Luminescent Gold Nanodots for Detection of Heavy Metal Ions, Proteins and Bacteria

Abstract

Photoluminescent gold nanodots (Au NDs) are one among the most promising candidates for cell imaging, biological labeling, clinical and sensing applications. The great advantage of the gold based NDs is that they are more biocompatible compared to Cd or Pb or other heavy metal based photoluminescent NDs. Therefore, they attract great attention in the field of biological and clinical applications. In this review, we highlight the synthesis, optical properties and applications of some new types of luminescent Au NDs developed by our research group.