Using Cu2+ ions as a detection material to verify the synthesis mechanism of Au nanoclusters mediated by wool keratin and silk fibroin resilience network. Issue 13 (July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Xin; Dong, Yuanyuan; Liu, Gangzhong; Zhang, Guosheng; Li, Jie; Zhu, Ying; Yu, Weidong; Liu, Hongling
• Is Part Of: Textile research journal. Volume 92:Issue 13/14(2022)
• Page Start: 2150
• Page End: 2161
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• Subjects: Gold nanoclusters -- soft–hard segment structure -- synthesis mechanism -- detection of Cu2+ -- fluorescence quenching; Textile industry -- Periodicals; Textile fabrics -- Periodicals; Textile research -- Periodicals; Textiles et tissus -- Industrie et commerce -- Périodiques; Textiles et tissus -- Périodiques; Textiles et tissus -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 677.005
• DOI: 10.1177/0040517521989775
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0040-5175

Abstract

Nanoclusters, with their ultrasmall sizes, have emerged as an indispensable tool in designing structural materials with a wide range of applications, but predicting the synthesis mechanism and structures remains challenging. This work delineates a synthesis mechanism of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), which is realized by functionalizing a wool keratin (WK) and silk fibroin (SF) resilience network structure via self-assembly with controllable microstructure transformation. We synthesized such AuNCs by reducing the thiol groups of WK into WK@AuNCs and then entering the WF&SF resilience framework during the reconstruction, achieving WK@AuNCs/WK&SF with high fluorescence intensity for selective quenching of heavy metal Cu 2+ ions. Further investigation indicated that α-helix and β- crystallites resulted in a soft–hard molecular segment denoted as WK&SF resilience network, which held and separated the WK@AuNCs into the nanocages. Owing to the synergism of these features, WK@AuNCs/WK&SF displayed superior fluorescence performances compared with WK@AuNCs.