"Proof-of-principle" concept for label-free detection of glucose and α-glucosidase activity through the electrostatic assembly of alkynylplatinum(II) terpyridyl complexes

A two-component platinum(II) complex-polymer ensemble has been demonstrated for label-free spectroscopic detection of glucose and α-glucosidase activity, based on the electrostatic assembly of cationic platinum(II) complex molecules onto a glucose-bound anionic polymer.     

A luminescent cyclometalated platinum(II) complex and its green organic light emitting device with high device performance

A luminescent cyclometalated platinum(II) complex has been demonstrated to show green electrophosphorescence in multilayer organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) using a dual emissive layer with high current and external quantum efficiencies of 38.9 cd A(-1) and 11.5%, respectively.     

Multiscale quantum mechanics/electromagnetics simulation for electronic devices

The continuous downsizing of modern electronic devices implies the increasing importance of quantum phenomena. As the feature sizes of transistors inch towards 10 nanometer, simulations including quantum effects and atomistic details are inevitable. Here we report a novel hybrid quantum mechanics and electromagnetics (QM/EM) method to model individual electronic components at the nanoscale. QM and EM models are solved in different regions of the system in a self-consistent manner. As a demonstration, we study a carbon nanotube based electronic device embedded in a silicon block. Good agreement is obtained between simulation by QM/EM method and full QM treatment of the entire system.     

Reversible thermo-responsive luminescent metallo-supramolecular triblock copolymers based on platinum(II) terpyridyl chromophores with unusual aggregation behaviour and red-near-infrared (NIR) emission upon heating

Two platinum(II) terpyridyl-based metallo-supramolecular triblock copolymers, [ClPt(tpy)PEO-PPO-PEO(tpy)PtCl](OTf)(2) (1) and [(Ph-C≡C)Pt(tpy)PEO-PPO-PEO(tpy)Pt(C≡C-Ph)](OTf)(2) (2), have been synthesized and characterized. The two complexes were found to aggregate with PtPt and/or π-π interactions at high temperature, which have not been reported so far, as revealed by UV/Vis absorption, emission and (1)H NMR study. This is due to the formation of spherical micelles driven by the PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers at temperatures above the critical micelle temperature, which was confirmed by TEM and DLS. The red-near-infrared (NIR) emission of the complexes can be switched on and off by at least ten cycles of heating and cooling, suggesting that the micellization was highly reversible.     

Supramolecular self-assembly of amphiphilic anionic platinum(II) complexes: a correlation between spectroscopic and morphological properties

A new class of amphiphilic anionic platinum(II) bzimpy complexes has been demonstrated to show aggregation in water through Pt···Pt and π-π stacking interactions. An interesting aggregation-partial deaggregation-aggregation process and a morphological transformation from vesicles to nanofibers have been demonstrated. These changes can be systematically controlled by the variation of solvent composition and could readily be probed by UV-vis absorption, emission, NMR, transmission electron microscopy, and even with our naked eyes.     

Synthesis, characterization, luminescence and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of truxene-containing platinum(II) alkynyl complexes

A series of luminescent trinuclear platinum(II) alkynyl complexes containing dihydro-5H-diindeno[1,2-a;1′,2′-c]fluorene (truxene) as the core and aryl alkynyl ligands with different electronic properties at the periphery has been successfully synthesized and characterized. The electronic absorption, emission, nanosecond transient absorption and electrochemical properties of these complexes have been reported. These complexes showed long-lived emissions in degassed benzene solution at room temperature, and their emissions have been assigned to originate from triplet states of intraligand (IL) character with some mixing of metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) character. The luminescent platinum(II) alkynyl complexes are found to show two-photon absorption (2PA) and two-photon induced luminescence (TPIL) properties, and their two-photon absorption cross-sections have been determined to be 6-51 GM upon excitation at 720 nm.     

Enhancing photoresponse time of low cost Pd/ZnO nanorods prepared by thermal evaporation techniques for UV detection

High quality undoped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized at 850 °C by vapor-solid (VS) technique without a catalyst through a low cost process on silicon substrates. Then, ZnO nanorods have been characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors with palladium (Pd) as contact electrodes have been successfully constructed for ultraviolet (UV) detection. Under dark and UV illumination, the load resistance of the Pd/ZnO junction was found to be 80.4 kΩ, and 23.5 kΩ referring to the maximum allowed bias voltage; the barrier height was estimated to be about 0.8 eV, and 0.76 eV, at 5 V applied bias voltage, respectively. It was found that the maximum responsivity of the Pd/ZnO MSM photodetector was 0.106 A/W at 300 nm which corresponds to a quantum efficiency of 43.8% at 5 V applied bias voltage. The transient photoresponse of the fabricated device is reported under different applied biases at 1 V, 3 V, and 5 V.     

Conductive AFM patterning on oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated alkyl monolayers on silicon substrates: proposed mechanism and fabrication of avidin patterns

Micro- and nanopatterns of biomolecules on inert, ultrathin platforms on nonoxidized silicon are ideal interfaces between silicon-based microelectronics and biological systems. We report here the local oxidation nanolithography with conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM) on highly protein-resistant, oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG)-terminated alkyl monolayers on nonoxidized silicon substrates. We propose a mechanism for this process, suggesting that it is possible to oxidize only the top ethylene glycol units to generate carboxylic acid and aldehyde groups on the film surface. We show that avidin molecules can be attached selectively to the oxidized pattern and the density can be varied by altering the bias voltage during cAFM patterning. Biotinylated molecules and nanoparticles are selectively immobilized on the resultant avidin patterns. Since one of the most established methods for immobilization of biomolecules is based on avidin-biotin binding and a wide variety of biotinylated biomolecules are available, this approach represents a versatile means for prototyping any nanostructures presenting these biomolecules on silicon substrates.     

Improvement of performance characteristics of deep violet InGaN DQW lasers using a strip DQW active region

The effect of the laser ridge width on the performance characteristics of deep violet In_0.082Ga_0.918N/GaN double quantum well (DQW) laser diodes (LDs) has been numerically investigated. Simulation results indicated that threshold current of LDs is decreased and slope efficiency and differential quantum efficiency (DQE) are increased by decreasing ridge width, whereas output power is decreased. The results also showed that a decrease of more than 1 μm in the ridge width reduces the threshold current, whereas the slope efficiency, output power, and DQE are decreased. A new DQW LD structure with a strip active region has been proposed to obtain a lower current threshold and higher output power, slope efficiency, and DQE. The results showed the InGaN DQW LD with a strip DQW active region has the highest output power, slope efficiency, and DQE; it also has a lower threshold current compared with that of the original LD. The comparative study conducted for the LDs with output emission wavelengths of 390, 414 and 436 nm has also confirmed the enhancement in LD performance using the strip DQW active region structure.     

Aggregation and Tunable Color Emission Behaviors of l-Glutamine-Derived Platinum(II) Bipyridine Complexes by Hydrogen-Bonding, π–π Stacking and Metal–Metal Interactions

A n l -glutamine-derived functional group was introduced to the bis(arylalkynyl)platinum(II) bipyridine complexes 1 – 4 . The emission could be switched between the ³MLCT excited state and the triplet excimeric state through solvent or temperature changes, which is attributed to the formation and disruption of hydrogen-bonding, π–π stacking, and metal–metal interactions. Different architectures with various morphologies, such as honeycomb nanostructures and nanospheres, were formed upon solvent variations, and these changes were accompanied by ¹H NMR and distinct emission changes. Additionally, yellow and red emissive metallogels were formed at room temperature due to the different aggregation behaviors introduced by the substituent groups on bipyridine. The thermoresponsive metallogel showed emission behavior with tunable colors by controlling the temperature. The negative Gibbs free-energy change (ΔG) and the large association constant for excimer formation have suggested that the molecules undergo aggregation through hydrogen-bonding, π–π, and metal–metal interactions, resulting in triplet excimeric emission.