Design of a Fluorescent and Clickable Ag38(SRN3)24 Nanocluster Platform: Synthesis, Modeling and Self-Assembling

Fluorescent atomically precise Ag38(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 determinedstoichiometry 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 Ag38(11-azido-2-ol-undecane-thiolate)24 nanoclusters uniquely appealing systems for biosensing, recognition and functionalization in biomedicine applications and in catalysis.