Design of a fluorescent and clickable Ag(38)(SRN(3))(24) nanocluster platform: synthesis, modeling and self-assembling

Fluorescent atomically precise Ag(38)(11-azido-2-ol-undecane-thiolate)(24) nanoclusters are easily prepared using sodium ascorbate as a “green” reducer and are extensively characterized by way of elemental analyses, ATR-FTIR, XRD, SAXS, UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopies, and theoretical modeling. The fluorescence and the atomically determined stoichiometry and structure, the facile and environmentally green synthesis, together with the novel presence of terminal azido groups in the ligands which opens the way to “click”-binding a wide set of molecular species, make Ag(38)(11-azido-2-ol-undecane-thiolate)(24) nanoclusters uniquely appealing systems for biosensing, recognition and functionalization in biomedicine applications and in catalysis.