expanded greatly, from live cell staining and the detection of metal ions and small biomolecules to the detection of DNA or proteins.     

Determination of Thiols by Fluorescence using Au@Ag Nanoclusters as Probes

A simple and label-free fluorescent assay for the sensitive determination of biological thiols was developed using Au@Ag nanoclusters. The sensing approach was based on the strong affinity of thiols to silver on the surface of the nanoclusters. In the presence of thiol-containing amino acids, the fluorescence of the Au@Ag nanoclusters was quenched due to the formation of a non-fluorescent coordination complex via the robust Ag-S bond, which allowed the determination of thiol-containing amino acids in a very simple and rapid way. Under the optimal conditions, an excellent linear relationship was present due to quenching of the Au@Ag nanoclusters over cysteine concentrations between 20 nM and 80 µM with a low detection limit of 5.87 nM. Glutathione was determined between 2 µM and 70 µM with a detection limit of 1.01 µM. In addition, the results reveal that the fluorescent assay has excellent selectivity toward thiol-containing amino acids compared to non-thiol containing amino acids. Moreover, the assay was successfully used to determine cysteine in human plasma, and thus Au@Ag nanoclusters are a suitable fluorescent probe for biological applications.