Dendron-Tethered and Templated CdS Quantum Dots on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Heterogeneous Dendrimer-Based Catalysts

The present review compiles the advances in the dendritic catalysis within the last two decades, in particular concerning heterogeneous dendrimer-based catalysts and their and application in various processes, such as hydrogenation, oxidation, cross-coupling reactions, etc. There are considered three main approaches to the synthesis of immobilized heterogeneous dendrimer-based catalysts: (1) impregnation/adsorption on silica or carbon carriers; (2) dendrimer covalent grafting to various supports (silica, polystyrene, carbon nanotubes, porous aromatic frameworks, etc.), which may be performed in a divergent (as a gradual dendron growth on the support) or convergent way (as a grafting of whole dendrimer to the support); and (3) dendrimer cross-linking, using transition metal ions (resulting in coordination polymer networks) or bifunctional organic linkers, whose size, polarity, and rigidity define the properties of the resulted material. Additionally, magnetically separable dendritic catalysts, which can be synthesized using the three above-mentioned approaches, are also considered. Dendritic catalysts, synthesized in such ways, can be stored as powders and be easily separated from the reaction medium by filtration/centrifugation as traditional heterogeneous catalysts, maintaining efficiency as for homogeneous dendritic catalysts.

Hydrated electrons mediated in-situ construction of cubic phase CdS/Cd thin layer on a millimeter-scale support for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In this study, non-noble metal Cd decorated cubic phase CdS (CdS/Cd) thin layer on a millimeter-scale chitosan-Mg(OH)₂ xerogel beads (CMB) were elaborately designed and successfully synthesized via facile hydrated electrons (e_aq^•-) assistant strategy. The in-situ formation of metallic Cd was driven by e_aq^•- generated from UV/Na₂SO₃ process. Owing to metallic Cd, CMB@CdS/Cd exhibited better visible-light absorption ability and more efficient separation capability for photo-induced carriers, its hydrogen production efficiency was about threefold improved compared to CMB@CdS. Both characterization methods and density functional theory calculations determined a built-in electric field from metallic Cd to CdS and Ohmic-contact between Cd and CdS, which largely promoted the carriers transfer efficiency. Moreover, the introduction of metallic Cd on the CdS could reduce the ΔG_H*, thus greatly boosting the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency. This work provides a simple and green approach to construct metallic Cd coupled semiconductor to achieve efficient photocatalytic applications.

Nanofabrication within unimolecular nanoreactors

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been a research focus over the last three decades owing to their unique properties and extensive applications. It is crucial to precisely control the features of NPs including topology, architecture, composition, size, surface and assembly because these features will affect their properties and then applications. Ingenious nanofabrication strategies have been developed to precisely control these features of NPs, especially for templated nanofabrication within predesigned nanoreactors. Compared with conventional nanoreactors (hard templates and supramolecular nanoreactors), unimolecular nanoreactors exhibit (1) covalently stable nanostructures uninfluenced by environmental variations, (2) extensively regulated features of the structure including topology, composition, size, surface and valence due to the rapid development of polymer chemistry, and (3) effective encapsulation of abundant guests with or without strong interaction to achieve the function of loading, delivery and conversion of guests. Thus, unimolecular nanoreactors have shown fascinating prospects as templates for nanofabrication. Various NPs with expected topologies (sphere, rod, tube, branch, and ring), architectures (compact, hollow, core-shell, and necklace-like), compositions (metal, metal oxide, semiconductor, doping, alloy, silica, and composite), sizes (generally 1-100 nm), surface properties (hydrophilic, hydrophobic, reactivity, valence and responsivity) and assemblies (oligomer, chain, and aggregate) can be fabricated easily within reasonably designed unimolecular nanoreactors in a programmable way. In this review, we provide a brief introduction of the properties and types of unimolecular nanoreactors, a condensed summary of representative methodologies of nanofabrication within various unimolecular nanoreactors and a predicted outlook of the potential further developments of this charming nanofabrication approach.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Decorated with Carbosilane Dendrons as New Non-viral Oligonucleotide Delivery Carriers

A novel nanosystem based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles covered with carbosilane dendrons grafted on the external surface of the nanoparticles is reported. This system is able to transport single-stranded oligonucleotide into cells, avoiding an electrostatic repulsion between the cell membrane and the negatively charged nucleic acids thanks to the cationic charge provided by the dendron coating under physiological conditions. Moreover, the presence of the highly ordered pore network inside the silica matrix would make possible to allocate other therapeutic agents within the mesopores with the aim of achieving a double delivery. First, carbosilane dendrons of second and third generation possessing ammonium or tertiary amine groups as peripheral functional groups were prepared. Hence, different strategies were tested in order to obtain their suitable grafting on the outer surface of the nanoparticles. As nucleic acid model, a single-stranded DNA oligonucleotide tagged with a fluorescent Cy3 moiety was used to evaluate the DNA adsorption capacity. The hybrid material functionalised with the third generation of a neutral dendron showed excellent DNA binding properties. Finally, the cytotoxicity as well as the capability to deliver DNA into cells, was tested in vitro by using a human osteoblast-like cell line, achieving good levels of internalisation of the vector DNA/carbosilane dendron-functionalised material without affecting the cellular viability.

Multifunctional hybrid-carbon nanotubes: new horizon in drug delivery and targeting

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as an intriguing nanotechnological tool for numerous biomedical applications including biocompatible modules for the bioactives delivery ascribed to their unique properties, such as greater loading efficiency, biocompatibility, non-immunogenicity, high surface area and photoluminescence, that make them ideal candidate in pharmaceutical and biomedical science. The design of multifunctional hybrid-CNTs for drug delivery and targeting may differ from the conventional drug delivery system. The conventional nanocarriers have few limitations, such as inappropriate availability of surface-chemical functional groups for conjugation, low entrapment/loading efficiency as well as stability as per ICH guidelines with generally regarded as safe (GRAS) prominences. The multifunctional hybrid-CNTs will sparked and open a new door for researchers, scientist of the pharmaceutical and biomedical arena. This review summarizes the vivid aspects of CNTs like characterization, supramolecular chemistry of CNTs-dendrimer, CNTs-nanoparticles, CNTs-quantum dots conjugate for delivery of bioactives, not discussed so far.

Photo-responsive carbon nanomaterials functionalized by azobenzene moieties: structures, properties and application

The ability to tune the microstructures, bandgap, conductance, chemical environment and thermal storage of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and fullerenes by optical modulation or response is important to design and fabricate advanced optoelectronic nanodevices. This review is focused on optical control and regulation of structures, properties, interface and interaction of a new generation of photo-responsive carbon nanomaterials/azobenzene moieties (Carbon-AZO) hybrids. The optical switching properties of Carbon-AZO hybrids resulting from the photo-isomerization between trans and cis isomers are highlighted and discussed in terms of photo-energy conversion devices including switches, sensors, detectors, fuels and storage. A wide range of advanced energy conversion devices using Carbon-AZO hybrids can be developed in the future by the optimization of the chemical structure, steric conformation, electrostatic environment and functionalization of specific molecules.

Semiconductor quantum dots for biomedicial applications

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are nanometre-scale crystals, which have unique photophysical properties, such as size-dependent optical properties, high fluorescence quantum yields, and excellent stability against photobleaching. These properties enable QDs as the promising optical labels for the biological applications, such as multiplexed analysis of immunocomplexes or DNA hybridization processes, cell sorting and tracing, in vivo imaging and diagnostics in biomedicine. Meanwhile, QDs can be used as labels for the electrochemical detection of DNA or proteins. This article reviews the synthesis and toxicity of QDs and their optical and electrochemical bioanalytical applications. Especially the application of QDs in biomedicine such as delivering, cell targeting and imaging for cancer research, and in vivo photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer are briefly discussed.

Quantum dots and carbon nanotubes in oncology: a review on emerging theranostic applications in nanomedicine

Cancer is one of the main causes of death in the world, and according to the WHO it is projected to continue rising. Current diagnostic modalities for the detection of cancer include the use of x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, among others. The treatment of cancer often involves the use (or combination) of chemotherapeutic drugs, radiotherapy and interventional surgery (for solid and operable tumors). The application of nanotechnology in biology and medicine is advancing rapidly. Recent evidence suggests that quantum dots (QDs) can be used to image cancer cells as they display superior fluorescent properties compared with conventional chromophores and contrast agents. In addition, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as viable candidates for novel chemotherapeutic drug delivery-platforms. The unique photothermal properties of CNTs also allow them to be used in conjunction with near infrared radiation and lasers to thermally ablate cancer cells. Furthermore, mounting evidence indicates that it is possible to conjugate QDs to CNTs, making it possible to exploit their novel attributes in the realm of cancer theranostics (diagnostics and therapy). Here we review the current literature pertaining to the applications of QDs and CNTs in oncology, and also discuss the relevance and implications of nanomedicine in a clinical setting.

Highly biocompatible multi-walled carbon nanotube-chitosan nanoparticle hybrids as protein carriers

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-organic polymer hybrids have important potential applications in the immobilization of therapeutic biomolecules. Recently developed CNT-organic polymer composites require the use of organic solvents for their preparation and have limited polymer functionalization. To address these limitations, multi-walled CNT (MWCNT)-chitosan nanoparticle (CS NP) hybrids have been synthesized in situ by an ionotropic gelation process, which is extremely mild and involves the mixture of two aqueous solutions at room temperature. The MWCNT-CS NP hybrids were characterized by atomic force microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Under optimal conditions the CS NP can be tethered to the MWCNT surface in high density and with relatively uniform coverage. The MWCNT-CS NP hybrids show good dispersibility and stability in aqueous solutions. In order to evaluate the potential utilization of the hybrids as protein carries the cytotoxicity to HeLa cells and protein immobilization (of bovine serum albumin (BSA), used here as a model) capacity of the hybrids were investigated in detail. The results demonstrate that the MWCNT-CS NP hybrids are biocompatible at concentrations up to 100 μg mL(-1) for 24 h incubation. The MWCNT-CS NP hybrids improve the BSA immobilization efficiency 0.8 times and simultaneously decrease the cellular toxicity by about 50% compared with carboxylated MWCNT.

Assembly kinetics of nanocrystals via peptide hybridization

The assembly kinetics of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) on solid inorganic surfaces is of fundamental importance for implementation of their solid-state devices. Herein an inorganic binding peptide, silica binding QBP1, was utilized for the self-assembly of nanocrystal quantum dots on silica surface as a smart molecular linker. The QD binding kinetics was studied comparatively in three different cases: first, QD adsorption with no functionalization of substrate or QD surface; second, QD adsorption on QBP1-modified surface; and, finally, adsorption of QBP1-functionalized QD on silica surface. The surface modification of QDs with QBP1 enabled 79.3-fold enhancement in QD binding affinity, while modification of a silica surface with QBP1 led to only 3.3-fold enhancement. The fluorescence microscopy images also supported a coherent assembly with correspondingly increased binding affinity. Decoration of QDs with inorganic peptides was shown to increase the amount of surface-bound QDs dramatically compared to the conventional methods. These results offer new opportunities for the assembly of QDs on solid surfaces for future device applications.

Surface modification of carbon nanotubes with dendrimers or hyperbranched polymers

The different methods for modification of carbon nanotubes with dendrimers or hyperbranched polymers are summarized, and recent development is highlighted by discussing some representative examples in detail.

Dendrimer-based organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles in biomedical applications

This review reports some recent advances on the synthesis, self-assembly, and biofunctionalization of various dendrimer-based organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) for various biomedical applications, including but not limited to protein immobilization, gene delivery, and molecular diagnosis. In particular, targeted molecular imaging of cancer using dendrimer-based organic/inorganic hybrid NPs will be introduced in detail.

Hybrid materials based on Pd nanoparticles on carbon nanostructures for environmentally benign C-C coupling chemistry

The combination of different nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures in a new hybrid material should give rise to interesting properties that combine the advantages of each of the nanocomponents. This review highlights the latest advances in the synthetic design of these hybrid materials where carbon nanostructures act as supports as well as stabilizing agents for very reactive metallic nanoparticles. The striking applications of Pd nanoparticles anchored on the surface of carbon nanostructures in C-C coupling chemistry are analyzed. Special emphasis is placed on the stability of these materials, which is linked to their recyclability. Numerous examples are given that involve the use of these catalysts in Heck, Suzuki and Sonogashira coupling reactions.

Solar cells and light sensors based on nanoparticle-grafted carbon nanotube films

Carbon nanotubes show great potential in developing solar cells with enhanced power conversion efficiency, yet the device stability has not been thoroughly studied. Here, we show how the interaction between components in a nanotube-based hybrid solar cell could cause a significant change in output voltage and fill factor, resulting in photoinduced degradation in device performance. We functionalized carbon nanotubes with CdS nanoparticles to make hybrid films and deposited these films onto silicon substrates to construct solar cells with efficiencies up to 1.4%. The I-V characteristics show reversible change in response to light illumination, suggesting potential applications as visible-light sensors. The fill factor and open-circuit voltage gradually decrease under continuous illumination, inversely proportional to the incident light energy within a considerable range up to 60 J. The unique photoresponse is attributed to a charge-transfer process between nanotubes and nanoparticles under excitation and to change in series resistance in the solar cells.

Facile assembly of cadmium sulfide quantum dots on titanate nanobelts for enhanced nonlinear optical properties

A facile route to assemble cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) uniformly on the surface of titanate nanobelts (TNBs) through electrostatic interactions is demonstrated. The photophysical properties of the resulting TNB-CdS nanostructured composite, including optical limiting properties, were studied using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and the open aperture Z-scan technique in the nanosecond regime using a laser with a wavelength of 532 nm. The linear and nonlinear optical properties of this composite nanostructure were strongly influenced by a possible charge/energy transfer process between the QDs and TNBs. The as-prepared TNB-CdS composite offers an optical limiting effect that is superior to that of unmodified CdS QDs and TNBs. The main contributors to the enhanced optical limiting effect in the TNB-CdS composite were a combination of nonlinear scattering and increased nonlinear absorption resulting from efficient charge/energy transfer at the CdS/TNB interface.

Dendrimers and nanotubes: a fruitful association

Dendrimers and nanotubes (particularly carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) are two types of nano-objects which have met independently a large success within the scientific community. Surprisingly, their association has been poorly studied up to now, despite some original properties recently reported and that will be emphasized in this tutorial review. One can name as a few, the elaboration of single-walled carbon nanotubes from dendrimers, CNTs functionalised with dendrimers displaying field effect transistor properties and/or used as biosensors, and modified biological properties (either enhanced biocompatibility or enhanced antimicrobial activity). However, not all the nanotubes are carbon nanotubes, and original properties were also reported for dendrimers associated with non-CNTs, such as the elaboration of specific nano-filters and of highly efficient and reusable catalysts. Furthermore, non-CNTs constituted of dendrimers, particularly those obtained by layer-by-layer deposition of positively and negatively charged dendrimers associated with quantum dots display an excellent detection limit for DNA hybridization (10 fM).

Gold dendrimer encapsulated nanoparticles as labeling agents for multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this paper, we report the functionalization of the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with Au dendrimer encapsulated nanoparticles (DENs). The results show that, when pristine MWNTs having hydrophobic surfaces are exposed to DENs, the dendrimers aggregate on the MWNT surface. However, when the MWNTs are oxidized in acid prior to exposure to DENs, well-dispersed submonolayer coverages of Au nanoparticles are observed on the MWNT surface. This suggests that acid-induced debundling of the nanotubes is an essential prerequisite for attachment of nearly monodisperse DENs. Electron microscopy and NMR spectroscopy confirm that the structures of the DENs and dendrimers are retained after immobilization on the surface of acid-functionalized MWNTs.

Tailored single-walled carbon nanotube--CdS nanoparticle hybrids for tunable optoelectronic devices

The integration of organic and inorganic building blocks into novel nanohybrids is an important tool to exploit innovative materials with desirable functionalities. For this purpose, carbon nanotube--nanoparticle nanoarchitectures are intensively studied. We report here an efficient noncovalent chemical route to density-controllably and uniformly assemble single-walled carbon nanotubes with CdS nanoparticles. The methodology not only promises the resulting hybrids will be solution-processable but also endows the hybrids with distinct optoelectronic properties including tunable photoresponse mediated by amine molecules. On the basis of these merits, reliable thin-film photoswitches and light-driven chemical sensors are demonstrated, which highlights the potential of tailored hybrids in the development of new tunable optoelectronic devices and sensors.

Shell-Controlled Photoluminescence in CdSe/CNT Nanohybrids

A new type of nanohybrids containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and CdSe quantum dots (QDs) was prepared using an electrostatic self-assembly method. The CdSe QDs were capped by various mercaptocarboxylic acids, including thioglycolic acid (TGA), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) and mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), which provide shell thicknesses of ~5.2, 10.6 and 15.2 Å, respectively. The surface-modified CdSe QDs are then self-assembled onto aridine orange-modified CNTs via electrostatic interaction to give CdSe/CNT nanohybrids. The photoluminescence (PL) efficiencies of the obtained nanohybrids increase significantly with the increase of the shell thickness, which is attributed to a distance-dependent photo-induced charge-transfer mechanism. This work demonstrates a simple mean for fine tuning the PL properties of the CdSe/CNT nanohybrids and gains new insights to the photo-induced charge transfer in such nanostructures.

Metal sulfide coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes synthesized by an in situ method and their optical limiting properties

A metal sulfide such as ZnS, CdS, Ag(2)S or PbS was coated on the sidewall of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by an in situ wet chemical synthesis approach via noncovalent functionalization of MWCNTs with a polyelectrolyte (polyethylenimine or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)) without causing significant electronic and structural modification of the carbon nanotubes. Extensive characterizations of the fabricated nanocomposites have been performed using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform IR spectra, UV-vis spectra and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The coating layers were composed of metal sulfide nanoparticles with a mean size of less than 10 nm. The optical limiting property measurements for some metal sulfide coated MWCNTs were carried out by the open-aperture z-scan technique. The results demonstrate that the samples suspended in water showed optical limiting behavior better than that of purified MWCNTs.

A novel density-tunable nanocomposites of CdTe quantum dots linked to dendrimer-tethered multi-wall carbon nanotubes

A novel nanocomposite of CdTe-PAMAM-MWNT was synthesized by covalently linking CdTe quantum dots (QDs) onto highly water-soluble multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) functionalized with dendritic poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM). The IR, UV-vis and TEM methods has been used for the characterization of the composites. A facile method for controlling the density of QDs in the composite by simply changing the ratio of CdTe QDs/PAMAM-MWNT, as was verified by the TEM images. The experiments revealed that PAMAM and PAMAM-MWNT, once covalently linked with CdTe QDs, had remarkable effect on their fluorescence property. The fluorescence intensity of the CdTe-PAMAM hybrid was substantially enhanced as a compared to that of QDs, and the fluorescence was quenched greatly when QDs reacted with PAMAM-MWNT. The experimentally observed phenomena indicate that electron and energy transfer took place efficiently between CdTe QDs, PAMAM and MWNTs in the novel composite. These nanocomposits might hold great potential in photoelectron device and biotechnology applications.

"Fingertip"-guided noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes by dendrons

Noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by dendrons was demonstrated. Certain types of dendrons successfully functionalized CNT surfaces through the noncovalent interactions between the peripheries of the dendrons and the sidewalls of CNTs. Dendrons have a unique anisotropic shape and an orthogonal functional group at their apex, and thus can generate a certain spacing between the functional groups upon immobilization on surfaces. Atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging, dispersion experiments, and MicroRaman spectroscopy were employed for the characterization of the functionalization. The binding was found to be governed by the chemical nature of the terminal groups, namely, the "fingertips", through a comparison study on the adsorption efficiency of the dendron analogs. Functional groups such as the carboxylic acid group and the benzyl amide group were effective for the cooperative binding. AFM analysis showed that the average spacing generated by the dendrons was 14-15 nm at a particular adsorption condition. Assembling streptavidin on the tubes through the dendrons and biotin confirmed the realization of the regulated spacing as well as the elimination of unwanted aggregation. The noncovalent functionalization of CNTs by a dendron can be a new approach toward sensible nanobiodevices, not only by introducing biomolecular probes on CNTs without disruption of the electronic network of the tubes, but also by providing the immobilized probe molecules with a space ample enough to minimize steric hindrance for the unhindered interaction with their target species.