Highly Efficient Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Au22SG18 Nanocluster in Aqueous Solution

Quantum sized metal nanoparticles have attracted wide attention in recent years because of their large potential of application. Among various metal nanoparticles, Au 22 SG 18 nanocluster has unique optical and electrochemical properties. The Au 22 SG 18 nanocluster consist of 22 gold atoms and 18 thiolate ligands. In this study, the Au 22 SG 18 nanocluster is synthesized and its electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) properties have been characterized for the detection of amine compounds such as tripropylamine (TPA) and 2-(dibutylamino) ethanol (DBAE). Especially, ECL of Au 22 SG 18 nanocluster can be generated in aqueous phase. Highly efficient ECL is achieved by using potential pulse method, which increases the ECL intensity. Experimental pulse condition has been optimized. The experimental result demonstrates that the ECL of Au 22 SG 18 nanocluster holds great promise of ECL application in analytical sciences.