TY - JOUR A1 - Mohammad, W. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Comby-Zerbino, C. A1 - Trouillet, V. A1 - Ogayer, M. P. A1 - Coll, J.-L. A1 - Marin, R. A1 - Jaque Garcia, D. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Antoine, R. A1 - Le Guevel, X. T1 - Enhanced brightness of ultra-small gold nanoparticles in the second biological window through thiol ligand shell control JF - Journal of Materials Chemistry C N2 - Gold-based nanoparticles below 2 nm in size are promising as luminescent probes for in vivo bioimaging, owing to their brightness and rapid renal clearance. However, their use as contrast agents in the near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) range remains challenging due to their low photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield. To address this, PL enhancement can be achieved by either rigidifying the ligand-shell structure or increasing the size of the ligand shell. In this study, we synthesized ultra-small gold nanoparticles stabilized by co-ligands, namely monothiol and short dithiol molecules. By precisely controlling the amount of reducing agent used during particle preparation, we successfully modulated the physicochemical properties of the co-ligand shell, including its size, composition, and structure. Consequently, we achieved a remarkable 60-fold increase in the absorption cross-section at 990 nm while maintaining the small size of the 1.5-nm metal core. The analytical and optical characterization of our thiol-capped gold nanoparticles indicates that the ligand shell size is governed by the quantity of the reducing agent, which, in turn, impacts the balance between radiative and non-radiative processes, thereby influencing the PL quantum yield. KW - Gold nanocluster KW - NIR-II fluorescence KW - SWIR KW - Nanomaterial design KW - Calibrated fluorescence measurements PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-588117 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3TC03021K SN - 2050-7526 VL - 11 IS - 42 SP - 14714 EP - 14724 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-58811 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolf, S. E. A1 - Lieberwirth, I. A1 - Natalio, F. A1 - Bardeau, J.-F. A1 - Delorme, N. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Barrea, R. A1 - Kappl, M. A1 - Marin, F. T1 - Merging models of biomineralisation with concepts of nonclassical crystallisation: is a liquid amorphous precursor involved in the formation of the prismatic layer of the Mediterranean Fan Mussel Pinna nobilis? JF - Faraday discussions N2 - The calcitic prisms of Pinna nobilis (Pinnidae, Linnaeus 1758) are shown to be perfect examples of a mesocrystalline material. Based on their ultrastructure and on the occurrence of an amorphous transient precursor during the early stages of prism formation, we provide evidence for the pathway of mesocrystallisation proposed by Seto et al. (2012), which proceeds not by self-organized oriented attachment of crystalline nano-bricks but by aggregation of initially amorphous nanogranules which later transform by epitaxial nucleation to a three-dimensional array of well aligned nanocrystals. We further fathom the role of a liquid amorphous calcium carbonate in biomineralisation processes and provide strong evidence for the occurrence of PILP-like intermediates during prism formation. We develop a new scenario of prism formation based on the presented findings presented findings and discuss the implications of a speculative liquid amorphous calcium carbonate (LACC) intermediate in vivo. PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c2fd20045g SN - 1359-6640 SN - 1364-5498 VL - 159 IS - 0 SP - 433 EP - 448 PB - Soc. CY - Cambridge [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-27122 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Brunet, G. A1 - Marin, R. A1 - Monk, Melissa-Jane A1 - Galico, D. A. A1 - Sigoli, F. A. A1 - Suturina, E. A. A1 - Hemmer, E. A1 - Murugesu, M. T1 - Exploring the dual functionality of an Ytterbium complex for luminescence thermometry and slow magnetic relaxation† JF - Chemical Science N2 - We present a comprehensive investigation of the magnetic and optical properties of an ytterbium complex, which combines two desirable and practical features into a single molecular system. Based upon YbIII Ions that promote near-infrared optical activity and a chemical backbone that is ideal for an in-depth understanding of the magnetic behaviour, we have designed a multifunctional opto-magnetic species that operates as a luminescent thermometer and as a single-molecule magnet (SMM). Our magnetic investigations, in conjunction with ab initio calculations, reveal one of the highest energy barriers reported for an YbIII-based complex. Moreover, we correlate this anisotropic barrier with the Emission spectrum of the compound, wherein we provide a complete assignment of the energetic profile of the complex. Such studies lay the foundation for the design of exciting multi-faceted materials that are able to retain information at the single-molecule level and possess built-in thermal self-monitoring capabilities. KW - Magnetic KW - Fluorescence KW - NIR KW - Temperature KW - Dual sensing KW - Sensor KW - Yb(III) complex KW - Lanthanide KW - Quantum yield KW - Quality assurance PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-486659 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9sc00343f VL - 10 IS - 28 SP - 6799 EP - 6808 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-48665 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -