Preparation of a Red-Emitting, Chitosan-Stabilized Copper Nanocluster Composite and Its Application as a Hydrogen Peroxide Detection Probe in the Analysis of Water Samples

Hydrogen peroxide (H O ) is an important reactive oxygen species that mediates a variety of physiological functions in biological processes, and it is an essential mediator in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental analysis. However, H O can be dangerous and toxic at certain concentrations. It is crucial to detect the concentration of H O in the environment for human health and environmental protection. Herein, we prepared the red-emitting copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) by a one-step method, with lipoic acid (LA) and sodium borohydride as protective ligands and reducing agents, respectively, moreover, adding chitosan (CS) to wrap LA-Cu NCs. The as-prepared LA-Cu NCs@CS have stronger fluorescence than LA-Cu NCs. We found that the presence of H O causes the fluorescence of LA-Cu NCs@CS to be strongly quenched. Based on this, a fluorescent probe based on LA-Cu NCs@CS was constructed for the detection of H O with a limit of detection of 47 nM. The results from this research not only illustrate that the as--developed fluorescent probe exhibits good selectivity and high sensitivity to H O in environmental water samples but also propose a novel strategy to prepare red-emitting copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) by a one-step method.