Luminescent Cu(0)@Cu(I)–TGA core–shell nanoclusters via self-assembly

•The clusters are composed of copper core of 5 atoms and large shell of Cu(I)–TGA.•Photoemission of the clusters at pH 4 is at 490 nm under UV light irradiation.•Concentration of TGA is related to optical properties of the clusters.•Higher or lower concentration of TGA can change structure in nanoclusters.•Optical properties and stability are related to core–shell structure.

Antioxidation has always been a challenge in synthesis and application of high luminescence of copper nanoclusters. In this work, Cu(0)@Cu(I)–mercaptoacetic acid (TGA) core–shell structure is developed by well-defined assemblies in aqueous-based solution, which is formed by multilayer shell Cu(I)–TGA and Cu(0) core of 5 atoms. The core–shell structure shows intrinsic green photoluminescence with stability of over two months. The developed structure has been systematically characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy.

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