A short overview on fluorescent nanoclusters and its application in sensing of metal ions

The fluorescence of noble metal nanoclusters (NCs) has attracted burgeoning interest among the chemists working in the field of sensors and biosensors development due to their unique properties such as excellent photostability, low toxicity, bio-compatibility and size-dependent fluorescence. The size of noble metal NCs is between metal atoms and nanoparticles, and comparable to the Fermi wavelength of electrons, which resulting in the molecule-like properties and discrete energy levels to show size-dependent fluorescence. Because of the excellent fluorogenic properties, the noble metal NCs are widely used for the development of fluorescent probes for various applications. This short review was narrated to summarize some selected applications of noble metal NCs (mainly of gold and silver) in the detection of metal ions.