A miniemulsion polymerization technique for encapsulation of silicon quantum dots in polymer nanoparticles

Continuous generation of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles employing an ultrasonic microreactor

In this article, a new system employing an ultrasonic microreactor coupled with a tubular reactor is presented for the continuous generation of polymer nanoparticles. The continuous generation of cross-linked polymer nanoparticles utilizing the monomer butyl methacrylate and the cross-linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate is demonstrated. Firstly, the miniemulsion polymerization of a monomer-in-water miniemulsion is studied in a batch system. Secondly, a coiled tubular reactor is employed for the continuous polymerization of the miniemulsion generated by an ultrasonic microreactor. Finally, the influence of monomer volume fraction and surfactant concentration on the synthesized polymer nanoparticles is studied. Polymer particles in a size range of 50-250 nm are synthesized and a high polymerization conversion is achieved utilizing the system demonstrated in this article.

Versatile design and synthesis of nano-barcodes

This review provides a critical discussion on the versatile designing and usage of nano-barcodes for various existing and emerging applications.

Recent advances in the preparation of hybrid nanoparticles in miniemulsions

In this review, we summarize recent advances in the synthesis of hybrid nanoparticles in miniemulsions since 2009. These hybrid nanoparticles include organic-inorganic, polymeric, and natural macromolecule/synthetic polymer hybrid nanoparticles. They may be prepared through encapsulation of inorganic components or natural macromolecules by miniemulsion (co)polymerization, simultaneous polymerization of vinyl monomers and vinyl-containing inorganic precursors, precipitation of preformed polymers in the presence of inorganic constituents through solvent displacement techniques, and grafting polymerization onto, from or through natural macromolecules. Characterization, properties, and applications of hybrid nanoparticles are also discussed.

Preparation and characterization of decyl-terminated silicon nanoparticles encapsulated in lipid nanocapsules

In this Article, we report on the encapsulation of decyl-modified silicon nanoparticles (decyl-SiNPs) into ∼80 nm lipid nanocapsules (LNCs). The decyl-SiNPs were produced by thermal hydrosilylation of hydride-terminated SiNPs (H-SiNPs) liberated from porous silicon. Various techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis absorption, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and photoluminescence (PL), were used to characterize their size, shape, colloidal, and optical properties. The results indicate that these nanocapsules feature controllable size, good dispersity, high loading rate of SiNPs, colloidal stability in various media, and bright PL. The PL of decyl-SiNPs loaded LNCs was stable upon heating to 80 °C, but was sensitive to basic solutions due to proton-gated emission of the SiNPs arranged at the LNCs interface between the oil phase and the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol moieties of the surfactant. These luminescent nanocapsules are therefore promising candidates as cellular probes for fluorescence imaging. In addition, it was found that TEM imaging of small-sized decyl-SiNPs could be greatly improved by preliminary negative staining of TEM grids with phosphotungstic acid.

Silica cross-linked micelles loading with silicon nanoparticles: preparation and characterization

A new family of luminescent and stable silicon-based nanoparticles (NPs), silica cross-linked pluronic F127 (PF127) micelles loaded with decyl capped silicon nanoparticles (decyl-SiNPs), were synthesized in aqueous media. The decyl-SiNPs were prepared by first liberating hydride terminated SiNPs (H-SiNPs) from a porous silicon matrix followed by their functionalization via hydrosilylation with 1-decene under photochemical activation. The silicon-based NPs exhibit bright photoluminescence (PL) with a quantum yield of ∼3.8% and peaking at ∼2.0 eV, which lies within the transmission window that is useful for biological imaging. They display a hydrodynamic size of ∼25 nm with exterior polyethylene oxide (PEO) blocks stretching out in aqueous media. Chloroform was found to quench the excitation at energy above 4.9 eV by shielding the incident light or relaxing the charge carriers, which highlights that caution against solvent interference should be taken when performing the studies on PL origin and luminescence efficiency of SiNPs. For PF127, the blocks of hydrophilic PEO participate in the PL quenching, while poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) does not. The colloidal solution displays excellent PL stability against salt (NaCl) and temperature but is susceptible to basic solution at pH above 9.

Gold nanoparticle-enhanced luminescence of silicon quantum dots co-encapsulated in polymer nanoparticles

The preparation of two-component polymer composite nanoparticles encapsulating both Si quantum dots (SiQDs) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) by a single step miniemulsion polymerization of divinylbenzene is described. This simple and robust method affords well-defined polymer composite nanoparticles with mean diameters in a range of 100-200 nm and with narrow polydispersity indices as determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The successful encapsulation of AuNPs within poly(divinylbenzene) was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy and from TEM images. Plasmon-enhanced fluorescence of the luminescence of the SiQDs by AuNPs encapsulated within the polymer composite nanoparticles was evaluated by confocal microspectroscopy, and luminescence enhancements of up to 15 times were observed. These observations indicate that the luminescence of the SiQDs is enhanced by the proximity of the AuNPs. The polymer composite nanoparticles were successfully ink-jet printed onto a glass substrate, which demonstrates that these composites are processable in printing applications.