Abstract

Recent advances in fluorescent noble metal nanoclusters, e.g. Au and Ag, have prompted the development of fluorescent film sensors. These metal nanoclusters possess the unique and intriguing physical and chemical properties including strong photoluminescence and excellent photostability. Up to date, a wide variety of organic ligands have been used for the synthesis of the nanoclusters. These organic ligands not only provide versatile connecting antennae for facile immobilization of the nanoclusters for fabricating fluorescent film sensors, but also facilitate the interaction of the encapsulated nanoclusters with the analytes, leading to improved sensor performance. The present review shows the recent progress in the fabrication and applications of fluorescent film sensors based on Au and Ag nanoclusters.

Keywords: Fluorescent film sensors, gold nanoclusters, silver nanoclusters, protein-protected nanoclusters.

Graphical Abstract