One-pot green synthesis of l-proline-stabilized copper nanoclusters for quercetin sensing

Synthesis of metallic nanoparticles using biometabolites: mechanisms and applications

Bio-metabolites have played a crucial role in the recent green synthesis of nanoparticles, resulting in more versatile, safer, and effective nanoparticles. Various primary and secondary metabolites, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, enzymes, vitamins, organic acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenes, have demonstrated strong metal reduction and stabilization properties that can be utilized to synthesize nanomaterials and influence their characters. While physical and chemical methods were previously used to synthesize these nanomaterials, their drawbacks, including high energy consumption, elevated cost, lower yield, and the use of toxic chemicals, have led to a shift towards eco-friendly, rapid, and efficient alternatives. Biomolecules act as reducing agents through deprotonation, nucleophilic reactions, transesterification reactions, ligand binding, and chelation mechanisms, which help sequester metal ions into stable metal nanoparticles (NPs). Engineered NPs have potential applications in various fields due to their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties, offering improved performance compared to bulkier counterparts. NPs can be used in medicine, food and agriculture, chemical catalysts, energy harvesting, electronics, etc. This review provides an overview of the role of primary and secondary metabolites in creating effective nanostructures and their potential applications.

Construction of a copper nanocluster/MnO2 nanosheet-based fluorescent platform for butyrylcholinesterase activity detection and anti-Alzheimer's drug screening

An abnormal level of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity is highly connected with hepatic damage and Alzheimer's disease. Herein, a facile and efficient method was proposed for BChE detection by incorporating polyethyleneimine-capped copper nanoclusters (PEI-CuNCs) with manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanosheets. The emission of PEI-CuNCs can be significantly quenched by MnO₂ nanosheets via the inner filter effect. With the addition of BChE, the hydrolysis of butyrylthiocholine iodide produces thiocholine which can reduce MnO₂ nanosheets to Mn²⁺, thus resulting in the fluorescence recovery of PEI-CuNCs. Based on that, a fluorescence "turn-on" sensing platform for BChE activity determination was constructed with a detection limit of 2.26 U L^-1. This sensing method is able to detect BChE in human serum samples and identify the serums of normal persons and cirrhotic patients effectively, indicating its great potential in the clinical diagnosis of liver diseases. Furthermore, the approach can also be used to screen BChE inhibitors, which are promising medications to alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Copper nanoclusters: designed synthesis, structural diversity, and multiplatform applications

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (MNCs) have gained tremendous research interest in recent years due to their extraordinary properties. The molecular-like properties that originate from the quantized electronic states provide novel opportunities for the construction of unique nanomaterials possessing rich molecular-like absorption, luminescence, and magnetic properties. The field of monolayer-protected metal nanoclusters, especially copper, with well-defined molecular structures and compositions, is relatively new, about two to three decades old. Nevertheless, the massive progress in the field illustrates the importance of such nanoobjects as promising materials for various applications. In this respect, nanocluster-based catalysts have become very popular, showing high efficiencies and activities for the catalytic conversion of chemical compounds. Biomedical applications of clusters are an active research field aimed at finding better fluorescent contrast agents, therapeutic pharmaceuticals for the treatment and prevention of diseases, the early diagnosis of cancers and other potent diseases, especially at early stages. A huge library of structures and the compositions of copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) with atomic precisions have already been discovered during last few decades; however, there are many concerns to be addressed and questions to be answered. Hopefully, in future, with the combined efforts of material scientists, inorganic chemists, and computational scientists, a thorough understanding of the unique molecular-like properties of metal nanoclusters will be achieved. This, on the other hand, will allow the interdisciplinary researchers to design novel catalysts, biosensors, or therapeutic agents using highly structured, atomically precise, and stable CuNCs. Thus, we hope this review will guide the reader through the field of CuNCs, while discussing the main achievements and improvements, along with challenges and drawbacks that one needs to face and overcome.