Synthesis of fluorescent silver nanoclusters for environmental sensing applications

摘要

In this work, we synthesized silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) in aqueous phase, with two different capping agents: L-Glutathione (GSH) and polymethacrylic acid (PMAA). In the first case a spontaneous reduction of the Ag~+ to Ago allows the formation of AgNCs, while in the second one the reduction is induced by UV lamp exposition. We characterized the two systems of AgNCs by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In both cases, the estimated mean diameter of the nanoclusters is around 2 nm. The systems present optical absorption in the UV-VIS spectral range and they present a strong luminescence, due to their small dimensions. The change of their optical properties in presence of specific heavy metal ions in acqueous solution can potentially be exploited as fluorescent sensor of the presence of dangerous contaminants in water.