The role of potassium tellurite as tellurium source in mercaptoacetic acid-capped CdTe nanoparticles

A split aptamer-labeled ratiometric fluorescent biosensor for specific detection of adenosine in human urine

A dual-emission ratiometric fluorometric aptasensor is presented for highly specific detection of adenosine. An adenosine binding aptamer (ABA) was split into two halves (termed as ABA1 and ABA2). ABA1 was covalently bound to blue-emitting carbon dots (with excitation/emission maxima at 365/440 nm) as responsive fluorophore (referred to as ABA1-CDs). ABA2 was linked to red-emitting silica-coated CdTe quantum dots (with excitation/emission maxima at 365/613 nm) acting as internal reference and referred to as ABA2-QDs@SiO₂. Upon addition of graphene oxide, the fluorescence of ABA1-CDs is quenched. After subsequent addition of ABA2-QDs@SiO₂ and different amounts of adenosine, the blue fluorescence is recovered and causes a color change from red to royal blue. The method represents a ratiometric turn-on assay for visual, colorimetric and fluorometric determination of adenosine. The limit of detection is as low as 2.4 nM in case of ratiometric fluorometry. The method was successfully applied to the determination of adenosine in (spiked) human urine. Recoveries range from 98.8% to 102%. Graphical abstract Adenosine binding aptamer1-carbon dots (ABA1-CDs) can absorb on graphene oxide (GO) via π stacking. This causes fluorescence to be quenched by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). After addition of ABA2-silica-coated quantum dots (ABA2-QDs@SiO₂) and adenosine, binding of adenosine to two pieces of aptamers forms a complex (ABA1-CD/adenosine/ABA2-QD@SiO₂) which dissociates from GO. As a result, fluorescence is recovered.

Profuse color-evolution-based fluorescent test paper sensor for rapid and visual monitoring of endogenous Cu2+ in human urine

The fluorescent paper for colorimetric detection of metal ions has been widely fabricated using various sensing probes, but it still remains an elusive task to design a test paper with multicolor variation with target dosages for accurate determination. Herein, we report a profuse color-evolution-based fluorescent test paper sensor for rapid and visual monitoring of Cu²⁺ in human urine by printing tricolor probe onto filter paper. The tricolor probe consists of blue-emission carbon dots (bCDs), green-emission quantum dots (gQDs) and red-emission quantum dots (rQDs), which is based on the principle that the fluorescence of gQDs and rQDs are simultaneously quenched by Cu²⁺, whereas the bCDs as the photostable internal standard is insensitive to Cu²⁺. Upon the addition of different amounts of Cu²⁺, the ratiometric fluorescence intensity of the tricolor probe continuously varied, leading to color changes from shallow pink to blue with a detection limit of 1.3nM. When the tricolor probe solution was printed onto a sheet of filter paper, as-obtained test paper displayed a more profuse color evolution from shallow pink to light salmon to dark orange to olive drab to dark olive green to slate blue to royal blue and to final dark blue with the increase of Cu²⁺ concentration compared with dual-color probe-based test paper, and dosage scale as low as 6.0nM was clearly discriminated. The sensing test paper is simple, rapid and inexpensive, and serves as a visual platform for ultrasensitive monitoring of endogenous Cu²⁺ in human urine.

Highly stable CuInS2@ZnS:Al core@shell quantum dots: the role of aluminium self-passivation

A schematic illustration for enhancing the photostability of CuInS₂@ZnS QDs by doping aluminium.

Optical properties of water-soluble CdTe quantum dots passivated by a biopolymer based on poly((2-dimethylaminoethyl) methacrylate) grafted onto κ-carrageenan

Poly ((2-dimethylaminoethyl) methacrylate) grafted onto κ-carrageenan (κC-g-PDMA) as a biopolymer was synthesized and applied for surface modification of water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs). The effects of DMA concentration, molar ratio of κC-g-PDMA/CdTe, reaction temperature and time on optical properties of CdTe QDs were investigated via fluorescent (FL) and UV- visible spectra. The results showed that the κC-g-PDMA significantly affects the optical properties of CdTe QDs. The obtained samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The antibacterial activity, antifungal assays, and cytotoxicity of modified QDs were examined, and a good biocompatibility was observed.

Room temperature synthesis of PbSe quantum dots in aqueous solution: stabilization by interactions with ligands

An aqueous route of synthesis is described for rapid synthesis of lead selenide quantum dots (PbSe QDs) at room temperature in an attempt to produce water-soluble and stable nanocrystals. Several thiol-ligands, including thioglycolic acid (TGA), thioglycerol (TGC), 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), 2-mercaptoethylamine hydrochloride (MEA), 6-mercaptohexanoic acid (MHA), and l-cysteine (l-cys), were used for capping/stabilization of PbSe QDs. The effects of the ligands on the stability of PbSe QDs were evaluated for a period of two months at room temperature under normal light conditions and at 4 °C in the dark. The TGA- and MEA-capped QDs exhibited the highest stability prior to purification, almost two months when kept in the dark at 4 °C. However, the stability of TGA-capped QDs was reduced substantially after purification to about 5 days under the same conditions, while MEA-capped QDs did not show any significant instability. The stabilization energies of Pb-thiolate complexes determined by theoretical DFT simulations supported the experimental results. The PbSe QDs capped with TGA, MPA and MEA were successfully purified and re-dispersed in water, while those stabilized with TGC, MHA and l-cys aggregated during purification attempts. The purified PbSe QDs possess very susceptible surface resulting in poor stability for about 30-45 min after re-dispersion in water. In the presence of an excess of free ligand, the stability increased up to 5 days for TGA-capped QDs at pH 7.19, 9-12 days for MPA-capped QDs at pH 7.3-7.5 and 45-47 days for MEA-capped QDs at pH 7.35. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the QDs possess a cubic rock salt structure with the most intense peaks located at 2θ = 25.3° (200) and 2θ = 29.2° (100). TEM images showed that the size of the QDs ranges between 5 and 10 nm. ICP-MS results revealed that Pb : Se ratios were 1.26, 1.28, 3.85, 1.18, and 1.31 for the QDs capped with TGA, MPA, MEA, l-cys, and TGC, respectively. The proposed method is inexpensive, simple and utilizes environmentally friendly chemicals and solvents.

Photonic crystal fiber for efficient Raman scattering of CdTe quantum dots in aqueous solution

A novel hollow-core photonic crystal fiber platform was used for the first time to observe clear vibrational modes of the CdTe core, CdS(0.7)Te(0.3) interface, and carboxylate-metal complexes in dilute aqueous CdTe quantum dot (QD) solutions. These modes demonstrate the presence of crystalline cores, defects, and surface passivation responsible for photoluminescent efficiency and stability. In addition, 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped QDs show higher crystallinity and stability than those capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) and 1-thioglycerol (TG). This detailed, nondestructive characterization was carried out using Raman spectroscopy for solutions with QD concentration of 2 mg/mL, which is similar to their concentration during synthesis process. This platform can be extended to the in situ studies of any colloidal nanoparticles and aqueous solutions of relevant biological samples using Raman spectroscopy.