Sedimentation of C and C: Testing the Limits of Stokes' Law.

Virtually all dynamic methods for determining particle size on the nanoscale use the Stokes-Einstein-Sutherland (SES) equation to convert the diffusion coefficient into a hydrodynamic radius. The validity of this equation on the nanoscale has not been rigorously validated by experiment. Here we measure the sedimentation rates and diffusion coefficients of C and C in toluene using analytical ultracentrifugation and compare the results to the SES equation.

Magneto-optical properties of trions in non-blinking charged nanocrystals reveal an acoustic phonon bottleneck.

Charged quantum dots provide an important platform for a range of emerging quantum technologies. Colloidal quantum dots in particular offer unique advantages for such applications (facile synthesis, manipulation and compatibility with a wide range of environments), especially if stable charged states can be harnessed in these materials. Here we engineer the CdSe nanocrystal core and shell structure to efficiently ionize at cryogenic temperatures, resulting in trion emission with a single sharp zero-phonon line and a mono exponential decay.

Rapid detection of hendra virus using magnetic particles and quantum dots.

A proof-of-concept for the development of a fast and portable Hendra virus biosensor is presented. Hendra virus, a deadly emerging pathogen in Australia, can be co-localized, concentrated and revealed using simultaneously magnetic and luminescent functional particles. This method should be applicable for the early detection of any other virus by targeting the specific virus with the corresponding antibody.

Conjugation of transferrin to azide-modified CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots using cyclooctyne click chemistry.

Twinkle twinkle quantum dot: Conjugation of biomolecules to azide-modified quantum dots (QDs) through a bifunctional linker, using strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition with the QD and a squaramide linkage to the biomolecule (see scheme). Transferrin-conjugated QDs were internalized by transferrin-receptor expressing HeLa cells.

Cooperative effect of Au and Pt inside TiO2 matrix for optical hydrogen detection at room temperature using surface plasmon spectroscopy.

Metal (Au, Pt, Au@Pt) and metal oxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles are synthesized with colloidal techniques and subsequently used as nanocrystal inks for thin films deposition. The optical properties of Au colloids are strongly influenced by both Pt and TiO(2) interfaces: while platinum causes a damping and a blue-shift of the Au Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) peak as a consequence of the metal-metal interaction, the anatase matrix is responsible for the red shift of the plasmon frequency due to the increased refractive index. By a careful tailoring of the nanoparticles synthesis, high quality, scattering-free films composed of an anatase matrix embedding Au, Pt and Au@Pt colloids are deposited at room temperature and stabilized at 200 °C.

Cells as factories for humanized encapsulation.

Biocompatibility is of paramount importance for drug delivery, tumor labeling, and in vivo application of nanoscale bioprobes. Until now, biocompatible surface processing has typically relied on PEGylation and other surface coatings, which, however, cannot minimize clearance by macrophages or the renal system but may also increase the risk of chemical side effects. Cell membranes provide a generic and far more natural approach to the challenges of encapsulation and delivery in vivo.

Hydrogen-bond-selective phase transfer of nanoparticles across liquid/gel interfaces.

In the swim: Colloidal nanoparticles coated with polylactide (PLA, red) and poly(ethylene glycol) brushes (PEG, black) can transfer from organic to aqueous phases across liquid/liquid or liquid/gel interfaces during degradation of the PLA coating (see picture: first step), which is driven selectively by the hydrogen bonding of the PEG coating with the aqueous phase (second step).

The preparation of colloidally stable, water-soluble, biocompatible, semiconductor nanocrystals with a small hydrodynamic diameter.

We report a simple, economical method for generating water-soluble, biocompatible nanocrystals that are colloidally robust and have a small hydrodynamic diameter. The nanocrystal phase transfer technique utilizes a low molecular weight amphiphilic polymer that is formed via maleic anhydride coupling of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) with either ethanolamine or Jeffamine M-1000 polyetheramine. The polymer encapsulated water-soluble nanocrystals exhibit the same optical spectra as those formed initially in organic solvents, preserve photoluminescence intensities, are colloidally stable over a wide pH range (pH 3-13), have a small hydrodynamic diameter, and exhibit low levels of nonspecific binding to cells.

Tunable light emission using quantum dot-coated upconverters.

Near infrared (NIR) upconverters only emit at a single visible wavelength; coating them with quantum dot multilayers allows the emission wavelength to be tuned across the visible spectrum.

Experimental determination of quantum dot size distributions, ligand packing densities, and bioconjugation using analytical ultracentrifugation.

Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) was used to characterize the size distribution and surface chemistry of quantum dots (QDs). AUC was found to be highly sensitive to nanocrystal size, resolving nanocrystal sizes that differ by a single lattice plane. Sedimentation velocity data were used to calculate the ligand packing density at the crystal surface for different sized nanocrystals.