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A Simple Method for the Size Controlled Synthesis of Stable Oligomeric Clusters of Gold Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions
Published on: February 5, 2016
Calixarene-based supramolecular assembly with fluorescent gold-nanoclusters for highly selective determination of
Tian-Yuan Guo1, Caitlin L Duncan2, Hong-Wei Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, No. 2699, Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, PR China; Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, No. 2 Liutiao Road, Changchun 130023, PR China.
Abstract:
The present study developed an efficient fluorescent approach, based on a supramolecular assembly between gold nanoclusters and calix[4]arene derivatives (C4A-Ds), to detect sever pollutant of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). For that, a series of C4A-Ds with different chain lengths and positive charges at the wider rim were designed and synthesized. Cytidine-5' phosphate protected gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@CMP) were then assembled with calix[4]arene (LC4AP) to form AuNCs/LC4AP assembly, leading to 8-fold luminescence enhancement via the AIEE effect. However, further binding with PFOS reconstituted the as-formed assembly hrough a competitive effect, generating a fluorescence quenching. Particularly, the linear fluorescence response of AuNCs/LC4AP to PFOS realized a highly sensitive determination of the pollutant PFOS in a wide range (2.0-100 μM). In addition, the developed method successfully detected PFOS in pool water near a fire drill field, being good enough for the practical PFOS determination. The calixarene mediated method, based on the fluorescence "on-off" strategy of metal nanoclusters, is sensitive, rapid-responsive, economical, particularly, suitable for the PFOS determination in practice. It takes full advantage of the molecular recognition and self-assembly of artificial macrocyclic host molecules as a promising strategy for the PFOS determination, and will be highlight to develop new detection methods for PFOS and other poisonous compounds in environments.

