Highly Luminescent Glutathione-Capped Cadmium Nanoclusters for Solar-Powered Photocatalysis

The synthesis of fluorescent metal nanoclusters, excluding gold, silver, and copper, remains relatively rare and highly challenging. In this study, a novel water-soluble glutathione-capped cadmium nanocluster (GSH@CdNCs) was successfully fabricated. These nanoclusters exhibit excellent monodispersity and bright emission properties, and their photophysical mechanism was elucidated using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, the GSH@CdNCs also demonstrated efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, highlighting their potential for solar-driven environmental remediation.