Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhopal 462 066, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2021 Dec 21;58(1):29-47. doi: 10.1039/d1cc05396e.
Luminescent metal nanoclusters (NCs) have been established as next-generation fluorophores. Their biocompatible and non-toxic nature, along with excellent chemical- and photo-stability, enables them to find applications in multi-disciplinary areas. However, preparing NCs which are stable is always challenging, primarily owing to their small size and propensity to self-aggregate. In this review, we highlight a holistic approach as to how ligands and templates can monitor the stability of NCs, tune their spectroscopic signatures, and alter their applications. The role of small molecules of a large ligand in the preparation of NCs and their associated limitations are also discussed. We have summarized how these NCs can be utilized in sensing several metal ions, pH, viscosity and temperature of many systems which have biological relevance. Additionally, these luminescent metal NCs find usage in cell-imaging, discriminating between cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines and also targeting specific organelles within the cellular environment.
发光金属纳米团簇（NCs）已被确立为下一代荧光团。它们具有生物相容性和低毒性，以及出色的化学和光稳定性，使它们能够在多学科领域中找到应用。然而，制备稳定的 NCs 一直是一个挑战，主要是因为它们的尺寸小且容易自聚集。在这篇综述中，我们强调了配体和模板如何能够监测 NCs 的稳定性、调整其光谱特征以及改变它们的应用的整体方法。我们还讨论了大配体小分子在 NCs 制备中的作用及其相关局限性。我们总结了这些 NCs 如何用于感测具有生物学相关性的许多系统中的几种金属离子、pH 值、粘度和温度。此外，这些发光金属 NCs 还可用于细胞成像，区分癌细胞和非癌细胞系，以及靶向细胞环境中的特定细胞器。
