Theoretical simulation of CdTe nanocrystals in aqueous synthesis

At the B3LYP/LANL2DZ theoretical level, Cd₃Te₃, (Cd₃Te₃)₂, (Cd₃Te₃)₃, Cd₄Te₄, and Te–Cd–ligand clusters were optimized. Firstly, hexagon Cd₃Te₃ and tetrahedron Cd₄Te₄ structures (with T_D symmetry) may be the minimum units of CdTe nanocrystals. They have similar conformations with the experimental wurtzite and zinc blende structures, respectively. Secondly, the frequencies of calculated Raman peaks of four clusters appear in about 140 cm⁻¹, which is close to the experimental data. Following, analysis of Te–Cd–ligand molecules elucidates that all our ligands have similar effect to CdTe structure, because the main influence of ligands comes from thiol, which is also the result of experiment. Finally, considering the influence of solvent and ligand, we believe that our wavelengths of absorption peaks which are calculated using the time-dependent density functional theory are perfectly identical with those of CdTe nanocrystals, according to quantum size effect. Moreover, we have testified that all these absorption peaks are the transition from d to p orbitals.     

Microwave synthesis of CdSe and CdTe nanocrystals in nonabsorbing alkanes

Controlling nanomaterial growth via the "specific microwave effect" can be achieved by selective heating of the chalcogenide precursor. The high polarizability of the precursor allows instantaneous activation and subsequent nucleation leading to the synthesis of CdSe and CdTe in nonmicrowave absorbing alkane solvents. Regardless of the desired size, narrow dispersity nanocrystals can be isolated in less than 3 min with high quantum efficiencies and elliptical morphologies. The reaction does not require a high temperature injection step, and the alkane solvent can be easily removed. In addition, batch-to-batch variance in size is 4.2 +/- 0.14 nm for 10 repeat experimental runs. The use of a stopped-flow reactor allows near continuous automation of the process leading to potential industrial benefits.     

电化学法合成强荧光CdTe量子点

采用电化学方法产生的H2Te为碲源(Te2-),快速合成了水溶性强荧光的CdTe量子点.该方法具有操作简单、安全、快速廉价和可大量制备等优点.合成过程中考察了合成温度,pH值和配体比例对制备CdTe量子点的影响.在最优化的实验条件下,电化学方法合成的巯基丙酸配位的CdTe荧光量子产率可达到55％;通过紫外可见光谱(UV...     

水相CdTe纳米晶的合成、生长机理和应用研究

纳米晶在生物检测、光电器件、光波导、可调激光器等领域有着广泛的应用前景．本文以CdTe为例,对近年来水相纳米品合成和生长机理方面的研究进展作了简要的归纳和论述．水相合成纳米晶具有操作简单、价格低廉、在水溶液中稳定性高等优点,并可以通过静电力、范德华力等弱相互作用实现一维、二维甚至三维结构的组装．对纳米晶的生长机理的研究涵盖了热力学主导的Ostwald熟化（Ostwaldripening）机理和动力学控制的聚集机理两个主要方面．文章最后对水相合成CdTe纳米晶的应用进行了总结和展望,     

Computational analysis of phosphoproteomics: progresses and perspectives

Phosphorylation is one of the most essential post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins, regulates a variety of cellular signaling pathways, and at least partially determines the biological diversity. Recent progresses in phosphoproteomics have identified more than 100,000 phosphorylation sites, while this number will easily exceed one million in the next decade. In this regard, how to extract useful information from flood of phosphoproteomics data has emerged as a great challenge. In this review, we summarized the leading edges on computational analysis of phosphoproteomics, including discovery of phosphorylation motifs from phosphoproteomics data, systematic modeling of phosphorylation network, analysis of genetic variation that influences phosphorylation, and phosphorylation evolution. Based on existed knowledge, we also raised several perspectives for further studies. We believe that integration of experimental and computational analyses will propel the phosphoproteomics research into a new phase.     

Hybrid approach to the synthesis of highly luminescent CdTe/ZnS and CdHgTe/ZnS nanocrystals

We report the synthesis of highly luminescent CdTe/ZnS and CdHgTe/ZnS core/shell semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). A hybrid of two synthesis routes leads to novel nanocrystal compositions and small core/shell sizes (4-5 nm) that emit in the far-red and near-infrared regions. These particles exhibit higher resistance to oxidation and photobleaching, have high quantum yields, and could be used for biological labeling and imaging.     

CdTe nanocrystals sensitized chemiluminescence and the analytical application

It was found that the mixing of CdTe semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) with luminol in the presence of KMnO₄ can induce a great sensitized effect on chemiluminescence (CL) emission. When the concentration of luminol, KMnO₄ and NaOH were fixed at 1 μM, 1 μM and 0.05 M, respectively, the most excellent performance can be obtained for the CdTe NCs sensitized CL. By means of CL and photoluminescence spectra, we suppose the enhanced CL signals resulted from the accelerated luminol CL induced by the oxidized species of CdTe NCs. Based on the finding, using thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe NCs as label and immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a model analyte, a CL immunoassay protocol for IgG content detection was developed. The strong inhibition effect of phenol compounds on luminol-KMnO₄-CdTe NCs CL system was also observed. All these findings demonstrated the possibility of semiconductor nanocrystals induced chemiluminescence to be utilized for more practical applications.     

CdTe纳米晶与苯丙氨酸相互作用的研究

以巯基乙酸为稳定剂,在水相中合成了CdTe纳米晶,通过考察红外光谱、紫外光谱和光致发光光谱的变化,确定了苯丙氨酸(Phe)对CdTe纳米晶的光致发光效率以及稳定性的影响.结果表明苯丙氨酸与CdTe纳米晶之间存在着较强的相互作用,这种作用导致CdTe纳米晶的发光强度增大,稳定性增强,苯丙氨酸不仅是配位剂,它同时又起到了稳定剂的作用,并初步确认这种加强和稳定作用来自于苯丙氨酸和CdTe纳米晶之间所形成的配位键和静电作用以及苯丙氨酸与巯基乙酸之间形成的氢键.此外,苯丙氨酸的特殊结构对防止纳米晶的聚集有很大作用.     

Multiscale modeling and simulations of protein adsorption: progresses and perspectives

Protein adsorption, which shows wide prospects in many practical applications such as biosensors, biofuel cells, and biomaterials, has long been identified as a very complex problem in interface science. Here, we present a review on the multiscale modeling and simulation methods of protein adsorption on surfaces with different properties. First, various simulation algorithms (replica exchange, metadynamics, TIGER2A, and PSOVina) and protein models (colloidal, coarse-grained, and all-atom models) are introduced. Then, recent molecular simulation progresses about protein adsorption on different material surfaces (such as charged, hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and responsive surfaces) are retrospected. It has been demonstrated that the adsorption orientation of proteins on charged surfaces and hydrophobic surfaces can be controlled by the electrical dipole and the hydrophobic dipole of proteins, respectively. Superhydrophilic zwitterionic surfaces can resist protein adsorption because of the strong hydration. Under the stimuli of external conditions, the surface properties of materials can be modulated, and thus, the adsorption/desorption of proteins on responsive surfaces can be controlled. Finally, the future directions of molecular simulation study of protein adsorption are discussed.     

Factors governing the quality of aqueous CdTe nanocrystals: calculations and experiment

The aqueous synthesis of thiol-stabilized semiconductor CdTe colloidal nanocrystals has been revisited. We found optimal conditions for the synthesis of high-quality CdTe NCs through a study of the influence of the initial conditions (structure and concentration of Cd-thiol complexes) on the quality of the CdTe nanocrystals. A numerical calculation shows a clear correlation between the concentration of CdL (where L is (SCH(2)COO)(2-)) in the initial solution and the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the CdTe nanocrystals.     

Metal-enhanced fluorescence from CdTe nanocrystals: a single-molecule fluorescence study

We described, for the first time, the metal-enhanced fluorescence from the CdTe nanocrystals spin coated on silver island films (SIFs). CdTe nanocrystals show approximately 5-fold increase in fluorescence intensity, 3-fold decrease in lifetimes, and reduction in blinking on SIF surfaces that can be observed by ensemble and single-molecule fluorescence studies. The single-molecule study also provides further insight on the heterogeneity in the fluorescence enhancement and lifetimes of the CdTe nanocrystals on both glass and SIF surfaces, which is otherwise not possible to observe using ensemble measurements.     

Effect of medium pH on the optical properties of CdTe nanocrystals at colloidal synthesis and postsynthetic treatment

Physicochemical properties of low-dimensional structures based on CdTe obtained by colloidal synthesis method were studied. Effect of thioglycolic, hydroxyethylidenediphosphonic, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acids as well as L-cysteine and thiourea on the processes of formation of CdTe nanocrystals in aqueous solutions was examined. Medium pH was shown to have a considerable effect on the process of their colloidal synthesis. The features of preparation of concentrated colloidal solutions of CdTe nanocrystals stabilized by thioglycolic acid and further sedimentational precipitation of monodisperse fractions from polydisperse solutions were studied. Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra of the studied materials immediately after synthesis completion and after postsynthetic treatment were obtained and analyzed.     

Recombination dynamics of CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals

The recombination dynamics of zinc-blende-type, deep-red emitting CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals is studied over a wide temperature range. Two characteristic decay regimes are found: a temperature-dependent decay component of a few nanoseconds and a long-living temperature-independent component of approximately 315 ns. The average decay time of the exciton states changes from 20 to 5ns when the temperature is increased from 15 to 295 K. At low temperatures, the observed decay behavior is assigned to thermally induced population and decay of the allowed exchange-split exciton states. At temperatures above T>100 K, nonradiative decay channels involving phonons start to contribute to the exciton recombination. The observed broad distribution in decay times, monitored by stretched exponential fitting functions, we explain by variations in the electron-hole overlap caused by a partly incomplete CdTe/CdS core-shell structure and the nearly energy-degenerated bright and dark state superposition.     

Switchable photoluminescence of CdTe nanocrystals by temperature-responsive microgels

In the present study, we report a method for preparing a fluorescent thermosensitive hybrid material based on monodisperse, thermosensitive poly( N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels covered with CdTe nanocrystals of 3.2 nm diameter. The CdTe nanocrystals were covalently immobilized on the surface of PNIPAM microgels. The chemical environment around the CdTe nanocrystals was modified by changing the temperature and inducing the microgel volume-phase transition. This change provoked a steep variation in the nanocrystal photoluminescence (PL) intensity in such a way that when the temperature was under the low critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymer (36 degrees C) the PL of the nanocrystals was strongly quenched, whereas above the LCST the PL intensity was restored.     

Aqueous synthesis of glutathione-capped CdTe/CdS/ZnS and CdTe/CdSe/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystal heterostructures

Here we demonstrate the aqueous synthesis of colloidal nanocrystal heterostructures consisting of the CdTe core encapsulated by CdS/ZnS or CdSe/ZnS shells using glutathione (GSH), a tripeptide, as the capping ligand. The inner CdTe/CdS and CdTe/CdSe heterostructures have type-I, quasi-type-II, or type-II band offsets depending on the core size and shell thickness, and the outer CdS/ZnS and CdSe/ZnS structures have type-I band offsets. The emission maxima of the assembled heterostructures were found to be dependent on the CdTe core size, with a wider range of spectral tunability observed for the smaller cores. Because of encapsulation effects, the formation of successive shells resulted in a considerable increase in the photoluminescence quantum yield; however, identifying optimal shell thicknesses was required to achieve the maximum quantum yield. Photoluminescence lifetime measurements revealed that the decrease in the quantum yield of thick-shell nanocrystals was caused by a substantial decrease in the radiative rate constant. By tuning the diameter of the core and the thickness of each shell, a broad range of high quantum yield (up to 45%) nanocrystal heterostructures with emission ranging from visible to NIR wavelengths (500-730 nm) were obtained. This versatile route to engineering the optical properties of nanocrystal heterostructures will provide new opportunities for applications in bioimaging and biolabeling.     

Auger recombination dynamics in hybrid silica-coated CdTe nanocrystals

CdTe quantum dots coated with a silica layer containing CdS-like clusters exhibit intense photoluminescence and a spectral red-shift. Biexciton Auger recombination of these particles is examined by transient absorption spectroscopy. A lengthening of the Auger recombination lifetime by a factor of ～3.5 in the presence of the CdS-like clusters is observed and may contribute to the good PL properties of these nanostructures.     

碲化镉纳米晶与聚合物复合研究进展

综述了近年来半导体纳米晶CdTe/聚合物复合材料在电致发光器件和复合发光材料方面的研究和应用进展情况,详细介绍了CdTe与水溶性高分子,非水溶性高分子以及生物大分子的复合情况,并展望了其发展前景。     

Optical absorption and valence band photoemission from uncapped CdTe nanocrystals

CdTe nanocrystals have been successfully fabricated by a mechanical alloying process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns demonstrate that a single-phase CdTe compound with a zinc blende structure has been formed after ball milling elemental Cd and Te mixture powders for 27 h. The large broadening effect for the width of the {111} diffraction peak of uncapped CdTe nanocrystals on smaller size was observed in slowly scanned XRD patterns. The X-ray photoelectron spectrum was used to study the surface of the uncapped CdTe nanocrystals within both core level and valence band regions. The presence of tellurium oxide film on the surface of the uncapped CdTe nanocrystals has been detected in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum of the Te 3d core level, which was comparable to the observed amorphous oxide thin layer on the surface of uncapped CdTe nanocrystals in a high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image. The energy of the valence band maximum for uncapped CdTe powders blue shifts to the higher energy side with smaller particle sizes. In UV-visible optical absorption spectra of the suspension solution containing uncapped CdTe nanocrystals, the absorption peaks were locating within the ultraviolet region, which shifted toward the higher energy side with prolonged ball milling time. Both blue shifts of valence band maximum energy and absorption peaks with decreasing particle size provide a unique pathway to reveal the quantum confinement effect of uncapped CdTe nanocrystals.     

Rapid synthesis of highly luminescent CdTe nanocrystals in the aqueous phase by microwave irradiation with controllable temperature

In this paper, we present a new method for rapid synthesis of high quantum yield CdTe nanocrystals in the aqueous phase by microwave irradiation with controllable temperature.