Amorphous Copper-Based Nanoparticles with Clusterization-Triggered Phosphorescence for Ultrasensing...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry

Background:

• Amorphous metal nanostructures offer enhanced electron transfer and reactivity.
• Achieving amorphous copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) has been a significant challenge.
• Glutathione (GSH) is explored as a stabilizing ligand for nanomaterial synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize amorphous CuNPs using glutathione.
• To develop a phosphorescent sensor for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) detection.
• To investigate the clusterization-triggered emission and sensing mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of amorphous glutathione-functionalized CuNPs (GSH-CuNPs) by controlling solvent polarity and using glutathione as a ligand.
• Characterization of GSH-CuNPs' phosphorescent properties.
• Demonstration of TNT detection via phosphorescence quenching through photoinduced electron transfer.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized amorphous GSH-CuNPs exhibiting clusterization-triggered emission.
• Achieved highly sensitive and specific detection of airborne TNT microparticulates.
• Demonstrated a high quantum yield (13.22%), instantaneous response, and an ultralow detection limit (1.56 pg).
• Confirmed specificity against 33 potential interferents.

Conclusions:

• Amorphous CuNPs can be successfully synthesized using glutathione as a ligand.
• GSH-CuNPs serve as effective phosphorescent sensors for TNT detection.
• This work expands the scope of amorphous metal-based nanostructures for optical sensing applications.