A rapid microwave-heating method has been developed for the synthesis of bright Au nanoclusters by using bull serum albumin as the template in an aqueous environment. The reaction time needed is only 7.0 min, and the weight of the products at one batch can reach 15g. The Au nanoclusters exhibit bright fluorescence at similar to 613 nm with quantum yield of similar to 6.0%. By adjusting the pH value, the products can be controlled to precipitate or re-disperse in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the Au nanoclusters have exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity in the determination of Cu(2+) ions in water. These results suggest an efficient method for obtaining metal nanoclusters for the detection and sensing applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.