Luminescence and stability of aqueous thioalkyl acid capped CdSe/ZnS quantum dots correlated to ligand ionization.

The spectroscopic properties of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) were observed to change as a function of thioalkyl acid ligand. Experiments were performed using 2, 3, 6, and 11-carbon linear thioalkyl acids, as well as mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA). Bathochromic shifts of up to 14 nm in the emission spectra of QDs capped with these ligands were observed. Similarly, hypsochromic or bathochromic shifts up to 7 nm were observed for a specific ligand in acidic or basic solution, respectively. These shifts could be correlated to the number of ionized ligands and the ability of the ligands to act as hole acceptors. It was also found that differences in quantum yield between the ligands were primarily due to variations in radiative decay rate and not nonradiative decay rate. This indicated that different degrees of QD surface passivation were not responsible for the differences, and that the radiative system must be considered as the sum of the ligands and the QD nanocrystal. The stability of QDs capped with mercaptoacetic acid, MSA, and DHLA towards aggregation at low pH was found to correlate with the pK(a) of the ligands. Spectral shifts were also observed during aggregation. Overall, the luminescence of thioalkyl acid capped QDs appears to be a complex function of dielectric constant, electrostatic or hole-acceptor interactions with ionized ligands, and, to a lesser extent, passivation.     

掺杂ZnS纳米粒子的制备及应用

近年来,掺杂ZnS半导体纳米材料作为一类新型发光材料,因其独特的光学特性和在众多领域中的广阔应用前景而成为研究的热点。由于量子尺寸效应,随着纳米粒子粒径减小,掺杂ZnS纳米粒子量子产率增加、带隙能增大,导致吸收光谱和荧光激发光谱发生蓝移,而荧光发射光谱红移。本文详细讨论了影响掺杂ZnS纳米粒子发光性能和量子产率的因素,并综述了掺杂ZnS纳米材料制备及其应用的研究进展。     

Basic Physicochemical Properties of Polyethylene Glycol Coated Gold Nanoparticles that Determine Their Interaction with Cells

A homologous nanoparticle library was synthesized in which gold nanoparticles were coated with polyethylene glycol, whereby the diameter of the gold cores, as well as the thickness of the shell of polyethylene glycol, was varied. Basic physicochemical parameters of this two‐dimensional nanoparticle library, such as size, ζ‐potential, hydrophilicity, elasticity, and catalytic activity ,were determined. Cell uptake of selected nanoparticles with equal size yet varying thickness of the polymer shell and their effect on basic structural and functional cell parameters was determined. Data indicates that thinner, more hydrophilic coatings, combined with the partial functionalization with quaternary ammonium cations, result in a more efficient uptake, which relates to significant effects on structural and functional cell parameters.     

Blue Luminescence from Silicon Nanoparticles Suspended in Organic Liquids

We have prepared several nanometer-sized silicon colloids in organic liquids in the range from 3.7 to 9.8 nm with a constant weight density of 1 mg/ml by a gas evaporation technique. The blue–green luminescent energy was found to be independent of size, in contrast to its intensity and optical absorption, which showed a clear size effect. Special emphasis is placed on the advantage of using a colloidal system: controllability of mass density in a unit volume, isolation of each particle, selection of wide band-gap substances, capability of absolute quantum efficiency, and easy surface modification. As an example of the above advantages, we have determined the absolute quantum yield as a function of size. From the quantum yield thus derived and the proposed model that combines surface as well as volume effects, experimentally obtained parameters such as the diffusion velocity of an electron–hole pair and the initial flight distance of this pair are found to be consistent with those obtained from other data.     

硫化镉纳米荧光探针荧光猝灭法测定痕量铜

制备了无机纳米溶胶CdS，研究了纳米粒子的大小和荧光性质，以该纳米粒子为探针，建立了荧光猝灭法测定铜离子的新方法。该方法已成功用于人发样品测定，方法简单，快速，选择性好，灵敏度高，在最佳实验条件下，测定铜离子的线性区间为2．0－24．0μg/L，检出限为0．23μg/L。     

纳米TiO2光催化降解聚乙二醇反应

纳米TiO2光催化降解聚乙二醇反应;纳米二氧化钛; 光催化; 聚乙二醇     

Design and evaluation of polymer matrices for the encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in photonic nanocomposite thin films

A systematic approach and a new scheme for the evaluation of the as–is encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots into polymer matrices is proposed, aiming to the implementation of thin film photonic integrated structures. Work focuses on quantum dots capped by hexadecylamine and trioctylphosphine oxide with no ligand exchange or other intermediate processing steps involved. The polymers studied include poly(methyl–methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene and acrylic polymers incorporating long alkyl chains, which are expected to promote the compatibility of the quantum dot ligands to that of the polymer chains. In this approach, the variation of photoluminescence properties of the nanocomposite thin films is measured versus increased concentration of the quantum dots, so as to evaluate the suitability of each polymer structure as an efficient host. Furthermore, the refractive index of the quantum dots/polymer nanocomposite thin films are also estimated using white light reflectance spectroscopy data, as appropriate for the integration of photonic devices. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 552–560     

Luminescence Study of ZnS Quantum Dots Prepared by Chemical Method

We report synthesis of ZnS quantum dots by chemical method at room temperature. In this technique, ZnS quantum dots are produced by simple chemical reactions where zeolite, acts as matrix, plays the key role in controlling particle growth during synthesis. Quantum dots exhibit luminescence properties such as Zn²⁺ related emission, efficient low voltage electroluminescence, and super linear voltage-brightness EL characteristics. This study demonstrates the technological importance of semiconductor nanosystems prepared by low cost chemical route.     

Interfacial Electron Transfer from CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots to TiO2 Nanoparticles: Size Dependence at the Single‐Molecule Level

Electron transfer (ET) kinetics of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) on bare coverslips and a TiO₂ nanoparticle‐coated thin film has been investigated at the single‐molecule level. The QDs prepared have three different diameters of 3.6, 4.6, and 6.4 nm. The trajectories of fluorescence intensity are acquired with respect to the arrival time. The on‐time events and subsequent fluorescence lifetimes are shorter with decreasing size. Given the lifetime measurements for QDs on glass and TiO₂, the rate constant of ET from QDs to TiO₂ may be determined to be 1.3×10⁷, 6.0×10⁶, and 4.7×10⁶ s^?1 for the increasing sizes of the QDs. The plot of on‐time probability density versus arrival time is characterized by power‐law statistics in the short time region and a bending tail in the long time region. Marcus’s ET model is employed to satisfactorily fit the bending tail behavior and to further calculate the ET rate constants. The theoretical counterparts for the different sizes are 1.4×10⁷, 6.4×10⁶, and 1.9×10⁶ s^?1, showing good agreement with the experimental results.     

Self-Assembly and Aggregation-Induced Emission in Aqueous Media of Responsive Luminescent Copper(I) Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles

Luminescent copper(I)-based compounds have recently attracted much attention since they can reach very high emission quantum yields. Interestingly, Cu(I) clusters can also be emissive, and the extension from small molecules to larger architecture could represent the first step towards novel materials that could be obtained by programming the units to undergo self-assembly. However, for Cu(I) compounds the formation of supramolecular systems is challenging due to the coordinative diversity of copper centers. This works shows that this diversity can be exploited in the construction of responsive systems. In detail, the changes in the emissive profile of different aggregates formed in water by phosphine-thioether copper(I) derivatives were followed. Our results demonstrate that the self-assembly and disassembly of Cu(I)-based coordination polymeric nanoparticles (CPNs) is sensitive to solvent composition. The solvent-induced changes are related to modifications in the coordination sphere of copper at the molecular level, which alters not only the emission profile but also the morphology of the aggregates. Our findings are expected to inspire the construction of smart supramolecular systems based on dynamic coordinative metal centers.     

Magnetically Encoded Luminescent Composite Nanoparticles through Layer‐by‐Layer Self‐Assembly

Sensitive and rapid detection of multiple analytes and the collection of components from complex samples are important in fields ranging from bioassays/chemical assays, clinical diagnosis, to environmental monitoring. A convenient strategy for creating magnetically encoded luminescent CdTe@SiO₂@n Fe₃O₄ composite nanoparticles, by using a layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly approach based on electrostatic interactions, is described. Silica‐coated CdTe quantum dots (CdTe@SiO₂) serve as core templates for the deposition of alternating layers of Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles and poly(dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride), to construct CdTe@SiO₂@n Fe₃O₄ (n=1, 2, 3, …?) composite nanoparticles with a defined number (n) of Fe₃O₄ layers. Composite nanoparticles were characterized by zeta‐potential analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and transmission electron microscopy, which showed that the CdTe@SiO₂@n Fe₃O₄ composite nanoparticles exhibited excellent luminescence properties coupled with well‐defined magnetic responses. To demonstrate the utility of these magnetically encoded nanoparticles for near‐simultaneous detection and separation of multiple components from complex samples, three different fluorescently labeled IgG proteins, as model targets, were identified and collected from a mixture by using the CdTe@SiO₂@n Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Mechanochromic Luminescence of Copper Iodide Clusters

Luminescent mechanochromic materials are particularly appealing for the development of stimuli‐responsive materials. Establishing the mechanism responsible for the mechanochromism is always an issue owing to the difficulty in characterizing the ground phase. Herein, the study of real crystalline polymorphs of a mechanochromic and thermochromic luminescent copper iodide cluster permits us to clearly establish the mechanism involved. The local disruption of the crystal packing induces changes in the cluster geometry and in particular the modification of the cuprophilic interactions, which consequently modify the emissive states. This study constitutes a step further toward the understanding of the mechanism involved in the mechanochromic luminescent properties of multimetallic coordination complexes.     

Spectro-Optical and Photochemical Properties of ZnS Nanoparticles

The spectro-optical properties of nanoparticles of ZnS have been studied and the structure of the long wavelength edge of the absorption bands of the semiconductor has been analyzed. The influence of the synthesis conditions on the size and optical properties of the nanoparticles of ZnS formed has been investigated. It has been established that oxidative photo-corrosion of zinc sulfide colloids is accompanied by a decrease in the average size of ZnS nanoparticles and an increase in the defectiveness of their surfaces.__________Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 105–109, March–April, 2005.     

Luminescent Quantum Clusters of Gold in Bulk by Albumin‐Induced Core Etching of Nanoparticles: Metal Ion Sensing,Metal‐Enhanced Luminescence,and Biolabeling

The synthesis of a luminescent quantum cluster (QC) of gold with a quantum yield of ～4 % is reported. It was synthesized in gram quantities by the core etching of mercaptosuccinic acid protected gold nanoparticles by bovine serum albumin (BSA), abbreviated as Au_QC@BSA. The cluster was characterized and a core of Au₃₈ was assigned tentatively from mass spectrometric analysis. Luminescence of the QC is exploited as a “turn‐off” sensor for Cu²⁺ ions and a “turn‐on” sensor for glutathione detection. Metal‐enhanced luminescence (MEL) of this QC in the presence of silver nanoparticles is demonstrated and a ninefold maximum enhancement is seen. This is the first report of the observation of MEL from QCs. Folic acid conjugated Au_QC@BSA was found to be internalized to a significant extent by oral carcinoma KB cells through folic acid mediated endocytosis. The inherent luminescence of the internalized Au_QC@BSA was used in cell imaging.     

硅掺杂碳量子点荧光猝灭法测定水样中铜(Ⅱ)

3-氨丙基三甲氧基硅烷(APTMS)与戊二醛(GA)混合前驱物合成的硅掺杂碳量子点(SDCQDs),其最大吸收、激发和发射波长分别为259,245,395 nm,量子产率为13.60%,XPS谱图表明碳量子点掺杂Si,且富含甲亚胺基团和硅氧键。Cu~(2+)对碳量子点荧光产生猝灭作用,依据Cu~(2+)浓度与碳量子点荧光强度猝灭率的相关性,建立碳量子点荧光探针测定水样中Cu~(2+)的分析方法,其它金属离子对Cu~(2+)干扰程度较小,回收率为91.4%~100.8%,检出限为0.13μmol/L,相对标准偏差为0.20%~0.92%。     

Preparation of Highly Luminescent CdTe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum Dots

A good balance: Oil‐soluble CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) that emit in the visible and near‐infrared spectral regions with quantum yields up to 92 % (see figure) are prepared by balancing the coordinating capacity and the activation effect of selected surfactants.

     

Versatile Tri(pyrazolyl)phosphanes as Phosphorus Precursors for the Synthesis of Highly Emitting InP/ZnS Quantum Dots

Tri(pyrazolyl)phosphanes ( 5 ^R1,R2) are utilized as an alternative, cheap and low‐toxic phosphorus source for the convenient synthesis of InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). From these precursors, remarkably long‐term stable stock solutions (>6 months) of P(OLA)₃ (OLAH=oleylamine) are generated from which the respective pyrazoles are conveniently recovered. P(OLA)₃ acts simultaneously as phosphorus source and reducing agent in the synthesis of highly emitting InP/ZnS core/shell QDs. These QDs are characterized by a spectral range between 530–620 nm and photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs) between 51–62 %. A proof‐of‐concept white light‐emitting diode (LED) applying the InP/ZnS QDs as a color‐conversion layer was built to demonstrate their applicability and processibility.