Dynamic Features Of Rod-Shaped Au Nanoclusters

Gold nanoclusters hold many potential applications such as biosensing and optics due to their emission characteristics, small size, and non-toxicity. However, their low quantum yields remain problematic for further applications, and their fluorescence mechanism is still unclear. To increase the low quantum yields, various methods have been performed: doping, tuning structures, and changing number of gold atoms. In the past, most characterizations have been performed on spherical shaped nanoclusters; in this paper, several characterizations of various rod-shaped Au nanoclusters specifically on Au-25 are shown. It has been determined that the central gold atom in Au-25 nano-rod is crucial in fluorescence. Furthermore, single molecule analysis of silver doped Au-25 nano-rod revealed that it has more photo-stability than conjugated polymers and quantum dots.