Sensors for the detection of heavy metal ions in water are in high demand due to the danger they pose to both the environment and human health. Among their possible detection approaches, modulation of the photoluminescence of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) is gaining wide interest as an alternative to classical analytical methods based on complex and high-cost instrumentation. In the present work, luminescent oxidized AuNCs emitting in both ultraviolet (UV) and visible (blue) regions were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of a gold target in NaOH aqueous solution, followed by different bleaching processes. High-resolution electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray scattering confirmed the presence of oxygen and gold in the transparent photoluminescent clusters, with an average diameter of about 3 nm. The potentialities of the bleached AuNCs colloidal dispersions for the detection of heavy metal ions were studied by evaluating the variation in photoluminescence in the presence of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺ and CH₃Hg⁺ ions. Different responses were observed in the UV and visible (blue) spectral regions. The intensity of blue emission decreased (no more than 10%) and saturated at concentrations higher than 20 ppb for all the heavy metal ions tested. In contrast, the UV band emission was remarkably affected in the presence of Hg²⁺ ions, thus leading to signal variations for concentrations well beyond 20 ppb (the concentration at which saturation occurs for other ions). The limit of detection for Hg²⁺ is about 3 ppb (15 nmol/L), and the photoluminescence intensity diminishes linearly by about 75% up to 600 ppb. The results are interpreted based on the ligand-free interaction, i.e., the metallophilic bonding formation of Hg²⁺ and Au⁺ oxide present on the surface of the UV-emitting nanoclusters.

Scanning magnetic microscopy is a tool that has been used to map magnetic fields with good spatial resolution and field sensitivity. This technology has great advantages over other instruments; for example, its operation does not require cryogenic technology, which reduces its operational cost and complexity. Here, we presented a spatial domain technique based on an equivalent layer approach for processing the data set produced by magnetic microscopy. This approach estimated a magnetic moment distribution over a fictitious layer composed by a set of dipoles located below the observation plane. For this purpose, we formulated a linear inverse problem for calculating the magnetic vector and its amplitude. Vector field maps are valuable tools for the magnetic interpretation of samples with a high spatial variability of magnetization. These maps could provide comprehensive information regarding the spatial distribution of magnetic carriers. In addition, this approach might be useful for characterizing isolated areas over samples or investigating the spatial magnetization distribution of bulk samples at the micro and millimeter scales. This technique could be useful for many applications that require samples that need to be mapped without a magnetic field at room temperature, including rock magnetism.