Green emission and Ag+ sensing of hydroxy double salt supported gold nanoclusters†
Abstract
In this paper, a complex of Zn-containing hydroxy double salt (Zn-HDS) supported gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) has been synthesized. The formation of the complex (denoted as the AuNCs/Zn-HDS complex) has been analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), IR spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). It is noteworthy that the AuNCs/Zn-HDS complex emits green fluorescence and the quantum yield is 7.6%. Based on the fluorescence quenching effect, the AuNCs/Zn-HDS complex has been employed for the sensitive detection of Ag+ and the limit of detection is 2.32 nM. The mechanisms of fluorescence generation and quenching are discussed in detail.