Thiolate-protected metal nanoclusters (or thiolated NCs) have recently emerged as a promising class of functional materials because their well-defined molecular structures and intriguing molecular-like properties. Recent developments in the NC field aimed at exploring NCs novel luminescent biomedical inherent biocompatibility good photoluminescence (PL) From fundamental perspective, recent advances also addressing aspects PL properties NCs, shedding some light on developing efficient...

A one-pot synthesis of extremely stable, water-soluble Cu quantum clusters (QCs) capped with a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), is reported. From matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, we assign the to be composed Cu5 and Cu13 cores. The QCs also show luminescence properties having excitation emission maxima at 325 410 nm, respectively, yield 0.15, which are found different from that protein alone in similar experimental...

Highly luminescent thiolated gold nanoclusters have been synthesized by "spatially confining" the Au(I)-thiolate complexes in a biocompatible and biodegradable cationic polymer, chitosan, taking form of nanosized hydrogel. In this conformation, strong electrostatic attraction between chitosan thiolate ligands largely restricts intramolecular motions surface on as-formed Au nanoclusters, leading to significant enhancement their luminescence when nanogel. The "spatial confinement" method can...

An alloy cluster containing a 13-atom core, with composition Ag7Au6(H2MSA)10 (H2MSA=mercaptosuccinic acid) was synthesized from silver clusters by galvanic exchange reaction. The were characterized several spectroscopic and microscopic methods. shows luminescence quantum yield of 3.5×10−2 at room temperature. Theoretical calculations for Ag7Au6(SCH3)10 suggest distorted icosahedral core. Detailed facts importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents...

Ultrasmall metal nanoclusters (NCs) have attracted increasing attention due to their fascinating physicochemical properties. Today, functional NCs are finding growing acceptance in biomedical applications. To achieve a better performance applications, can be interfaced with biomolecules, such as proteins, peptides, and DNA, form new class of biomolecule-NC composites (or bio-NCs short), which typically show synergistic or novel physiological This feature article focuses on the recent studies...

Gold-based nanomaterials with unique physicochemical and biological properties can potentially be used as radiosensitizers in cancer radiotherapy.

With ultrasmall particle sizes of ∼1 nm, thiolate-protected silver nanoclusters (or thiolated Ag NCs) have recently emerged as an attractive frontier nanoparticle research because their unique molecular-like properties, such well-defined molecular structures, HOMO–LUMO transitions, quantized charging, and strong luminescence. Such intriguing physicochemical properties made NCs a new class promising theranostic agents for wide spectrum biomedical applications, bioimaging, antimicrobial...

We report the synthesis of luminescent AuAg alloy quantum clusters (QCs) in bovine serum albumin (BSA), for first time, with experimentally determined atomic composition. Mixing as-synthesized protein-protected Au and Ag resulted formation within BSA. Mass spectrometric analysis product a 1 : molar ratio reaction mixture Au(QC)@BSA Ag(QC)@BSA suggested that could be Au(38-x)Ag(x)@BSA. Further analyses by standard techniques revealed cluster core ∼1.2 nm diameter is composed nearly zero...

Ultrasmall Au NCs have recently emerged as functional bionanomaterials due to their unique physicochemical and theranostic properties. To explore the therapeutic potential of overcome biological barriers, interfacial engineering approaches are discussed in details.

Ultrasmall silver nanoparticles (AgNPs; size < 3 nm) have attracted a great deal of interest as an alternative to commercially available antibiotics due their ability eliminate wide range microbial pathogens. However, most these ultrasmall AgNPs are highly reactive and unstable, well susceptible fast oxidation. Therefore, both the stability toxicity remain major shortcomings for clinical application uptake. To circumvent problems, we present novel strategy impregnate into biocompatible...

We decorated per-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin protected gold nanoclusters on TiO₂ nanoparticles to improve photocatalytic activity by inhibiting electron–hole pair recombination and absorbing organic targets <italic>via</italic> host–guest interactions.

An abnormal optical absorption at about 780 and 980 nm was observed for Au25 nanoclusters (NCs) protected by negatively charged thiolate ligands collocating with positively or neutrally ligands, largely due to the resultant surface charge anisotropy on NC which could induce structural distortions of thiolated NCs.

The development of ultrasmall, luminescent metal nanoclusters (MNCs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics is a relatively new research area that has gained significant attention in various multidisciplinary applications such as optoelectronics, sensing, imaging, and therapy. numerous scientific breakthroughs the AIE field provide many tools that, if incorporated into MNCs design strategies, could help realize exciting MNC-based avenues maximize utilization phenomenon....

Abstract Metal nanoclusters (NCs) have recently attracted great interest in biomedical applications due to their ultrasmall size, good biocompatibility, and unique molecule‐like physical chemical properties. NCs can be rationally designed integrated with various targeting moieties achieve physicochemical properties functions. For therapeutic applications, these multifunctional surface‐modified provide distinctive advantages over native metal NCs, such as improved effects reduced side...

Silver-based nano-antibiotics are rapidly developing as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Ideally, remain potent against a wide range of drug-resistant and anaerobic bacteria, silver-based should easily penetrate through the bacterial cell walls actively release silver ions. In this study, highly monodispersed, ultrasmall (<3 nm), polycationic nanoclusters (pAgNCs) designed synthesized for elimination common Gram-negative Gram-positive pathogens their corresponding...

Surface modification can have a significant influence on the materials behavior at nanoscale and lead to nanostructures with novel properties. Here, we demonstrate surface induced multiple photoluminescence room temperature ferromagnetic activation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). Employing systematic variation ligands, their functional groups structural position groups, identified necessary sufficient requirements co-ordinating in order induce unprecedented optical/magnetic responses from NPs....

We report the evolution and confinement of atomically precise luminescent gold clusters in a small protein, lysozyme (Lyz) using detailed mass spectrometric (MS) other spectroscopic investigations. A maximum 12 Au0 species could be bound to single Lyz molecule irrespective molar ratio : Au3+ used for cluster growth. The cluster-encapsulated protein also forms aggregates similar parent protein. Time dependent studies reveal emergence free redistribution detached Au atoms, at specific ratios,...

The development of luminescent mercury sulfide quantum dots (HgS QDs) through the bio-mineralization process has remained unexplored. Herein, a simple, two-step route for synthesis HgS in bovine serum albumin (BSA) is reported. QDs are characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) luminescence, Raman transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), circular dichroism (CD), energy dispersive analysis (EDX), and picosecond-resolved...

Composite polymer films incorporating luminescent copper nanoclusters are conveniently fabricated by solution processing of a precursor mixture polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly(vinyl alcohol), Cu2+ salt, and glutathione in water. The formation Cu takes place through chemical reactions the precursors hydrogel network, whose dehydration during subsequent aging process leads to aggregation-induced emission enhancement. Large-area (25 cm × 32 cm), flexible, transparent, thermally stable,...