Graphdiyne-confined synthesis of highly stable Cu55 nano-clusters with white fluorescence†

Copper nanoclusters are known for their unique electronic, optical, and catalytic properties, but their size is difficult to accurately regulate and the optical stability is poor. Herein, we develop a novel method based on the confinement effect of graphdiyne to successfully synthesize size-controllable, uniformly distributed, and optically stable copper nanoclusters with graphdiyne (GDY–Cu₅₅ NCs). The GDY–Cu₅₅ NCs exhibit an exceptionally bright white fluorescence emission (320–700 nm). The white fluorescence emission property of GDY–Cu₅₅ NCs can be attributed to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), where energy is transferred from Cu₅₅ NCs to graphdiyne. This work not only opens a novel avenue for preparing copper nanoclusters with photostability but also provides a new strategy for designing white-light-emitting nanomaterials and fluorescent graphdiyne composites.