Fast microwave-assisted synthesis of AuAg bimetallic nanoclusters with strong yellow emission and their response to mercury(II) ions

Baozhan Zheng, Jingying Zheng, Tingting Yu, Aohua Sang, Juan Du, Yong Guo, Dan Xiao*, Martin M.F. Choi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A rapid, effective and environmental friendly method was developed for preparing strong yellow fluorescent AuAg bimetallic nanoclusters (BNCs). With microwave irradiation, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-stabilized AuAg BNCs could be synthesized in a one-pot procedure within several minutes. The synthesized BSA-AuAg BNCs were fully characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The mechanism of the formation of BSA-AuAg BNCs was also discussed in detail. Because the as-prepared BSA-AuAg BNCs display a good response to Hg2+, they have been potentially developed for the fabrication of fluorescent Hg2+ sensor. More importantly, due to the silver effect of Ag in the AuAg BNCs, the sensitivity of sensor prepared with BSA-AuAg BNCs is 6.3-fold higher than that prepared with BSA-Au NCs. Thus, this work highlights a new approach for the preparation of strongly fluorescent BNCs for the fabrication of highly sensitive fluorescence sensors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)386-392
Number of pages7
JournalSensors and Actuators B: Chemical
Volume221
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jul 2015

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Instrumentation
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Materials Chemistry

User-Defined Keywords

  • AuAg bimetallic nanoclusters
  • Hg<sup>2+</sup> sensor
  • Microwave synthesis
  • Silver effect

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