Issue 17, 2025

Dual-emission copper nanoclusters for hydrogen sulfide detection: a novel approach

Abstract

Dual-emission copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) were synthesized via a novel, green and one-pot aqueous method, employing bovine serum albumin and glutathione as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. The CuNCs exhibited distinct fluorescence emissions at 443 nm and 612 nm under 365 nm excitation. Notably, with the increase in hydrogen sulfide concentration, the dual-emission fluorescence of CuNCs was gradually quenched, and complete quenching occurred at 280 μM. The probe demonstrated a stable response to hydrogen sulfide within the concentration range of 2.5–60.0 μM. The detection limit of hydrogen sulfide was as low as 0.32 μM, which is significantly lower than the limit set by the World Health Organization (1.5 μM). This method was successfully applied for the detection of sulfide in environmental samples, achieving remarkable recovery rates ranging from 98.2–102%. Moreover, the response mechanism and practical application potential of CuNCs as a hydrogen sulfide detection platform were investigated, offering crucial insights for the study of fluorescence properties of metal nanoclusters and the prevention and control of hydrogen sulfide pollution.

Graphical abstract: Dual-emission copper nanoclusters for hydrogen sulfide detection: a novel approach

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Mar 2025
Accepted
31 Mar 2025
First published
17 Apr 2025

Anal. Methods, 2025,17, 3561-3569

Dual-emission copper nanoclusters for hydrogen sulfide detection: a novel approach

L. Wang, H. Che, L. Fang, L. Lu, X. Tian and Y. Hwu, Anal. Methods, 2025, 17, 3561 DOI: 10.1039/D5AY00487J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements