Dual-emission copper nanoclusters for hydrogen sulfide detection: a novel approach†

Dual-emission copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) were synthesized via a novel, green and one-pot aqueous method, employing bovine serum albumin and glutathione as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. The CuNCs exhibited distinct fluorescence emissions at 443 nm and 612 nm under 365 nm excitation. Notably, with the increase in hydrogen sulfide concentration, the dual-emission fluorescence of CuNCs was gradually quenched, and complete quenching occurred at 280 μM. The probe demonstrated a stable response to hydrogen sulfide within the concentration range of 2.5–60.0 μM. The detection limit of hydrogen sulfide was as low as 0.32 μM, which is significantly lower than the limit set by the World Health Organization (1.5 μM). This method was successfully applied for the detection of sulfide in environmental samples, achieving remarkable recovery rates ranging from 98.2–102%. Moreover, the response mechanism and practical application potential of CuNCs as a hydrogen sulfide detection platform were investigated, offering crucial insights for the study of fluorescence properties of metal nanoclusters and the prevention and control of hydrogen sulfide pollution.