CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as a booster in the active layer of distributed ternary organic photovoltaics

• Gabriela Lewińska,
• Piotr Jeleń,
• Zofia Kucia,
• Maciej Sitarz,
• Łukasz Walczak,
• Bartłomiej Szafraniak,
• Jerzy Sanetra and
• Konstanty W. Marszalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 144–156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.14

• studies on CdSe/ZnS nanodots as dopants in a polymer–fullerene matrix for application in organic solar cells. An assembly of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and 6,6-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester was used as the active reference layer. Absorption and luminescence spectra as well as the dispersion

• publication aims to validate the potential of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots for the enrichment of the active layer and, ultimately, for application in the active layer of organic BHJ cells. An illustrative QD synthesis was described by Dabbousi and co-workers [38]. Methods and approaches were intensively developed

• [39][40]. One of the main existing challenges in synthesizing QDs is to increase their photoluminescence efficiency while simultaneously shifting the photoluminescence maximum to longer wavelengths. Initial applications focused on OLEDs. CdSe/ZnS quantum dots are luminescent inorganic nanostructures

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• -cdse/ZnS quantum dots. This type of tracer has a significant signal amplification effect. Vesicle composite probes were generated using aptamer-labeled SSB/L-QD and nanogold (Au-Apt). Since Au-aptas receptors burst the signal of SSB/L-QD, this type of probe cannot fluoresce "off". To solve this problem

Surface plasmon resonance enhancement of photoluminescence intensity and bioimaging application of gold nanorod@CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

• Siyi Hu,
• Yu Ren,
• Yue Wang,
• Jinhua Li,
• Junle Qu,
• Liwei Liu,
• Hanbin Ma and
• Yuguo Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 22–31, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.3

• nanoparticle comprised of CdSe/ZnS QDs and gold nanorods (GNRs) where the GNRs were applied to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) of the CdSe/ZnS QDs. In particular, we have obtained the scattering PL spectrum of a single CdSe/ZnS QD and GNR@CdSe/ZnS nanoparticle and comparison results show that the CdSe/ZnS

• QDs have an apparent PL enhancement of four-times after binding with GNRs. In addition, in vitro experimental results show that the biostability of the GNR@CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles can be improved by using folic acid. A bioimaging study has also been performed where GNR@CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles were used

• with them [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Research conducted to date shows that the fluorescence intensity of QDs changes when other chemical materials or ions are added. The CdSe/ZnS heterostructures of QDs are of interest due to their high quantum efficiency [13][14][15]. Furthermore, the heterostructure

Photoluminescence of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in nematic liquid crystals in electric fields

• Margarita A. Kurochkina,
• Elena A. Konshina and
• Daria Khmelevskaia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1544–1549, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.145

• , Russia 10.3762/bjnano.9.145 Abstract We have experimentally investigated the effect of the reorientation of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) in an electric field on the photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). To the LC with positive dielectric anisotropy, 1 wt % QDs with a core

• spectral luminescence properties of the nematic LCs with a positive dielectric anisotropy doped with semiconductor CdSe/ZnS quantum dots [18][19][20]. The luminescence quenching of a planar oriented liquid crystal depended not only on the size but also on the concentration of QDs [18]. The PL intensity of

• the LC suspension doped with CdSe/ZnS QDs having a core size of 3.5 nm in the planar oriented cell decreased exponentially with an increase of the electric field strength [20]. We showed that the decrease of PL intensity correlated with the increase of dielectric losses in a nematic associated with

Dynamic behavior of nematic liquid crystal mixtures with quantum dots in electric fields

• Emil Petrescu,
• Cristina Cirtoaje and
• Octavian Danila

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 399–406, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.39

• CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in electric fields was theoretically studied. The model was based on elastic continuum theory considering the interaction of the nematic molecules with the surrounding molecules, with the quantum dots and with the electric field. Experimental data obtained by dynamic measurements

• on a sample containing 0.89% (mass fraction) of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots revealed a decrease of the relaxation time compared to pure 5CB. Keywords: Fréedericksz transition; nematic liquid crystals; quantum dots; Introduction The expansion of liquid crystal (LC)-based devices in common life domains as

• quantum dot surface. Dynamic experiments performed in alternating electric fields proved that by adding a small amount of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in thermotropic nematic liquid crystal with positive dielectric anisotropy, we obtain a decrease of the relaxation time. When an external electric field higher

PTFE-based microreactor system for the continuous synthesis of full-visible-spectrum emitting cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals

• Chengxi Zhang,
• Weiling Luan,
• Yuhang Yin and
• Fuqian Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2521–2529, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.252

• , there is no report on the continuous synthesis of perovskite nanocrystals via microreactor systems, even though these systems have been successfully used to synthesize CdSe [25], CdSe/ZnS [26], CdSexTe1−x [27], and CdS [28] QDs, as well as monodisperse Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles [29]. In this work, we

Nano-engineered skin mesenchymal stem cells: potential vehicles for tumour-targeted quantum-dot delivery

• Liga Saulite,
• Dominyka Dapkute,
• Karlis Pleiko,
• Ineta Popena,
• Simona Steponkiene,
• Ricardas Rotomskis and
• Una Riekstina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1218–1230, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.123

• modifications increase the potential of QDs for the use in targeted cancer diagnostics and therapies. There is still doubt regarding the potential harmful effects of NPs or QDs on the differentiation capacity and self-renewal ability of adult stem cells. CdSe/ZnS QD labelling has been reported to adversely

• materials. Unless coatings are damaged, QDs are mainly non-toxic [37]. Recently, Yaghini et al., by using non-photolytic visible wavelength excitation, have shown the formation of superoxide anion radicals by photoexcited CdSe/ZnS QDs [38]. Thus, the QDs may induce phototoxic reactions in labelled cells

Photocurrent generation in carbon nanotube/cubic-phase HfO₂ nanoparticle hybrid nanocomposites

• Protima Rauwel,
• Augustinas Galeckas,
• Martin Salumaa,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Erwan Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1075–1085, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.101

• attached nanoparticles. Indeed, the nanotubes are known to induce optical quenching due to charge transfer from the nanoparticle to the CNT [49][50][51]. This charge transfer within conjugate species and CNTs usually occurs in the excited state [52]. In the reported case of CdSe/ZnS attached to CNTs, the

The influence of phthalocyanine aggregation in complexes with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on the photophysical properties of the complexes

• Irina V. Martynenko,
• Anna O. Orlova,
• Vladimir G. Maslov,
• Anatoly V. Fedorov,
• Kevin Berwick and
• Alexander V. Baranov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1018–1027, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.94

• Technology, Dublin 8, Ireland 10.3762/bjnano.7.94 Abstract The formation of nonluminescent aggregates of aluminium sulfonated phthalocyanine in complexes with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots causes a decrease of the intracomplex energy transfer efficiency with increasing phthalocyanine concentration. This was

• , these tetrapyrrole molecules seem to be the best candidates for researching the influence of aggregation on the FRET efficiency in the QD–molecule complexes. In this work, we investigate nonconjugated complexes of sulfonated hydroxyaluminium phthalocyanines (PcSz) molecules with CdSe/ZnS QDs in an

• QDs results in a significant increase in efficiency of FRET between QDs and monomeric molecules. Results and Discussion QD–phthalocyanine complex formation Water soluble CdSe/ZnS quantum dots capped with 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol (DMAET) with a core diameter of 5 nm [35] were used in the study. UV

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering by colloidal CdSe nanocrystal submonolayers fabricated by the Langmuir–Blodgett technique

• Alexander G. Milekhin,
• Larisa L. Sveshnikova,
• Tatyana A. Duda,
• Ekaterina E. Rodyakina,
• Volodymyr M. Dzhagan,
• Ovidiu D. Gordan,
• Sergey L. Veber,
• Cameliu Himcinschi,
• Alexander V. Latyshev and
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2388–2395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.245

• previously observed for several CdSe-based NCs, including pure CdSe and core–shell CdSe/CdZnS NCs deposited on Au or Ag substrates of various morphology [20][21][22][23]. Resonant SERS enables the observation of LO phonon modes of the CdSe core in a monolayer of core–shell CdSe/ZnS NCs deposited on

Combination of surface- and interference-enhanced Raman scattering by CuS nanocrystals on nanopatterned Au structures

• Alexander G. Milekhin,
• Nikolay A. Yeryukov,
• Larisa L. Sveshnikova,
• Tatyana A. Duda,
• Ekaterina E. Rodyakina,
• Victor A. Gridchin,
• Evgeniya S. Sheremet and
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 749–754, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.77

• observed in core–shell CdSe/ZnS NCs deposited on commercially available nanostructured Au substrates [3]. Later, the SERS effect by LO phonons in CdSe in CdSe/ZnS NCs was realized on non-ordered nanostructured Ag surfaces [4]. Very recently, Lee et al. [5] reported the observation of SERS by surface

• optical (SO) and LO phonon modes in a CdSe core and the transverse optical (TO) phonon mode in a ZnS shell of core–shell CdSe/ZnS NCs attached to the surface of a Au nanowire. The spectrum of optical and interface phonons was obtained from the analysis of SERS spectra of pure CdSe NCs, core–shell CdSe/CdS

Influence of gold, silver and gold–silver alloy nanoparticles on germ cell function and embryo development

• Ulrike Taylor,
• Daniela Tiedemann,
• Christoph Rehbock,
• Wilfried A. Kues,
• Stephan Barcikowski and
• Detlef Rath

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 651–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.66

• , PVP–Eu(OH)3 NP, PVA–Eu(OH)3 [65] and bio-conjugated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots [66] into spermatozoa has been reported. However, the picture evidence provided to support these claims does not withstand critical examination at least with regard to intact, non-acrosome reacted spermatozoa, which are the ones

Silica micro/nanospheres for theranostics: from bimodal MRI and fluorescent imaging probes to cancer therapy

• Shanka Walia and
• Amitabha Acharya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 546–558, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.57

• -shell-encapsulated hybrid nanomaterials consisting of paramagnetic Gd3+ ions and QDs or Au nanocrystals. The citric-acid-capped gold colloids and CdSe/ZnS QDs were silanized by using mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) as surfactant. Further, a Gd3+-DOTA (tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid) complex

• former nanocomposites. Likewise, Ruhland et al. [42] reported the synthesis of size-controlled magnetic and fluorescent core–shell hybrid NPs coated with a protective silica sheath through a thermal decomposition process. The synthesis involved the incorporation of Fe2O3 and CdSe/ZnS NPs into silica that

• , and UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy studies. The TEM micrographs and EDX studies clearly indicate the encapsulation of both Fe2O3/CdSe(ZnS) NPs inside the silica shell. In cryo-TEM studies CdSe(ZnS)/SiO2/PNIPAAm NPs displayed a fuzzy corona-like structure. All these studies lead to the conclusion

Comparative evaluation of the impact on endothelial cells induced by different nanoparticle structures and functionalization

• Lisa Landgraf,
• Ines Müller,
• Peter Ernst,
• Miriam Schäfer,
• Christina Rosman,
• Isabel Schick,
• Oskar Köhler,
• Hartmut Oehring,
• Vladimir V. Breus,
• Thomas Basché,
• Carsten Sönnichsen,
• Wolfgang Tremel and
• Ingrid Hilger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 300–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.28

• 70 °C upon fast stirring under argon flow. An amount of 0.2 mL of 100 μM CdSe/ZnS QD stock solution in chloroform was added to the refluxing solution and kept under stirring for 10–15 min before cooling down to RT. Ethyl acetate was added to precipitate the ligand-exchanged QDs. The sample was

The effect of surface charge on nonspecific uptake and cytotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots

• Vladimir V. Breus,
• Anna Pietuch,
• Marco Tarantola,
• Thomas Basché and
• Andreas Janshoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 281–292, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.26

• -Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS), Laboratory for Fluid Dynamics, Pattern Formation and Biocomplexity, Am Fassberg 17, 37077 Goettingen, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.6.26 Abstract In this work, cytotoxicity and cellular impedance response was compared for CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum

• -particle tracking), was shown to compromise the integrity of the cytoskeletal and plasma membrane dynamics, as evidenced by electric cell–substrate impedance sensing. Keywords: biocompatibility; CdSe/ZnS; cytotoxicity; ECIS; quantum dots; single-particle tracking; Introduction Quantum dots (QDs) are

• classical cytotoxicity tests do not recognize QD-induced damage. We expose the cells to solutions of CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs, functionalized with cysteamine (CA), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) and D-penicillamine (DPA), producing positively-charged, negatively-charged and zwitterionic particle surfaces

Nanoparticle interactions with live cells: Quantitative fluorescence microscopy of nanoparticle size effects

• Li Shang,
• Karin Nienhaus,
• Xiue Jiang,
• Linxiao Yang,
• Katharina Landfester,
• Volker Mailänder,
• Thomas Simmet and
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2388–2397, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.248

• with widely differing sizes. We have selected very small gold nanoclusters (AuNCs, diameter ≈3 nm) stabilized with dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), semiconductor core-shell quantum dots (CdSe/ZnS, ≈10 nm) coated with D-penicillamine (DPA) and relatively large polystyrene (PS) NPs (≈100 nm) with different

• sodium phosphate, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) for later use. DPA-QDs were prepared as previously described [28]. Briefly, CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs were synthesized in organic solvent prior to ligand exchange with DPA, yielding water-soluble zwitterionic QDs. All PS NPs, labeled with the fluorescent dye N

Effects of surface functionalization on the adsorption of human serum albumin onto nanoparticles – a fluorescence correlation spectroscopy study

• Pauline Maffre,
• Stefan Brandholt,
• Karin Nienhaus,
• Li Shang,
• Wolfgang J. Parak and
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2036–2047, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.212

• Fe–Pt nanoparticles (NPs, 6 nm radius), CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs, 5 nm radius) and Au and Ag nanoclusters (1–4 nm radius), which are enshrouded by various water-solubilizing surface layers exposing different chemical functional groups (carboxyl, amino and both), thereby endowing the NPs with

• measure the binding of various proteins. In the present study, we focus on a single protein, again HSA, and explore the change in protein binding onto CdSe/ZnS core–shell QDs with different surface functionalities. These NPs were water-solubilized with small thiolated ligands, leading to thin coatings

• , implying that HSA binding to these QDs results in a greater radius increase. Figure 3 shows the increase of RH for various CdSe/ZnS QD preparations as a function of the HSA concentration, calculated from the FCS autocorrelation data. Regardless of the QD surface functionalization (and in agreement with our

The cell-type specific uptake of polymer-coated or micelle-embedded QDs and SPIOs does not provoke an acute pro-inflammatory response in the liver

• Markus Heine,
• Alexander Bartelt,
• Oliver T. Bruns,
• Denise Bargheer,
• Artur Giemsa,
• Barbara Freund,
• Ludger Scheja,
• Christian Waurisch,
• Alexander Eychmüller,
• Rudolph Reimer,
• Horst Weller,
• Peter Nielsen and
• Joerg Heeren

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1432–1440, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.155

• of cadmium-containing nanocrystals, pathological alterations in response to the injection of CdSe–ZnS core–shell QDs were observed only in some of these studies [9][11], while others found ultrastructural changes in the kidneys [10] or the spleen [12]. These results are surprising taking into account

Photoactivation of luminescence in CdS nanocrystals

• Valentyn Smyntyna,
• Bogdan Semenenko,
• Valentyna Skobeeva and
• Nikolay Malushin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 355–359, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.40

• dots synthesis, nature of the coating agent, surrounding atmosphere, density of the quantum dots, and the radiation intensity. Note that so far the unusual behaviour of the irradiation-induced QD luminescence has been observed either in QDs of CdSe or in nanocrystals of CdSe/ZnS/TOPO and has been

• influence of humid argon and oxygen on the photoinduced amplification of the photoluminescence intensity of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots of is presented. It is suggested that this effect is the result of solvation of the charged states of the surface traps. Two competing processes may occur during the irradiation

• , when the samples are placed in a humid atmosphere. The dominance of either of them depends on the humidity level. It has been found experimentally that under low humidity, the main process is a reaction with oxygen, and at high humidity the photoinduced interaction of CdSe/ZnS QDs with water molecules

Energy transfer in complexes of water-soluble quantum dots and chlorin e6 molecules in different environments

• Irina V. Martynenko,
• Anna O. Orlova,
• Vladimir G. Maslov,
• Alexander V. Baranov,
• Anatoly V. Fedorov and
• Mikhail Artemyev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 895–902, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.101

• University, Minsk, Belarus 10.3762/bjnano.4.101 Abstract The photoexcitation energy transfer is found and investigated in complexes of CdSe/ZnS cationic quantum dots and chlorin e6 molecules formed by covalent bonding and electrostatic interaction in aqueous solution and in porous track membranes. The

• CdSe/ZnS with different core sizes (2.5 nm, 3.5 nm, and 5 nm) were synthesized using similar methods as previously described [9]. All QD samples have a QY of about 20% in hydrophobic solvents and 5–8% in aqueous solutions. Complex formation in aqueous solutions To form water-soluble complexes of

• quantum dots and Ce6 molecules two methods of QD solubilization were used. In the case of covalent binding the hydrophobic CdSe/ZnS/TOPO QDs with a core diameter of 3.5 nm were initially solubilized by L-cysteine. In the second step, the L-cysteine molecules were replaced with molecules of hydroxy

Combining nanoscale manipulation with macroscale relocation of single quantum dots

• Francesca Paola Quacquarelli,
• Richard A. J. Woolley,
• Martin Humphry,
• Jasbiner Chauhan,
• Philip J. Moriarty and
• Ashley Cadby

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 324–328, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.36

• -molecule microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Importantly, the samples discussed here were transferred between two laboratories separated by ≈50 km, but it was possible to study the same nanoparticle in both labs. The quantum dots used in this work were CdSe/ZnS core/shell hydrophobic nanocrystals

Distance dependence of near-field fluorescence enhancement and quenching of single quantum dots

• Volker Walhorn,
• Jan Paskarbeit,
• Heinrich Gotthard Frey,
• Alexander Harder and
• Dario Anselmetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 645–652, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.68

• sulphuric acid 96% and hydrogen peroxide 30%) for one minute, rinsed thoroughly with MilliQ filtered water and dried with nitrogen. After cleaning, hydrophobic fluorescent CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles [29] with a spectral emission maximum at 585 nm were diluted in n-heptane (Sigma Aldrich), microdispensed to the

Room temperature excitation spectroscopy of single quantum dots

• Christian Blum,
• Frank Schleifenbaum,
• Martijn Stopel,
• Sébastien Peter,
• Marcus Sackrow,
• Vinod Subramaniam and
• Alfred J. Meixner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 516–524, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.56

• recorded excitation spectra of 48 individual CdSe/ZnS core–shell quantum dots at room temperature. Since the occurrence of emission intermittencies (blinking) is a clear indication for the observation of a single emitter, and because blinking of quantum dots is still not fully understood, we did not apply

Fabrication and spectroscopic studies on highly luminescent CdSe/CdS nanorod polymer composites

• Jana Bomm,
• Andreas Büchtemann,
• Angela Fiore,
• Liberato Manna,
• James H. Nelson,
• Diana Hill and
• Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2010, 1, 94–100, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.11

• , aggregation of nanoparticles, loss of transparency and luminescence quenching due to exciton energy transfer [2][7]. Several methods have been described to overcome these problems for quantum dot polymer composites. For example, Bawendi and coworkers incorporated trioctylphosphine oxide covered CdSe/ZnS QDs

• in poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA) [6][8], while Woelfle and Claus dispersed CdSe/ZnS QDs in an ionic liquid that was compatible with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) [6]. However, in both these cases chemical attack of QDs by initiator radicals produced from azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) during the

• thermal stability. It can be obtained from renewable resources such as wood or cotton. Moreover, it has already been found to be a suitable matrix for embedding CdSe/ZnS QDs [11][12][13]. The structure of CTA is shown in Figure 1. We used CdSe/CdS nanorods with two different sizes, longer rods with an