Developing an off-on fluorescence sensor based on red copper nanoclusters wrapped by sulfhydryl and polymer double ligands for sensitive detection of N-acetyl-L-cysteine

N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a class of thiols is commonly used in the treatment of lung diseases, detoxification and prevention of liver damage. In this paper, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) coated and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) attached copper nanoclusters (4-MBA@PVP-CuNCs) were successfully synthesized using a simple one-pot method with an absolute quantum yield of 10.98 %, and its synthetic conditions (like effects of single/double ligands and temperature) were studied intensively. Then Hg