Synthesis, structure and spectroscopic characterization of water-soluble CdS nanoparticles

Sulfate Speciation Analysis Using Soft X-ray Emission Spectroscopy

The chemical and electronic structures of 15 different sulfates are studied using S L_2,3 soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). Sulfur L_2,3 XES spectra of sulfates are distinctively different from those of other sulfur compounds, which makes XES a powerful technique for sulfate detection. Furthermore, subtle but distinct differences between the spectra of sulfates with different cations are observed, which allow a further differentiation of the specific compound. Most prominently, the position and width of the emission from "S 3s" derived bands systematically vary for different compounds, which can be understood with electronic structure and spectral calculations based on density functional theory.

One-pot synthesis of natural amine-modified biocompatible carbon quantum dots with antibacterial activity

In the present study, the thermal decomposition of citric acid in the presence of biogenic amine was used to synthesize four different functionalized carbon quantum dots (CQDs), namely, histamine-(HCQDs), putrescine-(PCQDs), cadaverine-(CCQDs) and spermine-(SCQDs). The thermal decomposition of the precursors resulted in a decrease in stability and the formation of surface amides via a cross-linking process between the carboxyl and amine groups. The deposition of biogenic amines was confirmed by a structural characterization of the synthesized CQDs. The resulting CQDs, with a net zero charge, exhibited excellent stability in environments with different pH values. Through a set of different cytotoxicity tests, the absence of gene mutations, apoptosis, necrosis or disruption in cell membranes revealed the high biocompatibility of the CQDs. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized CQDs was investigated against different bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumonia). We determined the growth kinetics, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell viability and changes in membrane integrity by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for S. aureus ranged from 3.4 to 6.9 µg/mL. Regarding E.coli and K. pneumonia, all CQD formulations reduced growth, and the MICs were determined for CCQDs and HCQDs (6.9-19.4 µg/mL). The antibacterial activity mechanism was attributed to the oxidative stress generated after CQD treatment, which resulted in the destabilization of the bacterial membrane. The bacterial permeability to propidium iodide indicated a change in membrane integrity, and the effect of CQDs on the morphology of the bacterial cells was evidenced by SEM.

Detection of Human p53 In-Vitro Expressed in a Transcription-Translation Cell-Free System by a Novel Conjugate Based on Cadmium Sulphide Nanoparticles

Here, cadmium sulphide quantum dots (CdS QDs) have been synthetized and functionalized with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in a colloidal aqueous solution with a stability of over 3 months. Specific synthesis conditions, in homogeneous phase and at low temperature, have allowed limitation of S2- concentration, hence, as a consequence, there is restricted growth of the nanoparticles (NPs). This fact allows binding with BSA in the most favorable manner for the biomolecule. The presence of Cd2+ ions on the surface of the CdS nanoparticle is counteracted by the negatively charged domains of the BSA, resulting in the formation of small NPs, with little tendency for aggregation. Temperature and pH have great influence on the fluorescence characteristics of the synthetized nanoparticles. Working at low temperatures (4 °C) and pH 10-11 have proven the best result as shown by hydrolysis kinetic control of the thioacetamide precursor of S2- ion. Biological activity of the coupled BSA is maintained allowing subsequent bioconjugation with other biomolecules such as antibodies. The chemical conjugation with anti-Glutathione S-transferase (α-GST) antibody, a common tag employed in human recombinant fusion proteins, produces a strong quenching of fluorescence that proves the possibilities of its use in biological labelling. Finally, p53, onco-human recombinant protein (GST tagged in COOH terminus), has been in situ IVTT (in vitro transcription-translation) expressed and efficiently captured by the α-GST-CdS QD conjugate as a proof of the biocompatibility on IVTT systems and the functionality of conjugated antibody.

Thioglycolic Acid-Capped CdS Quantum Dots Conjugated to α-Amylase as a Fluorescence Probe for Determination of Starch at Low Concentration

In the present research, water soluble thioglycolic acid-capped CdS quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. The characteristics of prepared quantum dots were determined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The obtained results revealed that CdS QDs have 5.60 nm crystallite size, hexagonal wurtzite structure and spherical morphology with less than 10 nm diameter. The photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was performed in order to study the effect of the presence of starch solutions. Blue emission peaks were positioned at 488 nm and its intensity quenched by increasing the concentration of starch solutions. The result of PL quenches in range of studied concentrations (0-100 ppm) was best described by Michaelis-Menten model. The amount of Michaelis constant (Km) for immobilized α-amylase in this system was about 68.08 ppm which showed a great tendency of enzyme to hydrolyze the starch as substrate. Finally, the limit of detection (LOD) was found to be about 2.24 ppm.

A facile route to tailoring peptide-stabilized gold nanoparticles using glutathione as a synthon

The preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of high purity and stability remains a major challenge for biological applications. This paper reports a simple synthetic strategy to prepare water-soluble peptide-stabilized AuNPs. Reduced glutathione, a natural tripeptide, was used as a synthon for the growth of two peptide chains directly on the AuNP surface. Both nonpolar (tryptophan and methionine) and polar basic (histidine and dansylated arginine) amino acids were conjugated to the GSH-capped AuNPs. Ultracentrifugation concentrators with polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were used to purify precursor materials in each stage of the multi-step synthesis to minimize side reactions. Thin layer chromatography, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Visible, 1H-NMR, and fluorescence spectroscopies demonstrated that ultracentrifugation produces high purity AuNPs, with narrow polydispersity, and minimal aggregation. More importantly, it allows for more control over the composition of the final ligand structure. Studies under conditions of varying pH and ionic strength revealed that peptide length, charge, and hydrophobicity influence the stability as well as solubility of the peptide-capped AuNPs. The synthetic and purification strategies used provide a facile route for developing a library of tailored biocompatible peptide-stabilized AuNPs for biomedical applications.

Alkaline post-treatment of Cd(II)-glutathione coordination polymers: toward green synthesis of water-soluble and cytocompatible CdS quantum dots with tunable optical properties

In this study, we demonstrate a facile and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of glutathione (GSH)-capped water-soluble CdS quantum dots (QDs) with a high cytocompatibility and a tunable optical property based on alkaline post-treatment of Cd-GSH coordination polymers (CPs). Cd-GSH CPs are synthesized with the coordination reaction of Cd(2+) with GSH at different pH values, and the CdS QDs are then formed by adding NaOH to the aqueous dispersion of the Cd-GSH CPs to break the coordination interaction between Cd(2+) and GSH with the release of sulfur. The particle size and optical property of the as-formed CdS QDs are found to be easily tailored by simply adjusting the starting pH values of GSH solutions used for the formation of Cd-GSH CPs, in which the wavelengths of trap-state emission of the QDs red-shift with an increase in the sizes of the QDs that is caused by an increase in the starting pH values of GSH solutions. In addition, the use of GSH as the capping reagent eventually endows the as-formed CdS QDs with enhanced water solubility and good cytocompatibility, as demonstrated with HeLa cells. The method demonstrated here is advantageous in that the cadmium precursor and the sulfur source are nontoxic and easily available, and the size, optical properties, water solubility, and cytocompatibilty of the as-formed CdS QDs are simply achieved and experimentally regulated. This study offers a new and green synthetic route to water-soluble and cytocompatible CdS QDs with tunable optical properties.

Hallmarks of mechanochemistry: from nanoparticles to technology

The aim of this review article on recent developments of mechanochemistry (nowadays established as a part of chemistry) is to provide a comprehensive overview of advances achieved in the field of atomistic processes, phase transformations, simple and multicomponent nanosystems and peculiarities of mechanochemical reactions. Industrial aspects with successful penetration into fields like materials engineering, heterogeneous catalysis and extractive metallurgy are also reviewed. The hallmarks of mechanochemistry include influencing reactivity of solids by the presence of solid-state defects, interphases and relaxation phenomena, enabling processes to take place under non-equilibrium conditions, creating a well-crystallized core of nanoparticles with disordered near-surface shell regions and performing simple dry time-convenient one-step syntheses. Underlying these hallmarks are technological consequences like preparing new nanomaterials with the desired properties or producing these materials in a reproducible way with high yield and under simple and easy operating conditions. The last but not least hallmark is enabling work under environmentally friendly and essentially waste-free conditions (822 references).

SYNTHESIS OF NANOCRYSTALLINE CdS QUANTUM DOTS VIA PARAFFIN LIQUID AS SOLVENT AND OLEIC ACID AS THE REACTING MEDIA

Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals have been widely used as fluorescent materials in chemical sensors, biotechnology, medical diagnostics, biological imaging and many other fields. Compared to the conventional organic fluorophores, the inorganic quantum dots (QDs) have many advantages, including broad absorption spectra, narrow emission spectra, good photostability and long fluorescent lifetime after excitation. Here, the high quality CdS QDs were synthesized directly from sulfur and CdO using the paraffin liquid as solvent and the oleic acid as the reacting media. The synthesized CdS QDs with a zinc blende (cubic) crystal structure were proved by X-ray diffraction. HRTEM observation revealed that the CdS QDs were uniform and the average grain size was about 4 nm. The optical properties of the CdS QDs were characterized by using photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometer and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectrophotometer. The formation mechanism of CdS QDs in the paraffin liquid and oleic acid system was proposed.

On-chip electrochemical detection of CdS quantum dots using normal and multiple recycling flow through modes

A flexible hybrid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-polycarbonate (PC) microfluidic chip with integrated screen printed electrodes (SPE) was fabricated and applied for electrochemical quantum dots (QDs) detection. The developed device combines the advantages of flexible microfluidic chips, such as their low cost, the possibility to be disposable and amenable to mass production, with the advantages of electrochemistry for its facility of integration and the possibility to miniaturize the analytical device. Due to the interest in biosensing applications in general and particularly the great demand for labelling alternatives in affinity biosensors, the electrochemistry of cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) is evaluated. Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) is the technique used due to its sensitivity and low detection limits that can be achieved. The electrochemical as well as the microfluidic parameters of the developed system are optimized. The detection of CdS QDs in the range between 50 to 8000 ng mL(-1) with a sensitivity of 0.0009 μA/(ng mL(-1)) has been achieved. In addition to the single in-chip flow through measurements, the design of a recirculation system with the aim of achieving lower detection limits using reduced volumes (25 μL) of sample was proposed as a proof-of-concept.

Procedures for controlling the size, structure and optical properties of CdS quantum dots during synthesis in aqueous solution

We report an easy approach for the synthesis of CdS Quantum Dots (CdS QDs) with high luminescence and temporal stability through the reaction of Cd(2+) and S(2-) in the presence of mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) as a capping reagent in aqueous medium, under normal pressure and room temperature. The influence of several experimental variables, including temperature, pH, the Cd/S ratio and the Cd/MAA ratio, on the optical properties of the QDs obtained was studied systematically. The experimental results indicate that these variables play an important role in determining the size and state of the surface of the nanoparticles, and hence their luminescent properties and temporal stability. The general aspects of nanocrystal nucleation and growth in the synthesis of nanocrystals were studied. The best conditions for the synthesis of nanoparticles of high quality are also reported. The CdS nanocrystals obtained exhibited a narrow PL band, with reproducible room-temperature quantum yields.

Direct electrochemical stripping detection of cystic-fibrosis-related DNA linked through cadmium sulfide quantum dots

Electrochemical detection of a cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs)-DNA complex connected to paramagnetic microbeads (MB) was performed without the need for chemical dissolving. The method is based on dropping 20 microl of CdS QD-DNA-MB suspension on the surface of a screen-printed electrode. It is followed by magnetic collection on the surface of the working electrode and electrochemical detection using square-wave voltammetry (SWV), giving a well-shaped and sensitive analytical signal. A cystic-fibrosis-related DNA sequence was sandwiched between the two DNA probes. One DNA probe is linked via biotin-streptavidin bonding with MB and the other one via thiol groups with the CdS QD used as tags. Nonspecific signals of DNA were minimized using a blocking agent and the results obtained were successfully employed in a model DNA sensor with an interest in future applications in the clinical field. The developed nanoparticle biosensing system may offer numerous opportunities in other fields where fast, low cost and efficient detection of small volume samples is required.

Detection of cadmium sulphide nanoparticles by using screen-printed electrodes and a handheld device

A simple method based on screen-printed electrodes and a handheld potentiostatic device is reported for the detection of water soluble CdS quantum dots modified with glutathione. The detection method is based on the stripping of electrochemically reduced cadmium at pH 7.0 by using square wave voltammetry. Various parameters that affect the sensitivity of the method are optimized. QD suspension volumes of 20 microl and a number of around 2 x 10(11) CdS quantum dots have been able to be detected. The proposed method should be of special interest for bioanalytical assays, where CdS quantum dots can be used as electrochemical tracers.

Crystal and electrochemical properties of water dispersed CdS nanocrystals obtained via reverse micelles and arrested precipitation

Different methods of synthesis for the production of electroactive nanocrystals (NCs) for use as labels in DNA sensing systems are presented. They are based on two general ways of controlling the formation and growth of the nanoparticles: (a) physical restriction of the volume available for the growth of the individual nanoparticles by using templates such as reverse micelles; (b) arrested precipitation that depends on exhaustion of one of the reactants. The water dispersed nanocrystals thus obtained are then characterized by optical or electrochemical techniques so as to evaluate the quality of the prepared NCs. A novel direct electrochemical stripping detection protocol that involves the use of a bismuth modified graphite epoxy composite electrode is developed and applied so as to quantify the CdS NCs. The electrochemical study revealed a linear dependency of the stripping current upon the concentration of CdS NCs with a detection limit of around 10(15) CdS NCs cm(-3). The obtained NCs are of great interest for future applications in electrochemical genosensors.

Structure determination of CdS and ZnS nanoparticles: Direct modeling of synchrotron-radiation diffraction data

We introduce a modified method of powder-diffraction data analysis to obtain precise structural information on freestanding ZnS and CdS nanoparticles with diameters well below 5 nm, i.e., in a range where common bulk-derived approaches fail. The method is based on the Debye equation and allows us to access the crystal structure and the size of the particles with high precision. Detailed information on strain, relaxation effects, stacking faults, and the shape of the particles becomes available. We find significant size differences between our new results and those obtained by established methods, and conclude that a mixed zinc-blende/wurtzite stacking and significant lattice distortions occur in our CdS nanoparticles. Our approach should have direct impact on the understanding and modeling of quantum size effects in nanoparticles.