Photosensitization Dynamics of Stable Copper Nanoclusters Inside the Aqueous Core of Reverse Micelles with Different Pool Sizes.

The perennial problem of instability of fluorescent copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs), stemming principally from aerial oxidation, has prevented their vivid usage in energy harvesting compared to the other metal NCs. However, replacement of the much expensive metal NCs with the cheaper Cu NCs is desirable if the functions are met with. Although thiolate protection of Cu NCs could bring some stability to them, appreciably decentlystable Cu NCs were produced inside the aqueous core of reverse micelles (RMs). However, this recent development has not been further explored on the photosensitization of the Cu NCs inside the RMs and their controlled modulation as energy antenna. Here we have synthesized stable Cu NCs inside the aqueous core of RMs with three different pool sizes and established photoinduced electron transfer (PET) to an electron acceptor. Considering the bulk quencher concentration, it appears that the extent of PET increases with decrease in the size of the aqueous core of RMs. However, calculating the effective concentration of the electron acceptor inside the RMs and considering the polarity of the microheterogeneous systems, it becomes clear that the extent of PET actually decreases with decrease in the size of the aqueous pool (w0, i.e., [H2O]/[AOT]) = 5-20) in the RMs. This proof of concept and the results are promising toward applications in PET-driven phenomena such as solar cells or batteries.