Abstract
Highly fluorescent, stable, water-soluble Ag nanoclusters (AgNCs) have been successfully prepared via a sonochemical approach using lipoic acid as a capping agent to sense the presence of mercury selectively in the environmental samples. The synthetic route follows the principles of green chemistry. Mass spectrometric analysis shows that nanoclusters are made of two to six silver atoms (Ag2–Ag6) and its size remains within 2–3nm (diameter). Such nanoclusters exhibit high fluorescence property as evident from photoluminescence spectroscopy. Based on fluorescence property, an analytical method has been developed to trace mercuric ions (Hg2+) selectively, even at subnanomolar concentrations.
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