Water-dispersible near-infrared Ag2S nanoclusters with tunable fluorescence for bioimaging application

Abstract

Water-dispersed NIR-emitting ultrasmall-sized Ag₂S nanoclusters (NCs) are prepared directly in the aqueous phase via a facile one-step microwave synthesis. Through fine adjustment of the experimental conditions, Ag₂S NCs with tunable multicolor emission are successfully realized from the visible region to the NIR region. The resultant Ag₂S NCs are promising biological probes for cellular imaging.