Self-assemblies of luminescent rare earth compounds in capsules and multilayers

Photoluminescent Layered Crystal Consisting of Anderson-Type Polyoxometalate and Surfactant toward a Potential Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Laser

The hybridization of inorganic and organic components is a promising strategy to build functional materials. Among several functions, luminescence is an important function which should be considered for practical usage. Inorganic-organic hybrid luminescent materials have been investigated as phosphors, sensors, and lasers. Organic luminescent centers such as dye molecules have often been hybridized with inorganic matrices. Polyoxometalate anions (POMs) are effective inorganic luminescent centers due to their luminescent properties and structural designability. However, most luminescent POM components are limited to lanthanide-based POMs. In this report, a photoluminescent inorganic-organic hybrid crystal based on a non-lanthanide POM was successfully synthesized as a single crystal. Anderson-type hexamolybdochromate ([CrMo6O18(OH)6]3-, CrMo6) anion exhibiting emission derived from Cr3+ was utilized with n-dodecylammonium ([C12H25NH3]+, C12NH3) surfactant cation to obtain a photoluminescent hybrid crystal. The grown single crystal of C12NH3-CrMo6 comprised a distinct layered structure consisting of inorganic CrMo6 layers and interdigitated C12NH3 layers. In the CrMo6 layers, the CrMo6 anions were associated with water molecules by hydrogen bonding to form a densely packed two-dimensional network. Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy revealed that the C12NH3-CrMo6 hybrid crystal exhibited characteristic emission from the CrMo6 anion. Preliminary lasing properties were also observed for C12NH3-CrMo6, which shows the possibility of using the C12NH3-CrMo6 hybrid crystal as an inorganic-organic hybrid laser.

Dy(III)-coordination imprinted self-assembly microspheres based on a silica core for highly sensitive and selective detection of two carbamate pesticides

Carbamate (CB) pesticides possess potential carcinogenic and mutagenic activities towards humans even at very low dosages. Thus, broad-specificity probes with high sensitivity and speed are needed for multiple CB determination. This study is the first to focus on Dy³⁺ ions-coordinated self-assembly on a silica core using a surface imprinting procedure, for the simultaneous fluorometric detection of residues of metolcarb (MC) and pirimicarb (PC) insecticides. A simple and mild solvothermal method was applied for the preparation of fluorescent imprinted microspheres starting from 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen)-ligated Dy³⁺ ions to guide imprinted self-assembly of chitosan (CTS), glutaraldehyde (GA), and two carbamate pesticides (MC and PC) on the silica surface by means of coordinate bonds and hydrogen bonds. The as-prepared microspheres displayed strong fluorescence emissions via the antenna effect derived from the Phen ligand and the Schiff base oligomers for sensitizing the Dy³⁺ ions. An expanded in-depth mechanism study was performed on the fluorescence enhancement involving Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the pesticides (donor) to the acceptor. A linear increase in fluorescence at 483 nm for MC and 574 nm for PC upon the imprinted microspheres was observed under the same 350 nm excitation wavelength. Moreover, the quantitative recognition process could be carried out simultaneously and tolerate strong distractions both from five other similar carbamate insecticides and from complicated matrices (e.g., an extract of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat). The detection limit was 4 ng mL^-1 with a range of 10-60 ng mL^-1 for MC and 0.4 ng mL^-1 with a range of 1-30 ng mL^-1 for PC. Further characterization of the material, including TEM, SEM, XPS, and FTIR, Raman, and fluorescence spectra, verified that the Dy³⁺ ions play a decisive role in promoting imprinted self-assembly around the silica core. Hence, a novel polynuclear Ln-organic imprinted probe having high selectivity, stability, and sensitivity for the detection of two carbamate insecticides is presented in this study.

The Future of Layer-by-Layer Assembly: A Tribute to ACS Nano Associate Editor Helmuth Möhwald

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a widely used tool for engineering materials and coatings. In this Perspective, dedicated to the memory of ACS Nano associate editor Prof. Dr. Helmuth Möhwald, we discuss the developments and applications that are to come in LbL assembly, focusing on coatings, bulk materials, membranes, nanocomposites, and delivery vehicles.

A Eu(3+)/Gd(3+)-EDTA-doped structurally controllable hollow mesoporous carbon for improving the oral bioavailability of insoluble drugs and in vivo tracing

A structurally controllable fluorescence-labeled hollow mesoporous carbon (HMC) was simply prepared to improve the oral bioavailability of insoluble drugs and further trace their delivery process in vivo. The hollow structure was derived from an inverse replica process using mesoporous silica as a template and the fluorescent label was prepared by doping the carboxylated HMC with a confinement of Eu(3+)/Gd(3+)-EDTA. The physicochemical properties of the composites were systematically characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra tests prior to studying their effects on drug-release behavior and biodistribution. As a result, the thickness of the carrier's shell was adjusted from 70 nm to 130 nm and the maximum drug loading was up to 73.6%. The model drug carvedilol (CAR) showed sustained release behavior compared to CAR commercial capsules, and the dissolution rate slowed down as the shells got thicker. AUC0-48h and Tmax were enlarged 2.2 and 6.5 fold, respectively, which demonstrated that oral bioavailability was successfully improved. Bioimaging tests showed that the novel carbon vehicle had a long residence time in the gastrointestinal tract. In short, the newly designed HMC is a promising drug carrier for both oral bioavailability improvement and in vivo tracing.

Inflating Strategy To Form Ultrathin Hollow MnO2 Nanoballoons

Ultrathin MnO2 hollow nanoballoons (UMHNBs) have a large ratio of interfacial to total atoms, corresponding to expected improved performance. However, their synthesis is a challenge due to difficulty in controlling the concentration of the unit cells. Herein, we describe a strategy to synthesize dry intact UMHNBs through a one-step synthesis by inflating MnO2 (reduced from KMnO4) with CO2 (oxidized from single-layer graphene oxide nanosheets) followed by instant freeze-drying. UMHNBs are 30-500 nm in diameter with a shell thickness of 3.7 nm, packing with laminar [MnO6] unit cells in the form of δ-MnO2. UMHNBs show efficient catalytic activity for decomposing the organic dye methylene blue (MB), 15 times the biggest reported value, and have long-term catalytic efficacy and durability. The described strategy in this paper makes use of graphene nanosheets to assemble durable ultrathin hollow nanoballoons.

Novel rare earth tungstoarsenate heteropolyoxometalates K11[Ln(AsW 11O 39) 2]·xH 2O (Ln = La, Nd, Sm) binding to bovine serum albumin: spectroscopic approach

The rare earth salts of heteropoly have been widely applied in many fields. In this study, the biological activity of rare earth tungstoarsenate heteropolyoxometalates K11[Ln(AsW11O39)2]·xH2O (abbr. LnW11, Ln = La (x = 24), Nd (x = 17), and Sm (x = 19)) were investigated by spectroscopic methods including fluorescence spectroscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy at different temperatures. In the mechanism discussion, it was proved that the fluorescence quenching of bovine serum albumin (BSA) by LnW11 is initiated by complex formation. The thermodynamic parameters suggested that the binding of LnW11 to BSA is spontaneous, and the mainly force is electrostatic interactions. Site marker competitive experiments demonstrated that LaW11 binds with high affinity to site I (subdomain IIA) of BSA; but SmW11 and NdW11 bind with affinity to both site I (subdomain IIA) and site II (subdomain IIIA) of BSA. The results of synchronous fluorescence spectrum indicate that the secondary structure of BSA molecules was changed in the presence of LnW11. In addition, the binding parameters, binding site number, and effect of metal ions on LnW11-BSA were also discussed.