H-bond-induced luminescence enhancement in a Pt1Ag30nanocluster and its application in methanol detection

Hydrogen bonding is an important type of interaction for constructing nanocluster assemblies. In this study, the role of hydrogen bonding interactions in regulating the fluorescence properties of nanoclusters is investigated. A [Pt1Ag30(SAdm)14(Bdpm)4Cl5]3+ (Pt1Ag30 for short) nanocluster containing hydrogen-accepting ligands is synthesized and its structure is determined. By introducing N-containing ligands into nanoclusters, hydrogen bonding interactions between nanoclusters and polar solvents can be established, which can result in a 35-fold enhancement in the fluorescence intensity (in MeOH vs. in DCM). A series of experiments are designed to demonstrate hydrogen bonding interactions between N atoms in the Pt1Ag30 cluster and H in the polar solvent and the results show that fluorescence enhancement is derived from the proton-coupled/uncoupled electron transfer between hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, this Pt1Ag30 is used for the naked-eye detection of MeOH on indicator paper.