Graphene oxide-based colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides via a multi-enzyme cascade reaction.

Size-tunable graphene oxides (GO) were synthesized as a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) mimic for colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) at nanomolar levels via a cascade reaction. A GO-based colorimetric method showed high sensitivity and stability toward OPs, which hold great potential in public health applications.

Synthesis of green emissive carbon dots@montmorillonite composites and their application for fabrication of light-emitting diodes and latent fingerprints markers.

Multifunctional solid-state luminescent materials are strongly desired in a wide variety of applications. In this work, green emissive carbon dots@montmorillonite (g-CDs@MMT) composites were synthesized based on green emissive carbon dots and MMT clays in a convenient method by embedding g-CDs into the MMT clays. Due to the confinement of g-CDs in the layered structure of the MMT clay matrix, g-CDs are uniformly dispersed in the resulting g-CDs@MMT solid-state composites. This efficiently prevents the aggregation-induced solid-state luminescence quenching of g-CDs, and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 11% could be achieved by the g-CDs@MMT composites under a 405 nm light. Additionally, the g-CDs@MMT composites exhibit low-toxicity, excellent thermal stability, photostability, resistance to organic solvents, and a small particle size. All of these advantages enable applications in fabricating white light-emitting diodes with different color temperatures, where the g-CDs@MMT composites are applied as the color conversion layer. Furthermore, by using the g-CDs@MMT composites as a fluorescence labeling marker, the latent fingerprint detection on a variety of object surfaces could be realized.

Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Giant Supramolecular Vesicles: Highly Stable, Versatile Carriers for Photoresponsive and Targeted Drug Delivery.

Highly stable giant supramolecular vesicles were constructed by hierarchical self-assembly of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8])-based supra-amphiphiles for photoresponsive and targeted intracellular drug delivery. These smart vesicles can encapsulate the model drugs with high loading efficiencies and then release them by manipulating photoswitchable CB[8] heteroternary complexation to regulate the formation and dissociation of supra-amphiphiles that cause dramatic morphological changes of the assemblies to achieve remote optically controlled drug delivery. More importantly, the confocal microscopy analysis, cellular uptake experiment, and cell viability assay have shown that the giant vesicles are able to maintain the structural integrity and stability within actual cellular environments and exhibit obvious advantages for intracellular drug delivery such as low toxicity, easy surface modification for tumor-targeting selectivity, and rapid internalization into different human cancer cell lines. A synergistic mechanism that integrates multiple pathways including energy-dependent endocytosis, macropinocytosis, cholesterol-dependent endocytosis, and microtubule-related endocytosis was determined to facilitate the internalization process. Moreover, cytotoxicity experiments and flow cytometric analysis have demonstrated that the doxorubicin hydrochloride-loaded vesicles exhibited a significant therapeutic effect for tumor cells upon UV light irradiation, which makes the photoresponsive system more promising for potential applications in pharmaceutically relevant fields.

Supramolecular self-assembly carbazolyl radicals nanospheres triggered by ultraviolet light for explosives sensing.

In this work, we designed and synthesized a carbazole-type molecule that can form carbazolyl radicals in chloroform solution under the irradiation of UV light. The process is accompanied by an obvious change in the emission color from blue to bright green. The radicals and the neutral molecules assemble together and form nanospheres through synergistic effect of π-π stacking, intermolecular hydrogen bonds and charge transfer interaction. High resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) is used to confirm the nanospheres. The radius sizes of the nanospheres are mainly in 80-100nm. Further, these nanospheres act as the fluorescence sensor for explosives detection, and they exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity to 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenol (TNP). The limit of detection for nanospheres is 1.2×10(-7)M.

An efficient AIE-active blue-emitting molecule by incorporating multifunctional groups into tetraphenylsilane.

A multifunctional AIE-active molecule, CzPySiTPE, in which carbazole (Cz) and pyridine (Py) were attached to tetraphenylsilane to facilitate carrier injection has been designed and synthesized. Tetraphenylethene (TPE) was adopted to maintain efficient blue emission. Blue electroluminescent (EL) emission of CzPySiTPE was obtained with CIE coordinates of (0.16, 0.17) and an external quantum efficiency of 1.12%.

Highly efficient near-infrared organic light-emitting diode based on a butterfly-shaped donor-acceptor chromophore with strong solid-state fluorescence and a large proportion of radiative excitons.

The development of near-infrared (NIR) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is of growing interest. Donor-acceptor (D-A) chromophores have served as an important class of NIR materials for NIR OLED applications. However, the external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of NIR OLEDs based on conventional D-A chromophores are typically below 1 %. Reported herein is a butterfly-shaped D-A compound, PTZ-BZP. A PTZ-BZP film displayed strong NIR fluorescence with an emission peak at 700 nm, and the corresponding quantum efficiency reached 16 %. Remarkably, the EQE of the NIR OLED based on PTZ-BZP was 1.54 %, and a low efficiency roll-off was observed, as well as a high radiative exciton ratio of 48 %, which breaks through the limit of 25 % in conventional fluorescent OLEDs. Experimental and theoretical investigations were carried out to understand the excited-state properties of PTZ-BZP.

Enhanced proportion of radiative excitons in non-doped electro-fluorescence generated from an imidazole derivative with an orthogonal donor-acceptor structure.

A greatly enhanced proportion of radiative excitons in non-doped blue electroluminescence with a maximum exciton utilizing efficiency (EUE) of 85% is harvested in the orthogonal cyano substituted, charge transfer (CT) emitter TPMCN, in comparison to the localized emission (LE)-like emitter TPM with a low EUE of 16%.

Separation of electrical and optical energy gaps for constructing bipolar organic wide bandgap materials.

An electrical and optical energy gaps separation strategy is put forward for the design of organic wide bandgap semiconductors. This new principle could achieve optimization of wide bandgap (both high singlet and triplet energies) and favorable carrier injection energy levels simultaneously.

Peripheral cyanohexyl substituent in wide bandgap polymer: increase the electron injection property for blue phosphorescence light emitting device.

Novel blue phosphor host, PCNCzSi, using 3,6-linked carbazole with δ-π tetraphenylsilane segment as the main chain modified by peripheral cyanohexyl group was designed. The Si-carbazole backbone entitles the polymer with wide bandgap, high E(T) and good hole transporting ability. The introduction of peripheral CN group with high electron affinity enhances the electron injecting property of the polymer revealed by electron-only device and UPS measurement. Highly efficient spin-coated phosphorescent polymer light-emitting device, using PCNCzSi as the host for blue iridium complex, FIrpic, was realized. The maximum luminous efficiency and maximum external quantum efficiency of the device were 15 cd/A and 6.7%, respectively, which are very high values for blue phosphorescent device using polymers as hosts as known.

Stable water-dispersed organic nanoparticles: preparation, optical properties, and cell imaging application.

Water-dispersed organic nanoparticles (NPs) constructed by the conjugated molecule 2,5,2',5'-tetra(4'-N,N-diphenylaminostyryl)biphenyl (DPA-TSB) with a high luminescence and large two-photon absorption (TPA) section were fabricated via the reprecipitation method. The average size of the NPs can be controlled from 40 nm to 80 nm by adjusting the reprecipitation conditions. The NPs in water dispersions showed high aggregative and optical stability, which were due to contributions from the special cruciform configuration and amorphous nature of DPA-TSB molecules. The cellular uptake behavior of DPA-TSB NPs was investigated to show their cell staining capabilities as nanoprobes using a confocal microscopy test in vitro. The results demonstrated that DPA-TSB NPs were readily internalized into cytoplasm with no apparent toxicity for up to 24 h, implying excellent imaging capabilities.

The origin of the improved efficiency and stability of triphenylamine-substituted anthracene derivatives for OLEDs: a theoretical investigation.

Herein, we describe the molecular electronic structure, optical, and charge-transport properties of anthracene derivatives computationally using density functional theory to understand the factors responsible for the improved efficiency and stability of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with triphenylamine (TPA)-substituted anthracene derivatives. The high performance of OLEDs with TPA-substituted anthracene is revealed to derive from three original features in comparison with aryl-substituted anthracene derivatives: 1) the HOMO and LUMO are localized separately on TPA and anthracene moieties, respectively, which leads to better stability of the OLEDs due to the more stable cation of TPA under a hole majority-carrier environment; 2) the more balanceable hole and electron transport together with the easier hole injection leads to a larger rate of hole-electron recombination, which corresponds to the higher electroluminescence efficiency; and 3) the increasing reorganization energy for both hole and electron transport and the higher HOMO energy level provide a stable potential well for hole trapping, and then trapped holes induce a built-in electric field to prompt the balance of charge-carrier injection.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of peripheral carbazole functional Ter(9,9-spirobifluorene)s.

A facile approach for synthesis of spirobifluorene trimers with peripheral carbazole functional groups by utilizing Suzuki coupling as the key reaction has been developed. These novel compounds exhibit blue emission with high quantum yields in solution and thin films, and excellent spectral stability upon photoirradiation and annealing in air. By the introduction of carbazole groups, the oxidation potentials of spirobifluorene trimers S TCPC-6 and STCPC-4 were significantly lower than that of model compound STHPH without peripheral carbazole groups, which reflect that the title compounds process higher HOMO energy level and better hole-injection ability. Highly luminescent films were obtained by electrochemical coupling between carbazole units. Pure blue-emission single-layer LEDs based on electrochemical deposition films as light emitting layers were achieved.

Stimulated emission from distyrylbenzene derivative crystals grown by vapor deposition.

Narrowed spectra at 452 nm from a thin platelike crystal of distyrylbenzene derivative, 2,5-diphenyl-1,4-distyrylbenzene with two trans double bonds (trans-DPDSB) grown by vapor deposition, are observed. The trans-DPDSB crystal is irradiated by the third harmonic (355 nm) of a Nd:YAG laser. The FWHM of the narrowed spectra can reach 6 nm for the crystal when the pumping energy is 400 microJ/pulse. The threshold value for an optically pumped laser is approximately 350 microJ/pulse.

Tight intermolecular packing through supramolecular interactions in crystals of cyano substituted oligo(para-phenylene vinylene): a key factor for aggregation-induced emission.

Strong supramolecular interactions, which induced tight packing and rigid molecules in crystals of cyano substituent oligo(para-phenylene vinylene) (CN-DPDSB), are the key factor for the high luminescence efficiency of its crystals; opposite to its isolated molecules in solution which have very low luminescence efficiency.

A class of nonplanar conjugated compounds with aggregation-induced emission: structural and optical properties of 2,5-diphenyl-1,4-distyrylbenzene derivatives with all cis double bonds.

We have studied the structural and optical properties of four 2,5-diphenyl-1,4-distyrylbenzene derivatives with all cis double bonds. These compounds belong to a class of nonplanar conjugated compounds possessing a typical Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) property that has no emission in solution but intense emission in crystal. The four molecules are packed in different stacking modes with different intermolecular interactions, resulting in different crystalline state photoluminescence (PL) efficiency. The torsional molecular configuration increases the intermolecular distances effectively in the crystalline state, which decreases the difference of the optical properties from the frozen isolated molecules to the crystalline state. The Stokes shifts of these compounds are very large and the PL spectra have only one broad emission band with poor structure, due to the relatively large configuration difference between the ground state and the first singlet excited state, and the abundant vibration energy levels of the torsional molecule with changeable conformation.

Electrochemically deposited organic luminescent films: the effects of deposition parameters on morphologies and luminescent efficiency of films.

The electropolymerization behaviors of an electroactive and luminescent compound TCPC as precursor are studied. The resultant electrochemical deposition (ED) films are characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-vis, fluorescence spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Under the CV mode with potential range of -0.5 to 0.85 V vs Ag/Ag(+), the coupling reactions between the carbazole units of TCPC are very efficient, while the fluorescent trifluorene segment in TCPC is chemically inert in this potential range, which results in a highly fluorescent film formation on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The deposition parameters for preparing the TCPC-based ED films are optimized, and the best ED film gives the fluorescence efficiency of 45.5% with surface roughness of 2.8 nm and morphologic stability as heating to 180 degrees C. The light-emitting devices (LEDs) using this ED film as light emitting layer with structure ITO/ED film (approximately 100 nm)/Ba/Al achieve maximum luminescence and external quantum efficiency of 4224 cd/m(2) at 17 V and 0.72% at 11.5 V, respectively, which are better than the device using TCPC spin-coating films as emitting layer. The technique provides a facile route toward a patternable luminescent film and device because such luminescent ED films can be manipulatively deposited on the electrified electrode.

Highly luminescent network films from electrochemical deposition of peripheral carbazole functionalized fluorene oligomer and their applications for light-emitting diodes.

Highly luminescent network films on flat indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates are prepared by electropolymerization using an electroactive and fluorescent compound as precursor; the LEDs prepared using these films as a light emitting layer achieve the maximum luminance and external quantum efficiency of 4224 cd/m(2) and 0.72%, respectively, which demonstrates that electrochemical synthesis can be a new route to construct the highly luminescent films.