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Hill B, Abraham S, Akhtar A, Selvaggio G, Tschulik K, Kruss S. Surfactant assisted exfoliation of near infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets. RSC Adv 2023; 13:20916-20925. [PMID: 37441047 PMCID: PMC10334366 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra04083f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorophores that emit light in the near infrared (NIR) are advantageous in photonics and imaging due to minimal light scattering, absorption, phototoxicity and autofluorescence in this spectral region. The layered silicate Egyptian blue (CaCuSi4O10) emits as a bulk material bright and stable fluorescence in the NIR and is a promising NIR fluorescent material for (bio)photonics. Here, we demonstrate a surfactant-based (mild) exfoliation procedure to produce nanosheets (EB-NS) of high monodispersity, heights down to 1 nm and diameters <20 nm in large quantities. The approach combines planetary ball milling, surfactant assisted bath sonication and centrifugation steps. It avoids the impurities that are typical for the harsh conditions of tip-sonication. Several solvents and surfactants were tested and we found the highest yield for sodium dodecyl benzyl sulfate (SDBS) and water. The NIR fluorescence emission (λem ≈ 930-940 nm) is not affected by this procedure, is extremely stable and is not affected by quenchers. This enables the use of EB-NS for macroscopic patterning/barcoding of materials in the NIR. In summary, we present a simple and mild route to NIR fluorescent nanosheets that promise high potential as NIR fluorophores for optical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjoern Hill
- Department of Chemistry, Ruhr Universität Bochum 44801 Bochum Germany
| | - Smitha Abraham
- Department of Chemistry, Ruhr Universität Bochum 44801 Bochum Germany
| | - Anas Akhtar
- Analytical Chemistry II, Ruhr Universität Bochum 44801 Bochum
| | | | | | - Sebastian Kruss
- Department of Chemistry, Ruhr Universität Bochum 44801 Bochum Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems 47057 Duisburg Germany
- Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE) 47057 Duisburg Germany
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Selvaggio G, Kruss S. Preparation, properties and applications of near-infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:9553-9575. [PMID: 35766334 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr02967g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The layered silicates Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10, EB), Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10, HB) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6, HP) are known as historic pigments, but they also possess novel optoelectronic properties with great potential for fundamental research and technology. They fluoresce in the near-infrared (NIR) range and can be exfoliated into two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials (i.e. nanosheets, NS) which retain the photophysical properties of the bulk materials. These and other characteristics fuel the growing excitement of the scientific community about these materials. EB-, HB- and HP-NS have been used in various applications ranging from smart inks, energy storage, bioimaging, to phototherapy and more. In this review article, we report the fundamental properties of these low-dimensional silicate nanomaterials, discuss applications and outline perspectives for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sebastian Kruss
- Department of Chemistry, Bochum University, Bochum, 44801, Germany.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems, Duisburg, 47057, Germany
- Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), Duisburg, 47057, Germany
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Selvaggio G, Weitzel M, Oleksiievets N, Oswald TA, Nißler R, Mey I, Karius V, Enderlein J, Tsukanov R, Kruss S. Photophysical properties and fluorescence lifetime imaging of exfoliated near-infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:4541-4553. [PMID: 36133471 PMCID: PMC9419235 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00238d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The layered silicates Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10, EB), Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10, HB) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6, HP) emit as bulk materials bright and stable fluorescence in the near-infrared (NIR), which is of high interest for (bio)photonics due to minimal scattering, absorption and phototoxicity in this spectral range. So far the optical properties of nanosheets (NS) of these silicates are poorly understood. Here, we exfoliate them into monodisperse nanosheets, report their physicochemical properties and use them for (bio)photonics. The approach uses ball milling followed by tip sonication and centrifugation steps to exfoliate the silicates into NS with lateral size and thickness down to ≈ 16-27 nm and 1-4 nm, respectively. They emit at ≈ 927 nm (EB-NS), 953 nm (HB-NS) and 924 nm (HP-NS), and single NS can be imaged in the NIR. The fluorescence lifetimes decrease from ≈ 30-100 μs (bulk) to 17 μs (EB-NS), 8 μs (HB-NS) and 7 μs (HP-NS), thus enabling lifetime-encoded multicolor imaging both on the microscopic and the macroscopic scale. Finally, remote imaging through tissue phantoms reveals the potential for bioimaging. In summary, we report a procedure to gain monodisperse NIR fluorescent silicate nanosheets, determine their size-dependent photophysical properties and showcase the potential for NIR photonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Selvaggio
- Physical Chemistry II, Bochum University Bochum 44801 Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Milan Weitzel
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Nazar Oleksiievets
- Third Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Tabea A Oswald
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Robert Nißler
- Physical Chemistry II, Bochum University Bochum 44801 Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Ingo Mey
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Volker Karius
- Department of Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, Geoscience Center, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Jörg Enderlein
- Third Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells" (MBExC), University of Göttingen Germany
| | - Roman Tsukanov
- Third Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
| | - Sebastian Kruss
- Physical Chemistry II, Bochum University Bochum 44801 Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen Göttingen 37077 Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems Duisburg 47057 Germany
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Selvaggio G, Chizhik A, Nißler R, Kuhlemann L, Meyer D, Vuong L, Preiß H, Herrmann N, Mann FA, Lv Z, Oswald TA, Spreinat A, Erpenbeck L, Großhans J, Karius V, Janshoff A, Pablo Giraldo J, Kruss S. Exfoliated near infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets for (bio)photonics. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1495. [PMID: 32198383 PMCID: PMC7083911 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15299-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaging of complex (biological) samples in the near-infrared (NIR) is beneficial due to reduced light scattering, absorption, phototoxicity, and autofluorescence. However, there are few NIR fluorescent materials known and suitable for biomedical applications. Here we exfoliate the layered pigment CaCuSi4O10 (Egyptian Blue, EB) via ball milling and facile tip sonication into NIR fluorescent nanosheets (EB-NS). The size of EB-NS can be tailored to diameters <20 nm and heights down to 1 nm. EB-NS fluoresce at 910 nm and the fluorescence intensity correlates with the number of Cu2+ ions. Furthermore, EB-NS display no bleaching and high brightness compared with other NIR fluorophores. The versatility of EB-NS is demonstrated by in-vivo single-particle tracking and microrheology measurements in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. EB-NS can be uptaken by plants and remotely detected in a low-cost stand-off detection setup. In summary, EB-NS have the potential for a wide range of bioimaging applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Selvaggio
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Alexey Chizhik
- Third Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Robert Nißler
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Llyas Kuhlemann
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Daniel Meyer
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Loan Vuong
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Helen Preiß
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Niklas Herrmann
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Florian A Mann
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Zhiyi Lv
- Institute of Developmental Biochemistry, Medical School, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Tabea A Oswald
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Alexander Spreinat
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Luise Erpenbeck
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, 37075, Germany
| | - Jörg Großhans
- Institute of Developmental Biochemistry, Medical School, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Volker Karius
- Department of Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, Geoscience Center, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Andreas Janshoff
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Juan Pablo Giraldo
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, 92507, USA
| | - Sebastian Kruss
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany.
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