Luminescence-Tunable ZnS-AgInS2 Nanocrystals for Cancer Cell Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy

A highly luminescent I-III-VI group of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) has attracted considerable attention for applications in biomedical engineering and design of novel optoelectronic devices. In this work, high quality ZnS-AgInS₂ (ZAIS) solid solution NCs were synthesized by thermal decomposition of a organometallic diethyldithiocarbamate precursor complex of (AgIn)_xZn_2(1-x) (S₂CN(C₂H₅)₂)₄ in the presence of specific stabilizing and structure directing agents. By changing the composition of the precursor complex (value of x), the structure and optical property could easily be adjustable, thus leading to the formation of nanowire, nanorod, and tetrapod-like NCs and highly luminescent green to yellow to red color tunable NCs. The ZAIS NCs were further transferred to aqueous medium by 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) capping without losing any optical properties. The color-tunable, water-soluble, and biocompatible ZAIS NCs were utilized for the in vitro cellular imaging of human cervical cancer cells (HeLa cells) and showed intense localization in the cell cytoplasm after 6 h of incubation. In addition, the inherent photocatalytic property of ZAIS NCs under light illumination showed promising photodynamic therapy of cancer cells, and thus, ZAIS NCs could be a promising candidate for future biomedical applications.

Copper Dithiocarbamates: Coordination Chemistry and Applications in Materials Science, Biosciences and Beyond

Copper dithiocarbamate complexes have been known for ca. 120 years and find relevance in biology and medicine, especially as anticancer agents and applications in materials science as a single-source precursor (SSPs) to nanoscale copper sulfides. Dithiocarbamates support Cu(I), Cu(II) and Cu(III) and show a rich and diverse coordination chemistry. Homoleptic [Cu(S2CNR2)2] are most common, being known for hundreds of substituents. All contain a Cu(II) centre, being either monomeric (distorted square planar) or dimeric (distorted trigonal bipyramidal) in the solid state, the latter being held together by intermolecular C···S interactions. Their d9 electronic configuration renders them paramagnetic and thus readily detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Reaction with a range of oxidants affords d8 Cu(III) complexes, [Cu(S2CNR2)2][X], in which copper remains in a square-planar geometry, but Cu–S bonds shorten by ca. 0.1 Å. These show a wide range of different structural motifs in the solid-state, varying with changes in anion and dithiocarbamate substituents. Cu(I) complexes, [Cu(S2CNR2)2]−, are (briefly) accessible in an electrochemical cell, and the only stable example is recently reported [Cu(S2CNH2)2][NH4]·H2O. Others readily lose a dithiocarbamate and the d10 centres can either be trapped with other coordinating ligands, especially phosphines, or form clusters with tetrahedral [Cu(μ3-S2CNR2)]4 being most common. Over the past decade, a wide range of Cu(I) dithiocarbamate clusters have been prepared and structurally characterised with nuclearities of 3–28, especially exciting being those with interstitial hydride and/or acetylide co-ligands. A range of mixed-valence Cu(I)–Cu(II) and Cu(II)–Cu(III) complexes are known, many of which show novel physical properties, and one Cu(I)–Cu(II)–Cu(III) species has been reported. Copper dithiocarbamates have been widely used as SSPs to nanoscale copper sulfides, allowing control over the phase, particle size and morphology of nanomaterials, and thus giving access to materials with tuneable physical properties. The identification of copper in a range of neurological diseases and the use of disulfiram as a drug for over 50 years makes understanding of the biological formation and action of [Cu(S2CNEt2)2] especially important. Furthermore, the finding that it and related Cu(II) dithiocarbamates are active anticancer agents has pushed them to the fore in studies of metal-based biomedicines.

Dithiocarbamate Complexes as Single Source Precursors to Nanoscale Binary, Ternary and Quaternary Metal Sulfides

Nanodimensional metal sulfides are a developing class of low-cost materials with potential applications in areas as wide-ranging as energy storage, electrocatalysis, and imaging. An attractive synthetic strategy, which allows careful control over stoichiometry, is the single source precursor (SSP) approach in which well-defined molecular species containing preformed metal-sulfur bonds are heated to decomposition, either in the vapor or solution phase, resulting in facile loss of organics and formation of nanodimensional metal sulfides. By careful control of the precursor, the decomposition environment and addition of surfactants, this approach affords a range of nanocrystalline materials from a library of precursors. Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) are monoanionic chelating ligands that have been known for over a century and find applications in agriculture, medicine, and materials science. They are easily prepared from nontoxic secondary and primary amines and form stable complexes with all elements. Since pioneering work in the late 1980s, the use of DTC complexes as SSPs to a wide range of binary, ternary, and multinary sulfides has been extensively documented. This review maps these developments, from the formation of thin films, often comprised of embedded nanocrystals, to quantum dots coated with organic ligands or shelled by other metal sulfides that show high photoluminescence quantum yields, and a range of other nanomaterials in which both the phase and morphology of the nanocrystals can be engineered, allowing fine-tuning of technologically important physical properties, thus opening up a myriad of potential applications.

From one-dimensional to two-dimensional wurtzite CuGaS2 nanocrystals: non-injection synthesis and photocatalytic evolution

Multinary copper-based chalcogenides exhibit significant performance in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution due to their suitable optical bandgap for visible light absorption and environmentally friendly character. Herein, high-quality wurtzite CuGaS2 (CGS) nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized by using a one-step heating-up process without any injection, and the morphology could be tuned from one-dimensional (1D) to two-dimensional (2D) by precise choice of surface ligands and gallium precursors. The formation mechanism of CGS NCs was studied comprehensively by means of the temporal-evolution of the morphology, crystal structure and optical absorption results. The reaction started from djurleite Cu31S16 NCs, and then proceeded with the formation of Cu31S16-CGS heteronanostructures (HNS), and finally the transformation from HNS to monophasic CGS nanorods took place with prolonging of the synthesis time. The optical bandgap and the energy level of the different-dimensional CGS NCs exhibited a strong dependence on the morphology change, which correlated with the percentage of the exposed {001} and {100} facets. The theoretical calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) revealed that the (001) surface facilitated the charge transport rather than the (100) surface, which was consistent with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results. As a result, the 2D CGS nanoplates with more exposed {001} facets exhibited an attractive photocatalytic hydrogen production activity under simulated solar illumination as compared to 1D and quasi-2D counterparts. This study demonstrates that control over the dimension of I-III-V group semiconductor NCs could lead to a significant improvement of the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Solvent assisted and solvent free orientation of growth of nanoscaled lanthanide sulfides: tuning of morphology and manifestation of photocatalytic behavior

We observed solvent-mediated and solvent-free growth of lanthanide sulfides where EuS emerged as a promising candidate for visible-light induced photocatalysis towards the degradation of toxic organic dyes.