Tunable NIR-II photoluminescence in peptidic gold nanoclusters via dynamic covalent polymerization

Abstract

Tailoring the surface environment of gold nanoclusters is critical for enhancing their optical performance and expanding their applications in bioimaging, notably in the second near-infrared biological window. Here, we report hydrazide-rich peptide AuNCs featuring shell rigidification via dynamic covalent acylhydrazone formation with peptide bisaldehydes of varied hydrophobicity. This strategy restricts ligand motion, enhancing photoluminescence emission efficiency, and enables investigation of how the ligand shell hydrophobicity influences the optical properties of the nanoclusters.