Hydrothermal synthesis of one-dimensional assemblies of Pt nanoparticles and their sensor application for simultaneous determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid

One-dimensional assemblies of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with the size range of 10–20 nm have been synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route using soluble starch as both template and reducing agent. The formation mechanism of the product was studied in details. The electrochemical behavior of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) on the prepared one-dimensionally assembled Pt NPs modified glassy carbon electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques and showed satisfactory results for the simultaneous determination of DA and AA by resolving the overlapping voltammetric responses of DA and AA into two voltammetric peaks.

     

Vibrational properties of thymine,uracil and their isotopomers

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) basis set of ten isotopomers of thymine and four isotopomers of uracil, including the natural abundance isotopomers, are reported. Comparison of the calculated wavenumber shifts upon hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen isotopic substitution with those from experimental Raman and infrared measurements show good agreement in both the direction and the magnitude of the shift. These results are contrasted to previously reported calculations and discussed in the context of assigning the normal modes of thymine and uracil. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One-step aqueous synthesis of CdS nanoparticles as a novel fluorescence probe for the ultrasensitive detection of DNA

One-step aqueous synthesis of CdS nanoparticles as a novel fluorescence probe for sensitive and selective determination of DNA with synchronous fluorescence spectrometric method has been developed. Different from the traditional organometallic route, in which toxic precursors or solvents might be used, the wet chemical approach demonstrated in this paper is superior in terms of simplicity, using of nontoxic materials, mild synthetic condition and good reproducibility. When Δλ=255 nm, maximum synchronous fluorescence is produced at 264 nm, the synchronous fluorescence intensity of the composite nanoparticles is significantly decreased in the presence of trace DNA at PH 0.91. Under optimal conditions, the linear ranges of the calibration curves are 0.08-30.0 μg mL⁻¹ for ctDNA and 0.05-35.0 μg mL⁻¹ for hsDNA, respectively. The detection limits are 1.5 ng mL⁻¹ for ctDNA and 2.2 ng mL⁻¹ for hsDNA, respectively. Furthermore, the method is successfully applied to the quantification of DNA in synthetic samples. The results show that this proposed method is stable, sensitive and practical for the determination of trace DNA.     

Study on fluorescence properties of carbogenic nanoparticles and their application for the determination of ferrous succinate

A new type of fluorescent nanomaterial named carbogenic nanoparticles (NPs) has drawn considerable attention recently. In this study, we adopted a direct and simple synthetic method to produce the carbogenic NPs and investigated the fluorescence properties of the as-prepared carbogenic NPs in detail. It was found that the fluorescence of carbogenic NPs was stable with the variance of environmental conditions such as pH, temperature and UV irradiation. More interestingly, we found carbogenic NPs exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity towards ferric ions. Under optimum conditions, a good linear relationship could be obtained between the fluorescence intensity and concentration of ferric ions in the range of 5.0×10⁻⁵-5.0×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, and the limit of detection is 11.2 μmol L⁻¹. Based on the fluorescence quenching of carbogenic NPs, a rapid and specific quantitative method was proposed for the determination of ferrous succinate. The content of ferrous succinate in commercial tablets determined by the present method was agreed with the spectrophotometric method results and the reproducibility and the recovery of the proposed method were satisfactory.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of ultra-highly concentrated,well-stable Ag nanoparticles and their application for enzymeless hydrogen peroxide detection

In this article, we have reported on the synthesis of ultra-highly concentrated (5.88 M), well-stable Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs were formed by hydrothermal heat treatment of an aqueous solution of poly [(2-ethyldimethylammonioethyl methacrylate ethyl sulfate)-co-(1-vinylpyrrolidone)] (PQ11), a kind of cationic polyeletrolyte, in the presence of AgNO₃ powder at 170 °C, without the additional step of introducing other reducing agents and protective agents. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations reveal that the as-formed AgNPs mainly consist of small nanoparticles about 10 nm in diameter. Most importantly, it was found that such dispersion can form stable films on bare electrode surfaces and the AgNPs contained therein still exhibit notable catalytic performance for reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). This H₂O₂ sensor has a fast amperometric response time of less than 3 s. Its linear range is estimated to be from 0.1 to 60 mM (r = 0.993), and the detection limit is estimated to be 1.6 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.     

Synthesis of amino-group functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and applications as biomedical labeling probes

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles were synthesized by coprecipitation technique and further functionalized with amino-group to obtain amino-group functionalized (amino-SPIO) nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction results reveal the structure of amino-SPIO nanoparticles, from which the average iron core diameter is approximately 10 nm by calculation; while Zetasizer reveals their hydrodynamic diameter are mainly distributed in the range of 40?C60 nm. These nanoparticles can be taken up by liver tissue, resulting in dramatically darkening of liver tissue under T2-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The spin?Cspin relaxivity coefficient of these nanoparticles is 179.20 mM^?1 s^?1 in a 1.5 T magnetic resonance system. In addition, amino-SPIO nanoparticles were conjugated to Tat (FITC) peptide and incubated with neural stem cells in vitro, the authors can detect the positive-labeling (labeled) neural stem cells showing green fluorescence, which indicates Tat (FITC) peptide-derivated amino-SPIO nanoparticles are able to enter cells. Furthermore, it was also find significant negative T2 contrast enhancement when compared with the non-nanoparticles-labeled neural stem cells in T2-weighted MRI. The amino-SPIO nanoparticles show promising potential as a new type of labeling probes, which can be used in magnetic resonance-enhanced imaging and fluorescence diagnosis.     

Colloidal synthesis of BaF2 nanoparticles and their application as fillers in polymer nanocomposites

Nanoparticles of pure and Eu-doped BaF₂ have been prepared through sol-gel colloidal synthesis. In addition, BaF₂-filled PMMA polymer nanocomposites were fabricated and dielectric properties were measured. The as-synthesized pure and Eu-doped BaF₂ nanoparticles were analyzed by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and consisted of crystalline BaF₂ particles with an average diameter of 13.6 nm with a standard deviation of about ±2.4 nm. The photoluminescence properties of the pure and Eu-doped (2%, 4% and 8%) nanoparticles showed characteristic emission of Eu³⁺ (⁵D₀→⁷F _J (J=1–4) transitions). We also measured significantly enhanced dielectric breakdown strength of up to 30% for BaF₂ nanocomposites over the unfilled PMMA polymer. This study thus offers some promise of sol-gel synthesis of nanocomposite dielectrics with great potential for use as electrical insulation materials in cryogenic high-voltage applications.     

Solvothermal synthesis of green-fluorescent carbon nanoparticles and their application

A novel solvothermal approach to synthesize green-fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) was developed using l-ascorbic acid as the carbon source, glycol and triple distilled water as the solvent. The CNPs emit strong green fluorescence under UV irradiation, and the fluorescence intensity showed a good linear relationship with pH value within a certain range. Direct yeast cell labeling was achieved through cell endocytosis of these CNPs.     

Preparation of cholesterol oxidase nanoparticles and their application in amperometric determination of cholesterol

Highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles were deposited on gram quantities of non-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in a fluidized bed reactor at 300 °C. (Methylcyclopentadienyl) trimethylplatinum and oxygen were used as precursors. The results of TEM analysis showed that ~1.3 nm Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed on non-functionalized MWCNTs. The porous structures of MWCNTs did not change with the deposition of Pt nanoparticles. For comparison, the commercial 3 wt% Pt/C catalyst was also characterized. The ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT was used for the hydrogenation of xylose to xylitol. The ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT showed the best catalytic performance with 100 % conversion of xylose and 99.3 % selectivity to xylitol, compared to commercially available Pt/C, Ru/C, and Raney Ni catalysts. The stability of ALD produced Pt/MWCNT catalyst was higher than that of the commercial Pt/C, due to the presence of surface defects on the MWCNTs and the strong metal–support interaction for the ALD-prepared Pt/MWCNT catalyst.     

Solvothermal synthesis of CdS nanowires using L-cysteine as sulfur source and their characterization

An effective solvothermal reaction route has been developed for large-scale synthesis of CdS nanowires. L-cysteine was used as both sulfur source and capping reagent. The nanowires obtained were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, UV-Vis and PL. On the basis of time-resolved experiments, a possible growth mechanism was proposed. FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of Cd-cysteine complex and peptide during the reaction. The mechanism was further supported by comparative experiments with other sulfur sources. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PACS 81.05.Bx; 81.07.-b; 81.07.BC; 81.07.Vb; 81.10.Dn     

A facile one-pot synthesis of highly luminescent CdS nanoparticles using thioglycerol as capping agent

Absence of emission concentration quenching accompanied by high emission efficiency in a solid state is highly challenging though very attractive, for example, for fabrication of solid state light emitters or fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs). Here, formation of FONs based on novel p-phenylenediacetonitrile derivatives by re-precipitation method in aqueous solutions is demonstrated. The exceptionality of the derivatives employed is manifested by nitrile groups-induced steric hindrance effects inhibiting concentration quenching of emission. Consisting of different size and polarity end-groups, phenyl groups in one compound and hexyl-carbazolyl in another, the derivatives were examined and compared in regard to nanoparticle formation morphology, size tunability, spectral signatures, and fluorescence turn-on efficiency. The variation of solvent/non-solvent ratio allowed to achieve tuning of the FON sizes from 55?nm up to 360?nm and resulted in maximal fluorescence on/off ratio of 38. Spectrally resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed somewhat different molecule arrangement in different FONs suggesting dominant amorphous-like phase, which was confirmed by small angle X-ray scattering measurements. The FONs were verified to be stable against degradation or conglomeration into larger clusters at least over a couple of months thus implying their feasibility for practical applications. Finally, potential application of the fluorescent p-phenylenediacetonitrile nanoparticles for organic vapor sensing via fluorescence on/off switching was demonstrated.     

Poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles as a fluorescence probe for highly selective and rapid detection of cysteine

A highly selective and rapid analytical method was proposed to detect cysteine in aqueous solution by using poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles. In a neutral aqueous condition, the fluorescence of poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles could be quenched by cysteine in 10?min effectively coexisting with common biological small molecules. Under the optimal experimental condition, the present assay allowed for the selective determination of cysteine in the range of 12.5–100?µM, with a detection limit of 7.3?µM. The results indicated that the poly(thymine)-templated copper nanoparticles probe would find potential application in bioanalysis.     

Polyacrylamide hydrogel as a template in situ synthesis of CdS nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity and photostability

Porous polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAM) was prepared by polymerization at room temperature. Cadmium sulfide/polyacrylamide hydrogels (CdS/PAM) was synthesized by in situ loading CdS nanoparticles and used for photocatalytic decomposition of water for the first time. The size distribution of the loaded CdS nanoparticles is 3–12 nm. We studied the enhanced photocatalytic activity and photo-corrosion inhibition of CdS/PAM the compared with pure CdS and probed the mechanism of the improvement. In particular, the CdS/PAM prepared in 0.003 M CdCl₂ solution exhibited the highest hydrogen production efficiency of 2.929 mmol g^?1 h^?1, about 79 times that of pure CdS. The results demonstrate that the formation of new N–Cd bond and high transmittance of CdS/PAM dramatically enhance photocatalytic activity. The electron cloud of nitrogen atom can attract holes and repel photogenerated electrons, which lowers the carrier recombination probability. The results also reveal that the excellent hydrophilicity of hydrogel plays an important role in the inhibition of photocorrosion. In addition, CdS/PAM is easily recycled and processed. The present work will pave a good way for the application of smart hydrogels in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen production.

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Preparation of a novel fluorescence probe of terbium-europium co-luminescence composite nanoparticles and its application in the determination of proteins

Terbium-europium Tb-Eu/acetylacetone(acac)/poly(acrylamide) (PAM) co-luminescence composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared using the ultrasonic approach. The as-prepared composite nanoparticles show the characteristic emission spectra of Tb³⁺, located at 496 and 549 nm. Furthermore, the nanoparticles are water soluble, stable and have extremely narrow emission bands and high internal fluorescence quantum yield due to the co-luminescence effect. Further studies indicate that proteins can interact with the nanoparticles and induce the fluorescence quenching of the nanoparticles. Based on the fluorescence quenching of nanopaticles in the presence of proteins, a novel method for the sensitive determination of trace amounts of proteins was proposed. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the linear ranges of calibration curves are 0-3.5 μg mL⁻¹ for human serum albumin (HSA) and 0-4.0 μg mL⁻¹ for γ-globulin (γ−IgG), respectively. The limits of detection are 7.1 for HSA and 6.7ng mL⁻¹ for γ−IgG, respectively. The method was applied to the quantification of proteins in synthetic samples and actual human serum samples with satisfactory results. This proposed method is sensitive, simple and has potential application in the clinical assay of proteins.     

微波法制备Mn2+掺杂ZnSe纳米材料及谱学性能研究

过渡金属掺杂的Ⅱ-Ⅳ族纳米材料有望替代CdSe类量子点作为新型的荧光标记物而受到广泛关注.利用微波加热法的体加热特点,以不同有机胺为配体溶剂,控制反应条件,制备了Mn2+掺杂的ZnSe纳米材料,并分别利用TEM、EDS、荧光光谱等手段对其形貌、结构和性能的关系进行了探索.Mn2+掺杂的纳米ZnSe粒子为200～500 nm的球形粒子,表面平整,为单晶的纤锌矿结构.掺杂后纳米粒子的发射峰显示Mn2+的跃迁发射,但不同的配体溶剂和掺杂量对产物的发光性能有明显影响.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of CdS meso-structures: effects of Zn dopant on optical and photovoltaic properties

Un- and Zn-doped CdS films were synthesized on fluorine (F)-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by hydrothermal method as photovoltaic applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly indicated hexagonal wurtzite structures in nature for all of the CdS samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed spherical- and flower-like morphologies with micron- and nano-size. The effects of doping on the optical and photovoltaic properties were also investigated using UV–Vis, Raman spectroscopy and J–V plots.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of bismuth ferrite Fenton-like catalysts and their properties

Bismuth ferrite, Fenton-like catalysts have been successfully synthesized via simple hydrothermal methods without any templates. Through changing the molar ratio of Bi/Fe, the two main phases BiFeO₃ and Bi₂₅FeO₄₀ can be synthesized under different temperatures. Furthermore, different morphologies of the BiFeO₃ phase can be adjusted by changing different concentrations of HNO₃ and NaOH which were used to dissolve the reactants and adjust the pH values in the prepared process. When the concentration of HNO₃/NaOH was 8/12 M, some uniform cylindrical bodies with equal height (1 μm) and width (0.6 μm) were obtained, which have not been reported before. The uniform structures exhibited better activities in the photoassisted Fenton-like oxidation process for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (420 nm < λ < 800 nm). Through the detection of the degradation mechanism, it showed that the concerted effect of the catalysts and H₂O₂ can increase the generation of the charge carriers and accelerate the photogenerated charge transfer between the catalysts and dyes. The BiFeO₃ samples also showed magnetic properties at room temperature, which may have potential applications in multiferroic or magnetoelectric sensors and devices.

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Mixed-solvothermal synthesis of CdS micro/nanostructures and their optical properties

Several novel cadmium sulfide (CdS) micro/nanostructures, including cauliflower-like microspheres, football-like microspheres, tower-like microrods, and dendrites were controllably prepared via an oxalic acid-assisted solvothermal route using ethylene glycol (EG) and H₂O as pure and mixed solvents with different S sources. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and UV-vis spectrophotometer (UV). It was found that CdS micro/nanostructures can be selectively obtained by varying the composition of solvent, concentration of oxalic acid, and sulfur sources. UV-vis absorption spectra reveal that their absorption properties are shape-dependent. The possible formation process of the CdS micro/nanostructures was briefly discussed. This route provides a facile way to tune the morphologies of CdS over a wide range.     

The stability and reactivity of activated acryloylcarbamates as reagents for the synthesis of N‐1 substituted thymine and uracil – an NMR and DFT study

The mechanism of the decomposition of acryloylcarbamates 7a–b yielding highly reactive isocyanates 3a–b was proposed based on NMR measurements and quantum chemical calculations. A good agreement between the experimental kinetic data and DFT calculations allowed us to demonstrate that the stability of 7a–d depends on the presence of methyl in the acryloyl moiety and the position of the nitro group in the nitrophenolic part of the molecule. Furthermore, the reactivity of 7a–d with weakly nucleophilic and sterically hindered 2,4,6‐tri‐tert‐butylaniline was explored by ¹H NMR demonstrating the usefulness of reagents 7a–d offering access to a variety of 1‐N‐substituted uracils and thymines with potentially interesting biological properties. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of tyrosine in the presence of tryptophan using Cd-enriched colloidal CdS nanoparticles: A fluorescence spectroscopic study

A simpler identification method of tyrosine in the presence of tryptophan using CdS nanoparticles by conventional spectroscopic technique is proposed. Effect of both sulfide-enriched CdS as well as Cd²⁺-enriched CdS on tryptophan is investigated through absorption and emission spectroscopy. Quenching of tryptophan emission obeyed Stern-Volmer relation and was found to be independent of temperature, indicating a possible static quenching. The time-resolved fluorescence decay of tryptophan was minimally affected by sulfide-enriched CdS as well as Cd²⁺-enriched CdS nanoparticles, suggesting quenching to be static. In the presence of Cd²⁺-enriched CdS nanoparticles, the emission of tryptophan in phosphate buffer shows a typical spectral broadening along with a long wavelength increase in fluorescence emission. Additionally, spectra followed a typical isoemissive point at 440 nm when tryptophan alone was there. Similarly, isoemissive point at 340 nm was observed in the case of tyrosine. However, a further red shift of isoemissive point (470 nm) in the mixture of both tyrosine and tryptophan was observed. This observation might make Cd²⁺-enriched CdS nanoparticles useful for using as marker for tyrosine in the presence of tyrptophan.