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 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 U6 - 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 - 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 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 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-494249 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 - 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 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 U6 - 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 -