Royal Society of Chemistry, Journal of Materials Chemistry C Materials for optical and electronic devices, 16(3), p. 4050-4056, 2015
DOI: 10.1039/c5tc00246j
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We report here a one-pot synthesis of sub-nanometer sized copper clusters capped with water-soluble ligand, L-glutathione (SGH) through a chemical reduction process. The composition of the as-prepared Cu6(SG)3 nanoclusters was confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionzation time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS). The FTIR, 1H NMR and XPS characterizations showed that with the production of Cu6(SG)3 clusters and the formation of Cu-S bonds, the surface chemical environment of the clusters exhibited significant change. The produced water-soluble clusters show aggregation-induced fluorescence in ethanol. By loading on TiO2 support, the as-prepared copper nanoclusters were successfully applied to the electrochemical detection of glucose. Compared to large Cu nanoparticles, the Cu6(SG)3 nanoclusters exhibited higher sensitivity and wider linear range for glucose detection.