Unveiling the photoluminescence dynamics of gold nanoclusters with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT: Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have captured significant interest for their photoluminescent properties; however, their rapid photodynamics remain elusive while probed by ensemble-averaging spectroscopy techniques. To address this challenge, we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to uncover the photoluminescence dynamics of colloidal Au₁₈(SG)₁₄ nanoclusters. Our FCS analysis reveals the photoluminescence (PL) brightness per nanocluster, elucidating the impact of photoexcitation saturation and ligand interactions. Unlike DNA-encapsulated silver nanoclusters, their gold counterparts notably exhibit minimal blinking, with moderate amplitudes and 200 μs characteristic times. Our data also clearly reveal the occurrence of photon antibunching in the PL emission, show

SUBMITTER: Kayyil Veedu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10790814 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature