Synthesis of the fluorescent Au nanoclusters is reported. The Au nanoclusters were synthesized via reduction of gold ions in reverse micelles with mild reducing agents. The Au nanoclusters show a bright red emission at 640 nm. The fluorescent Au nanoclusters attract great interest for sensor, electronic device and bio-imaging applications because of ultra-small size, high chemical stablity and bright emission. We believe that the fluorescent Au nanoclusters can have optoelectronic applications such as optical down conversion phosphors.
