TY - CONF A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Wuerth, Christian A1 - Soares, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Synthesis and optical characterization of ternary Quantum Dots: AgInS /ZnS N2 - Ternary semiconductors quantum dots (t-QD) are Cd-free nanocrystals made from I-III-VI group elements like silver or copper, indium and sulfide yielding CIS (CuInS2) or AIS (AgInS2) QDs. They are interesting alternatives to Cd-based QDs for applications as solar concentrators or optically active material for solar cells, light emitting diodes (LED) or reporters for diagnostic assays. To avoid ligand exchange procedures for high quality QDs, commonly synthesized in high boiling apolar solvents with apolar surface ligands, AIS QDs are synthesized in aqueous solution, required for bioanalytical application, by a microwave-assisted procedure. The surface of these QDs is passivated by a ZnS shell to enhance photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) and prevent material decomposition and oxidation. The resulting AIS/ZnS QDs exhibit broad PL spectra in the visible and near infrared, tunable by size and chemical composition. I will show the simple synthetic procedure and a spectroscopic study of different AIS QDs evaluating their PL properties and stability, PL QY, and PL decay kinetics. The analyzed sample showed long lifetimes, relatively high QY (50%) and good stability. Ligand conjugation is also performed to allow the embedding in polymer matrix, which requires apolar cappng. The simple aqueous synthesis together with the tunable emission color, the high PL QY, the high absorption coefficients and the long luminescence lifetimes make these t-QDs promising Cd-free materials for many different applications in the material and life sciences. T2 - NanoWorkshop CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 14.05.2018 KW - Synthesis KW - Quantum dots KW - Optical spectroscopy PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45115 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Rayevskaya, A. A1 - Stroyuk, O. A1 - Wuerth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Eisenhauer, D. T1 - Synthesis And Optical Properties Of AgInS2/ZnS QDs In Solution And In PLMA N2 - Ternary semiconductors quantum dots (t-QD) are Cd-free core-only or core-shell semiconductor nanocrystals with a core made from I-III-VI group elements like Cu-In-S (CIS) or Ag-In-S (AIS). To enhance the PL quantum yield (PL QY) and prevent material deterioration and oxidation, these QDs are commonly surface-passivated with ay ZnS shell. CIS and AIS QDs exhibit broad photoluminescence (PL) bands that cover visible spectrum up to the near infrared (NIR), the spectral position of which being tunable by size, chemical composition of the core (ratio of the components), and surface ligand. They show high absorption coefficients, high PL quantum yields (PL QY of up to 70%), and long luminescence lifetimes in the order of a few hundred nanoseconds that make them promising materials for a broad variety of applications. This makes them interesting alternatives for Cd-based QDs for applications as optically active components in solar concentrators or solar cells, light emitting diodes (LED) or as reporter in the life sciences. Here we present a systematic spectroscopic study of a set of AIS/ZnS QDs synthesized in water, size selected by fractioned precipitation, and after ligand exchange in an apolar organic solvent as well as embedded in a polymer. The latter was achieved by a photochemically initiated polymerization. The PL properties of these AIS/ZnS including PL QY and the PL decay kinetics assessed in different matrices/environments are shown and discussed as well as possible applications in energy conversion. T2 - Tag der Chemie CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.07.2019 KW - Water synthesis KW - Quantum dots KW - Nanomaterial PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49785 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Rayevskaya, A. A1 - Stroyuk, O. A1 - Wuerth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Synthesis and characterization of AgInS2 /ZnS Quantum Dots in solution and polymer N2 - Ternary semiconductors Quantum Dots (t-QD) are Cd-free semiconductors nanocrystals made from I-III-VI group elements like CIS or AIS. They are interesting alternatives for Cd-based QDs for applications as optically active components in solar concentrators or solar cells, light emitting diodes (LED) or in the life sciences. To enhance the PL quantum yield (PL QY) and prevent material deterioration and oxidation, these QDs are commonly surface-passivated with by ZnS shell. AIS QDs exhibit broad photoluminescence (PL) spectra in the visible and near infrared, which are tunable by size, chemical composition (ratio of components or doping), and surface ligand. They show a relatively high absorption coefficient, high PL QY (up to 70%), and long luminescence lifetimes in the order of a few hundred nanoseconds that make them promising materials for a broad variety of applications. Moreover, they can be simply prepared even in water in high quality which avoids further ligand exchange steps for all water-based applications know to decrease QY. Here we present a systematic spectroscopic study of differently colored AIS/ZnS QDs synthesized in water, size selected by precipitation, transferred to organic solvents via ligand exchange, and embedded in different polymers by a photochemically initiated polymerization. The PL properties including PL QY and the PL decay kinetics measured in different matrices are shown and discussed. T2 - Bunsentagung CY - Jena, Germany DA - 29.05.2019 KW - Water synthesis KW - Quantum dots KW - Nanomaterial KW - Energy PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49787 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Carulli, F. A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Brovelli, S. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on environmentally friendly Cd-free ternary AIS/ZnS quantum dots JF - Advanced optical materials N2 - Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) allow to obtain renewable energy from building integrated photovoltaic systems. As promising efficient and long-term stable LSC fluorophores semiconductor nanocrystals like Quantum dots (QDs) with size and composition tunable optoelectronic properties have recently emerged. The most popular II/VI or IV/VI semiconductor QDs contain, however, potentially hazardous cadmium or lead ions, which is a bottleneck for commercial applications. A simple aqueous based, microwaveassisted synthesis for environmentally friendly and highly emissive AgInS2/ ZnS QDs is developed using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and glutathione (GSH) and their incorporation into polylaurylmethacrylate (PLMA) polymer slabs integrable in LSC devices (10.4 × 10.4 × 0.2 cm3, G = 12.98). With this simple approach, optical power efficiencies (OPE) of 3.8% and 3.6% and optical quantum efficiencies (OQE) of 24.1% and 27.4% are obtained, which are among the highest values yet reported. KW - Solar energy KW - Solar concentrator KW - Quantum dots KW - Advanced material KW - Quantum yield PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529735 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202100587 SN - 2195-1071 SN - 0935-9648 VL - 9 IS - 17 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-52973 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Assessing the influence of microwave-assisted synthesis parameters and stabilizing ligands on the optical properties of AIS/ZnS quantum dots JF - Scientific reports N2 - Luminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are frequently used in the life and material sciences as reporter for bioimaging studies and as active components in devices such as displays, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and sensors. Increasing concerns regarding the use of toxic elements like cadmium and lead, and hazardous organic solvents during QD synthesis have meanwhile triggered the search for heavy-metal free QDs using green chemistry syntheses methods. Interesting candidates are ternary AgInS2 (AIS) QDs that exhibit broad photoluminescence (PL) bands, large effective Stokes shifts, high PL quantum yields (PL QYs), and long PL lifetimes, which are particularly beneficial for applications such as bioimaging, white light-emitting diodes, and solar concentrators. In addition, these nanomaterials can be prepared in high quality with a microwave-assisted (MW) synthesis in aqueous solution. The homogeneous heat diffusion and instant temperature rise of the MW synthesis enables a better control of QD nucleation and growth and thus increases the batch-to-batch reproducibility. In this study, we systematically explored the MW synthesis of AIS/ZnS QDs by varying parameters such as the order of reagent addition, precursor concentration, and type of stabilizing thiol ligand, and assessed their influence on the optical properties of the resulting AIS/ZnS QDs. Under optimized synthesis conditions, water-soluble AIS/ZnS QDs with a PL QY of 65% and excellent colloidal and long-term stability could be reproducible prepared. KW - Quantum dots KW - Microwave-assisted synthesis KW - AgInS KW - Aqueous synthesis PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-567091 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25498-3 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-56709 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Wan, Wei A1 - Wagner, Sabine A1 - Rurack, Knut ED - Tiwari, Ashutosh ED - Uzun, Lokman T1 - Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymers T2 - Advanced Molecularly Imprinting Materials N2 - An ideal sensor system is a combination of a selective receptor, an effective transducer, and a sensitive detector. To utilize molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as responsive recognition phases in sensors, the employment of fluorescent molecules or nanoparticles (NPs) that show prominent changes in their spectroscopic properties after binding of the target molecule in the MIP’s cavity is particularly attractive. Such fluorescent MIPs (fMIPs) act through target-induced quenching, enhancement, or spectral shifts of the fluorescence. This contribution introduces different strategies of incorporation of fluorescent dyes, probes, and NPs into fMIPs. In addition, various sensing mechanisms are reviewed, and depending on the application of the sensor, the different deployable formats, their advantages, drawbacks, and impact will be presented and discussed. KW - Dyes KW - Fluorescence KW - Molecular imprinted polymers KW - Quantum dots KW - Sensors PY - 2017 SN - 978-1-119-33629-7 SP - 89 EP - 128 PB - Scrivener Publishing, WILEY CY - Beverly, MA ET - 1 AN - OPUS4-38798 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin A1 - Abbandonato, Gerardo A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Determination of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Semiconductor Quantum Dots with Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy N2 - There is an increasing interest in bridging the gap between the photoluminescence (PL) properties of nanomaterials like semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) commonly assessed in ensemble studies and the PL features of single QDs for life sciences applications such as bioimaging studies or use in microfluidic assays. The fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF) is a key performance parameter for all molecular and nanoscale emitters, increasingly employed in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and medical diagnostics. ΦF determines not only the signal size together with the reporter´s molar extinction coefficient, yet it is particularly relevant for nanocrystals like QDs with coordinatively bound surface ligands and size- and surface chemistry-dependent PL characteristics. The importance of ΦF measurements at ultralow concentration encouraged us to explore the potential of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) for the relative determination of ΦF of ligand-stabilized CdTe nanocrystals in comparison to molecular dyes with closely matching spectral properties and known ΦF. We describe a FCS-based method for the relative determination of ΦF of dispersed QDs at ultralow concentrations, and procedures to overcome QD-inherent challenges like complex and power-dependent blinking behavior as well as ligand- and QD-specific aggregation. We could demonstrate the potential of this approach by comparison with steady state ensemble measurements. T2 - BIOS SPIE 2019 CY - San Francisco, CA, USA DA - 02.02.2019 KW - Quantum yield KW - Quantum dots KW - FCM PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-47427 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kage, Daniel A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin A1 - Nifontova, G. A1 - Krivenkov, V. A1 - Sukhanova, A. A1 - Nabiev, I. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Tempo-spectral multiplexing in flow cytometry with lifetime detection using QD-encoded polymer beads JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) embedded into polymer microbeads are known to be very attractive emitters for spectral multiplexing and colour encoding. Their luminescence lifetimes or decay kinetics have been, however, rarely exploited as encoding parameter, although they cover time ranges which are not easily accessible with other luminophores. We demonstrate here the potential of QDs made from II/VI semiconductors with luminescence lifetimes of several 10 ns to expand the lifetime range of organic encoding luminophores in multiplexing applications using time-resolved flow cytometry (LT-FCM). For this purpose, two different types of QD-loaded beads were prepared and characterized by photoluminescence measurements on the ensemble level and by single-particle confocal laser scanning microscopy. Subsequently, these lifetime-encoded microbeads were combined with dye-encoded microparticles in systematic studies to demonstrate the potential of these QDs to increase the number of lifetime codes for lifetime multiplexing and combined multiplexing in the time and colour domain (tempo-spectral multiplexing). These studies were done with a recently developed novel luminescence lifetime flow cytometer (LT-FCM setup) operating in the time-domain, that presents an alternative to reports on phase-sensitive lifetime detection in flow cytometry. KW - Fluorescence life time KW - Flow cytometry KW - Lifetime-encoded beads KW - Quantum dots KW - Multiplexing PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-503316 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56938-2 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - Article number: 653 PB - nature.com AN - OPUS4-50331 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kang, Y. A1 - Nack, L. A1 - Liu, Y. A1 - Qi, B. A1 - Huang, Y. A1 - Liu, Z. A1 - Chakraborty, I. A1 - Schulz, F. A1 - Ahmed, A. A. A1 - Poveda, M. C. A1 - Hafizi, F. A1 - Roy, S. A1 - Mutas, M. A1 - Holzapfel, M. A1 - Sanchez-Cano, C. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Feliu, N. A1 - Parak, W. J. T1 - Correction to: Quantitative considerations about the size dependency for cellular entry and excretion of colloidal nanoparticles for different cell types T2 - ChemTexts N2 - We regret to inform that the labels "NPs which remain in endosomes/lysosomes" and "exocytosed NPs" had been erroneously swapped in the sketch on the right side in Figure 2. The corrected Fig. 2 is displayed below. WJP apologizes for this error. KW - Cell proliferation KW - Exocytosis KW - Gold nanoparticles KW - Quantum dots KW - Uptake studies PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-554519 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40828-022-00168-z VL - 8 IS - 17 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-55451 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kang, Y. A1 - Nack, L. M. A1 - Liu, Y. A1 - Qi, B. A1 - Huang, Y. A1 - Liu, Z. A1 - Chakraborty, I. A1 - Schulz, F. A1 - Ahmed, A. A. A. A1 - Poveda, M. C. A1 - Hafizi, F. A1 - Roy, S. A1 - Mutas, M. A1 - Holzapfel, M. A1 - Sanchez-Cano, C. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Feliu, N. A1 - Parak, W. J. T1 - Quantitative considerations about the size dependence of cellular entry and excretion of colloidal nanoparticles for different cell types JF - ChemTexts N2 - Most studies about the interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells have focused on how the physicochemical properties of NPs will influence their uptake by cells. However, much less is known about their potential excretion from cells. However, to control and manipulate the number of NPs in a cell, both cellular uptake and excretion must be studied quantitatively. Monitoring the intracellular and extracellular amount of NPs over time (after residual noninternalized NPs have been removed) enables one to disentangle the influences of cell proliferation and exocytosis, the major pathways for the reduction of NPs per cell. Proliferation depends on the type of cells, while exocytosis depends in addition on properties of the NPs, such as their size. Examples are given herein on the role of these two different processes for different cells and NPs. KW - Cell proliferation KW - Exocytosis KW - Gold nanoparticles KW - Quantum dots KW - Fluorescence KW - Uptake studies PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543476 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40828-021-00159-6 SN - 2199-3793 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-54347 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krauss, S. W. A1 - Eckardt, M. A1 - Will, J. A1 - Spiecker, E. A1 - Siegel, R. A1 - Dulle, M. A1 - Schweins, R. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Senker, J. A1 - Zobel, M. T1 - H-D-isotope effect of heavy water affecting ligand-mediated nanoparticle formation in SANS and NMR experiments JF - Nanoscale N2 - An isotopic effect of normal (H2O) vs. heavy water (D2O) is well known to fundamentally affect structure and chemical properties of proteins, for instance. Here we correlate results from small angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS, SANS) with high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy to track the evolution of CdS nanoparticle size and crystallinity from aqeuous solution in presence of the organic ligand ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) at room temperature in both H2O and D2O. We provide evidence via SANS experiments that exchanging H2O by D2O impacts nanoparticle formation by changing the equilibria and dynamics of EDTA clusters in solution as investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance. The colloidal stability of the CdS nanoparticles, covered by a layer of [Cd(EDTA)]2- complexes, is significantly reduced in D2O despite the strong stabilizing effect of EDTA in suspensions of normal water. Hence, conclusions about nanoparticle formation mechanisms from D2O solutions can bare limited transferability to reactions in normal water due to isotopic effects, which thus need to be discussed for contrast match experiments. KW - General Materials Science KW - Quantum dots KW - CdS KW - Deuterium KW - X-ray scattering KW - MOUSE PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3NR02419A SN - 2040-3364 VL - 15 IS - 40 SP - 16413 EP - 16424 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-58294 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leiterer, Jork A1 - Grabolle, Markus A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Ziegler, J. A1 - Nann, T. A1 - Panne, Ulrich T1 - Acoustically Levitated Droplets - A Contactless Sampling Method for Fluorescence Studies JF - Annals of the New York academy of sciences N2 - Acoustic levitation is used as a newtool to study concentration-dependent processes influorescence spectroscopy. With this technique, small amounts of liquid and solid samples can be measured without the need for sample supports or containers, which often limits signal acquisition and can even alter sample properties due to interactions with the support material. We demonstrate that, because of the small sample volume, fluorescence measurements at high concentrations of an organic dye are possible without the limitation of inner-filter effects, which hamper such experiments in conventional, cuvette-based measurements. Furthermore, we show that acoustic levitation of liquid samples provides an experimentally simple way to study distance-dependent fluorescence modulations in semiconductor nanocrystals. The evaporation of the solvent during levitation leads to a continuous increase of solute concentration and can easily be monitored by laser-induced fluorescence. KW - Acoustic levitation KW - Dyes KW - Energy transfer KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum dots KW - Nanocrystals KW - Ultrasonic trap PY - 2008 DO - https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1430.039 SN - 0077-8923 SN - 1749-6632 SN - 0094-8500 VL - 1130 SP - 78 EP - 84 PB - New York Academy of Sciences CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-17658 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Matiushkina, Anna A1 - Litvinov, I. A1 - Bazhenova, A. A1 - Belyaeva, T. A1 - Dubavik, A. A1 - Veniaminov, A. A1 - Maslov, V. A1 - Kornilova, E. A1 - Orlova, A. A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Synthesis and physical properties studies of bifunctional nanocomposites N2 - At present, the field of research on nanostructures is actively developing, which is due to their unique physico-chemical properties compared to bulk materials. Many research activities are focused on obtaining nanocomposites, which combine various types of nanostructures with different properties and function. For example, the development of magneto-luminescent nanocomposites makes it possible to use their luminescence for optical imaging, and their magnetic properties for magnetic targeted delivery and as agents of hyperthermia and magnetic resonance imaging. My master studies as part of the project Goszadanie 2019-1080 at ITMO were focused on the investigation of nanocomposites, consisting of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) as luminescent component and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as magnetic one, in solution and during their incubation with HeLa cells. The spectrally resolved analysis of the QD photoluminescence (PL) kinetics of the free QDs and the QDs incorporated in these nanocomposites undergoing energy transfer processes allowed for (1) understanding the reasons for the quenching of QD luminescence in cells, (2) evaluating the average distance between the QDs and, based on this, concluding the degree of QD aggregation in cells, and (3) drawing conclusions about the QD-quencher composites integrity in cells. Overall, the analysis of the PL kinetics confirmed that QDs and SPIONs remain bound in the obtained nanocomposites during incubation with cells. To ensure the successful advancement of nanomaterials in biomedicine and the transition from their laboratory preparation and studies to their use in different applications and in industry, it is crucial to develop reliable measurement methods and reference materials candidates for the characterization of functional nanomaterials and assessing the quality of the obtained nanostructures. My recently started project at BAM, which is part of the EU metrology project MeTrINo, will be devoted to this topic. There we will focus on the development of methodologies for the synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles, already used in biomedicine, and multi-element lanthanide-based nanoparticles with attractive upconversion luminescence, as reference materials with high monodispersity and reproducibility. Also, these nanoparticles will be functionalized with organic dyes for optical imaging and, probably, the study of the energy transfer phenomena. T2 - Bad Honnef Summer School CY - Bad Honnef, Germany DA - 30.07.2023 KW - Quantum dots KW - Iron oxide nanoparticles KW - Upconversion nanoparticles PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58075 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miropoltsev, M. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Influence of Hydrophilic Thiol Ligands of Varying Denticity on the Luminescence Properties and Colloidal Stability of Quaternary Semiconductor Nanocrystals JF - Journal of Physical Chemistry C N2 - Binary photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are one of the best studied fluorescent nanomaterials, and their unique optoelectronic properties paved the road to many applications in (bio)nanophotonics, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics. However, concerns related to their toxic constituents like cadmium or lead and the emerging interest in greener chemistry synthesis approaches hamper their future applicability. Interesting alternatives for some applications like biosensing or bioimaging are heavy-metal-free ternary QDs like AgInS2 (AIS), CuInS2 (CIS), and quaternary QDs such as AIS-ZnS (ZAIS). In this context, we explored the effect of ligand denticity on the organic-to-aqueous phase transfer of oleylamine-stabilized ZAIS QDs with the hydrophilic ligands mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), and 3-mercapto-2,2-bis(mercaptomethyl)propanoic acid (3MPA), bearing mono-, bi-, and trialkyl thiol groups. Spectroscopic studies of the resulting water-dispersible ZAIS QDs revealed a considerable influence of ligand denticity and ligand-to-QD ratio on the spectral position and width (FWHM; full width at half-maximum) of the photoluminescence (PL) bands, the PL quantum yields (PL QY), and the PL decay kinetics. Thiol capping and phase transfer resulted in a loss in PL by at least a factor of 2. The ligand-induced PL quenching observed particularly for ligands bearing two or three thiol groups was attributed to the facilitated formation of surface-bound disulfides. The best colloidal stability under high dilution conditions was observed for 3MPA. KW - Quantum dots KW - Ligand exchange KW - Lifetime analysis KW - Thiols PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c05342 SN - 1932-7447 VL - 126 IS - 47 SP - 20101 EP - 20113 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-56707 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Potapkin, D. V. A1 - Geißler, Daniel A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Goryacheva, I. Y. T1 - Fluorescent quantum dot hydrophilization with PAMAM dendrimer JF - Journal of Nanoparticle Research N2 - Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were used to produce CdSe core/multi-shell fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) which are colloidally stable in aqueous solutions. The size, charge, and optical properties of QDs functionalized with the 4th (G4) and 5th (G5) generation of PAMAM were compared with amphiphilic polymer-covered QDs and used as criteria for the evaluation of the suitability of both water solubilization methods. As revealed by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering (DLS and ELS), the hydrodynamic sizes of the QDs varied from 30 to 65 nm depending on QD type and dendrimer generation, with all QDs displaying highly positive surface charges, i.e., zeta potentials of around +50 mV in water. PAMAM functionalization yielded stable core/multi-shell QDs with photoluminescence quantum yields (Φ) of up to 45%. These dendrimer-covered QDs showed a smaller decrease in their Φ upon phase transfer compared with QDs made water soluble via encapsulation with amphiphilic brush polymer bearing polyoxyethylene/ polyoxypropylene chains. KW - Photoluminescence quantum yield KW - Quantum dots KW - PAMAM dendrimers KW - Phase transfer KW - Fluorescence PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3411-4 VL - 18 IS - 108 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer Science + Business Media B.V. CY - Dordrecht, Netherlands AN - OPUS4-35857 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Weigert, Florian A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Geißler, Daniel A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Correlating HR-TEM and XPS to elucidate the core-shell structure of ultrabright CdSE/CdS semiconductor quantum dots N2 - Controlling the thickness and tightness of surface passivation shells is crucial for many applications of core-shell nanoparticles (NP). Usually, to determine shell thickness, core and core/shell particle are measured individually requiring the availability of both nanoobjects. This is often not fulfilled for functional nanomaterials such as many photoluminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QD) used for bioimaging, solid state lighting, and display technologies as the core does not show the application-relevant functionality like a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield. This calls for a whole nanoobject approach. Moreover, the thickness of the organic coating remains often unclear. By combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a novel whole nanoobject approach is developed representatively for an ultrabright oleic acid-stabilized, thick shell CdSe/CdS QD with a PL quantum yield close to unity. The size of this spectroscopically assessed QD, is in the range of the information depth of usual laboratory XPS. Information on particle size and monodispersity were validated with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and compared to data derived from optical measurements. The results of the different methods match very well within the different measurement uncertainties. Additionally, results obtained with energy-resolved XPS using excitation energies between 200 eV and 800 eV are discussed with respect to a potential core/shell intermixing. Moreover, the future application potential of this approach correlating different sizing and structural methods is discussed considering the method-inherent uncertainties and other core/multi-shell nanostructures. T2 - E-MRS Fall Meeting CY - Online meeting DA - 20.09.2021 KW - Core-shell nanoparticles KW - Quantum dots KW - High-resolution transmission electron microscopy KW - X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53365 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Relling, Alexander A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Niermann, L. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Copper doped AgInS2-ZnS QDs from a single-source-precursor N2 - Quaternary semiconductor nanocrystals like AgInS2-ZnS solid solution quantum dots (QDs) are a highly promising material for material science and biomedical applications due to their tunable photoluminescence (PL), their high quantum yields (QY), and their low cytotoxicity1. A red shift of the PL into the NIR and SWIR region could further increase their application potential. Copper doping has been proven to be a suitable approach for bathochromically shifting the PL of QDs2. The synthesis of copper doped AgInS2-ZnS QDs from a single-source-precursor should enable an easily scalable synthesis with high reproducibility. T2 - Summer School "Exciting nanostructures: characterizing advanced confined systems" CY - Bad Honnef, Germany DA - 18.07.2021 KW - Nanocrystals KW - Quantum dots KW - Doping KW - AgInS2 KW - Single-source-precursor PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53129 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ren, J. A1 - Weigert, Florian A1 - Weber, F. A1 - Wang, Y. A1 - Choudhury, S. A1 - Xiao, J. A1 - Lauermann, I. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Bande, A. A1 - Petit, T. ED - Petit, Tristan T1 - Influence of surface chemistry on optical, chemical and electronic properties of blue luminescent carbon dots JF - Nanoscale N2 - Carbon dots have attracted much attention due to their unique optical, chemical and electronic properties enabling a wide range of applications. The properties of carbon dots can be effectively adjusted through modifying their chemical composition. However, a major challenge remains in understanding the core and surface contributions to optical and electronic transitions. Here, three blue luminescent carbon dots with carboxyl, amino and hydroxyl groups were comprehensively characterized by UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The influence of the surface functionality on their fluorescence was probed by pH-dependent photoluminescence measurements. Moreover, the hydrogen bonding interactions between water and the surface groups of carbon dots were characterized by infrared spectroscopy. Our results show that both core and surface electronic states of blue luminescent carbon dots contribute to electronic acceptor levels while the chemical nature of the surface groups determines the hydrogen bonding behavior of the carbon dots. This comprehensive spectroscopic study demonstrates that the surface chemistry has a profound influence on the electronic configuration and surface–water interaction of carbon dots, thus affecting their photoluminescence properties. KW - Quantum dots KW - Spectroscopy KW - UV Vis KW - Fluorescence KW - Surface chemistry PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-472325 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c8nr08595a SN - 2040-3372 VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - 2056 EP - 2064 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-47232 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescence measurements, calibration strategies and photoluminescence quantum yields N2 - Different types of optical spectroscopies are introduced with special emphasis on method-inherent limitations and reliable instrument calibration and performance validation. In addition, procedures for the determination of spectroscopic key parameters like the photoluminescence quantum yield are presented including required instrument calibrations and material-specific effects related to certain emitters. T2 - Fakultät der University of Ottawa CY - Ottawa, Canada DA - 11.12.2018 KW - Quality assurcance KW - Optical spectroscopy KW - Method comparison KW - Photoluminescence KW - Calibration KW - Performance validation KW - Dye KW - Nanoparticle KW - Quantum dots KW - Quantum yields KW - Uncertainty KW - Method validation PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-47630 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Optical spectroscopy – Techniques, instrumentation, and typical molecular and nanoscale reporters N2 - Different types of optical spectroscopies are introduced with special emphasis on method-inherent limitations and reliable instrument calibration and performance validation. In addition, different classes of molecular and nanocrystalline emitters are presented and the underlying photophysical processes are briefly described. T2 - Fakultät der University of Ottawa CY - Ottawa, Canada DA - 11.12.2018 KW - quality assurcance KW - Optical spectroscopy KW - Method comparison KW - Photoluminescence KW - Calibration KW - Performance validation KW - Dye KW - Nanoparticle KW - Quantum dots KW - Quantum yields KW - Uncertainty KW - Method validation PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-47631 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schneider, Ralf A1 - Weigert, Florian A1 - Lesnyak, V. A1 - Leubner, S. A1 - Lorenz, T. A1 - Behnke, Thomas A1 - Dubavik, A. A1 - Joswig, J.-O. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Gaponik, N. A1 - Eychmüller, A. ED - Resch-Genger, Ute ED - Schneider, Ralf T1 - pH and concentration dependence of the optical properties of thiol-capped CdTe nanocrystals in water and D2O JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics N2 - The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SC NCs) are largely controlled by their size and surface chemistry, i.e., the chemical composition and thickness of inorganic passivation shells and the chemical nature and number of surface ligands as well as the strength of their bonds to surface atoms. The latter is particularly important for CdTe NCs, which – together with alloyed CdₓHg₁₋ₓTe – are the only SC NCs that can be prepared in water in high quality without the need for an additional inorganic passivation shell. Aiming at a better understanding of the role of stabilizing ligands for the control of the application-relevant fluorescence features of SC NCs, we assessed the influence of two of the most commonly used monodentate thiol ligands, thioglycolic acid (TGA) and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), on the colloidal stability, photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY), and PL decay behavior of a set of CdTe NC colloids. As an indirect measure for the strength of the coordinative bond of the ligands to SC NC surface atoms, the influence of the pH (pD) and the concentration on the PL properties of these colloids was examined in water and D₂O and compared to the results from previous dilution studies with a set of thiol-capped Cd₁₋ₓHgₓTe SC NCs in D₂O. As a prerequisite for these studies, the number of surface ligands was determined photometrically at different steps of purification after SC NC synthesis with Ellman’s test. Our results demonstrate ligand control of the pH-dependent PL of these SC NCs, with MPA-stabilized CdTe NCs being less prone to luminescence quenching than TGA-capped ones. For both types of CdTe colloids, ligand desorption is more pronounced in H₂O compared to D₂O, underlining also the role of hydrogen bonding and solvent molecules. KW - Quantum dots KW - Fluorescence KW - Ligand analysis KW - Nano particles PY - 2016 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-371253 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6cp03123d VL - 18 IS - 28 SP - 19083 EP - 19092 PB - RSC CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-37125 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Eckert, J. G. A1 - Lübkemann-Warwas, F. A1 - Hübner, Oskar A1 - Bigall, N. C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescent Polymer Microbeads – Synthesis & Applications N2 - Differently sized, luminescent polymer beads encoded with QDs were prepared with a simple, optimized polymerization procedure. The optical properties of the resulting particles were studied to ensure sufficient fluorescence. In addition, possible future applications were identified. T2 - Future WiNS: New Energies for a Sustainable World CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 07.12.2022 KW - Polymerization KW - Quantum dots KW - Fluorescence KW - Luminescence PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56560 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Eckert, J. G. A1 - Bigall, N. C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescence Encoding of Polymer Microbeads during Polymerization N2 - Luminescent polymer microbeads are applied in bead-based platforms for biomolecule binding interactions, and the encoding of these beads is important for the realization of optically distinguishable barcodes. While dye- encoded beads often suffer from photobleaching and spectral crosstalk due to the relatively broad dye emission band, quantum dot (QD)-encoded beads absorb in a very broad wavelength range and reveal narrow emission bands, which enables simultaneous excitation of beads stained with differently colored QDs. To address existing limitations of QD encoding, we have explored simple and effective approaches to homogeneously stain polymer particles and identify suitable polymerization reactions and QD surface ligands that tackle these challenges. T2 - Bad Honnef Physics School 2021 CY - Bad Honnef, Germany DA - 18.07.2021 KW - Polymerization KW - Quantum dots KW - Encoding KW - Microbeads KW - Luminescence PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53038 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Eckert, J. G. A1 - Elahi, T. A1 - Lübkemann, F. A1 - Hübner, Oskar A1 - Bigall, N. C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescence Encoding of Polymer Microbeads during Polymerization N2 - Differently sized, luminescent polymer beads encoded with QDs were prepared with a simple, optimized procedure. The optical properties of the resulting particles were studied to ensure sufficient fluorescence and to evaluate the influence of the polymerization on QD fluorescence. T2 - 84th Prague Meeting on Macromolecules - Frontiers of Polymer Colloids CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 24.07.2022 KW - Polymerization KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum dots KW - Microbeads PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55447 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Eckert, J. G. A1 - Lutowski, Marc A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Hidde, Gundula A1 - Bigall, N. C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescent, nanoparticle-loaded polymer microparticles - comparing synthesis routes N2 - Our comparison showed that the route used for the synthesis of luminescent, NP-loaded PSMPs can play a significant role for the luminescence properties, as well as the number of accessible SFGs, and hence subsequent functionalization. This should be considered for future applications. T2 - Bunsen-Tagung 2023 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 05.06.2023 KW - Fluorescence KW - Polymerization KW - Microbeads KW - Quantum dots KW - Comparison PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57628 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Eckert, J. G. A1 - Elahi, T. A1 - Lübkemann, F. A1 - Hübner, Oskar A1 - Bigall, N. C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescence encoding of polymer microbeads with organic dyes and semiconductor quantum dots during polymerization JF - Scientific reports N2 - Luminescence-encoded microbeads are important tools for many applications in the life and material sciences that utilize luminescence detection as well as multiplexing and barcoding strategies. The preparation of such beads often involves the staining of premanufactured beads with molecular luminophores using simple swelling procedures or surface functionalization with layer-by-layer (LbL) techniques. Alternatively, these luminophores are sterically incorporated during the polymerization reaction yielding the polymer beads. The favorable optical properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which present broadly excitable, size-tunable, narrow emission bands and low photobleaching sensitivity, triggered the preparation of beads stained with QDs. However, the colloidal nature and the surface chemistry of these QDs, which largely controls their luminescence properties, introduce new challenges to bead encoding that have been barely systematically assessed. To establish a straightforward approach for the bead encoding with QDs with minimized loss in luminescence, we systematically assessed the incorporation of oleic acid/oleylamine-stabilized CdSe/CdS-core/shell-QDs into 0.5–2.5 μm-sized polystyrene (PS) microspheres by a simple dispersion polymerization synthesis that was first optimized with the organic dye Nile Red. Parameters addressed for the preparation of luminophore-encoded beads include the use of a polymer-compatible ligand such as benzyldimethyloctadecylammonium chloride (OBDAC) for the QDs, and crosslinking to prevent luminophore leakage. The physico-chemical and optical properties of the resulting beads were investigated with electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, optical spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. Particle size distribution, fluorescence quantum yield of the encapsulated QDs, and QD leaking stability were used as measures for bead quality. The derived optimized bead encoding procedure enables the reproducible preparation of bright PS microbeads encoded with organic dyes as well as with CdSe/CdS-QDs. Although these beads show a reduced photoluminescence quantum yield compared to the initially very strongly luminescent QDs, with values of about 35%, their photoluminescence quantum yield is nevertheless still moderate. KW - Polymerization KW - Quantum dots KW - Microbeads KW - Fluorescence PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-553430 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16065-x SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-55343 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Weigert, Florian A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Carrière, M. A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Influence of the ZnSe thickness on the photophysical properties of large-size InP/ZnSe/ZnS core-shell QDs N2 - Semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are well known for their superior optoelectronic properties and enabled advancements in several key technologies of the 21st century. II-VI QDs containing the heavy metal element cadmium plaid a central role in this research area. Due to the concerns regarding their toxic potential, the European Union will ban cadmium in 2020 from use in any consumer product. Due to their comparable optoelectronic properties and a more environmentally friendly character, indium phosphide based QDs (InP-QDs) are a promising alternative. Their large application potential was already shown in their utilization in the newest commercial TV screens. A vital role for highly luminescent QDs for such an application plays the growth of a surface passivating shell around the InP core. The combination of InP/ZnSe/ZnS in so-called core/shell/shell materials exploits the advantages of a small lattice mismatch (3.3%) between InP and ZnSe and the large band gap of ZnS to efficiently confine the excitons in the core and to increase the overall chemical stability. Using a thin ZnSe layer and a thick ZnS shell has shown to improve the optical properties of InP QDs and only recently, the prevention of blinking and mono-exponential decay kinetics could be achieved with a thick ZnSe Shell. In our contribution, we investigated the influence of the thickness of the intermediate ZnSe layer (1 to 8 monolayers (ML)) on the photophysical properties of InP/ZnSe/ZnS core/shell/shell QDs with a final size of about 10 nm on the ensemble and the single-particle level. By rendering these InP QDs water-soluble, we were able to compare their properties in the organic and aqueous phase and further studied their toxicological potential depending on the chemical composition of their surface shell. T2 - Nanoscience with nanocrystals (NaNaX) 9 CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 16.09.2019 KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Core-shell structures KW - Single-particle measurements PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49427 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Carrière, M. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Tuning the photoluminescence of inp quantum dots with gallium N2 - Semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are well known for their superior photophysical properties and enabled advancements in several key technologies of the 21st century and numerous technological applications. However, the most studied II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals contain the toxic heavy metal element cadmium, which is limiting their utilization in commercial applications. This has drawn the interest to alternative materials with less toxicity but having similar photophysical features. The newest generation of TV screens based on QDs have shown that there is a promising environmentally friendly alternative with similar optoelectronic properties, namely indium phosphide (InP) QDs. InP QDs possess a bulk band gap of 1.35 eV with an exciton Bohr radius of ca. 10 nm and thus allow to tune their photoluminescence (PL) from the visible to the near-infrared. Tuning the size and shape of InP QDs and thus tailor their optoelectronic properties can be achieved by different strategies, which range from different types and concentrations of precursors, synthesis temperature or post-synthetic manipulations like etching. The incorporation of other elements like Gallium within the InP core synthesis is another possibility. Using a GaP intermediate layer before growing a ZnS shell has been shown to increase the PL quantum yield, which has been attributed to reduced lattice strain and the removal of phosphor vacancies. Different Ga precursors were investigated but a thorough investigation in terms of their reactivity, localization in the QD and influence on the photophysical properties is lacking to date. In this contribution we will present the detailed investigation of the presence of two different Ga precursors within the InP core synthesis. Photophysical characterizations (steady-state and PL life-time measurements), transmission electron microscopy, XRD and EDX gave insights into the reactivity of the Ga precursors, the Ga localization in the InP core and influences on the photophysical properties. The variation of the precursor and surfactant concentration and the utilization of different ligands for the Ga precursor allowed tuning the PL emission towards the blue or the red. Depending on the used precursor type we observed the formation of larger-sized InP/GaP core/shell nanocrystals or the formation of InGaP alloy structures enabling to assess the blue range of emission (475 nm). T2 - Zsigmondy Colloquium CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 10.07.2019 KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Gallium doping PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49426 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Coro, A. A1 - Marquez, R. M. A1 - Le Guevel, X. A1 - Juarez, B. H. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Exploring the photoluminescence of gold NCs and Ag2S NPs to boost their SWIR emission N2 - Current challenges and objectives for non-invasive optical bioimaging are deep tissue penetration, high detection sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, and fast data acquisition. A promising spectral window to tackle these challenges is the short-wave infrared (SWIR) ranging from 900 nm to 1700 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of biological components are strongly reduced compared to the visible/NIR. At present, the best performing SWIR contrast agents are based on nanomaterials containing toxic heavy-metal ions like cadmium or lead, which raises great concerns for biological applications. Promising heavy-metal free nanoscale candidates are gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs). The photoluminescence (PL) of both types of nanomaterials is very sensitive to their size, composition of their surface ligand shell, and element composition, which provides an elegant handle to fine-tune their absorption and emission features and boost thereby the size of the signals recorded in bioimaging studies. Aiming for the development of SWIR contrast agents with optimum performance, we dived deeper into the photophysical processes occurring in these nanomaterials, thereby exploring in depth how the environment, surface ligand composition, and the incorporation of transition metals influence the optical properties of AuNCs and Ag2S NPs. We observed a strong enhancement of the SWIR emission of AuNCs upon exposure to different local environments (in solution, polymer, and in the solid state). Addition of metal ions such as Zn2+ to Ag2S based NPs led to a strong PL enhancement, yielding PL quantum yields of about 10% and thus making them highly suitable for non-invasive deep imaging of vascular networks and 3D fluid flow mapping. T2 - NaNaX 10 - Nanoscience with Nanocrystals CY - Klosterneuburg, Austria DA - 03.07.2023 KW - Quantum dots KW - Ag2S KW - Fluorescence KW - SWIR KW - Gold nanocluster KW - Nanomaterial KW - bioimaging PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58104 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Coro, A. A1 - Le Guevel, X. A1 - Juarez, B. H. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - SWIR luminescent nanomaterials – key chemical parameters for bright probes for in vivo bioimaging N2 - A current challenge for studying physio-pathological phenomena and diseaserelated processes in living organisms with non-invasive optical bioimaging is the development of bright optical reporters that enable deep tissue penetration, a high detection sensitivity, and a high spatial and temporal resolution. The focus of this project are nanomaterials, which absorb and emit in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) between ~900–2500 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of the tissue are strongly reduced compared to the visible and NIR. T2 - QD2024 - 12th International Conference on Quantum Dots CY - Munich, Germany DA - 18.03.2024 KW - Quantum dots KW - Advanced nanomaterials KW - Fluorescence KW - Quality assurance KW - Gold nanocluster KW - Shortwave infrared KW - Spectroscopy KW - Bioimaging PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-59783 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Carriere, M. A1 - Pouget, S. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Luminescent Quantum dots – the next-generation nano light bulbs N2 - Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), enabled many advancements in biotechnology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, quantum computing and display devices. The high versatility of this nanomaterial is based on their unique size-tunable photoluminescence properties, which can be adjusted from the visible to the near-infrared range. In contrast to other nanomaterials, QDs made the transition from a laboratory curiosity to the utilization in commercial products, like the QLED television screen or in smartphone displays. The best investigated QDs are composed of heavy metals like cadmium or lead, which is not the best choice in terms of toxicity and environmental pollution. A more promising material is Indium Phosphide (InP), which is also currently used by Samsung, Sony and co. in the QLED displays. In this contribution, I would like to give you a sneak peek behind the curtains of nanomaterial synthesis and show how this material is produced, how to stabilize their structural properties, and assess their toxicity in environmentally relevant conditions. Furthermore, I would like to present a synthesis method to accomplish the last open challenge in display technology of a blue luminescent LED based on QDs by introducing a new element to the InP QDs. T2 - The Berlin Postdoc Day CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 03.11.2022 KW - InP KW - Quantum dots KW - Fluorescence KW - Aging KW - Doping KW - Nanomaterial KW - Cytotoxicity PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56194 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Dussert, F. A1 - Truffier-Boutry, D. A1 - Benayad, A. A1 - Beal, D. A1 - Mattera, L. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Carrière, M. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Influence of the Core/Shell Structure of Indium Phosphide Based Quantum Dots on Their Photostability and Cytotoxicity JF - Frontiers in Chemistry N2 - With the goal to improve their photostability, InP-based QDs are passivated with three types of inorganic shells, namely (i) a gradient ZnSexS1−x shell, (ii) an additional ZnS shell on top of the gradient shell with two different thicknesses (core/shell/shell, CSS), (iii) an alumina coating on top of ZnS. All three systems have photoluminescence Quantum yields (PLQY) > 50%and similar PL decay times (64–67 ns). To assess their photostability they are incorporated into a transparent poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix and exposed to continuous irradiation with simulated sunlight in a climate chamber. The alumina coated core/shell system exhibits the highest stability in terms of PLQY Retention as well as the lowest shift of the PL maximum and lowest increase of the PL linewidth, followed by the CSS QDs and finally the gradient shell system. By means of XPS studies we identify the degradation of the ZnS outer layer and concomitant xidation of the emissive InZnP core as the main origins of degradation in the gradient structure. These modifications do not occur in the case of the alumina-capped sample, which exhibits excellent chemical stability. The gradient shell and CSS systems could be transferred to the aqueous phase using surface ligand exchange with penicillamine. Cytotoxicity studies on human primary keratinocytes revealed that exposure for 24 h to 6.25–100 nM of QDs did not affect cell viability. However, a trend toward reduced cell proliferation is observed for higher concentrations of gradient shell and CSS QDs with a thin ZnS shell, while CSS QDs with a thicker ZnS shell do not exhibit any impact. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Cytotoxicity KW - Photostability PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-494249 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2019.00466 VL - 7 SP - Article Number: 466 PB - Frontiers Media SA AN - OPUS4-49424 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Moros, M. A1 - Castillo-Michel, H. A1 - Materra, L. A1 - Onorato, G. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Tortiglione, C. T1 - In Vivo Biotransformations of Indium Phosphide Quantum Dots Revealed by X‑Ray Microspectroscopy JF - ACS Applied Material & Interfaces N2 - Many attempts have been made to synthesize cadmium-free quantum dots (QDs), using nontoxic materials, while preserving their unique optical properties. Despite impressive advances, gaps in knowledge of their intracellular fate, persistence, and excretion from the targeted cell or organism still exist, precluding clinical applications. In this study, we used a simple model organism (Hydra vulgaris) presenting a tissue grade of organization to determine the biodistribution of indium phosphide (InP)-based QDs by X-ray fluorescence imaging. By complementing elemental imaging with In L-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, unique information on in situ chemical speciation was obtained. Unexpectedly, spectral profiles indicated the appearance of In−O species within the first hour post-treatment, suggesting a fast degradation of the InP QD core in vivo, induced mainly by carboxylate groups. Moreover, no significant difference in the behavior of bare core QDs and QDs capped with an inorganic Zn(Se,S) gradient shell was observed. The results paralleled those achieved by treating animals with an equivalent dose of indium salts, confirming the preferred bonding type of In3+ ions in Hydra tissues. In conclusion, by focusing on the chemical identity of indium along a 48 h long journey of QDs in Hydra, we describe a fast degradation process, in the absence of evident toxicity. These data pave the way to new paradigms to be considered in the biocompatibility assessment of QD-based biomedical applications, with greater emphasis on the dynamics of in vivo biotransformations, and suggest strategies to drive the design of future applied materials for nanotechnology-based diagnosis and therapeutics. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Cytotoxicity KW - X-ray microspectroscopy PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b15433 VL - 11 IS - 39 SP - 35630 EP - 35640 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-49425 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Pouget, S. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Carriere, M. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Gallium – a versatile element for tuning the photoluminescence properties of InP quantum dots JF - Chemical Communications N2 - With the goal to tune the emission properties of colloidal InP quantum dots, the incorporation of Ga was explored. Unexpectedly, depending on the nature of the gallium precursor, the photoluminescence shifted either to the red (gallium oleate) or to the blue (gallium acetylacetonate). In the first case, larger-sized InP/GaP core/shell nanocrystals were formed, while in the second case the formation of an InGaP alloy structure enabled the blue range of emission (475 nm) to be accessed. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Gallium doping PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CC09740B VL - 55 IS - 11 SP - 1663 EP - 1666 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-48306 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Quantum dots JF - Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry N2 - The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Aleksey I. Ekimov (prize share 1/3), Louis E. Brus (prize share 1/3), and Moungi G. Bawendi (prize share 1/3) for groundbreaking inventions in the field of nanotechnology, i.e., for the discovery and synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals, also termed quantum dots, that exhibit size-dependent physicochemical properties enabled by quantum size effects. This feature article summarizes the main milestones of the discoveries and developments of quantum dots that paved the road to their versatile applications in solid-state lighting, display technology, energy conversion, medical diagnostics, bioimaging, and image-guided surgery. KW - Quantum dots KW - Semiconductor nanocrystals KW - Luminescence KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Quantum yield KW - Advanced nanomaterials KW - Quality assurance KW - Energy transfer PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597843 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05225-9 VL - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer CY - Cham AN - OPUS4-59784 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zavoiura, O. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Seitz, O. T1 - Reactive Quantum Dot-Based FRET Systems JF - Methods in Molecular Biology N2 - Oligonucleotide-templated reactions (OTRs) between two reactive hybridization probes allow for the detection of a DNA or RNA of interest by exploiting the target molecule as a catalyst of chemical reactions. The product of such a reaction commonly exhibits distinct fluorescence properties and can be detected by the means of fluorescence spectroscopy. The vast majority of OTR systems utilize organic dyes as fluorescent reporters. However, the use of brighter emitters, such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), has potential to improve the sensitivity of detection by providing brighter signals and permitting the use of probes at very low concentrations. Here we report an RNA-templated reaction between two fluorescently labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-based probes, which proceeds on the surface of a QD. The QD-Bound PNA probe bears a cysteine functionality, while the other PNA is functionalized with an organic dye as a thioester. OTR between these probes proceeds through a transfer of the organic dye to the QD and can be conveniently monitored via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the QD to the Cy5. The reaction was performed in a conventional fluorescence microplate reader and permits the detection of RNA in the picomolar range. KW - Fluorescence KW - Nano KW - Particle quantum dot KW - FRET KW - Assay KW - Sensor KW - RNA-templated reactions KW - Bioconjugation KW - Synthesis KW - Dye KW - Click chemistry KW - Peptide nucleic acid KW - Quantum dots KW - RNA KW - Fluorescence spectroscopy PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0243-0_11 VL - 2105 SP - 187 EP - 198 PB - Springer Sience+Business Media AN - OPUS4-50553 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -