Qianfen Zhuang

Facile Microwave‐Assisted Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Nitrogen–Sulfur‐Codoped Carbon Quantum Dots for Cellular Imaging Applications

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have recently attracted significant attention for both their fundamental science and technological applications as a new class of fluorescent zero-dimensional nanomaterials with a size below 10 nm. However, the reported methods of synthesis were generally less suitable for the large-scale production of the CQDs with high-fluorescent quantum yield (QY). In the paper, a novel one-pot microwave-assisted drying synthesis approach was presented to prepare CQDs with high QY of 61.3 % for the first time. The production yield of CQDs was 35±3 % in weight. The as-prepared CQDs were characterized by various techniques such as TEM, AFM, XRD, XPS, FTIR spectroscopy, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the high QY of CQDs was largely attributed to the dual doping of nitrogen and sulphur into CQDs. Such CQDs were then used as live-cell imaging reagents due to their high QY, good water dispersibility, fine biocompatibility, high photostability, and low cytotoxicity.

Enhancing sensitivity and selectivity in a label-free colorimetric sensor for detection of iron(II) ions with luminescent molybdenum disulfide nanosheet-based peroxidase mimetics

In the present study, we demonstrated that the luminescent molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets, which were prepared hydrothermally by using sodium molybdate and thiourea as precursors, possessed peroxidase-like activity, and could catalyze the oxidation of peroxidase substrate o-phenylenediamine (OPD) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to produce a yellow color reaction. Further addition of Fe(2+) into the nanosheets led to peroxidase mimetics with greatly enhanced catalytic activity. The observation was exploited to develop a label-free colorimetric nanozyme sensor for detection of Fe(2+). The fabricated MoS2/OPD/H2O2 sensor showed a wide linear range of 0.01-0.8 µM with a detection limit of 7 nM. Moreover, it was found that the MoS2/OPD/H2O2 sensor displayed enhanced sensitivity and selectivity toward Fe(2+) compared with the OPD/H2O2 sensor, suggesting that the MoS2 nanosheets could improve the performance of the Fe(2+) sensor. An advanced chemometrics algorithm, multivariate curve resolution by alternating least squares (MCR-ALS), was further applied to interpret the origin of enhancing sensitivity and selectivity in the Fe(2+) sensor with the MoS2 nanosheets. The time-dependent UV-vis spectral data of the studied systems were collected, and submitted to the MCR-ALS. The results showed that the increased sensitivity and selectivity of the MoS2/OPD/H2O2 sensor for Fe(2+) detection likely arose from its large reaction rate constant. Finally, the proposed MoS2/OPD/H2O2 sensor was successfully applied for detection of Fe(2+) in water samples.

Solid‐phase synthesis of graphene quantum dots from the food additive citric acid under microwave irradiation and their use in live‐cell imaging

The work demonstrated that solid citric acid, one of the most common food additives, can be converted to graphene quantum dots (GQDs) under microwave heating. The as-prepared GQDs were further characterized by various analytical techniques like transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence and UV-visible spectroscopy. Cytotoxicity of the GQDs was evaluated using HeLa cells. The result showed that the GQDs almost did not exhibit cytotoxicity at concentrations as high as 1000 µg mL(-1). In addition, it was found that the GQDs showed good solubility, excellent photostability, and excitation-dependent multicolor photoluminescence. Subsequently, the multicolor GQDs were successfully used as a fluorescence light-up probe for live-cell imaging.

Electrochemical Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide Using a Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Three-Dimensional Copper Hydroxide Nanosupercages and Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide

ABSTRACT Three-dimensional copper hydroxide nanosupercages and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide were used to modify the glassy carbon electrode for the selective determination of hydrogen peroxide. The morphology and electrochemistry properties of copper hydroxide nanosupercage/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide/glassy carbon electrode were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, Raman spectra, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The resulting copper hydroxide nanosupercage/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide/glassy carbon electrode showed favorable performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The amperometric current–time curve of the electrochemical sensor exhibited a wide linear range from 0.5 to 1030 µM with a limit of detection of 0.23 µM at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. Moreover, the sensor provided favorable selectivity, reproducibility, and stability and was used for the determination of H2O2 in tap water.

One-Pot Aqueous Synthesis of Nucleoside-Templated Fluorescent Copper Nanoclusters and Their Application for Discrimination of Nucleosides

A facile, one-pot synthetic method has been proposed to prepare water-soluble fluorescent copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) templated by nucleosides. The nucleoside-templated fluorescent CuNCs were further characterized by using various analytical techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The role of various reactants such as ascorbic acid, nucleoside, and citrate buffer in the synthesis process of fluorescent CuNCs was explored. The results showed that nucleoside and ascorbic acid were very likey to respectively act as a stabilizer and a reductant to form nanoclusters, and citrate buffer acted as both pH regulator solution and a reducing agent. The fluorescence spectra of various nucleoside-templated CuNCs were finally combined with multivariate chemometrics analysis for discrimination of different nucleosides.

Label-free photoluminescence assay for nitrofurantoin detection in lake water samples using adenosine-stabilized copper nanoclusters as nanoprobes

In this paper, we constructed a novel label-free analytical strategy for highly sensitive and selective detection of nitrofurantoin (NFT) based on adenosine-stabilized copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) as nanoprobes. It was found that NFT caused a rapid decrease in the photoluminescence intensity of CuNCs. The photoluminescence quenching was likely attributed to the inner filter effect between NFT and CuNCs. The CuNCs exhibited a wide linear range of 0.05-4.0μM with the detection limit of 30nM (7.1ngmL-1) for detection of NFT. And it was successfully applied for NFT detection in lake water samples.

Green synthesis of luminescent graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots from human urine and its bioimaging application

A hydrothermal synthetic approach is developed for the preparation of graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots (g-C3N4 QDs) from human urine. The reported synthetic method is green, simple, low-cost, less time-consuming, and can be used for the large-scale production of the g-C3N4 QDs. The as-prepared g-C3N4 QDs possess a high quantum yield of 15.7% by using quinine sulfate as a reference, and display excitation-wavelength dependent fluorescent emission. In addition, the g-C3N4 QDs exhibit high photostability, low cytotoxicity. and are successfully used as fluorescent probes for cell multicolor imaging. It is believed that the valuable nanomaterials, g-C3N4 QDs, which are transformed from the human bodily wastes, are promising in diverse chemical applications.