Raspberry-like Nanoheterostructures Comprising Glutathione-Capped Gold Nanoclusters Grown on the Lanthanide Nanoparticle Surface.

Bare lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (LnNPs), in particular, NaYF:Yb,Tm NPs (UC), have been seeded in situ with gold cations to be used in the subsequent growth of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) in the presence of glutathione (GSH) to obtain a novel UC@AuNC nanoheterostructure (NHS) with a raspberry-like morphology. UC@AuNC displays unique optical properties (multiple absorption and emission wavelengths). Specifically, upon 350 nm excitation, it exhibits AuNC photoluminescence (PL) (500-1200 nm, λ 650 nm) and Yb emission (λ 980 nm); this is the first example of Yb sensitization in a UC@AuNC NHS.

Flavin adenine dinucleotide-capped gold nanoclusters: biocompatible photo-emissive nanomaterial and reservoir of lumichrome.

A novel biocompatible nanohybrid consisting of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) capped with FAD cofactor molecules exhibits distinctive and unique features compared to those of free FAD. The spherical shape of the AuNC provides a large surface to volume ratio, thereby enabling a huge amount of FAD on the AuNC surface while, in basic media and under nitrogen atmosphere, the considerable curvature of its surface enables light-triggered delivery of lumichrome, which is an effective photosensitizer and fluorescent probe.

Gold nanoclusters for ratiometric sensing of pH in extremely acidic media.

AuNCs capped with β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate exhibit an outstanding performance as fluorescent pH sensors; specifically they exhibit a high emission in strongly acidic media and linear dependence on pH in extremely acidic media (0.6-2.7) as well as in the 7.

Solvent-modulation of the structure and dimensionality in lanthanoid-anilato coordination polymers.

We show the key role that the size and shape of the solvent molecules may play in the dimensionality and structure of a series of lanthanoid-chloranilato coordination polymers. We report the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of six different coordination polymers prepared with Er(iii) and chloranilato (C6O4Cl22- = 3,6-dichloro-2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone) and six different solvents: [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(H2O)6]·10H2O (1), [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(FMA)6]·4FMA·2H2O (2) (FMA = formamide = NH2CHO), [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(DMSO)4]·2DMSO·2H2O (3) (DMSO = dimethy sulfoxide = Me2SO), [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(DMF)6] (4) (DMF = dimethylformamide = Me2NCHO), [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(DMA)4] (5) (DMA = dimethylacetamide = Me2NC(Me)O) and [Er2(C6O4Cl2)3(HMPA)(H2O)3]·H2O (6) (HMPA = hexamethylphosphormamide = (Me2N)3PO). We show how the different solvent molecules modulate and determine important structural parameters such as the coordination number and geometry, the shape and distortions of the cavities, the presence of solvent molecules in these cavities, the interlayer space and even the dimensionality of the structure.