Photostable Copper Nanoclusters: Compatible Förster Resonance Energy-Transfer Assays and a Nanothermometer

Abstract

To address the concern of material chemists over the issue of stability and photoluminescent (PL) characteristics of Cu nanoclusters (NCs), herein we present an efficient protocol discussing PL Cu NCs (Cu/HSA) having blue emission and high photostability. These PL NCs were illustrated as efficient probes for Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a compatible fluorophore (Coumarin 153). Our spectroscopic results were well complemented by our molecular docking calculations, which also favored our proposed mechanism for Cu NC formation. The beneficial aspect and uniqueness of these nontoxic Cu/HSA NCs highlights their temperature-dependent PL reversibility as well as the reversible FRET with Coumarin 153, which enables them to be used as a nanothermometer and a PL marker for sensitive biological samples