Enhancement of photoluminescence of the CdSe/CdS quantum dots on quartz substrates in the presence of silver nanoparticles

Multilayer systems consisting of layers of hybrid quantum dots are fabricated. The quantum dots with the CdSe/CdS core/shell structure are chemically synthesized and deposited on the surface of quartz glass that contains ion-synthesized silver nanoparticles in the near-surface region. Silver nanoparticles exhibit optical absorption owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance. Variations in the photoluminescence intensity of the layer related to an increase in the distance from the quartz surface with metal nanoparticles are studied. An increase in the photoluminescence intensity is observed under excitation in the spectral region of the plasmon absorption of silver nanoparticles. An optimal distance between the layers is determined to maximize the enhancement of the photoluminescence of quantum dots in the presence of the near field of metal nanoparticles.     

The influence of sodium nanoparticles formation on luminescent properties of fluorophosphate glasses containing molecular clusters and quantum dots of lead selenide

The influence of sodium nanoparticles and secondary heat treatment conditions on the spectralluminescent characteristics of fluorophosphate glasses with PbSe molecular clusters and quantum dots is studied. Experiments with glasses containing no sodium nanoparticles show that their thermal treatment leads to the formation of molecular clusters with subsequent formation of quantum dots having an intense luminescence. The results of numerical simulation for glasses with sodium nanoparticles shows that heat treatment leads to formation of a sodium fluoride shell on the nanoparticles surface. It is shown that quenching of the luminescence of PbSe molecular clusters and quantum dots takes place in these glasses.     

核酸适体传感法检测中药材中黄曲霉毒素B1

以自组装方法,构建了金纳米粒子/核酸适体/CdTe量子点复合物荧光传感体系,金纳米粒子使复合物中量子点荧光猝灭。样品溶液中存在黄曲霉毒素B1（AFB1）时,复合物中核酸适体选择性地与AFB1结合,并释放出量子点,使体系的荧光得到恢复,其荧光强度随加入样品中AFB1的量增大而增大。AFB1浓度在0.005~2.00 ng/mL范围与体系荧光强度恢复呈良好线性关系,检测限为1.2 pg/mL。该法用于连翘、山楂和甘草等中药材中痕量AFB1测定,取得了满意结果。     

IR-active vibrational modes of CdTe and CdSe colloidal quantum dots and CdTe/CdSe core/shell nanoparticles and coupling effects

The frequencies of the vibrational modes of CdTe and CdSe quantum dots and CdTe/CdSe core/shell nanoparticles prepared by the colloid chemistry method are determined using IR transmission and IR reflection spectroscopy. The experimental IR transmission spectrum of CdTe and CdSe nanocrystals exhibits a broad minimum located between the frequencies of the transverse optical (TO) and longitudinal optical (LO) phonons of bulk CdTe and CdSe crystals. The frequencies of the modes for ensembles of CdTe and CdSe quantum dots are considerably shifted toward lower frequencies as compared to those calculated for single quantum dots. This is explained by the dipole-dipole interaction between quantum dots. The frequencies of modes for the structures with core/shell nanoparticles differ little from the calculated frequencies. This suggests a weakening of the interaction in these structures due to the enhancement of dielectric screening.     

Directly writing with nanoparticles at the nanoscale using dip-pen nanolithography

Well-defined nanostructures were written with quantum dots and magnetic nanoparticles on gold and mica surfaces using dip-pen nanolithography at room temperature. The structures with both the nanoparticles were characterised by in situ topography measurements, and the quantum dot structures were mapped by fluorescence mapping. It is demonstrated that structures of various kinds such as dots and lines can be prepared using such nanoparticles on suitably prepared surfaces.     

适配体传感法快速测定啤酒中赭曲霉毒素A

应用自组装方式,构建了金纳米粒子/核酸适体/氨基碳量子点荧光传感赭曲霉毒素A高灵敏检测方法。在pH 3.0酒石酸-HCl缓冲溶液中,巯基修饰的赭曲霉毒素A核酸适体在金纳米粒子表面自组装,形成金纳米粒子/核酸适体复合物,再在pH 7.0的磷酸盐缓冲溶液中,氨基碳量子点在金纳米粒子/核酸适体复合物上自组装,形成金纳米粒子/核酸适体/氨基碳量子点复合物荧光传感检测体系。金纳米粒子的摩尔吸光系数大、能带宽使其具有强烈的荧光猝灭功能,氨基碳量子点形成金纳米粒子/核酸适体/氨基碳量子点后发生荧光猝灭, 此时体系的荧光为背景荧光,其强度记为F₀;由于金纳米粒子/核酸适体/氨基碳量子点复合物荧光传感检测体系中核酸适体对赭曲霉毒素A具有特异性识别与结合功能,向金纳米粒子/核酸适体/氨基碳量子点复合物荧光传感检测体系溶液中加入赭曲霉毒素A后,赭曲霉毒素A则与复合物中核酸适体立即发生特异性结合并释放出氨基碳量子点,体系荧光恢复,其荧光强度记为F。依据体系荧光强度的变化(F-F₀)与赭曲霉毒素A浓度之间的关系,建立赭曲霉毒素A核酸适体荧光传感检测方法。研究了金纳米粒子和核酸适体摩尔比、孵化时间、pH等因素对传感器性能的影响,确定了最优条件为金纳米粒子∶核酸适体t为1∶190、孵化时间为6 min、pH 7.0时;在最优条件下,赭曲霉毒素A浓度在0.005～1.00 ng·mL-1范围与体系荧光强度变化呈良好线性关系,线性回归方程为：F-F₀=6.499+211.6c(c为赭曲霉毒素A的浓度,单位：ng·mL-1),相关系数r为0.995 5,按3倍标准差与工作曲线的斜率的比值(3σ/k)计算,得检测限为3 pg·mL-1。在实际样品中的回收率在93.3%～108.9%,相对标准偏差小于5%,能满足啤酒样品中赭曲霉毒素A快速检测要求。对13个市售啤酒样品进行检测,其中6个样品检出赭曲霉毒素A,污染率为46.15%。受污染样品的赭曲霉毒素A含量在0.008～0.63 ng·mL-1范围。该荧光传感法检测赭曲霉毒素A具有灵敏性好、特异性高、常见真菌毒素无干扰、方法简单、快速,便于大众化推广应用的优点。     

Metal enhanced photoluminescence of near-infrared CdTexSe1−x quantum dots

High-quality alloyed near-infrared CdTe_xSe_1?x quantum dots were synthesized by a modified organometallic method. The emission wavelength of the alloyed quantum dots were turned from visible to near-infrared range by changing the composition of the precursor. The photoluminescence intensity of the alloyed quantum dots was further enhanced by coupling through localized surface plasmons from Au nanoparticles. The alloyed CdTeSe quantum dots coupled with Au nanoparticles exhibited a 4 times photoluminescence enhancement than that of bare CdTeSe quantum dots by turning the localized surface plasmons resonant absorption of Au nanoparticles consistent to the excitation wavelength. This method will be beneficial for the potential applications in the biological imaging and detection.     

Photocatalytic Properties of Hybrid Nanostructures Based on Nanoparticles of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Multilayer hybrid nanostructures based on nanoparticles of TiO₂ and CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots were formed. Generation of active forms of oxygen by hybrid nanostructures under visible-light irradiation is demonstrated to take place, which is indicative of efficient photoinduced electron transfer from quantum dots to titanium-oxide nanoparticles contained in the hybrid nanostructures.     

Synthesis of Water-Soluble CdSe Quantum Dots With Various Fluorescent Properties and Their Application in Immunoassay for Determination of C-Reactive Protein

Effects of various factors on synthesis and fluorescent properties of CdSe quantum dots were studied. It was shown that variation of pH, stabilizer and concentration of precursors brings to obtaining of quantum dots with various fluorescent properties. The nanoparticles prepared were conjugated with rabbit antibodies to C-Reactive protein and C-Reactive protein for competitive immunoassay for determination of CRP. It was shown that interaction of these dots as a result of antigen-antibody reaction brings to resonance energy transfer and these changes in fluorescence spectra correlate with concentration of CRP. This approach permits to determine CRP in range between 4–100 ng     

Estimation of the Integral Role of Intershell Correlations in Heavy Atoms

The problem of controlling the quantum dynamics of localized plasmons has been considered in the model of a four-particle spaser composed of metallic nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots. Conditions for the observation of stable steady-state regimes of the formation of surface plasmons in this model have been determined in the mean-field approximation. It has been shown that the presence of strong dipole–dipole interactions between metallic nanoparticles of the spaser system leads to a considerable change in the quantum statistics of plasmons generated on the nanoparticles.     

Preparation of Group IIB Selenide Nanoparticles Using Soft-Hard Dual Template Method

Using a celloidin membrane as template, the uniform Group IIB selenide nanoparticles were inductively synthesized at room temperature and ambient pressure. The nanoparticles are cubic ZnSe quantum dots, hexagonal CdSe quantum dots and cubic HgSe nanoparticles with average diameters of 3.1, 2.0 and 44nm, respectively. In the ultraviolet-visible spectra, their absorption peaks are at about 360, 480 and 440nm individually, and have large blue shifts due to quantum size effect. The corresponding photoluminescence peaks individually showed at 367, 438 and 440nm. In addition, the preparation conditions and formation mechanism have been explored.     

Direct synthesis of luminescent SiC quantum dots in water by laser ablation

Direct synthesis of luminescent SiC quantum dots in pure deionized water by laser ablation is reported. A zeta‐potential of –49 mV, higher than for nanoparticles produced by electrochemical etching, suggests a higher colloidal stability of the laser‐produced nanoparticles. IR spectroscopy shows that surface charges related to carboxylate anions ensure long‐term stability of the colloidal solutions based on the as‐prepared SiC quantum dots. Main radiative channel at room temperature corresponds to the recombination of quantumly confined photogenerated charge carriers. Emission from the nanoparticles is mainly centred at 2.75 eV regardless of laser power used for ablation. According to photoluminescence spectra, a partial transformation of the SiC quantum dots from cubic to hexagonal crystalline arrangement is supposed. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Enhanced biocompatibility of ZnS:Mn quantum dots encapsulated with Aloe vera extract for therapeutic applications

Toxicity of nanoparticles remains to be a major issue in their application to the biomedical field. Aloe vera(AV) is one of the most widely exploited medicinal plants that have a multitude of amazing properties in the field of medicine.Methanol extract of Aloe vera can be used as a novel stabilising agent for quantum dots to reduce toxicity. We report the synthesis, structural characterization, antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity studies of ZnS:Mn quantum dots synthesized by the colloidal precipitation method, using methanol extract of Aloe vera(AVME) as the capping agent. The ZnS:Mn quantum dots capped with AVME exhibit superior performances in biocompatibility and antibacterial activity compared with ZnS:Mn quantum dots without encapsulation.     

All-optical switching between quantum dot nanoarrays

An all-optical switching device is proposed, based on a sandwich structure comprising two-dimensional square-lattice nanoarrays of donor and acceptor quantum dots. The system operates on Förster energy transfer between the dark states of the individual nanoparticles, normally precluded by selection rules. On application of an off-resonant laser beam, a nonlinear mechanism activates transfer between spatially correlated quantum dots across an optically passive spacer layer, signifying an active switching action with parallel processing capability. In this report, electrodynamic theory is employed to analyse the system and to evaluate its energy transfer fidelity. The results of model calculations are presented in graphical form.     

制备水溶性CdS量子点的一种物理方法：飞秒激光烧蚀法

用Ti/sapphire飞秒激光系统产生的100fs、800nm激光对置于水中的CdS体相材料进行烧蚀,得到了水溶性CdS纳米粒子。这种纯物理过程保证了无污染的制备环境,从而保证了所合成材料的纯洁性。通过透射电子显微镜、紫外/可见/近红外吸收光谱、室温光致发光谱的方法对CdS量子点的形貌及其光学性质进行了表征。结果表明:利用飞秒激光烧蚀法所制备的CdS量子点可直接分散在水中而且具有粒径小、分布均匀的特点;同时具有较好的胶体稳定性,可在空气中稳定存放6个月以上。飞秒激光烧蚀法所制备的CdS量子点所具有的这些性质使其在生物标记领域引起极大的兴趣,而且也为纳米材料的制备提供了新的思路。     

Single-molecule measurements of gold-quenched quantum dots

We report the study of the quenching of quantum dots (CdSe) by gold nanoparticles at the single-molecule level. Double-stranded DNA is used as a rigid spacer to tune the distance between the two nanoparticles. The width of the fluorescent intensity distribution, monitored at different interparticle distances, reflects both the nanoparticle heterogeneity and the fluorescence intermittency of the quantum dot. The fluorescence distribution emitted by single CdSe nanocrystals can easily be distinguished from the fluorescence of partially quenched CdSe. Our results show that the distance-dependence quenching is compatible with a F?rster-type process.     

The influence of silver ion exchange on the formation and luminescent properties of lead sulfide molecular clusters and quantum dots

PbS molecular clusters and quantum dots are formed by heat treatment in fluorophosphate glasses of the Na₂O₃–Р₂O₅–Ga₂O₃–AlF₃–ZnO(S)–PbF₂ system with different lead concentrations. PbS molecular clusters are characterized by optical absorption in the range of 300–800 nm and low quantum yields, which decrease from 8.9 to 2.7% with a semiconductor component concentration. It is shown that the parameters of formation of quantum dots luminescing in the wavelength range of 1000–1500 nm are considerably different at different semiconductor component concentrations. The influence of silver ion exchange on the formation of PbS nanoparticles is studied. Introduction of silver stimulates the growth of molecular clusters, which is seen in the absorption spectra. A possible mechanism of interaction of silver nanoparticles with PbS quantum dots is presented.     

Oscillation threshold of a chain of spasers

A model of resonance interaction of a chain of periodically spaced metal nanoparticles with a chain of quantum dots is developed. The conditions leading to oscillation in a chain of spasers in the vicinity of narrow plasmon resonances are determined. It is shown that the lowest oscillation threshold can be achieved under anomalously small values of population inversion. In this case, the range of oscillation frequency variation upon changing the resonance frequency of quantum dots can be substantially narrower that the plasmon-resonance linewidth.     

Dual-Color Quantum Dot–Encoded Nanoprobe for DNA Assays and Cell Imaging

In this article, a novel dual-color quantum dot–encoded fluorescent nanoprobe was prepared by the reverse microemulsion method and layer-by-layer assembly method. First, red fluorescence–emitting CdTe quantum dots were encapsulated in silica nanoparticles by the reverse microemulsion method. Yellow fluorescence–emitting quantum dots were deposited on the surface of silica nanoparticles to form a dual-color quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe. Then capture DNA was linked to a QSQ nanoprobe via covalent bonding. We utilized the quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe to capture and detect the mutant BRAF DNA sequence through the competitive immunoassay method. The resulting quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe-capture DNA conjugates showed sequence-specific hybridization with target DNA. Furthermore, a multispectral imaging system was utilized to distinguish the quantum dot optical code in the quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe. The quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe was used in human osteoblast-like HepG2 cell imaging. The proposed quantum dot@silica beads/quantum dot nanoprobe and decoding analysis method could be used for targeting imaging, biological assays, and early detection of cancer.     

Quenching of photoluminescence in cadmium selenide nanocrystals in external electric fields for different excitation photon energies

The effect of external electric fields on the photoluminescence of quantum-sized nanocrystals of cadmium selenide excited by photons of various energies is studied. Photoluminescence quenching by external electric fields is found to be different for nanoparticles with different shapes (quantum dots and nanorods) and does not depend on the exciting photon energy. The relationship between the strength of the external electric field and the degree of quenching is determined empirically for both types of nanoparticles. A possible mechanism for the effect of an external electric field on the excitation and quenching of photoluminescence in quantumsized nanoparticles is discussed.