Results

Stage 1 (15 Sept 2020 - Dec 2020)

The research activities in stage I (2020) of the project were carried out according to the project implementation plan, leading to the achievement of all the objectives.

• We have created the official page of the project.

• We have synthesized the first batches of photoluminescent AuNCs, in colloidal dispersions, using tyrozine, cysteine and hystidine aminoacids as stabilizing agents. The colloidal suspensions were optically characterized and their stability and photoluminescent properties were thoroughly monitored using different techniques.

Stage 2 (Jan - Dec 2021)

The research activities in stage II (2021) of the project were carried out according to the project implementation plan, leading to the achievement of all the objectives.

• We have updated the official web page of the project.

• We have synthesized and characterized optically new batches of colloidal photoluminescent AuNCs stabilized with BSA and histidine.

• The photoluminescence properties of obtained AuNCs (BSA-AuNCs and His-AuNCS) were thoroughly investigated under different conditions evaluating their potential for sensing applications.

• We evaluated the sensibility of the synthesized AuNCs for the detection of Cu and Fe ions, in solution, through monitoring the photoluminescence quenching. We obtained very good limits of detection for both Cu (0.83 µM, using BSA-AuNCs) and Fe (0.2 µM, with His-AuNCs).

• The synthesized BSA-AuNCs and His-AuNCs revealed very good selectivity for Cu and Fe, respectively, proving their excellent performance as reliable sensing platforms for the detection of selected metallic ions, in solution phase.

• We have assembled and calibrated the acquired portable fluorescence spectroscopic system.

Stage 3 (Jan - Sept 2022)

The research activities in stage III (2022) of the project were carried out according to the project implementation plan, leading to the achievement of all the objectives.

• We have updated the official web page of the project.

• We successfully detected relevant concentrations of Cu and Fe ions from spiked real water samples (tap water, spring, river) with the portable fluorescence spectroscopic system proposed using newly synthesized BSA-AuNCs and His-AuNCs nanosensors.

• We have successfully achieved the dissemination plan proposed.

Dissemination

Scientific papers

1. A.-M. Hada*, M. Zetes*, M. Focsan*, T. Nagy-Simon*, A.-M. Craciun*, Novel paper-based sensing platform using photoluminescent gold nanoclusters for easy, sensitive and selective naked-eye detection of Cu²⁺, Journal of Molecular Structure, 1244 (2021) 130990 (IF=3.196)

2. A. M. Hada*, A. M. Craciun*, M. Focsan*, R. Borlan, O. Soritau, M. Todea, S. Astilean, Folic acid functionalized gold nanoclusters for enabling targeted fluorescence imaging of human ovarian cancer cells, Talanta, 225 (2021) 121960 (IF = 5.339)

3. A. M. Hada*, M. Zetes*, M. Focsan*, S. Astilean, A.-M. Craciun*, Photoluminescent histidine-stabilized gold nanoclusters as efficient sensors for fast and easy visual detection of Fe ions in water using paper-based portable platform, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IF=6.208)- in evaluation

4. M. Zetes, A.-M. Hada, M. Todea, L. Gaina, A. M. Craciun, White-light generation from dual-emissive solid-state histidine-stabilized gold nanoclusters - in preparation

Bachelor's and master's dissertations

1. M. Zetes*, Sinteza și caracterizarea nanoclusterilor de aur fotoluminiscenți cu aplicații în detecție de ioni metalic (Synthesis and characterization of photoluminescent gold nanoclusters with applicability in the detection of metal ions) - Bachelor's dissertation, Faculty of Physics, Babes - Bolyai University, 2021

2. M. Zetes* - Master's dissertation, Faculty of Physics, Babes - Bolyai University - in preparation for June 2023

Conferences/Summer schools

1. A.-M. Hada*, M. Zetes*, M. Focsan*, T. Nagy-Simon*, S. Astilean, A.-M. Craciun*, Novel paper-based sensing platform using photoluminescent gold nanoclusters for easy, sensitive and selective naked-eye detection of Cu²⁺, 18^th International Conference on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies (NN21) 6-9 July 2021, Thessaloniki, Greece - oral presentation

2. A.-M. Hada*, M. Zetes*, M. Focsan*, T. Nagy-Simon*, S. Astilean, A.-M. Craciun*, Novel paper-based sensing platform using photoluminescent gold nanoclusters for easy, sensitive and selective naked-eye detection of Cu²⁺, 16^th International Summer Schools on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies, Organic Electronics and Nanomedicine, 3-10 July 2021, Thessaloniki, Greece - poster presentation

3. M. Zetes*, A.-M. Hada*, M. Focsan*, S. Astilean, A.-M. Craciun*, Synthesis and characterization of novel histidine-stabilized gold nanoclusters for the sensitive and selective detection of Fe from water samples, 6^th edition of International Conference on Analytical and Nanoanalytical Methods for Biomedical and Environmental Sciences ”IC-ANMBES 2022” , 8-10 June 2022, Brasov, Romania - poster presentation - awarded with Best Poster Presentation

4. M. Zetes*, A.-M. Hada*, M. Focsan*, S. Astilean, A.-M. Craciun*, Portable paper sensing platform using novel histidine-stabilized gold nanoclusters for fast naked-eye detection of Fe ions from water, The 9 IUPAC International Conference on Green Chemistry, 5-9 Sept 2022, Athens, Greece - poster presentation

5. A.-M. Hada*, “18^th International Course in Principles and Applications of Time-resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy”, 8-11 November 2021, Berlin, Germany - online

*project member