One-pot simple preparation of bright blue emitting copper nanoclusters for sensitive detection of chrysin via inner filter effect

Chrysin has carried out intensive interest in medicine areas due to its excellent influences for human health. Precise determination of chrysin is fairly necessary for pharmaceutical quality control and clinical study. Herein, water soluble fluorescent copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) were developed through one-pot itinerary by utilizing polyvinylpyrrolidone as the stabilizer and ascorbic acid as the reducing agent. The as-obtained Cu NCs emitted bright blue fluorescence and suggested good optical features and outstanding photostability with the quantum yield of 9.27%. The inner filter effect (IFE) should be the main cause of the fluorescence quenching of Cu NCs. For this, a fluorescent system for chrysin determination was carried out by utilizing the Cu NCs as a nanoprobe. The fluorescence weakening efficiency of Cu NCs had a linear relationship to chrysin amounts in the range of 0.5–300 μM, and detection limit of 0.093 μM was obtained. This as-established system was effectively utilized to measure chrysin in real samples.