0000000000003254
AUTHOR
Alice Sciortino
One-pot synthesis of graphene quantum dots and simultaneous nanostructured self-assembly via a novel microwave-assisted method: impact on triazine removal and efficiency monitoring
One-step methods for fabricating green materials endowed with diverse functions is a challenge to be overcome in terms of reducing environmental risk and cost. We report a fast and easy synthesis of multifunctional materials composed of only fluorescent dots with structural flexibility and high sorption capability. The synthesis consists of a one-pot microwave-assisted reaction for the simultaneous formation of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from organic precursors and their spontaneous self-assembly forming porous architectures. The GQD-assemblies are robust and no signs of degradation were observed with most organic solvents. The ensuing GQDs and their porous solids were fully characterized…
Atomically Precise Distorted Nanographenes: The Effect of Different Edge Functionalization on the Photophysical Properties down to the Femtosecond Scale
Nanographenes (NGs) have been attracting widespread interest since they combine peculiar properties of graphene with molecular features, such as bright visible photoluminescence. However, our understanding of the fundamental properties of NGs is still hampered by the high degree of heterogeneity usually characterizing most of these materials. In this context, NGs obtained by atomically precise synthesis routes represent optimal benchmarks to unambiguously relate their properties to well-defined structures. Here we investigate in deep detail the optical response of three curved hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) derivatives obtained by atomically precise synthesis routes. They are constituted…
Fluorescent Boron Oxide Nanodisks as Biocompatible Multi-messenger Sensors for Ultrasensitive Ni$^{2+}$ Detection
Boron-based nanocomposites are very promising for a wide range of technological applications, spanning from microelectronics to nanomedicine. A large variety of B-based nanomaterials has been already observed, such as borospherene, B nanotubes and nanoparticles, and boron nitride nanoparticles. However, their fabrication usually involves toxic precursors or leads to very low yields or small boron atom concentration. In this work, we report the synthesis of nanometric B$_{2}$O$_{3}$ nanodisks, a family of nanomaterials with a quasi-2D morphology capable of intense fluorescence in the visible range. Such as boron-based nanomaterial, which we synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of a boron tar…
Disclosing the emissive surface traps in green-emitting carbon nanodots
Abstract The bright photoluminescence of surface-functionalized carbon nanoparticles, known as carbon nanodots (CDs), has been studied for more than a decade because of its fundamental photo-physical interest and strong technological potential. However, the essential nature of the electronic states involved in their typical light emission remains very elusive. Here, we provide conclusive evidence that surface carboxylic moieties are the key to CD fluorescence. The synergy of nanosecond and femtosecond optical studies, cryogenic fluorescence, computational investigations and chemical engineering of a strategically chosen model CD system, allows to demonstrate that their visible-light transit…
Tailoring the Emission Color of Carbon Dots through Nitrogen-Induced Changes of Their Crystalline Structure
Nitrogen content in carbon dots (CDs) plays a crucial role both on the structure and on the optical properties. We synthesized two distinct families of CDs which differ both in structure and in optical emission, demonstrating how nitrogen determines the structure and the optical properties of N-CDs in two main cases: low content and high content of nitrogen. While the low-nitrogen-content family is characterized by blue-emitting nanoparticles with a N-doped hexagonal C-graphite crystalline core structure and a complex surface structure, the high-nitrogen-content family is composed of nanoparticles behaving as dual emitters (blue and green) with a hexagonal β-C3N4crystalline core structure a…
Electron transfer between carbon dots and tetranuclear Dawson-derived sandwich polyanions
Among the photocatalysts which could be used for converting solar energy, polyoxometalates are often regarded as ideal candidates because of their remarkable performances in photocatalytic water splitting and photodegradation of pollutants. Nonetheless, these polyanions are only capable of absorbing UV light, unless coupled to a visible-light photosensitizer. Carbon nanodots are especially promising for this purpose because of their strong visible-light absorption, photostability, non-toxicity, and very low production costs. In this work we demonstrate the possibility of coupling carbon dots to polyoxometalates with different structures, by a simple self-assembly approach based on electrost…
Synthesis of multi-color luminescent ZnO nanoparticles by ultra-short pulsed laser ablation
Abstract Crystalline ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized by ultra-short femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser ablation (PLA) of a zinc plate in deionized water, and are investigated by optical absorption and time resolved luminescence spectra in combination with the morphology and structure analysis. The comparison with previous experiments based on short nanosecond (ns) PLA highlights that pulse duration is a crucial parameter to determine the size and the optical properties of ZnO NPs. While short PLA generates NPs with average size S ‾ of ~ 30 nm, ultrashort PLA allows to achieve much smaller NPs, S ‾ ⩽ 10 nm, that evidence weak quantum confinement effects on both the absorption edge and th…
Photo-Activated Phosphorescence of Ultrafine ZnS:Mn Quantum Dots: On the Lattice Strain Contribution
We address the enhancement of orange-light luminescence of Mn-doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) induced by exposure to UV light. Ultrafine ZnS:Mn NPs are prepared by microwave-assisted crystal growth in ethanol, without adding any dispersant agents. When exposed to UV light, their orange emission intensity undergoes a strong increase. This effect is observed when the NPs are deposited as a thin layer on a transparent substrate or dispersed in an ethanolic suspension. Such a feature was already observed on polymer- or surfactant-coated ZnS:Mn NPs and explained as a passivation effect. In this study, by coupling X-ray photoelectron, Fourier transform infrared, and electron paramagnetic r…
Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots as Sensors of Toxic Metal Ions and Pesticides
Carbon nanodots (CDs) are a new class of fluorescent carbon-based nanomaterials characterized by a plethora of morphologies and sizes. Among these, we can include two different types of CDs, namely, graphitic and diamond-like. This wide range of structures opens up the possibility to design different CDs, with tunable optical properties accordingly to the synthesis method and precursors used. We prepared two different CDs following a bottom-up approach by thermally induced decomposition of organic precursors (namely, citric acid and urea in different molar ratios), and using purification by Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Obtained CDs were characterized by Raman, absorption and fluores…
Photocycle of Excitons in Nitrogen-Rich Carbon Nanodots: Implications for Photocatalysis and Photovoltaics
Nitrogen-rich carbon nanodots have emerged as promising nanomaterials for a wide range of applications where a highly emissive and photoactive material with low toxicity and cost-effectiveness is required. One of their hallmarks is indeed a bright, tunable fluorescence of excitonic nature. Disentangling the origin of their optical absorption and fluorescence properties and uncovering relaxation channels and interactions with solvents are some of the most debated issues in the field. Uncovering these aspects is essential for targeted applications, especially in the fields of photocatalysis but also photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Here, we present dedicated transient absorption measurement…
Disentangling size effects and spectral inhomogeneity in carbon nanodots by ultrafast dynamical hole-burning.
Carbon nanodots (CDs) are a novel family of nanomaterials exhibiting unique optical properties. In particular, their bright and tunable fluorescence redefines the paradigm of carbon as a "black" material and is considered very appealing for many applications. While the field keeps growing, understanding CDs fundamental properties and relating them to their variable structures becomes more and more critical. Two crucial problems concern the effect of size on the electronic structure of CDs, and to what extent their optical properties are influenced by structural disorder. Furthermore, it remains largely unclear whether traditional concepts borrowed from the photo-physics of semiconductor qua…
Highly Efficient Electron Transfer in a Carbon Dot–Polyoxometalate Nanohybrid
Using solar radiation to fuel catalytic processes is often regarded as the solution to our energy needs. However, developing effective photocatalysts that are active under visible light has proven to be difficult, often due to the toxicity, instability, and high cost of suitable catalysts. We engineered a novel photoactive nanomaterial obtained by the spontaneous electrostatic coupling of carbon nanodots with [P2W18O62]6-, a molecular catalyst belonging to the class of polyoxometalates. While the former are used as photosensitizers, the latter was chosen for its ability to catalyze reductive reactions such as dye decomposition and water splitting. We find the electron transfer within the na…
Characteristic Excitation Wavelength Dependence of Fluorescence Emissions in Carbon "quantum" Dots
Carbon "quantum" dots (CDots), generally defined as small carbon nanoparticles with various surface passivation schemes, have emerged to represent a rapidly advancing and expanding research field. CDots are known for their bright and colorful fluorescence emissions, where the colorfulness is associated with the emissions being excitation wavelength dependent. In this work, CDots with 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine) (EDA) for surface functionalization were studied systematically by using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methods. The observed fluorescence quantum yields are strongly excitation wavelength dependent, and the dependence apparently tracks closely the observed absor…
Carbon Nanodots: A Review—From the Current Understanding of the Fundamental Photophysics to the Full Control of the Optical Response
Carbon dots (CDs) are an emerging family of nanosystems displaying a range of fascinating properties. Broadly speaking, they can be described as small, surface-functionalized carbonaceous nanoparticles characterized by an intense and tunable fluorescence, a marked sensitivity to the environment and a range of interesting photochemical properties. CDs are currently the subject of very intense research, motivated by their possible applications in many fields, including bioimaging, solar energy harvesting, nanosensing, light-emitting devices and photocatalyis. This review covers the latest advancements in the field of CDs, with a focus on the fundamental understanding of their key photophysica…
Transient absorption with a femtosecond tunable excitation pump reveals the emission kinetics of color centers in amorphous silica.
We report a set of femtosecond (fs) transient absorption (TA) measurements following the dynamics of the so-called nonbridging oxygen hole center in silica, a model color center in wide bandgap amorphous solids, characterized by a very large Stokes shift between the UV excitation and its associated red emission at 1.9 eV. The changes in the TA spectrum were probed in the UV-visible range at various delays after photoexcitation and analyzed as a function of the UV excitation energy, in single-photon absorption conditions. The combination of the experiments helps to clarify the defect photocycle, highlighting how TA measurements with tunable UV excitation could represent a powerful tool to in…
Temperature-Dependence of Solvent-Induced Stokes Shift and Fluorescence Tunability in Carbon Nanodots
We carried out a cryogenic investigation on the optical properties of carbon dots, aiming to better understand their emission mechanism and the role of the solvent. The solvatochromic Stokes shift is quantified by a low temperature approach which allows freezing of the photo-excited state of carbon dots, preventing any solvation relaxation. Moreover, the reduction in temperature helps to identify the dynamical inhomogeneous contribution to the broadening of the emission band; therefore, disentangling the role of solvent from other types of broadening, such as the homogeneous and the static inhomogeneous contributions.
The interaction of photoexcited carbon nanodots with metal ions disclosed down to the femtosecond scale
Fluorescent carbon nanodots are a novel family of carbon-based nanoscale materials endowed with an outstanding combination of properties that make them very appealing for applications in nanosensing, photonics, solar energy harvesting and photocatalysis. One of the remarkable properties of carbon dots is their strong sensitivity to the local environment, especially to metal ions in solution. These interactions provide a testing ground for their marked photochemical properties, highlighted by many studies, and frequently driven by charge transfer events. Here we combine several optical techniques, down to femtosecond time resolution, to understand the interplay between carbon nanodots and aq…
Heptagon-Containing Nanographene Embedded into [10]Cycloparaphenylene
We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel type of nanohoop, consisting of a cycloparaphenylene derivative incorporating a curved heptagon-containing π-extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) unit. We demonstrate that this new macrocycle behaves as a supramolecular receptor of curved π-systems such as fullerenes C60 and C70, with remarkably large binding constants (ca. 107 M−1), as estimated by fluorescence measurements. Nanosecond and femtosecond spectroscopic analysis show that these host-guest complexes are capable of quasi-instantaneous charge separation upon photoexcitation, due to the ultrafast charge transfer from the macrocycle to the complexed fullerene. These r…
Sensing of Transition Metals by Top-Down Carbon Dots
Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a new class of carbon-rich materials with a range of unique optical and structural properties. They can be defined as carbon nanoparticles, with sizes in the range of 1–10 nm, displaying absorption and emission activities in the UV-VIS range. Depending on the structure, CQDs display a wide variability of properties, which provides the possibility of finely tuning them for several applications. The great advantages of CQDs are certainly the ease of synthesis, non-toxicity, and the strong interactions with the surrounding environment. Based on this, CQDs are especially promising as selective chemosensors. The present study reports on carbon quantum dots synthesi…
Core‐Selective Silver‐Doping of Gold Nanoclusters by Surface‐Bound Sulphates on Colloidal Templates: From Synthetic Mechanism to Relaxation Dynamics
Funding Information: This work was carried out under the ERC Advanced grant (DRIVEN, ERC‐2016‐AdG‐742829), Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence in Life‐Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER, 346108), Academy of Finland (No. 321443, 328942, 308647, and 318891) and Photonic Research and Innovation (PREIN) as well as FinnCERES flagships. L.F. and X.C. thanks for support from CSC (IT Center for Science, Finland) for providing computation resources. The authors acknowledge the provision of facilities and technical support by Aalto University OtaNano – Nanomicroscopy Center (Aalto‐NMC). | openaire: EC/H2020/742829/EU//DRIVEN Ultra-small luminescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have gained substantia…
Ultrafast spectroscopic investigation on fluorescent carbon nanodots: the role of passivation.
Disentangling the respective roles of the surface and core structures in the photocycle of carbon nanodots is a critical open problem in carbon nanoscience. While the need of passivating carbon dot surfaces to obtain efficiently emitting nanoparticles is very well-known in the literature, it is unclear if passivation introduces entirely new surface emitting states, or if it stabilizes existing states making them fluorescent. In this multi-technique femtosecond spectroscopy study, the relaxation dynamics of non-luminescent (non-passivated) carbon dots are directly compared with their luminescent (passivated) counterparts. Non-passivated dots are found to host emissive states, albeit very sho…
Nanosystem for diagnosis and photothermal treatment of tumors
The invention relates to a nanosystem for the diagnosis, image-guided treatment of tumors and monitoring of the tumor microenvironment. The nanosystem is a contrast agent comprising a polymer shell based on a hyaluronic acid nanogel, super-parameg-netic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and carbon nanoparticles (CDs).
Ultrafast Interface Charge Separation in Carbon Nanodot-Nanotube Hybrids
Carbon dots are an emerging family of zero-dimensional nanocarbons behaving as tunable light harvesters and photoactivated charge donors. Coupling them to carbon nanotubes, which are well-known electron acceptors with excellent charge transport capabilities, is very promising for several applications. Here, we first devised a route to achieve the stable electrostatic binding of carbon dots to multi- or single-walled carbon nanotubes, as confirmed by several experimental observations. The photoluminescence of carbon dots is strongly quenched when they contact either semiconductive or conductive nanotubes, indicating a strong electronic coupling to both. Theoretical simulations predict a favo…
Gold Au(I)6 Clusters with Ligand-Derived Atomic Steric Locking: Multifunctional Optoelectrical Properties and Quantum Coherence
Funding Information: This work was supported by the ERC Advanced grant (DRIVEN, ERC‐2016‐AdG‐742829), the ERC grant (834742), the EU H2020‐MSCA‐RISE‐872049 (IPN‐Bio), the Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence in Molecular Engineering of Biosynthetic Hybrid Materials Research (HYBER, 2014–2019), and Life‐Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER, 346108), Academy of Finland project fundings (No. 352900, 314810, 333982, 336144, 352780, 352930 and 353364), FinnCERES and Photonics Research and Innovation (PREIN) flagship programs. The authors acknowledge the provision of facilities and technical support by Aalto University OtaNano – Nanomicroscopy Center (Aalto‐NMC). | openaire: EC/H2020/834742/EU//…
Effect of Halogen Ions on the Photocycle of Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots
Carbon dots (C-dots) are well-known for their strong sensitivity to the environment, which reflects on intensity and shape changes of their fluorescence, induced by various interacting ions and molecules in solution. Although these interactions have been extensively studied in the last few years, especially in view of their possible sensing applications, the existing works have mostly focused on the quenching of C-dot fluorescence induced by metal cations. In fact, these latter easily bind to C-dots surfaces, which are negatively charged in most cases, promoting an electron transfer from the surface to them. Much less is known from the literature on the effect induced on C-dots by prototypi…
Printable Thermo- and Photo-stable Poly(D,L-lactide)/Carbon Nanodots Nanocomposites via Heterophase Melt-Extrusion Transesterification
We propose for the first time an one-pot synthesis of carbon nanodots-poly(D,L-lactide) (CDs-PLA) nanocomposites, obtained by a simple reactive melt-extrusion process involving polar surface groups of multicolor CDs and ester bonds of PLA chains. Apart from providing an excellent method to produce polyester-coated CDs, our protocol allows obtaining perfect PLA@CDs blends giving rise to homogeneous extruded PLA@CDs filaments (ePLA@CDs) suitable for 3D printing applications (e.g., additive manufacturing for biomaterials and biodegradable encoded polymer ink technology). We demonstrate that ePLA@CDs filaments can be used to build a huge range of fluorescent objects with increasing architectura…
Different natures of surface electronic transitions of carbon nanoparticles
The photoluminescence behaviour of carbon-based nanodots is still debated. Both core and surface structures are involved in the emission mechanism, and the electronic transitions can be modified by external agents such as metal ions or pH, but the general relation between the structure and the optical function is poorly understood. Here, we report a comparative study on the effects of these variables, changing the core structure from crystalline to amorphous, and modifying the surface structure by different passivation procedures. Our results highlight that the emission mechanism of the tunable visible fluorescence is identical for crystalline and amorphous samples, indicating the independe…
Photoinduced charge transfer from Carbon Dots to Graphene in solid composite
Abstract The emission in solid phase of Carbon Dots (CDs) deposited by drop-casting technique is investigated by means of micro-photoluminescence. Graphene and SiO2 are used as substrates, and the influence of their different nature – conductive or insulating – on the emission of CDs is highlighed. In particular, a systematic loss of efficiency in the emission of CDs on graphene is found, suggesting a CD-graphene interaction possibly due to a photoinduced electron transfer between the surface states of CDs and the conduction band of graphene. Finally, thanks to the negligible influence on CDs emission, SiO2 substrate is used as support to perform thermal processing of CDs in solid phase, sh…
Engineered Ferritin with Eu3+ as a Bright Nanovector: A Photoluminescence Study
Ferritin nanoparticles play many important roles in theranostic and bioengineering applications and have been successfully used as nanovectors for the targeted delivery of drugs due to their ability to specifically bind the transferrin receptor (TfR1, or CD71). They can be either genetically or chemically modified for encapsulating therapeutics or probes in their inner cavity. Here, we analyzed a new engineered ferritin nanoparticle, made of the H chain mouse ferritin (HFt) fused with a specific lanthanide binding tag (LBT). The HFt-LBT has one high affinity lanthanide binding site per each of the 24 subunits and a tryptophane residue within the tag that acts as an antenna able to transfer …
Carbon Dots Dispersed on Graphene/SiO2/Si: A Morphological Study
Low-dimensional carbon materials occupy a relevant role in the field of nanotechnology. Herein, the authors report a study conducted by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy on the deposition of carbon dots onto graphene surfaces. The study aims at understanding if and how the morphology and the microstructure of chemical vapor deposited graphene on Si/SiO2 may change due to the interaction with the carbon dots. Potential alteration in the graphene's electrical properties might be detrimental for optoelectronic applications. The deposition of carbon dots dispersed in water and ethanol solvents are explored to investigate the effect of solvents with different fluidic properties. The…
Solvatochromism Unravels the Emission Mechanism of Carbon Nanodots
High quantum yield, photoluminescence tunability, and sensitivity to the environment are hallmarks that make carbon nanodots interesting for fundamental research and applications. Yet, the underlying electronic transitions behind their bright photoluminescence are strongly debated. Despite carbon-dot interactions with their environment should provide valuable insight into the emitting transitions, they have hardly been studied. Here, we investigate these interactions in a wide range of solvents to elucidate the nature of the electronic transitions. We find remarkable and systematic dependence of the emission energy and kinetics on the characteristics of the solvent, with strong response of …
Dynamic modification of Fermi energy in single-layer graphene by photoinduced electron transfer from carbon dots
Graphene (Gr)&mdash
A Comparative Study of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Carbon Nanodots and Their Interaction with Mercury Ions
We report a study of carbon dots produced via bottom-up and top-down routes, carried out through a multi-technique approach based on steady-state fluorescence and absorption, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Our study focuses on a side-to-side comparison of the fundamental structural and optical properties of the two families of fluorescent nanoparticles, and on their interaction pathways with mercury ions, which we use as a probe of surface emissive chromophores. Comparison between the two families of carbon dots, and between carbon dots subjected to different functionalization procedures, readily identifies a …
UV photobleaching of carbon nanodots investigated by in situ optical methods.
Carbon dots are a family of optically-active nanoparticles displaying a combination of useful properties that make them attractive for many applications in photonics and photochemistry. Despite the initial claims of high photostability of carbon dots even under prolonged illuminations, several recent studies have evidenced their photobleaching (PB) under UV light, detrimental for some applications. A study of the mechanism and dynamics of carbon dot PB can be considered a useful route to gather relevant information on the underlying photophysics of these nanoparticles, which is still widely debated. Here we report a study of the PB of carbon dots under UV light, conducted through optical ex…
β-C3N4 Nanocrystals: Carbon Dots with Extraordinary Morphological, Structural, and Optical Homogeneity
Carbon nanodots are known for their appealing optical properties, especially their intense fluorescence tunable in the visible range. However, they are often affected by considerable issues of optical and structural heterogeneity, which limit their optical performance and limit the practical possibility of applying these nanoparticles in several fields. Here we developed a synthesis method capable of producing a unique variety of carbon nanodots displaying an extremely high visible absorption strength (ε > 3 × 106 M(dot)−1 cm−1) and a high fluorescence quantum yield (73%). The high homogeneity of these dots reflects in many domains: morphological (narrow size distribution), structural (q…
Simultaneous photonic and excitonic coupling in spherical quantum dot supercrystals
Semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots (QDs), simultaneously benefit from inexpensive low-temperature solution processing and exciting photophysics, making them the ideal candidates for next-generation solar cells and photodetectors. While the working principles of these devices rely on light absorption, QDs intrinsically belong to the Rayleigh regime and display optical behavior limited to electric dipole resonances, resulting in low absorption efficiencies. Increasing the absorption efficiency of QDs, together with their electronic and excitonic coupling to enhance charge carrier mobility, is therefore of critical importance to enable practical applications. Here, we demonstrate a ge…
Decagram-Scale Synthesis of Multicolor Carbon Nanodots: Self-Tracking Nanoheaters with Inherent and Selective Anticancer Properties
Carbon nanodots (CDs) are a new class of carbon-based nanoparticles endowed with photoluminescence, high specific surface area, and good photothermal conversion, which have spearheaded many breakthroughs in medicine, especially in drug delivery and cancer theranostics. However, the tight control of their structural, optical, and biological properties and the synthesis scale-up have been very difficult so far. Here, we report for the first time an efficient protocol for the one-step synthesis of decagram-scale quantities of N,S-doped CDs with a narrow size distribution, along with a single nanostructure multicolor emission, high near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion efficiency, and sel…
Fluorescent nitrogen-rich carbon nanodots with an unexpected β-C3N4nanocrystalline structure
Carbon nanodots are a class of nanoparticles with variable structures and compositions which exhibit a range of useful optical and photochemical properties. Since nitrogen doping is commonly used to enhance the fluorescence properties of carbon nanodots, understanding how nitrogen affects their structure, electronic properties and fluorescence mechanism is important to fully unravel their potential. Here we use a multi-technique approach to study heavily nitrogen-doped carbon dots synthesized by a simple bottom-up approach and capable of bright and color-tunable fluorescence in the visible region. These experiments reveal a new variant of optically active carbonaceous dots, that is a nanocr…
Highly Homogeneous Biotinylated Carbon Nanodots: Red-Emitting Nanoheaters as Theranostic Agents toward Precision Cancer Medicine
Very recent red-emissive carbon nanodots (CDs) have shown potential as near-infrared converting tools to produce local heat useful in cancer theranostics. Besides, CDs seem very appealing for clinical applications combining hyperthermia, imaging, and drug delivery in a single platform capable of selectively targeting cancer cells. However, CDs still suffer from dramatic dot-to-dot variability issues such that a rational design of their structural, optical, and chemical characteristics for medical applications has been impossible so far. Herein, we report for the first time a simple and highly controllable layer-by-layer synthesis of biotin-decorated CDs with monodisperse size distribution, …
Pressure-Dependent Tuning of Photoluminescence and Size Distribution of Carbon Nanodots for Theranostic Anticancer Applications
Carbon nanodots (CDs) have recently attracted attention in the field of nanomedicine because of the biocompatibility, cost-effective nature, high specific surface, good near infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion into heat and tunable fluorescence properties, which have paved the way toward incorporating use of CDs into innovative anticancer theranostic platforms. However, a reliable synthesis of CDs with established and controlled physiochemical proprieties is precluded owing to the lack of full manipulation of thermodynamic parameters during the synthesis, thus limiting their use in real world medical applications. Herein, we developed a robust solvothermal protocol which allow fine contr…
CCDC 2237075: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Juan P. Mora-Fuentes, Marcos D. Codesal, Marco Reale, Carlos M. Cruz, Vicente G. Jiménez, Alice Sciortino, Marco Cannas, Fabrizio Messina, Victor Blanco, Araceli G. Campaña|2023|Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed.|62||doi:10.1002/anie.202301356