Ratiometric fluorescence detection of mercury ions in water by conjugated polymer nanoparticles

We present dye-doped polymer nanoparticles that are able to detect mercury in aqueous solution at parts per billion levels via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The nanoparticles are prepared by reprecipitation of highly fluorescent conjugated polymers in water and are stable in aqueous suspension. They are doped with rhodamine spirolactam dyes that are nonfluorescent until they encounter mercury ions, which promote an irreversible reaction that converts the dyes to fluorescent rhodamines. The rhodamine dyes act as FRET acceptors for the fluorescent nanoparticles, and the ratio of nanoparticle-to-rhodamine fluorescence intensities functions as a ratiometric fluorescence chemodosimeter for mercury. The light harvesting capability of the conjugated polymer nanoparticles enhances the fluorescence intensity of the rhodamine dyes by a factor of 10, enabling sensitive detection of mercury ions in water at levels as low as 0.7 parts per billion.     

A study on preparation and photocatalytic characterization of conjugated polymer/ZnS complex

A conjugated polymer/ZnS complex was successfully synthesized and characterized by the methods of FTIR, UV–vis, ESR and TEM. The result showed that the conjugated polymer/ZnS complex could extend the absorption band to the visible region (190–700 nm), whereas pure ZnS could be activated under ultraviolet light (<380 nm) irradiation only. Photocatalytic experiment showed that the conjugated polymer/ZnS complex had extremely high photocatalytic activity for degradation of dyes. The conjugated polymer played an important role in the photocatalytic degradation of dyes.     

High-resolution imaging of molecular and nanoparticles assemblies with Kelvin force microscopy

High-resolution studies of self-assemblies of semifluorinated alkanes molecules F12H8 and F14H20 [FnHm = CF3(CF2)n(CH2)mCH3], and CdTe particles were performed with single-pass Kelvin force microscopy. Surface potential contrast, which is related to the strength and orientation of molecular dipoles, empowers the characterization of self-organized structures. Lamellar structures, ribbons and toroids of F14H20 and F12H8 were observed on graphite and the differences of surface potential were interpreted in terms orientation of -CH2-CF2- dipoles. A gradual sublimation of F12H8 molecules allowed a visualization of top and bottom molecular layers on the substrate. Prior to the sublimation a part of lamellae of the bottom layers was transformed into the ribbons. The surface potential data suggest that this transition proceeds with the reorientation of the molecular chains from the horizontal to vertical direction. Self-assembly of CdTe nanoparticles into nanowires was monitored upon drying on mica. The process is accompanied by drastic changes of surface potential. The formed nanowires exhibit strong positive surface potential that assumes a structural transition with a formation of strong dipole moment in these self-assemblies.     

A new route of emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization for the preparation of polymer coated magnetite nanoparticles

A new route of emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization based on the homogenous mechanism was investigated to prepare magnetic nanoparticles coated by poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The experimental results confirm the formation of PMMA thin and unique layers covering magnetite cores. The polymer layer thickness, determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, increases from 4.3 nm to 6.8 nm with increasing mass ratio of MMA to magnetite from 3:1 to 11:1. The increase of the polymer thickness results in the decrease in magnetization saturation of polymeric coated magnetic particles. However, this reduction, no more than 13 emu g^?1, is much lower compared to that in other studies with the presence of surfactants or emulsifiers. Besides, the dispersion stability of the prepared particles is significantly improved.     

A convenient method for the small-scale preparation of some ferrites

The ferromagnetic spinels, MnFe₂O₄, CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄, were prepared in small amounts by the thermal decomposition of mixtures of pyridine-1-oxide and pyridine complexes of the corresponding metal nitrates. The thermal decomposition of the chosen complexes proceeds through a liquid stage and this helps to ensure that there is a homogeneous product and that there is rapid formation of the spinel structure when residues are heated between 1000 and 1200° C. Thin layers of these spinels may be obtained by using a solution of the metal complexes in ethan-1,2-diol. X-ray diffraction and visual examination showed that the initial oxide form is a glassy solid and that the lattice order increases with temperature. CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄ formed directly from the glassy state but a 2Fe:1Mn mixture initially forms Fe₂O₃ and an unidentified manganese oxide. These reacted at 1200° C to form MnFe₂O₄.     

A convenient alcohothermal approach for low temperature synthesis of CuO nanoparticles

A convenient alcohothermal route to prepare cupric oxide nanoparticles using copper acetate as the starting material was successfully developed. The influence of reaction temperature on the formation of CuO nanoparticles was investigated. The yield was as high as 100% when the alcohothermal synthesis was carried at 110°C. The particle sizes of the CuO nanoparticles can be controlled to be between ∼3 and 9 nm simply by varying the reaction temperature. The possible formation mechanism of CuO nanoparticles via the alcohothermal method is discussed.     

Simple and convenient preparation of Au-Pt core-shell nanoparticles on surface via a seed growth method

Au-Pt core-shell nanoparticles were prepared on glass surface by a seed growth method. Gold nanoparticles were used as seeds and ascorbic acid-H₂PtCl₆ solutions as growth solutions to deposit Pt shell on the surface of gold nanoparticles. These core-shell nanoparticles and their growth process were examined by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and field-emission environmental scanning electron microscopy and the results indicated that the deposition speed was fast and nanoparticles with obvious core-shell structure could be obtained after 2 min. Moreover, this seed growth method for preparation of the core-shell nanoparticles is simple and convenient compared with other seed growth methods with NH₄OH as a mild reductant. In addition, electrochemical experiments indicated that these Au-Pt core-shell nanoparticles had similar electrochemical properties to those of the bulk Pt electrode.     

Low-temperature synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for inverted polymer solar cell application

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple wet chemical method at low temperature. Morphologies, crystalline structure, and optical transmission of ZnO nanoparticles were investigated. The results showed that the average diameter of as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles was about 4.9 nm, the nanoparticles were wurtzite-structured (hexagonal) ZnO and had optical band gap of 3.28 eV. Very high optical transmission (>80 %) in visible light region of ZnO nanoparticulate thin films was achieved. Furthermore, an inverted polymer solar cell consisted of ZnO nanoparticles and polymer were fabricated. The device exhibited an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.50 V, a short circuit current density (J_sc) of 1.76 mA/cm², a fill-factor of 38 %, and a power conversion efficiency of 0.42 %.     

A scalable model for trilayer conjugated polymer actuators and its experimental validation

Conjugated polymers are promising actuation materials for bio/micromanipulation systems, biomimetic robots, and biomedical devices. For these applications, it is highly desirable to have predictive models available for feasibility study and design optimization. In this paper a scalable model is presented for trilayer conjugated polymer actuators based on J. Madden's diffusive-elastic-metal model. The proposed model characterizes actuation behaviors in terms of intrinsic material parameters and actuator dimensions. Experiments are conducted on polypyrrole actuators of different dimensions to validate the developed scaling laws for quasi-static force and displacement output, electrical admittance, and dynamic displacement response.     

A digital microfluidic droplet generator produces self-assembled supramolecular nanoparticles for targeted cell imaging

Controlling the size distribution of polymer-based nanoparticles is a challenging task due to their flexible core and surface structures. To accomplish such as task requires very precise control at the molecular level. Here we demonstrate a new approach whereby uniform-sized supramolecular nanoparticles (SNPs) can be reliably generated using a digital microfluidic droplet generator (DMDG) chip. A microfluidic environment enabled precise control over the processing parameters, and therefore high batch-to-batch reproducibility and robust production of SNPs with a very narrow size distribution could be realized. Digitally adjustment of the mixing ratios of the building blocks on the DMDG chip allowed us to rapidly scan a variety of synthesis conditions without consuming significant amounts of reagents. Nearly uniform SNPs with sizes ranging from 35 to 350?nm were obtained and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. In addition, we could fine-tune the surface chemistry of the SNPs by incorporating an additional building block functionalized with specific ligands for targeting cells. The sizes and surface properties of these SNPs correlated strongly with their cell uptake efficiencies. This study showed a feasible method for microfluidic-assisted SNP production and provided a great means for preparing size-controlled SNPs with desired surface ligand coverage.     

一种制备ZnO纳米颗粒的新方法

提出了一种制备ZnO纳米颗粒的新方法。在金属钠的液氨溶液中还原硝酸锌,所形成的金属Zn自然氧化而制得ZnO颗粒。为了研究表面修饰对产物形貌、粒径和性能的影响,制备了十二烷基磺酸钠（SDS）修饰的ZnO纳米颗粒。采用X射线粉末衍射仪（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、傅立叶变换红外光谱仪（FT-IR）、热重及差热分析仪（TG-DTA）等手段对产物进行了表征。结果表明采用该方法可制得具有六方纤锌矿结构的ZnO颗粒,未修饰ZnO颗粒团聚较为严重;修饰的ZnO纳米颗粒呈棒状,分散较好。红外和热分析表明SDS修饰在了ZnO纳米颗粒表面。测试了所制备ZnO颗粒的紫外可见吸收（UV-Vis）和光致发光（PL）谱,均出现了ZnO的特征谱带。提出的方法也适用于制备其它金属或氧化物纳米材料。     

A PIID-DTBT based semi-conducting polymer dots with broad and strong optical absorption in the visible-light region: Highly effective contrast agents for multiscale and multi-spectral photoacoustic imaging

As a hybrid imaging technique, photoacoustic imaging (PAI) can provide multiscale morphological information of tissues, and the use of multi-spectral PAI (MSPAI) can recover the spatial distribution of chromophores of interest, such as hemoglobin within tissues. Herein, we developed a contrast agent that can very effectively combine multiscale PAI with MSPAI for a more comprehensive characterization of complex biological tissues. Specifically, we developed novel PIID-DTBT based semi-conducting polymer dots (Pdots) that show broad and strong optical absorption in the visible-light region (500–700 nm). The performances of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and gold nanorods (GNRs), which have been verified as excellent photoacoustic contrast agents, were compared with that of the Pdots based on the multiscale PAI system. Both ex vivo and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the Pdots have better photoacoustic conversion efficiency at 532 nm than GNPs and showed similar photoacoustic performance with GNRs at 700 nm at the same mass concentration. Photostability and toxicity tests demonstrated that the Pdots are photostable and biocompatible. More importantly, an in vivo MSPAI experiment indicated that the Pdots have better photoacoustic performance than the blood and therefore the signals can be accurately extracted from the background of vascular-rich tissues. Our work demonstrates the great potential of Pdots as highly effective contrast agents for the precise localization of lesions relative to the blood vessels based on multiscale PAI and MSPAI.

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A facile method for preparation of lanthanide-doped titania-coated silica nanoparticles

Here, we report a facile method for the preparation of monodisperse lanthanide-doped titania-coated silica nanoparticles. By hydrolysis of titanium alkoxide precursors in the presence of lanthanide ions, titania coatings have been deposited on the surface of the silica nanoparticles dispersed in the pure ethanol. Lanthanide ions were directly incorporated into the coating during the coating process. For a given ratio of titanium alkoxide to water, the density of the doped ions is determined by the concentration of the lanthanide ions in the reactant mixture. The final particles were nanosized, discrete, and exhibiting luminescence when excited.     

A facile water-based process for preparation of stabilized Bi nanoparticles

Stabilized bismuth nanoparticles have been prepared by reducing bismuth chloride with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of sodium oleate under a facile water-based process. The obtained samples are investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry (DTA/TG). The present results indicate that the bismuth nanoparticles are spherical, small diameter and in a high purity. In addition, measurement of water contact angle indicates that Bi samples are hydrophobic, which gives defense to samples from further oxidation, samples are steady in 6 months without obvious oxidation.     

Microfluidic system for studying the interaction of nanoparticles and microparticles with cells

Nanoparticles and microparticles have many potential biomedical applications ranging from imaging to drug delivery. Therefore, in vitro systems that can analyze and optimize the interaction of such particles with cells may be beneficial. Here, we report a microfluidic system that can be used to study these interactions. As a model system, we evaluated the interaction of polymeric nanoparticles and microparticles and similar particles conjugated to aptamers that recognize the transmembrane prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), with cells seeded in microchannels. The binding of particles to cells that expressed or did not express the PSMA (LNCaP or PC3, respectively) were evaluated with respect to changes in fluid shear stress, PSMA expression on target cells, and particle size. Nanoparticle-aptamer bioconjugates selectively adhered to LNCaP but not PC3 cells at static and low shear (<1 dyn/cm2) but not higher shear (approximately 4.5 dyn/cm2) conditions. Control nanoparticles and microparticles lacking aptamers and microparticle-aptamer bioconjugates did not adhere to LNCaP cells, even under very low shear conditions (approximately 0.28 dyn/cm2). These results demonstrate that the interaction of particles with cells can be studied under controlled conditions, which may aid in the engineering of desired particle characteristics. The scalability, low cost, reproducibility, and high-throughput capability of this technology is potentially beneficial to examining and optimizing a wide array of cell-particle systems prior to in vivo experiments.     

负载Pd纳米粒子聚合物颗粒的制备及其催化性能研究

使聚N-乙烯基乙酰胺（PNVA）大分子单体与苯乙烯（St）和丙烯腈（AN）进行三元分散共聚,制得了粒径分布较均一、表面带有花纹状的PNVA-g-PAN/PSt聚合物颗粒,进而以PdCl2为金属源,乙醇为还原剂,采用醇热法将Pd2＋离子还原成Pd纳米粒子并负载于聚合物颗粒表面。透射电子显微镜（TEM）观察表明Pd纳米粒子在聚合物颗粒表面且分布均匀。X射线衍射（XRD）花样图显示Pd纳米粒子为立方晶系,其粒径在9nm左右。热重分析（TGA）结果表明PNVA-g-PAN/PSt聚合物颗粒表面所含Pd纳米粒子的质量分数为0.15%～0.30%。在Pd纳米粒子存在的条件下,可使葡萄糖容易转化为葡萄糖酸,表明该负载型Pd纳米粒子具有良好的催化氧化作用。     

Two-photon excited fluorescence of a conjugated polyelectrolyte and its application in cell imaging

The two-photon excited fluorescence of a conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE), PPESO3, was studied in methanol and in water. The photophysical and amplified quenching properties of the CPE observed under two-photon excitation were comparable to the results obtained under one-photon excited conditions. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy performed with PPESO3-coated silica nanoparticles in HeLa cells provided images with significantly improved resolution compared to one-photon microscopy, demonstrating the utility of the CPE as a fluorescent probe in two-photon fluorescence cell imaging.