Spectroscopic studies on the interaction between CdTe nanoparticles and lysozyme

Nanoparticles of cadmium telluride (CdTe) coated with thioglycolic acid (TGA) were prepared in the water phase. The interaction between CdTe nanoparticles (NPs) and lysozyme (Lyz) was investigated by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy at pH 7.40. It was proved that the fluorescence quenching of Lyz by CdTe NPs was mainly a result of the formation of CdTe-Lyz complex. By the fluorescence quenching results, the Stern-Volmer quenching constant (K(SV)), binding constant (Ka) and binding sites (n) were calculated. The binding distance (r) between Lyz (the donor) and CdTe NPs (the acceptor) was obtained according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Gradual addition of CdTe NPs to the solution of Lyz led to a marked increase in fluorescence polarization (P) of Lyz, which indicated that CdTe NPs were located in a restricted environment of Lyz. The effect of CdTe NPs on the conformation of Lyz has been analyzed by means of synchronous fluorescence spectra and CD spectra, which provided the evidence that the secondary structure of Lyz has been changed by the interaction of CdTe NPs with Lyz.     

Silica Coating of Water-Soluble CdTe/CdS Core-Shell Nanocrystals by Microemulsion Method

"Using Te powder as a tellurium source and Na2S as a sulfur source, core-shell CdTe/CdS NPs were synthesized at 50 oC. UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to probe the effect of CdS passivation on the CdTe quantum dots. As the thickness of CdS shell increases, there is a red-shift in the optical absorption spectra, as well as the PL spectra. The broadening absorption peaks and PL spectra indicate that the size distributions of CdTe/CdS NPs widen increasingly with the increase of CdS coverage. The PL spectra also show that the fluorescence intensity of CdTe QDs will increase when the particles are covered with CdS shell with ratio of S/Te less than 1.0, otherwise it will decrease if the ratio of S/Te is larger than 1.0. Furthermore, the (CdTe/CdS)@SiO2 particles were prepared using a water-in-oil microemulsion method at room temperature in which hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate leads to the formation of monodispersed silica nanospheres. The obtained (CdTe/CdS)@SiO2 particles show bright photoluminescence with their fluorescence intensity being enhanced 18.5% compared with that of CdTe NPs. TEM imaging shows that the diameter of these composite particles is 50 nm. These nanoparticles are suitable for biomarker applications since they are much smaller than cellular dimensions."     

Semiconductor cadmium sulphide nanoparticles as matrices for peptides and as co-matrices for the analysis of large proteins in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization reflectron and linear time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The use of semiconductor cadmium sulphide nanoparticles (CdS NPs) capped with 4-aminothiophenol (ATP) and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) is described for the first time as matrices and as co-matrices for the analysis of peptides and proteins in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied for the characterization of functionalized CdS NPs. The synthesized CdS-ATP and CdS-MUA NPs exhibit uniform size distribution with diameter of 15-25 nm and 20-30 nm, respectively. The -NH(2) (ATP) and -COOH (MUA) groups modified on the surfaces of CdS NPs provide ionizable moieties for efficient transfer of protons during the desorption/ionization of analytes. The functionalized CdS NPs have desirable properties for the analysis of peptides in reflectron MALDI-TOF-MS with suppressed background noise and increased mass resolution (4-13-fold) in linear MALDI-TOF-MS. The application of CdS-MUA NPs and SA as the co-matrices in MALDI-MS is demonstrated for the analysis of hydrophobic proteins from soybean.     

Nanojunction‐Mediated Photocatalytic Enhancement in Heterostructured CdS/ZnO,CdSe/ZnO,and CdTe/ZnO Nanocrystals

A series of highly efficient semiconductor nanocrystal (NC) photocatalysts have been synthesized by growing wurtzite‐ZnO tetrahedrons around pre‐formed CdS, CdSe, and CdTe quantum dots (QDs). The resulting contact between two small but high‐quality crystals creates novel CdX/ZnO heterostructured semiconductor nanocrystals (HSNCs) with extensive type‐II nanojunctions that exhibit more efficient photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous organic molecules under UV irradiation. Catalytic testing and characterization indicate that catalytic activity increases as a result of a combination of both the intrinsic chemistry of the chalcogenide anions and the heterojunction structure. Atomic probe tomography (APT) is employed for the first time to probe the spatial characteristics of the nanojunction between cadmium chalcogenide and ZnO crystalline phases, which reveals various degrees of ion exchange between the two crystals to relax large lattice mismatches. In the most extreme case, total encapsulation of CdTe by ZnO as a result of interfacial alloying is observed, with the expected advantage of facilitating hole transport for enhanced exciton separation during catalysis.     

Nanojunction‐Mediated Photocatalytic Enhancement in Heterostructured CdS/ZnO,CdSe/ZnO,and CdTe/ZnO Nanocrystals

A series of highly efficient semiconductor nanocrystal (NC) photocatalysts have been synthesized by growing wurtzite‐ZnO tetrahedrons around pre‐formed CdS, CdSe, and CdTe quantum dots (QDs). The resulting contact between two small but high‐quality crystals creates novel CdX/ZnO heterostructured semiconductor nanocrystals (HSNCs) with extensive type‐II nanojunctions that exhibit more efficient photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous organic molecules under UV irradiation. Catalytic testing and characterization indicate that catalytic activity increases as a result of a combination of both the intrinsic chemistry of the chalcogenide anions and the heterojunction structure. Atomic probe tomography (APT) is employed for the first time to probe the spatial characteristics of the nanojunction between cadmium chalcogenide and ZnO crystalline phases, which reveals various degrees of ion exchange between the two crystals to relax large lattice mismatches. In the most extreme case, total encapsulation of CdTe by ZnO as a result of interfacial alloying is observed, with the expected advantage of facilitating hole transport for enhanced exciton separation during catalysis.     

Stabilization of the thermodynamically favored polymorph of cadmium chalcogenide nanoparticles CdX (X = S, Se, Te) in the polar mesopores of SBA-15 silica

A versatile synthetic approach to cadmium chalcogenide nanoparticles in the mesopores of SBA-15 silica as a host matrix was developed. The use of cadmium organochalcogenolates of the type Cd(XPh)(2).TMEDA (X = S, Se, Te) allowed the preparation of nanoparticles of all three cadmium chalcogenides following the same experimental protocol. Particles of CdS, CdSe, and CdTe with a particle size of 7 nm were prepared from this class of single-source precursors. The incorporation of the precursor molecules into the pores was achieved by melt infiltration at a temperature of 140 degrees C. Subsequent pyrolysis of the precursors in the mesopores yielded the semiconductor particles. Owing to the high polarity of the silanol-covered pore walls, which lower the surface energy of the particles to a large extent, the dimorphic cadmium chalcogenides are obtained in their thermodynamically favored modifications; e.g., CdS particles crystallize in the wurtzite type, CdTe particles are obtained in the zinc blende structure, and CdSe (where no unambiguous preference exists) crystallizes as a "mixture" of both structures with a rather random stacking sequence.     

Structural characteristics of different types of nanoparticles synthesised in mesomorphic metal alkanoates

The class of thermotropic ionic liquid crystals (LCs) of the metal alkanoates possesses a number of unique properties, such as intrinsic ionic conductivity, high dissolving ability and ability to form time-stable mesomorphic glasses. These ionic LCs can be used as nanoreactors for the synthesis and stabilisation of different types of nanoparticles (NPs). Thus, some semiconductors, metals and core/shell NPs were chemically synthesised in the thermotropic ionic liquid crystalline phase (smectic A) of the cadmium octanoate (CdC₈) and of the cobalt octanoate (CoC₈). By applying the scanning electron microscopy, the cadmium and cobalt octanoate composites containing CdS, Au, Ag and core/shell Au/CdS NPs have been studied. NPs’ sizes and dispersion distribution of the NPs’ size in the nanocomposites have been obtained.     

Ultrafast synthesis of near-infrared-emitting aqueous CdTe/CdS quantum dots with high fluorescence

The traditional aqueous route to synthesis CdTe/CdS Core/shell (c/s) quantum dots (QDs) via decomposition of Cd-thiol complexes is usually time consuming. Herein, an ultrafast and facile aqueous synthetic approach under atmospheric pressure for CdTe/CdS c/s QDs with emission from the green to the near-infrared window (535–820 nm) is reported. With purified CdTe core QDs diluted in solution of Cd-3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) complexes, CdTe/CdS c/s QDs with emission wavelengths at 700 and 800 nm can be obtained within 20- and 45-min refluxing under the optimized experimental conditions, respectively. This is the most rapid way to prepare CdTe/CdS c/s QDs in aqueous phase, and the obtained QDs were highly luminescent without postsynthesis treatment. The influences of various experimental factors, including Cd²⁺ concentration, MPA-to-Cd ratio, pH value, and dilution ratio on the growth rate and luminescent properties of the obtained CdTe/CdS c/s QDs, have been taken into consideration. The three processes “purification-dilution-addition” ensure the synthesis environment with high pH value and low core concentration and have a marked impact on the rapid synthesis rate and the resulting high fluorescence of CdTe/CdS c/s QDs.     

室温水相合成CdTe/CdS核/壳结构量子点

开发了一种以聚乙烯吡咯烷酮为分散剂和稳定剂经条件温和的室温水相合成光谱可调的水溶性CdTe/CdS核/壳结构量子点的方法:向新鲜制备的CdTe量子点溶液中加入硫源,继续反应即可生成CdS壳层,通过控制硫源的浓度即可控制CdS壳层厚度,从而调节光谱性质和增强稳定性.采用XRD、TEM、HRTEM、荧光光谱以及紫外-可见光...     

Microwave-assisted growth and characterization of water-dispersed CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals with high photoluminescence

A novel microwave-assisted method of growth of high-quality CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in the aqueous phase is presented in this paper. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) is greatly enhanced by epitaxial growth of the CdS shell. Under optimum conditions, the PLQY of as-prepared nanocrystals reaches as high as 75% without any post-treatment. Furthermore, these investigations demonstrate that microwave irradiation is tremendously useful for fast epitaxial growth of nanocrystals due to its special characteristics. As a result, the microwave synthesis is sufficiently time-economizing (only five minutes are required) to obtain optimum amounts of CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in comparison to the conventional illumination method (several days are required). Therefore, this current research not only provides a rapid microwave synthesis for producing highly fluorescent CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals, but also it presents some advantages of the microwave synthesis in comparison to the illumination method.     

Nanoscale-enhanced Ru(bpy)3(2+) electrochemiluminescence labels and related aptamer-based biosensing system

A unique multilabeling at a single-site protocol of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system is proposed. Nanoparticles (NPs) were used as assembly substrates to enrich ECL co-reactants of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) to construct nanoscale-enhanced ECL labels. Two different kinds of NP substrates [including semiconductor NPs (CdTe) and noble metal NPs (gold)] capped with 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol (DMAET) [a tertiary amine derivative which is believed to be one of the most efficient of co-reactants of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) system] were synthesized through a simple one-pot synthesis method in aqueous media. Although both CdTe and gold NPs realized the enrichment of ECL co-reactants, they presented entirely different ECL performances as nanoscale ECL co-reactants of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+). The different effects of these two NPs on the ECL of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) were studied. DMAET-capped CdTe NPs showed enormous signal amplification of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) ECL, whereas DMAET-capped gold NPs showed a slight quenching effect of the ECL signal. DMAET-capped CdTe NPs can be considered to be excellent nanoscale ECL labels of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) system, as even a NP solution sample of 10(-18) M was still detectable after an electrostatic self-assembly concentration process. DMAET-capped CdTe NPs were further applied in the construction of aptamer-based biosensing system for proteins and encouraging results were obtained.     

Microbe manufacturers of semiconductors

Synthesis of cadmium sulfide (CdS) semiconductor nanoparticles within a prokaryotic organism is reported for the first time by Sweeney et al. This paper demonstrates the utility of microorganisms to perform chemistries outside the scope of their "normal" metabolism and offers an environmentally benign synthesis of CdS nanoparticles.     

Influence of Se and Zn substitution on the electronic transport on a CdTe nanotube-based molecular device: a first-principles study

The electronic transport property of pure cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanotube, selenium-substituted and zinc-substituted CdTe nanotube-based molecular device are investigated with density functional theory. The electronic transport property of CdTe nanotube is studied in terms of device density of states (DOS), electron density, transmission spectrum, and transmission pathways. The substitution of selenium and zinc atoms along the left electrode and bias voltage has the impact in the DOS. The electron density is found to be more at cadmium site in the left electrode. The transmission spectrum provides the insight into the transmission of electrons from valence band to conduction band across CdTe nanotube. The transmission pathway provides the visualization of electron transmission along CdTe nanotube. The results of present work provide a clear vision to tailor CdTe nanostructures with enhanced electronic property with substitution impurity for optoelectronic devices and photovoltaic cells.     

Photophysical Properties of Au‐CdTe Hybrid Nanostructures of Varying Sizes and Shapes

We design well‐defined metal‐semiconductor nanostructures using thiol‐functionalized CdTe quantum dots (QDs)/quantum rods (QRs) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein‐conjugated Au nanoparticles (NPs)/nanorods (NRs) in aqueous solution. The main focus of this article is to address the impacts of size and shape on the photophysical properties, including radiative and nonradiative decay processes and energy transfers, of Au‐CdTe hybrid nanostructures. The red shifting of the plasmonic band and the strong photoluminescence (PL) quenching reveal a strong interaction between plasmons and excitons in these Au‐CdTe hybrid nanostructures. The PL quenching of CdTe QDs varies from 40 to 86 % by changing the size and shape of the Au NPs. The radiative as well as the nonradiative decay rates of the CdTe QDs/QRs are found to be affected in the presence of both Au NPs and NRs. A significant change in the nonradiative decay rate from 4.72×10⁶ to 3.92×10¹⁰ s^?1 is obtained for Au NR‐conjugated CdTe QDs. It is seen that the sizes and shapes of the Au NPs have a pronounced effect on the distance‐dependent energy transfer. Such metal‐semiconductor hybrid nanostructures should have great potentials for nonlinear optical properties, photovoltaic devices, and chemical sensors.     

Voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of gold electrodes modified with CdTe quantum dots and their conjugates with nickel tetraamino phthalocyanine

This work reports on the synthesis of conjugates of cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe-QDs) caped with thioglycolic acid and peripherally substituted nickel tetraamino phthalocyanine (NiTAPc) complex. The conjugates are characterized using cyclic (CV) and differential pulse (DPV) voltammetries, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and time correlated single photon counting. CV and DPV show that NiTAPc stabilizes the CdTe QDs against oxidation to metallic products.     

Catalyst-assisted solution-liquid-solid synthesis of CdS/CdSe nanorod heterostructures

We report the synthesis and characterization of axial nanorod heterostructures composed of cadmium selenide (CdSe) and cadmium sulfide (CdS). The synthesis employs a solution-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism with the assistance of bismuth nanocrystals adhered to a substrate (silicon or a III-V semiconductor). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and diffraction studies show that CdSe and CdS segments exhibit the wurtzite (hexagonal) crystal structure with <5% stacking faults. Both of these segments grow along the [002] direction with an epitaxial interface between them. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry using a high-resolution TEM operating in scanning mode confirms the alloy-free composition modulation in the nanorod heterostructures, showing that Se and S are localized in the CdSe and CdS portions of the nanorod heterostructures, respectively. This study demonstrates that SLS synthesis provides an alternate route to prepare axial nanorod heterostructures that have been difficult to generate using either vapor-liquid-solid growth or catalyst-free solution-phase synthesis.     

Metal Cation Valency Dependence in Morphology Evolution of Cu2−xS Nanodisk Seeds and Their Pseudomorphic Cation Exchanges

A crucial parameter in the design of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) with controllable optical, magnetic, electronic, and catalytic properties is the morphology. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of additive metal cations with variable valency to direct the morphology evolution of copper-deficient Cu_2−xS nanoparticles in the process of seed-mediated growth. In particular, the djurleite Cu_1.94S seed could evolve from disk into tetradecahedron in the presence of tin(IV) cations, whereas they merely formed sharp hexagonal nanodisks with tin(II) cations. In addition to djurleite Cu_1.94S, the tin(IV) cations could be generalized to direct the growth of roxbyite Cu_1.8S and covellite CuS nanodisk seeds into tetradecahedra. We further perform pseudomorphic cation exchanges of Cu_1.94S tetradecahedra with Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ to produce polyhedral zinc sulfide (ZnS) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) NPs. Moreover, we achieve Cu_1.8S/ZnS and Cu_1.94S/CdS tetradecahedral heterostructures via partial cation exchange, which are otherwise inaccessible by traditional synthetic approaches.     

Water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals: a greener synthetic route

We report a new green synthetic route of CdSe and core-shell CdSe/CdS nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solutions. This route is performed under water-bath temperature, using Se powder as a selenium source to prepare CdSe NPs, and H(2)S generated by the reaction of Na(2)SH(2)SO(4) as a sulfur source to synthesize core-shell CdSe/CdS NPs at 25-35 degrees C. The synthesis time of every step is only 20 min. After illumination with ambient natural light, photoluminescence (PL) intensities of CdSe NPs enhanced up to 100 times. The core-shell CdSe/CdS NPs have stronger photoactive luminescence with quantum yields over 20%. The obtained CdSe NPs exhibit a favorable narrow PL band (FWHM: 50-37 nm) with increasing molar ratio of Cd/Se from 4:1 to 10:1 at pH 9.1 in the crude solution, whereas PL band of corresponding CdSe/CdS NPs is slightly narrower. The emission maxima of nanocrystals can be tuned in a wider range from 492 to 592 nm in water by changing synthesis temperature of CdSe core than those reported previously. The resulting new route is of particular interest as it uses readily-available reagents and simple equipment to synthesize high-quality water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals.     

Long-term exposure to CdTe quantum dots causes functional impairments in live cells

Several studies suggested that the cytotoxic effects of quantum dots (QDs) may be mediated by cadmium ions (Cd2+) released from the QDs cores. The objective of this work was to assess the intracellular Cd2+ concentration in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells treated with cadmium telluride (CdTe) and core/shell cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) nanoparticles capped with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), cysteamine (Cys), or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugated to cysteamine. The Cd2+ concentration determined by a Cd2+-specific cellular assay was below the assay detection limit (<5 nM) in cells treated with CdSe/ZnS QDs, while in cells incubated with CdTe QDs, it ranged from approximately 30 to 150 nM, depending on the capping molecule. A cell viability assay revealed that CdSe/ZnS QDs were nontoxic, whereas the CdTe QDs were cytotoxic. However, for the various CdTe QD samples, there was no dose-dependent correlation between cell viability and intracellular [Cd2+], implying that their cytotoxicity cannot be attributed solely to the toxic effect of free Cd2+. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of CdTe QDs-treated cells imaged with organelle-specific dyes revealed significant lysosomal damage attributable to the presence of Cd2+ and of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be formed via Cd2+-specific cellular pathways and/or via CdTe-triggered photoxidative processes involving singlet oxygen or electron transfer from excited QDs to oxygen. In summary, CdTe QDs induce cell death via mechanisms involving both Cd2+ and ROS accompanied by lysosomal enlargement and intracellular redistribution.     

一种在室温合成具有宽带隙CdS的简单方法

采用简单的磁控溅射方法, 在室温合成了CdS多晶薄膜. 在溅射CdS多晶薄膜过程中, 分别在Ar 气中通入0%、0.88%、1.78%、2.58%和3.40% (体积分数, φ)的O₂, 得到不同O含量的CdS多晶薄膜. 通过X射线衍射仪、拉曼光谱仪、扫描电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱仪、紫外-可见光谱仪对得到的CdS多晶薄膜进行表征.分析结果表明: O的掺入能得到结合更加致密, 晶粒尺寸更小的CdS多晶薄膜; 与溅射气体中没有O₂时制备的CdS多晶薄膜的光学带隙(2.48 eV)相比, 当溅射气体中O₂的含量为0.88%和1.78% (φ)时, 制备得到的CdS多晶薄膜具有更大的光学带隙, 分别为2.60和2.65 eV; 而当溅射气体中O₂的含量为2.58%和3.40% (φ)时, 得到的CdS光学带隙分别为2.50 和2.49 eV, 与没有掺杂O的CdS的光学带隙(2.48 eV)相当; 当溅射气体中O₂的含量为0.88% (φ)时, 制备的CdS多晶薄膜具有最好的结晶质量. 通过磁控溅射方法, 在溅射气体中O₂含量为0.88% (φ)条件下制备的CdS多晶薄膜表面沉积了CdTe 多晶薄膜并在CdCl₂气氛中进行了高温退火处理, 对退火前后的CdTe多晶薄膜进行了表征. 表征结果显示: CdS中掺入O能得到结合更紧密、退火后晶粒尺寸更大的CdTe多晶薄膜. 通过磁控溅射方法, 在CdS制备过程中于Ar 中掺入O₂, 在室温就能得到具有更大光学带隙的CdS多晶薄膜, 该方法是一种简单和有效的方法, 非常适用于大规模工业化生产.