Hydrophilic Cyclodextrin Derivative Directed Lateral Recombination of 1-D Dipeptide Protected Gold Nanoclusters Assembly for Localization

The controllable self-assembly of metal nano -clusters (NCs) has attracted great interest because of the morphological versatility and accompanying luminescence properties, especially aggregation-induced emission. However, there still remains great space to modulate both the morphological and luminescence behaviors in a simple manner. Herein we demonstrate the role of hydrophilic hydroxypropyl-fl-cyclodextrin (HP -fl-CD) to direct the lateral recombination of dipeptide-protected Au NCs (Ac-CG-Au NCs) 1-D assemblies. HP -fl-CD can shorten the distance between single NCs and strengthen intercluster interactions, which may further increase the stability of the NCs assemblies and promote the charge transfer efficiency, contributing to a 2-fold larger PL quantum yield than for Ac-CG-Au NCs. By virtue of the pH-sensitive and morphology-dependent PL emission in an acidic environment, the 1-D NCs assemblies can be applied for the selective labeling of lysosomes, the acidic organelles in HeLa cells, making them a candidate tool for subcellular trafficking observation.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the role of hydroxypropyl-fl-cyclodextrin (HP -fl-CD) in directing the self-assembly of dipeptide-protected gold nano-clusters (Ac-CG-Au NCs) into 1-D assemblies. The resulting assemblies exhibit enhanced stability and higher charge transfer efficiency, leading to a 2-fold larger photoluminescence quantum yield compared to Ac-CG-Au NCs. The pH-sensitive emission of the 1-D assemblies makes them suitable for selective labeling of lysosomes in HeLa cells, providing a potential tool for subcellular trafficking observation.