Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Biocompatible Silk Fibroin‐Based Carbon Quantum Dots

A biocompatible silk fibroin‐based carbon quantum dot (SF‐CQD) is first synthesized under microwave irradiation for a short time. This fast and environmentally safe technique produce well‐defined nanosized SF‐CQDs. The SF‐CQDs have good crystallinity, a strong emission peak in the blue‐color region, high quantum yield, and the potential for modification with various functional groups on the surface. These SF‐CQDs demonstrate stable emission, good water dispersity, low toxicity, and good biocompatibility. These properties show the great potential of these SF‐CQDs for use in biomedical applications including bioimaging, biosensing, and drug delivery systems.     

Tunable and High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield from Self‐Decorated TiO2 Quantum Dots on Fluorine Doped Mesoporous TiO2 Flowers by Rapid Thermal Annealing

Herein a novel approach is reported to achieve tunable and high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) from the self‐grown spherical TiO₂ quantum dots (QDs) on fluorine doped TiO₂ (F‐TiO₂) flowers, mesoporous in nature, synthesized by a simple solvothermal process. The strong PL emission from F‐TiO₂ QDs centered at ≈485 nm is associated with shallow and deep traps, and a record high PL QY of ≈5.76% is measured at room temperature. Size distribution and doping of F‐TiO₂ nanocrystals (NCs) are successfully tuned by simply varying the HF concentration during synthesis. During the post‐growth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) under vacuum, the arbitrary shaped F‐TiO₂ NCs transform into spherical QDs with smaller sizes and it shows dramatic enhancement (≈163 times) in the PL intensity. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the high density of oxygen vacancy defects on the surface of TiO₂ NCs. Confocal fluorescence microscopy imaging shows bright whitish emission from the F‐TiO₂ QDs. Low temperature and time resolved PL studies reveal that the ultrafast radiative recombination in the TiO₂ QDs results in highly efficient PL emission. A highly stable, biologically inert, and highly fluorescent TiO₂ QDs/flowers without any capping agent demonstrated here is significant for emerging applications in bioimaging, energy, and environmental cleaning.     

Fullerene‐Structural Carbon‐Based Dots from C60 Molecules and their Optical Properties

Fullerene‐structural carbon‐based dots (f‐CDs) are synthesized for the first time by chemically oxidizing fullerene molecules (C₆₀) using concentrated HNO₃. The lateral sizes of the f‐CDs distribute in the range of 7–20 nm, and the heights mainly range from 0.4 to 1.3 nm with an average value of 0.7 nm. The presence of massive pentagonal carbon units makes the f‐CDs different from most of graphitic‐CDs in structure and morphology. The f‐CDs exhibit unique luminescent properties such as photoluminescence (PL) and electrochemiluminescence. Based on the investigation of the UV–vis absorption and luminescent properties, a novel and reasonable model is proposed for the PL mechanism of f‐CDs. Furthermore, the obtained f‐CDs show low cytotoxicity and have potential application in cell imaging.     

State‐of‐the‐Art and Trends in Synthesis,Properties, and Application of Quantum Dots‐Based Nanomaterials

Quantum dots (QDs) with a nanoscale size range have attracted significant attention in various areas of nanotechnology due to their unique properties. Different strategies for the synthesis of QD nanoparticles are reported in which various factors, such as size, impurities, shape, and crystallinity, affect the QDs fundamental properties. Consequently, to obtain QDs with appropriate physical properties, it is required to select a synthesis method which allows enough control over the surface chemistry of QDs through fine‐tuning of the synthesis parameters. Moreover, QDs nanocrystals are recently used in multidisciplinary research integrated with biological interfaces. The state‐of‐the‐art methods for synthesizing QDs and bioconjugation strategies to provide insight into various applications of these nanomaterials are discussed herein.     

Size‐Dependent Structural and Optical Characteristics of Glucose‐Derived Graphene Quantum Dots

It is of scientific importance to obtain graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with narrow‐size distribution in order to unveil their size‐dependent structural and optical properties, thereby further to explore the energy band diagram of GQDs. Here, a soft‐template microwave‐assisted hydrothermal method to prepare GQDs with diameters less than 5 nm ± 0.55 nm is reported. The size‐dependent photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) decay lifetime and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) of the GQDs are studied systematically. The QY of the GQDs with an average diameter of 2 nm is the highest (15%) among all the samples investigated and the QY decreases with increasing diameter of the GQDs. The size‐dependence of the PL decay lifetime is also observed. The result suggests that spatial confinement effects related to radiative relaxation play an important role in the size‐dependent decay lifetime. A realistic energy band diagram of the GQDs is deduced from the experimental results.     

Bottom‐Up Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots With High Performance Photo‐ and Electroluminescence

Although carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are of great interest because of cost effectiveness and environmental compatibility with the facile tunability of their optical properties, poor photo‐ and electroluminescence (EL) of CQDs limits further implementation. Here, a novel bottom‐up synthetic route for fabricating highly crystalline CQDs suitable for high‐brightness blue light‐emitting diodes is demonstrated. The two‐step solution process is based on time‐controlled thermal carbonization of citric acid, followed by ligand exchange of the CQDs with oleylamine (OA) in solution. Carbonization allows for the nucleation and growth of crystalline CQDs, while OA treatment disperses the CQDs and stabilizes the solution, giving rise to CQDs with low structural defects and uniform sizes. The systematic study reveals the origin of the light emission of OA‐treated CQDs by photoluminescence (PL) analysis, which yields a high quantum efficiency of ≈30%. The photoluminescence‐optimized OA‐treated CQDs exhibit excellent blue EL performance with a low turn‐on voltage of ≈4 V and high brightness of 308 cd m⁻²; a negligible voltage‐dependent color shift when they are employed to an inverted light‐emitting diode.     

Mechanistic Insights into a Non‐Classical Diffusion Pathway for the Formation of Hollow Intermetallics: A Route to Multicomponent Hollow Structures

Hollow nanostructures are used for various applications including catalysis, sensing, and drug delivery. Methods based on the Kirkendall effect have been the most successful for obtaining hollow nanostructures of various multicomponent systems. The classical Kirkendall effect relies on the presence of a faster diffusing species in the core; the resultant imbalance in flux results in the formation of hollow structures. Here, an alternate non‐Kirkendall mechanism that is operative for the formation of hollow single crystalline particles of intermetallic PtBi is demonstrated. The synthesis method involves sequential reduction of Pt and Bi salts in ethylene glycol under microwave irradiation. Detailed analysis of the reaction at various stages indicates that the formation of the intermetallic PtBi hollow nanoparticles occurs in steps. The mechanistic details are elucidated using control experiments. The use of microwave results in a very rapid synthesis of intermetallics PtBi that exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation reaction. The method presented can be extended to various multicomponent systems and is independent of the intrinsic diffusivities of the species involved.     

Characterization of Micro‐ and Nanoscale LuPO4:Pr3+,Nd3+ with Strong UV‐C Emission to Reduce X‐Ray Doses in Radiation Therapy

UV‐C emitting nanoscale scintillators can be used to sensitize cancer cells selectively against X‐rays during radiation therapy, due to the lethal DNA lesions caused by UV‐C photons. Unfortunately, nanoscale particles (NPs) show decreased UV‐C emission intensity. In this paper, the influence of different Nd³⁺ concentrations on the UV‐C emission of micro‐ and nanoscale LuPO₄:Pr³⁺ is investigated upon X‐ray irradiation and vacuum UV excitation (160 nm). Co‐doped LuPO₄ results in increased UV‐C emission independent of excitation source due to energy transfer from Nd³⁺ to Pr³⁺. The highest UV‐C emission intensity is observed for LuPO₄:Pr³⁺,Nd³⁺(1%,2.5%) upon X‐ray irradiation. Finally, LuPO₄ NPs co‐doped with different dopant concentrations are synthesized, and the biological efficacy of the combined approach (X‐rays and UV‐C) is assessed using the colony formation assay. Cell culture experiments confirm increased cell death compared to X‐rays alone due to the formation of UV‐specific DNA damages, supporting the feasibility of this approach.     

High Quantum Yield Single‐Band Green Upconversion in La2O3:Yb3+, Ho3+ Microcrystals for Anticounterfeiting and Plastic Recycling

Single‐band green upconversion (UC) with high green purity and color stability is urgently required for plastic recycling and anticounterfeiting. However, it is very difficult to obtain single‐band green emission for benchmark Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ activated UC materials (such as NaYF₄:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺) due to the strong accompanying red UC. Herein, highly efficient and stable single‐band green UC is reported in La₂O₃:Yb³⁺/Ho³⁺ (LYH) microcrystals with record high absolute UC quantum yield (UCQY) of 2.6% for single‐band green UC. LYH yields pure green UC with large and stable intensity ratio, I_Green/I_Red ≈ 18. LYH presents not only higher UCQY for a single‐band green UC but also much more pure and stable green UC than the benchmark UC materials such as NaYF₄:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ and Gd₂O₂S:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺. These results suggest that the newly developed LYH can, in principle, be promising for anticounterfeiting and plastic recycling. Its proof‐of‐concept is demonstrated as a security label based on a transparent institute logo.     

Vanadium Pentoxide‐Based Cathode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries: Morphology Control,Carbon Hybridization,and Cation Doping

Vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) is a promising cathode material for high‐performance lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high specific capacity, low cost, and abundant source. However, the practical application of V₂O₅ in commercial LIBs is still hindered by its intrinsic low ionic diffusion coefficient and moderate electrical conductivity. In the past decades, progressive accomplishments have been achieved that rely on the synthesis of nanostructured materials, carbon hybridization, and cation doping. Generally, fabrication of nanostructured electrode materials can effectively decrease the ion and electron transport distances while carbon hybridization and cation doping are able to significantly increase the electrical conductivity and diffusion coefficient of Li⁺. Implementation of these strategies addresses the problems that are related to the ionic and electronic conductivity of V₂O₅. Accordingly, the electrochemical performances of V₂O₅‐based cathodes are significantly improved in terms of discharge capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability. In this review, the recent advances in the synthesis of V₂O₅‐based cathode materials are highlighted that focus on the fabrication of nanostructured materials, carbon hybridization, and cation doping.