TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, P. A1 - Morales-Marquez, R. A1 - Cervas, G. A1 - Hernandez Medel, A. A1 - Ogayar, M. P. A1 - Jimenez de Aberasturi, D. A1 - de Isidro-Gomez, A. I. A1 - Torres-Padro, A. A1 - Palomares, F. J. A1 - Garcia-Orrit, S. A1 - Sousa, C. T. A1 - Espinosa, A. A1 - Telle, H. H. A1 - Ortgies, D. H. A1 - Vega-Mayoral, V. A1 - Cabanillas-Gonzalez, J. A1 - Rodriguez, E. M. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Juarez, B. H. T1 - The role of temperature in the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of Ag2S-based nanocrystals N2 - Highly emissive Ag2S nanocrystals (NCs) passivated with a gradated shell incorporating Se and Zn were synthesized in air, and the temperature dependence of their photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) was quantified in both organic and aqueous media at B1200 nm. The relevance of this parameter, measured at physiological temperatures, is highlighted for applications that rely on the near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence of NCs, such as deep NIR imaging or luminescence nanothermometry. Hyperspectral NIR imaging shows that Ag2S-based NCs with a PLQY in organic media of about 10% are inefficient for imaging at 40 8C through 20 mm thick tissue with low laser irradiation power densities. In contrast, water-transferred Ag2S-based NCs with an initial PLQY of 2% in water exhibit improved robustness against temperature changes, enabling improved imaging performance. KW - Quantum dots KW - Ag2S KW - Fluorescence KW - Nanomaterial design KW - Advanced nanomaterials KW - Shortwave infrared (SWIR) KW - Temperature sensing PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-613877 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH01016G SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-61387 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maisuls, I. A1 - Wang, Cui A1 - Gutierrez Suburu, M. E. A1 - Wilde, S. A1 - Daniliuc, C.-G. A1 - Brunink, D. A1 - Doltsinis, N. L. A1 - Ostendorp, S. A1 - Kösters, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Strassert, C. A. T1 - Ligand-controlled and nanoconfinement-boosted luminescence employing Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes: from color-tunable aggregation-enhanced dual emitters towards self-referenced oxygen reporters N2 - In this work, we describe the synthesis, structural and photophysical characterization of four novel Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes bearing tetradentate luminophoric ligands with high photoluminescence quantum yields (FL) and long excited state lifetimes (s) at room temperature, where the results were interpreted by means of DFT calculations. Incorporation of fluorine atoms into the tetradentate ligand favors aggregation and thereby, a shortened average distance between the metal centers, which provides accessibility to metal–metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (3MMLCT) excimers acting as red-shifted Energy traps if compared with the monomeric entities. This supramolecular approach provides an elegant way to enable room-temperature phosphorescence from Pd(II) complexes, which are otherwise quenched by a thermal population of dissociative states due to a lower ligand field splitting. Encapsulation of These complexes in 100 nm-sized aminated polystyrene nanoparticles enables concentration-controlled aggregation-enhanced dual emission. This phenomenon facilitates the tunability of the absorption and emission colors while providing a rigidified environment supporting an enhanced FL up to about 80% and extended s exceeding 100 ms. Additionally, these nanoarrays constitute rare examples for selfreferenced oxygen reporters, since the phosphorescence of the aggregates is insensitive to external influences, whereas the monomeric species drop in luminescence lifetime and intensity with increasing triplet molecular dioxygen concentrations (diffusion-controlled quenching). KW - Fluorescence KW - Multiplexing KW - Lifetime KW - Bead KW - Particle KW - Dye KW - Barcoding KW - Encoding KW - Quantum yield KW - Label KW - Reporter KW - Pd(II) KW - Pt(II) KW - Complex KW - NMR KW - X-ray KW - Sythesis KW - Aggregation KW - Monomer KW - Color PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525288 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sc06126c VL - 12 IS - 9 SP - 3270 EP - 3281 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-52528 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Stiegler, L. M. S. A1 - Zhou, X. A1 - Rezvani, A. A1 - Odungat, A. S. A1 - Zubiri, B. A. A1 - Wu, M. A1 - Spiecker, E. A1 - Walter, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Segets, D. T1 - Optimizing the Shelling Process of InP/ZnS Quantum Dots Using a Single-Source Shell Precursor: Implications for Lighting and Display Applications N2 - InP/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs), recognized as highly promising heavy-metal-free emitters, are increasingly being utilized in lighting and display applications. Their synthesis in a tubular flow reactor enables production in a highly efficient, scalable, and reproducible manner, particularly when combined with a single-source shell precursor, such as zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (Zn(S2CNEt2)2). However, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of QDs synthesized with this route remains significantly lower compared with those synthesized in batch reactors involving multiple steps for the shell growth. Our study identifies the formation of absorbing, yet nonemissive ZnS nanoparticles during the ZnS shell formation process as a main contributing factor to this discrepancy. By varying the shelling conditions, especially the shelling reaction temperature and InP core concentration, we investigated the formation of pure ZnS nanoparticles and their impact on the optical properties, particularly PLQY, of the resultant InP/ZnS QDs through ultraviolet−visible (UV−vis) absorption, steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) measurements. Our results suggest that process conditions, such as lower shelling temperatures or reduced InP core concentrations (resulting in a lower external surface area), encourage homogeneous nucleation of ZnS. This reduces the availability of shell precursors necessary for effective passivation of the InP core surfaces, ultimately resulting in lower PLQYs. These findings explain the origin of persistently underperforming PLQY of InP/ZnS QDs synthesized from this synthesis route and suggest further optimization strategies to improve their emission for lighting and display applications. KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Synthesis KW - InP KW - Shell KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum yield KW - ZnS KW - Semiconductor KW - Quantum dot KW - Flow reactor KW - Method KW - AUC KW - Size KW - Automation KW - Sensor PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.4c05265 SN - 2574-0970 VL - 7 IS - 20 SP - 24262 EP - 24273 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-61518 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rezvani, A. A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Soltanmoradi, H. A1 - Kichigin, A. A1 - Zhou, X. A1 - Gantenberg, T. A1 - Schram, J. A1 - Zubiri, B. A. A1 - Spiecker, E. A1 - Walter, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Segets, D. T1 - Separation of Indium Phosphide/Zinc Sulfide Core−Shell Quantum Dots from Shelling Byproducts through Multistep Agglomeration N2 - Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) possess unique electronic and optical properties, making them promising candidates for applications in lightemitting diodes, solar cells, bioimaging, and photocatalysis. Precise control over their size, shape, and chemical and electronic structure is crucial to ensure the desired functional properties and optimize device performance. However, challenges in QD synthesis and post-synthesis modification persist, especially in large-scale production. This study addresses the classification of QDs synthesized in a tubular flow reactor consisting of a mixture of the desired InP/ZnS core−shell QDs and QDs made from the shell material, i.e., here ZnS QDs formed as a byproduct during the formation step of the ZnS shell. The homogeneous nucleation of ZnS nanoparticles from the shelling material introduces a heterogeneity in size and composition and affects the optical properties of the resulting QDs. To address this issue, we developed a size-selective agglomeration (SSA) technique by incrementally introducing ethanol as a poor solvent and classified the synthesized QDs into 13 distinct fractions. These 13 fractions are sorted into three distinct groups: (i) larger InP/ZnS QDs, (ii) a combination of smaller InP/ZnS QDs and larger ZnS QDs, and (iii) predominant ZnS QDs with some very tiny InP/ZnS QDs. The comprehensive characterization of the fractions was conducted using UV−visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and analytical ultracentrifugation. We could demonstrate that our method effectively separated unwanted ZnS QDs from the target InP/ZnS QDs. In addition, the fractions enriched in smaller InP/ZnS QDs exhibited a higher photoluminescence quantum yield compared to the fractions with larger QDs. This demonstrates the efficacy of SSA in finetuning the composition of QD mixtures produced on a larger scale to improve their functional properties. This approach provides fundamental understanding toward the development of a scalable two-dimensional classification process for such ultrasmall nanoparticles by particle size and composition. KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference material KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Quantum dot KW - Synthesis KW - Flow reactor KW - InP KW - Shell KW - ZnS KW - Surface chemistry KW - Method KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum yield KW - TEM PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c18530 SN - 1936-086X VL - 19 IS - 20 SP - 19080 EP - 19094 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-63215 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, X.-D. A1 - Meier, R.J. A1 - Schmittlein, C. A1 - Schreml, S. A1 - Schäferling, Michael A1 - Wolfbeis, Otto S. T1 - A water-sprayable, thermogelating and biocompatible polymer host for use in fluorescent chemical sensing and imaging of oxygen, pH values and temperature N2 - We report on the use of a sprayable and thermogelating biomaterial (Poloxamer™; a.k.a. Pluronic™) in optical imaging of pH values, local oxygen and temperature. The material is highly biocompatible and easy to handle. We also show that the material is well permeable to oxygen (thus making it a good choice for use in oxygen sensors), and is stable in liquid solution and at elevated temperature. We demonstrate its applicability in optical sensors for oxygen, pH and temperature. This was accomplished by incorporating appropriate luminescent probes in various kinds of microparticles (which act as hosts for the probes and prevent dye leaching and aggregation), and then dispersing the microparticles in the thermogelating polymer. The resulting sensor gels were deposited on the surface of interest via spraying at temperatures of <20 °C. At these temperatures, the gels adhere well to the target, even on uneven surfaces such as skin, wounds, and bacterial cultures. If temperature is risen to above 25 °C, the gels form a thin and soft but solid sensing layer which, however, can be simply removed from surface of interest by cooling and wiping it off, or by washing with water. Sprayable thermogelating sensors present obvious advantages over other sensors by not causing damage to the surface of interest. In our perception, the sensing materials also have wide further applicability in sensors for other species including clinically relevant gases, enzyme substrates (such as glucose or lactate) and ions. KW - Chemical sensing KW - Imaging KW - Biocompatible polymer KW - Sprayable sensor KW - Fluorescence KW - Poloxamer KW - Pluronic KW - Oxygen sensor KW - pH sensor KW - Temperature sensor PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2015.05.082 SN - 0925-4005 SN - 1873-3077 VL - 221 SP - 37 EP - 44 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-33855 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -