Plasmonic nanohybrid with ultrasmall Ag nanoparticles and fluorescent dyes

Ultrasmall Nanocapsules Obtained by Controlling Ostwald Ripening

We describe here a method to synthesize ultrasmall nanocapsules with a diameter of 6 nm, exhibiting a well-defined core-shell morphology. Remarkably, the nanocapules are synthesized in a miniemulsion process without the need of large amounts of surfactant as commonly used in the microemulsion process. Ultrasmall nanocapsules with an oil core and a silica shell are formed by the concurrent processes of a sol-gel reaction and Ostwald ripening. Using solvents with different water solubilities and alkoxysilanes with different reactivities, we demonstrate that sizes of obtained nanocapsules depend on the ripening rate and alkoxysilane conversion rate. The method can be also used for encapsulating natural oils such as peppermint oil and limonene. This work shows that the Ostwald ripening phenomenon can be employed beneficially for the preparation of very small colloids.

Optics of exciton-plasmon nanomaterials

This review provides a brief introduction to the physics of coupled exciton-plasmon systems, the theoretical description and experimental manifestation of such phenomena, followed by an account of the state-of-the-art methodology for the numerical simulations of such phenomena and supplemented by a number of FORTRAN codes, by which the interested reader can introduce himself/herself to the practice of such simulations. Applications to CW light scattering as well as transient response and relaxation are described. Particular attention is given to so-called strong coupling limit, where the hybrid exciton-plasmon nature of the system response is strongly expressed. While traditional descriptions of such phenomena usually rely on analysis of the electromagnetic response of inhomogeneous dielectric environments that individually support plasmon and exciton excitations, here we explore also the consequences of a more detailed description of the molecular environment in terms of its quantum density matrix (applied in a mean field approximation level). Such a description makes it possible to account for characteristics that cannot be described by the dielectric response model: the effects of dephasing on the molecular response on one hand, and nonlinear response on the other. It also highlights the still missing important ingredients in the numerical approach, in particular its limitation to a classical description of the radiation field and its reliance on a mean field description of the many-body molecular system. We end our review with an outlook to the near future, where these limitations will be addressed and new novel applications of the numerical approach will be pursued.

Ultrasmall inorganic nanoparticles: State-of-the-art and perspectives for biomedical applications

Ultrasmall nanoparticulate materials with core sizes in the 1-3nm range bridge the gap between single molecules and classical, larger-sized nanomaterials, not only in terms of spatial dimension, but also as regards physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Due to these unique properties, ultrasmall nanoparticles appear to be promising materials for nanomedicinal applications. This review overviews the different synthetic methods of inorganic ultrasmall nanoparticles as well as their properties, characterization, surface modification and toxicity. We moreover summarize the current state of knowledge regarding pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and targeting of nanoscale materials. Aside from addressing the issue of biomolecular corona formation and elaborating on the interactions of ultrasmall nanoparticles with individual cells, we discuss the potential diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic applications of ultrasmall nanoparticles in the emerging field of nanomedicine in the final part of this review.

Sub-5 nm lanthanide-doped lutetium oxyfluoride nanoprobes for ultrasensitive detection of prostate specific antigen

It remains challenging to develop ultrasmall (<5 nm) but highly luminescent bioprobes with a large linear detection range for the early diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer (PCa). Benefiting from the high molar density of lanthanide ions in an oxyfluoride matrix and the superior dissolution capability of Lu₆O₅F₈ nanoparticles in the enhancer solution, we demonstrated the successful use of novel sub-5 nm Lu₆O₅F₈:Eu³⁺ nanoprobes for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in clinical serum samples. The limit of detection for PSA is as low as 0.52 pg mL^-1, which is almost a 200-fold improvement relative to that of a commercial dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassay (DELFIA) kit. The PSA levels detected in 23 patient serum samples were consistent with those measured independently by the DELFIA kit, showing the assay's reliability with a correlation coefficient of 97%. A linear range of 4 orders of magnitude ranging from 8.5 × 10^-4 to 5.6 ng mL^-1 for the assay of PSA was achieved, which is highly promising for the early diagnosis of PCa and monitoring of PCa relapse of patients after radical prostatectomy.

Plasmon-Polaron Coupling in Conjugated Polymer on Infrared Nanoantennas

We propose and demonstrate a novel type of coupling between polarons in a conjugated polymer and localized surface plasmons in infrared (IR) nanoantennas. The near-field interaction between plasmons and polarons is revealed by polarized photoinduced absorption measurements, probing mid-IR polaron transitions, and infrared-active vibrational modes of the polymer, which directly gauge the density of photogenerated charge carriers. This work proves the possibility of tuning the polaronic properties of organic semiconductors with plasmonic nanostructures.

Synthesis, spectral behaviour and photophysics of donor-acceptor kind of chalcones: Excited state intramolecular charge transfer and fluorescence quenching studies

The spectral and photophysical properties of two chalcones containing electron donating and accepting groups with intramolecular charge transfer characteristics were synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and X-ray crystallography. Both compounds show very strong solvent polarity dependent changes in their photophysical characteristics, namely, remarkable red shift in the emission spectra with increasing solvent polarity, large change in Stokes shift, significant reduction in the fluorescence quantum yield; indicating that the fluorescence states of these compounds are of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character. The solvent effect on the photophysical parameters such as singlet absorption, molar absorptivity, oscillator strength, dipole moment, fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence quantum yield of both compounds have been investigated comprehensively. For both dyes, Lippert-Mataga and Reichardt's correlations were used to estimate the difference between the excited and ground state dipole moments (Δμ). The interactions of dyes with colloidal silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were also studied in ethanol using steady state fluorescence quenching measurements. The fluorescence quenching data reveal that dynamic quenching and energy transfer play a major role in the fluorescence quenching of dyes by Ag NPs.

pH-induced vesicle-to-micelle transition in amphiphilic diblock copolymer: investigation by energy transfer between in situ formed polymer embedded gold nanoparticles and fluorescent dye

The ability to regulate the formation of nanostructures through self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers is of immense significance in the field of biology and medicine. In this work, a new block copolymer synthesized by using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique from poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether acrylate (PEGMA) and Boc-l-tryptophan acryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-l-trp-HEA) was found to spontaneously form pH-responsive water-soluble nanostructures after removal of the Boc group. While polymer vesicles or polymerosomes were formed at physiological pH, the micelles were formed at acidic pH (< 5.2), and this facilitated a pH-induced reversible vesicle-to-micelle transition. Formation of these nanostructures was confirmed by different characterization techniques, viz. transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and steady-state fluorescence measurements. Further, these vesicles were successfully utilized to reduce HAuCl4 and stabilize the resulting gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). These AuNPs, confined within the hydrophobic shell of the vesicles, could participate in energy transfer process with fluorescent dye molecules encapsulated in the core of the vesicles, thus forming a nanometal surface energy transfer (NSET) pair. Subsequently, following the efficiency of energy transfer between this pair, it was possible to monitor the process of transition from vesicles to micelles. Thus, in this work, we have successfully demonstrated that NSET can be used to follow the transition between nanostructures formed by amphiphilic block copolymers.

Spectroscopic investigation, effect of solvent polarity and fluorescence quenching of a new D-π-A type chalcone derivative

A new chalcone derivative 3-(1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1-naphthalen-2-yl propenone (MPNP) with electron donor-acceptor group has been synthesized and characterized by IR, (1)HNMR, (13)C NMR and X- ray crystallography. Electronic absorption and emission spectra of MPNP have been studied in solvents of different polarity. A remarkable red shift was observed in the emission spectrum of MPNP compared to the absorption spectrum upon increasing the solvent polarity, indicating a higher dipole moment in the excited state than in the ground state and the transition involved are π-π* with charge transfer character. Lippert-Mataga and Reichardts correlations were used to estimate the change in dipole moments (Δμ); suggest that the emissive state of MPNP is of strong ICT character. Fluorescence quantum yield (ϕf) of MPNP was correlated with empirical solvent polarity parameter ET(30), and it is observed that ϕf increases with increase in solvent polarity of polar aprotic solvents and decrease in alcoholic solvents. The interaction of MPNP with colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was also studied in ethanol and ethylene glycol using steady state emission measurements. The fluorescence quenching data reveal that dynamic quenching and energy transfer play a major role in the fluorescence quenching of MPNP by Ag NPs.

Highly lattice-mismatched semiconductor-metal hybrid nanostructures: gold nanoparticle encapsulated luminescent silicon quantum dots

Synthesis of hybrid core-shell nanostructures requires moderate lattice mismatch (<5%) between the materials of the core and the shell and usually results in the formation of structures with an atomically larger entity comprising the core. A reverse situation, where an atomically larger entity encapsulates a smaller atomic radius component having substantial lattice mismatch is unachievable by conventional growth techniques. Here, we report successful synthesis of ultra-small, light-emitting Si quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated by Au nanoparticles (NPs) forming a hybrid nanocomposite that exhibits intense room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and intriguing plasmon-exciton coupling. A facile strategy was adopted to utilize the active surface of oxide etched Si QDs as preferential sites for Au NP nucleation and growth which resulted in the formation of core-shell nanostructures consisting of an atomically smaller Si QD core surrounded by a substantially lattice-mismatched Au NP shell. The PL characteristics of the luminescent Si QDs (quantum yield ∼28%) are dramatically altered following Au NP encapsulation. Au coverage of the bare Si QDs effectively stabilizes the emission spectrum and leads to a red-shift of the PL maxima by ∼37 nm. The oxide related PL peaks observed in Si QDs are absent in the Au treated sample suggesting the disappearance of oxide states and the appearance of Au NP associated Stark shifted interface states within the widened band-gap of the Si QDs. Emission kinetics of the hybrid system show accelerated decay due to non-radiative energy transfer between the Si QDs and the Au NPs and associated quenching in PL efficiency. Nevertheless, the quantum yield of the hybrid remains high (∼20%) which renders these hetero-nanostructures exciting candidates for multifarious applications.

Switching off FRET in the hybrid assemblies of diblock copolymer micelles, quantum dots, and dyes by plasmonic nanoparticles

Recently, it has been noticed that surface plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles can alter the intrinsic properties of nearby fluorophores. Field enhancement and radiative decay engineering are major principles for understanding a number of experimental observations such as enhanced and quenched emission of fluorophores in the vicinity of metal nanoparticles. At the same time, there are apparent similarities between surface-plasmon-coupled fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), as both are near-field through-space interactions. From this perspective, we hypothesize that donor-acceptor interaction in the FRET can be altered by metal nanoparticles. Our approach is based on diblock copolymer micelles, which have been widely applied for nanoscale arrangement of functionalities. By applying self-assembling techniques of copolymer micelles to organize the spatial location of semiconductor quantum dots, fluorescent dyes, and metal nanoparticles, the FRET in hybrid assemblies can be switched off by plasmonic effects.

Controlling bubbles using bubbles--microfluidic synthesis of ultra-small gold nanocrystals with gas-evolving reducing agents

Microfluidic wet-chemical synthesis of nanoparticles is a growing area of research in chemical microfluidics, enabling the development of continuous manufacturing processes that overcome the drawbacks of conventional batch-based synthesis methods. The synthesis of ultra-small (<5 nm) metallic nanocrystals is an interesting area with many applications in diverse fields, but is typically very challenging to accomplish in a microfluidics-based system due to the use of a strong gas-evolving reducing agent, aqueous sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)), which causes uncontrolled out-gassing and bubble formation, flow disruption and ultimately reactor failure. Here we present a simple method, rooted in the concepts of multiphase mass transfer that completely overcomes this challenge-we simply inject a stream of inert gas bubbles into our channels that essentially capture the evolving gas from the reactive aqueous solution, thereby preventing aqueous dissolved gas concentration from reaching the solubility threshold for bubble nucleation. We present a simple model for coupled mass transfer and chemical reaction that adequately captures device behaviour. We demonstrate the applicability of our method by synthesizing ultra-small gold nanocrystals (<5 nm); the quality of nanocrystals thus synthesized is further demonstrated by their use in an off-chip synthesis of high-quality gold nanorods. This is a general approach that can be extended to a variety of metallic nanomaterials.