Aqueous Synthesis for Highly Emissive 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid-Capped AIZS Quantum Dots.

Highly fluorescent and color tunable AgInS2 (AIS) and (AgInS2)x(ZnS)1-x (AIZS) quantum dots (QDs) were prepared via a facile aqueous-phase synthesis using AgNO3, In(NO3)3, Zn(OAc)2, and Na2S as precursors and 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) as ligand. Produced AIZS QDs exhibit a small diameter (ca. 2.1 nm) and a cubic structure. Ag-3-MPA and In-3-MPA complexes formed during the preparation of AIS cores were found to play a key role on the fate of the reaction, and an atypical blue-shift of the photoluminescence emission was observed with the increase of the Ag/In ratio. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) of AIS QDs is modest but increased markedly after the alloying and shelling with ZnS (up to 65%). Size and composition-selective precipitations allowed to separate up to 13 fractions of AIZS QDs with exceptionally high PL QYs (up to 78%), which is the highest value reported for AIZS QDs prepared in the aqueous phase. These high PL QYs combined with their good colloidal stability and photostability make AIZS QDs of high potential as cadmium-free fluorescent probes for various applications like bioimaging or sensing.

High performance Ce-doped ZnO nanorods for sunlight-driven photocatalysis.

Ce-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ce) nanorods have been prepared through a solvothermal method and the effects of Ce-doping on the structural, optical and electronic properties of ZnO rods were studied. ZnO:Ce rods were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, BET, DRS and Raman spectroscopy. 5% Ce-doped ZnO rods with an average length of 130 nm and a diameter of 23 nm exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the Orange II dye under solar light irradiation. The high photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the substantially enhanced light absorption in the visible region, to the high surface area of ZnO:Ce rods and to the effective electron-hole pair separation originating from Ce doping. The influence of various experimental parameters like the pH, the presence of salts and of organic compounds was investigated and no marked detrimental effect on the photocatalytic activity was observed. Finally, recyclability experiments demonstrate that ZnO:Ce rods are a stable solar-light photocatalyst.

A facile method for the preparation of bifunctional Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 magnetic and fluorescent nanocrystals.

Bifunctional magnetic and fluorescent core/shell/shell Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 nanocrystals were synthesized in a basic aqueous solution using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as a capping ligand. The structural and optical properties of the heterostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL spectra of Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 quantum dots (QDs) showed marked visible emission around 584 nm related to the (4)T1 → (6)A1 Mn(2+) transition. The PL quantum yield (QY) and the remnant magnetization can be regulated by varying the thickness of the magnetic shell. The results showed that an increase in the thickness of the Fe3O4 magnetite layer around the Mn:ZnS/ZnS core reduced the PL QY but improved the magnetic properties of the composites. Nevertheless, a good compromise was achieved in order to maintain the dual modality of the nanocrystals, which may be promising candidates for various biological applications.