Synthesis of fluorescent metal nanoclusters

A method for preparing fluorescent metal nanoclusters, comprising:

• mixing a solution of a metal precursor and a polypeptide under conditions suitable to convert at least some of the metal precursor to fluorescent metal nanoclusters,
• the metal precursor selected from a silver precursor or a gold precursor,
• wherein the polypeptide is chosen from an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 1 and SEQ ID NO:
• 20.

A method for preparing fluorescent metal nanoclusters comprising:

• mixing a solution of a metal precursor and a polypeptide under conditions suitable to convert at least some of the metal precursor to fluorescent metal nanoclusters, the metal precursor selected from a silver precursor or a gold precursor,
• wherein the polypeptide comprises a bacteriophage-displayed polypeptide and wherein the method further comprises selecting a polypeptide for binding to a noble metal by displaying the polypeptide on a bacteriophage,
• wherein the bacteriophage-displayed polypeptide is chosen from an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 2, SEQ ID NO:
• 3, SEQ ID NO:
• 4, SEQ ID NO:
• 5, SEQ ID NO:
• 6, SEQ ID NO:
• 7, SEQ ID NO:
• 8, SEQ ID NO:
• 9, SEQ ID NO:
• 10, SEQ ID NO:
• 11, SEQ ID NO:
• 12, SEQ ID NO:
• 13, SEQ ID NO:
• 14, SEQ ID NO:
• 15, SEQ ID NO:
• 16, SEQ ID NO:
• 17, SEQ ID NO:
• 18, and SEQ ID NO:
• 19.

A method of preparing fluorescent metal nanoclusters, comprising:

• mixing a two-phase liquid system comprising an aqueous phase and an organic phase, the aqueous portion comprising a biocompatible reducing agent and a polypeptide template, the organic portion comprising metal precursor, the metal chosen from gold and silver,
• separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase after mixing the two-phase liquid system;
• heating the aqueous solution;
• and
• separating the template from the nanoclusters.