Glutathione as a matrix for the synthesis of CdS nanocrystallites

Combinatorial Approaches to Peptide-Encapsulated CdS Nanoclusters

As many properties of group II-VI semiconductor nanocrystallites arise from their quantum confined nature, the synthesis of these clusters is of great interest. The challenge of synthesizing functional nanoclusters is, however, complicated by the limited stability of metalchalcogen surfaces under highly oxidizing conditions and Ostwald ripening. Our objectives are to develop methods for the synthesis of biogenic CdS semiconductor nanocrystallites that address the following issues: (1) What properties of the ligand peptide are important in stabilizing and producing CdS particles of any desired size? (2) Will hybrid peptides using nonnatural amino acids stabilize the nanoclusters while incorporating new surface functionality? (3) Is it possible to use novel peptides to modify the particle surface, thereby, controlling the photophysical properties of the CdS cluster? Our approach consists of parallel combinatorial techniques and computational methods for the discovery and optimization of peptide and peptidomimetic ligands to stabilize size-defined clusters of CdS. The effects of cysteine separation on CdS particle size by varying the number of bonds with rotational freedom within the spacer amino acids is examined. Furthermore, the properties of the resulting CdS nanoclusters are reported.

Biomimetic synthesis of bimorphic nanostructures

The widespread interest in the use of biomimetic approaches for inorganic nanomaterial synthesis have led to the development of biomolecules (peptides, nucleic acids) as key components in material synthesis. Using biomolecules as building blocks, additional functionalities can be introduced by engineering multifunctional peptides that are capable of binding, nucleating, and assembling multiple materials at the nanoscale. We describe methodologies that exploit peptides for the synthesis of bimorphic nanostructures.

A Simple Colloidal Synthesis for Gram-Quantity Production of Water-Soluble ZnS Nanocrystal Powders

A simple, inexpensive, and reproducible procedure is described for large-scale synthesis of highly stable nanocrystalline ZnS powders. Cysteine-capped ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) were produced by a colloidal aqueous synthesis, employing a ligand-competition mechanism in which sulfide was introduced into a preformed zinc-cysteine solution. The synthesis procedure resulted in highly concentrated ZnS NC solutions ( approximately 100 mM) which could be ethanol-precipitated, redissolved, and dried to produce fine powders stable for more than 30 months at 4 degrees C. The NC powders were readily dissolved in aqueous solvents to concentrations as high as 300 mM. ZnS NCs could be prepared without cysteine capping, but only at extremely dilute concentrations ( approximately 0.2 mM ZnSO(4)) as per Sooklal et al. J. Phys. Chem. 100, 4551 (1996). The 30-month-old ZnS NC powders retained their original optical and photocatalytic properties and could be handled much like routine shelf chemicals, unaffected by ambient air or moderate moisture and temperature. UV/vis absorption spectroscopy showed band gap energies (E(g)) ranging from 4.82 eV (257 nm lambda(max)) to 4.47 eV (277 nm lambda(max)) for ZnS samples prepared with 0.25-2.0 initial sulfide ratios (as compared to zinc). Samples stored at 4 degrees C for 30 months showed equivalent band gap energies and spectral profiles. The average NC particle size was estimated to be 6.08+/-0.76 nm by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Selected-area electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction analyses concurred in suggesting a hexagonal crystal structure, with diffractions near d=3.1, 1.9, and 1.6 Å. The average NC composition of size-fractionated samples was estimated to be Cys(1)Zn(7)S(6). p-Nitrophenol, a model organic, was photocatalytically degraded using 30-month-old ZnS NC powders dissolved in an aqueous buffer. Rates of degradation (first-order rate constant k=0.261 min(-1); t(1/2)=2.66 min) were comparable to those of experiments using freshly prepared ZnS NCs (first-order rate constant k=0.247 min(-1); t(1/2)=2.80 min), further demonstrating the long-term stability of thus-produced NC powders. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Zinc-histidine as nucleation centers for growth of ZnS nanocrystals

Histidine is a chelator of zinc, most notably in zinc-finger proteins (zinc coordinated by cysteine and histidine) and in hyperaccumulator plants. Sulfide incorporation into molecules containing metal-cysteinyl complexes has been shown to occur in vivo in certain yeasts, leading to enhanced metal tolerance. Demonstrated here for the first time is incorporation of sulfide into zinc-histidine, resulting in histidine-ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) having unique optical properties. Sulfide complexation occurred optimally at alkaline pH into zinc-(histidine)2 species, and UV/Vis absorption maxima were red-shifted as increasing sulfide addition occurred. Intermediate sulfide concentrations led to multiple, thermodynamically preferred NC species within a sample. Fluorescence of histidine-ZnS NCs was greater than ZnS prepared previously with cysteinyl peptides. Transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction indicated hexagonal ZnS crystals having an average size of 4.2 nm. A photocatalytic application of histidine-ZnS NCs was shown by efficient degradation of p-nitrophenol and paraquat in the presence of UV irradiation.