Co-reporter:Xiaoyan Fu, Shenghui Zheng, Junpeng Shi, Yuechan Li, Hongwu Zhang
Journal of Luminescence 2017 Volume 184() pp:199-204
Publication Date(Web):April 2017
DOI:10.1016/j.jlumin.2016.12.047
A novel long persistent green emitting phosphor SrLaGaO4: Tb3+ was synthesized via a conventional high temperature solid-state method. The obtained results indicated that the green long persistent emitting was similar to the photoluminescence, originating from the f-f transitions of Tb3+ centers which were supposed to occupy the random distribution Sr2+ and La3+ sites. The duration of green afterglow can be observed in the dark by naked eyes even after more than 3.5 h. The thermoluminescence results revealed that SrLaGaO4: Tb3+ possessed three main traps calculated to be 0.62, 0.68 and 0.77 eV, which were responsible for the long persistent green luminescence. The further structure analysis revealed that the Tb3+ dopants not only acted as emission centers but also significantly influenced the density of traps, and the trapping centers were postulated nonrandom distribution under the assistance of high temperature, which resulted in the efficient persistent luminescence of Tb3+. All the results showed that SrLaGaO4: Tb3+ was a potential long persistent luminescent material.
Co-reporter:Jin-Lei Li;Jun-Peng Shi;Cheng-Cheng Wang;Peng-Hui Li;Zhen-Feng Yu;Hong-Wu Zhang
Nanoscale (2009-Present) 2017 vol. 9(Issue 25) pp:8631-8638
Publication Date(Web):2017/06/29
DOI:10.1039/C7NR02468A
Until now, the afterglow emissions of most developed near infrared (NIR)-emitting persistent luminescent nanoparticles (NPLNPs) were located at approximately 700 nm, at the edge of the first tissue transparency window (from 650 to 900 nm), which resulted in relatively low tissue penetration and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for in vivo imaging. Herein, 5 nm ZnSn2O4:Cr,Eu (ZSO) NPLNPs with NIR afterglow emission at 800 nm are synthesized via a direct aqueous-phase synthesis method. The longer NIR afterglow emission of ZSO NPLNPs can easily penetrate approximately 3 cm of pork tissue. Furthermore, even though the backbones blocked part of the NIR afterglow light, high SNR (25.5) in vivo images of the backs of mice can be observed and can be maintained for more than 15 min. The ZSO nanoprobes conjugated with folic acid exhibited excellent in vitro and in vivo tumor targeting capacity, which was advantageous for accurate tumor diagnosis. More importantly, the ZSO NPLNPs can be re-excited in situ and in vivo using NIR light to realize renewable near-infrared persistent luminescence in vivo, which was helpful for very long term and higher SNR in vitro and in vivo imaging.
Co-reporter:Xiaoyan Zou, Penghui Li, Jie Lou, Xiaoyan Fu, Hongwu Zhang
Environmental Pollution 2017 Volume 230(Volume 230) pp:
Publication Date(Web):1 November 2017
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.007
•Oxidative dissolution of AgNPs was obviously inhibited in oxygen-free freshwaters.•In oxygen-free freshwaters AgNPs were regenerated by the reduction of released Ag+.•NOM enhanced the stability and induced the transformation of AgNPs into Ag2S.•The stabilizing effects of NOM on AgNPs depended on their types and concentrations.•Some AgNPs will be more stable for long periods in oxygen-deprived freshwaters.Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in various commercial products. This increased use raises ecological concerns because of the large release of AgNPs into the environment. Once released, the local water chemistry has the potential to influence the environmental fates and behaviors of AgNPs. The impacts of dissolved oxygen and natural organic matter (NOM) on the dissolution and stability of AgNPs were investigated in synthetic and natural freshwaters for 7 days. In synthetic freshwater, the aggregation of AgNPs occurred due to the compression of the electric double layer, accompanied by the dissolution of AgNPs. However, once oxygen was removed, the highest dissolved Ag (Agdis) concentration decreased from 356.5 μg/L to 272.1 μg/L, the pH of the AgNP suspensions increased from less than 7.6 to more than 8.4, and AgNPs were regenerated by the reduction of released Ag+ by citrate. The addition of NOM mitigated aggregation, inhibited oxidative dissolution and induced the transformation of AgNPs into Ag2S due to the formation of NOM-adsorbed layers, the reduction of Ag+ by NOM, and the high affinity of sulfur-enriched species in NOM for Ag. Likewise, in oxygen-depleted natural freshwaters, the inhibition of oxidative dissolution was obtained in comparison with oxygenated freshwaters, showing a decrease in the maximum Agdis concentration from 137.6 and 57.0 μg/L to 83.3 and 42.4 μg/L from two natural freshwater sites. Our results suggested that aggregation and dissolution of AgNPs in aquatic environments depend on the chemical composition, where oxygen-depleted freshwaters more significantly increase the colloidal stability. In comparison with oxic conditions, anoxic conditions were more favorable to the regeneration of AgNPs by reducing species (e.g., citrate and NOM) and enhanced the stability of nanoparticles. This indicates that some AgNPs will be more stable for long periods in oxygen-deprived freshwaters, and pose more serious environmental risks than that in oxygenated freshwaters.Download high-res image (399KB)Download full-size image
Co-reporter:Rui Zou;Junjian Huang;Junpeng Shi;Lin Huang;Xuejie Zhang
Nano Research 2017 Volume 10( Issue 6) pp:2070-2082
Publication Date(Web):27 January 2017
DOI:10.1007/s12274-016-1396-z
Near-infrared (NIR) persistent-luminescence nanoparticles have emerged as a new class of background-free contrast agents that are promising for in vivo imaging. The next key roadblock is to establish a robust and controllable method for synthesizing monodisperse nanoparticles with high luminescence brightness and long persistent duration. Herein, we report a synthesis strategy involving the coating/etching of the SiO2 shell to obtain a new class of small NIR highly persistent luminescent ZnGa2O4:Cr3+,Sn4+ (ZGOCS) nanoparticles. The optimized ZGOCS nanoparticles have an excellent size distribution of ~15 nm without any agglomeration and an NIR persistent luminescence that is enhanced by a factor of 13.5, owing to the key role of the SiO2 shell in preventing nanoparticle agglomeration after annealing. The ZGOCS nanoparticles have a signal-to-noise ratio ~3 times higher than that of previously reported ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ (ZGC-1) nanoparticles as an NIR persistent-luminescence probe for in vivo bioimaging. Moreover, the persistent-luminescence signal from the ZGOCS nanoparticles can be repeatedly re-charged in situ with external excitation by a white lightemitting diode; thus, the nanoparticles are suitable for long-term in vivo imaging applications. Our study suggests an improved strategy for fabricating novel high-performance optical nanoparticles with good biocompatibility.
Co-reporter:Xiaoyan Fu, Shenghui Zheng, Junpeng Shi, Hongwu Zhang
Journal of Luminescence 2017 Volume 192(Volume 192) pp:
Publication Date(Web):1 December 2017
DOI:10.1016/j.jlumin.2017.06.036
Obvious enhancement of blue mechanoluminescence (ML) has been observed for SrnMgSi2O5+n:Eu (1 ≤ n ≤ 2) (SMSE) fabricated via systematically controlling the defective phases. The existence of defective phases affects not only the concentration of trap centers but also the structure of SMSE. The dependence between ML intensity and thermoluminescence integrated intensity showed that the trap centers created by defective phase play an important role in producing the ML of SMSE. Furthermore, when the effect of trap centers on ML eliminated to the smallest, the sample with the easiest deformation structure possessed the highest ML intensity. The strong piezoelectric ability induced by the existence of defective phase is responsible for this phenomenon. These results indicate that the origin of ML is piezoelectricity-induced electroluminescence, that is, piezoelectricity impelled the trapped electrons to escape from the traps and produce ML.
Co-reporter:Junpeng Shi, Xia Sun, Jianfei Zhu, Jinlei Li and Hongwu Zhang
Nanoscale 2016 vol. 8(Issue 18) pp:9798-9804
Publication Date(Web):15 Apr 2016
DOI:10.1039/C6NR00590J
Near infrared (NIR)-emitting persistent luminescent nanoparticles (NPLNPs) have attracted much attention in bioimaging because they can provide long-term in vivo imaging with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, conventional NPLNPs with large particle sizes that lack modifiable surface groups suffer from many serious limitations in bioimaging. Herein, we report a one-step synthesis of amino-functionalized ZnGa2O4:Cr,Eu nanoparticles (ZGO) that have an ultrasmall size, where ethylenediamine served as the reactant to fabricate the ZGO as well as the surfactant ligand to control the nanocrystal size and form surface amino groups. The ZGO exhibited a narrow particle size distribution, a bright NIR emission and a long afterglow luminescence. In addition, due to the excellent conjugation ability of the surface amino groups, the ZGO can be easily conjugated with many bio-functional molecules, which has been successfully utilized to realize in vitro and in vivo imaging. More importantly, the ZGO achieved re-excitation imaging using 650 nm and 808 nm NIR light in situ, which is advantageous for long-term and higher SNR bioimaging.
Co-reporter:Junpeng Shi, Haixia Fu, Xia Sun, Jiangshan Shen and Hongwu Zhang
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2015 vol. 3(Issue 4) pp:635-641
Publication Date(Web):19 Nov 2014
DOI:10.1039/C4TB01721H
In this paper, Gd2O3@mSiO2@CaTiO3:Pr nanoparticles with a novel core/shell structure featured by mesoporous, magnetic and long persistent luminescent properties have been synthesized via a facile template method. The as-prepared nanoparticles show ordered mesoporous characteristics, monodisperse spherical morphology and narrow size distribution, so they are expected to be suitable as a drug carrier. These nanoparticles exhibit bright red phosphorescence at 614 nm after UV irradiation and the persistent luminescence can persist for more than one hour. Moreover, they possess a prominent longitudinal relaxivity (r1) value of 6.43 mM−1 s−1, which suggests that these nanoparticles can be used as MR imaging agents. The combination of long persistent luminescent and magnetic properties reveals the high imaging sensitivity, which suggests that these nanoparticles can be used for imaging in vivo with a high signal to noise ratio. Drug release results indicate that the nanoparticles hold excellent drug sustained properties. The cumulative released amount of drugs can also be easily monitored by the change of luminescence intensity. After modification with polyethylene glycol, the resulting nanoparticles demonstrate good biocompatibility and low toxicity. Furthermore, we can realize in vivo imaging for over 20 min using these nanoparticles. These results indicate the promising use of these nanoparticles as multifunctional traceable drug carriers in vivo.
Co-reporter:Yan Xu, Tao Yu, Xiao-Qiong Wu, Jiang-Shan Shen and Hong-Wu Zhang
RSC Advances 2015 vol. 5(Issue 123) pp:101879-101886
Publication Date(Web):20 Nov 2015
DOI:10.1039/C5RA19721J
Developing rapid, efficient and highly sensitive sensing systems for organophosphorus (OPs) and organochlorine pesticides is important due to their potential damage to human health. Considering that Fe3+ ions were recently found to have much higher peroxidase-like activity than that of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles, in this work, a novel and highly sensitive multi-catalytic sensing system has been successfully developed for OPs and organochlorine pesticides, on the basis of the color reaction of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl benzidine (TMB) driven by Fe3+ ions, together with two enzymatic catalytic systems of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline oxidase (CHO). Sub nM level limits of detection could be achieved for four tested OPs and organochlorine pesticides. Furthermore, several fruit/vegetable samples were successfully employed for evaluating this established sensing system.
Co-reporter:Xiao-Qiong Wu, Xing-Wen Wu, Qing Huang, Jiang-Shan Shen, Hong-Wu Zhang
Applied Surface Science 2015 Volume 331() pp:210-218
Publication Date(Web):15 March 2015
DOI:10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.01.077
Highlights
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In situ preparing Au nanoparticles by photoreduction in chitosan hydrogels was firstly achieved.
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In situ photoreduction for creating Au nanoparticles is environmentally friendly and the operation procedure is very simple.
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The as-prepared Au nanoparticles have good catalytic performance.
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Affording an effective strategy for converting some high explosive compounds such as 2,4,6-tNT to nonexplosive.
Co-reporter:Yan Xu, Xiao-Qiong Wu, Jiang-Shan Shen and Hong-Wu Zhang
RSC Advances 2015 vol. 5(Issue 112) pp:92114-92120
Publication Date(Web):23 Oct 2015
DOI:10.1039/C5RA17900A
Developing simple, highly sensitive and selective sensing systems for histidine (His) is important due to its biological significance. In this report, Cu2+ ions serving as the oxidase mimics towards O-phenylenediamine (OPD) were investigated in detail. Experimental results revealed that the oxidase-like activity of Cu2+ ions is substantially higher than that of Cu/CuO nanoparticles. On the basis of these findings, a simple, highly sensitive and selective PL sensing platform for His could be developed, with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.33 μM. Furthermore, experiments of His recovery in human urine samples were successfully conducted by employing the established sensing system with satisfactory results.
Co-reporter:Junpeng Shi, Xia Sun, Jinlei Li, Huizi Man, Jiangshan Shen, Yanke Yu, Hongwu Zhang
Biomaterials 2015 37() pp: 260-270
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.10.033
Co-reporter:Jinlei Li;Junpeng Shi;Jiangshan Shen;Huizi Man;Mingxi Wang
Nano-Micro Letters 2015 Volume 7( Issue 2) pp:138-145
Publication Date(Web):2015 April
DOI:10.1007/s40820-014-0026-0
In this paper, near-infrared emitting long-persistence luminescent Zn3Ga2Ge2O10:Cr3+ (ZGG) nanoparticles with diameters of 30–100 nm and bright luminescence were prepared by a sol–gel synthesis method. After the surface amination, the nanoparticles were further bioconjugated with breast cancer-specific monoclonal antibody (anti-EpCAM) to form ZGG-EpCAM nanoprobes which can specifically target breast cancer cell lines (MCF7) in vitro. The results of in vitro images show that the luminescence signals from the cells treated with ZGG-EpCAM nanoprobes are stronger than those from cells treated with ZGG-unconjugated antibody, indicating that the prepared ZGG-EpCAM nanoprobes possessed excellent specific recognition capability. Furthermore, due to their long afterglow properties, the imaging could persist more than 1 h. Therefore, these nanoprobes could not only provide a high specificity detection method for cancer cells but also realize the long-time monitoring. Developed near-infrared emitting long-persistence luminescent nanoprobes will be expected to find new perspectives for cell therapy research and diagnosis applications.
Co-reporter:Xiao-Qiong Wu, Yan Xu, Yi-Lin Chen, Huan Zhao, Hao-Jie Cui, Jiang-Shan Shen and Hong-Wu Zhang
RSC Advances 2014 vol. 4(Issue 110) pp:64438-64442
Publication Date(Web):19 Nov 2014
DOI:10.1039/C4RA11000E
Although Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have recently been developed as artificial enzymes in a wide range of applications, there is a debate on whether the observed peroxidase-like activity originates from the nature of the intact MNPs themselves or from the Fenton reaction of surface bound and free ferric/ferrous ions. In this work, Fe3+ ions serving as the peroxidase mimic towards the 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl benzidine (TMB)–H2O2 system was investigated in detail for the first time. Experimental results revealed that the peroxidase-like activity of Fe3+ ions is much higher than that of Fe3O4 MNPs. On the basis of these findings, a simple, highly sensitive and selective colorimetric sensing platform for L-cysteine (L-Cys) was developed with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.97 μM.
Co-reporter:Xiaoyan Fu, Chunlin Liu, Junpeng Shi, Huizi Man, Jia Xu, Hongwu Zhang
Optical Materials 2014 Volume 36(Issue 11) pp:1792-1797
Publication Date(Web):September 2014
DOI:10.1016/j.optmat.2014.04.018
•Novel long afterglow phosphors LiGa5O8:Cr3+ were developed.•High bioactive LiGa5O8:Cr3+-PEG-OMe nanoparticles have been developed.•The in vivo distribution of the LGNPs-PEG-5000-OCH3 in the abdomen of mouse can be detected in real time for more than 1 h.The Cr3+-doped LiGa5O8 nanoparticles (LGNPs) with long-persistent near-infrared phosphorescence were obtained through a sol–gel approach followed by heat treatment at 800 °C in air. The obtained results reveal that the nanoparticles with an average diameter of 100 nm are well defined and have pure structure of LiGa5O8. After illumination for 3 min using a 254 nm UV lamp, the LGNPs exhibit strong near-infrared peak at ca. 720 nm belonging to tissue transparency window which can last for more than 1 h. Via surface modified with PEG-5000-OCH3, the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 exhibit excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity. Under in vitro pre-excitation using a 254 nm UV lamp for 3 min, the in vivo distribution of the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 in the abdomen can be detected in real time for more than 1 h. All the results indicate that the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 can be used as potential nanoprobes to realize in vivo, real time and long time imaging with high sensitivity.
Co-reporter:Junpeng Shi, Xia Sun, Yi Lin, Xiaoyan Zou, Zhanjun Li, Yanyan Liao, Miaomiao Du, Hongwu Zhang
Biomaterials 2014 35(24) pp: 6657-6666
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.04.093
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Yi-Lin Chen, Qiu-Ping Wang, Tao Yu, Xin-Yi Huang, Yi Yang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2013 vol. 1(Issue 11) pp:2092-2096
Publication Date(Web):22 Jan 2013
DOI:10.1039/C3TC00941F
We report a simple and environmentally friendly method for the in situ synthesis of red emissive Cu nanoclusters (NCs) in supramolecular hydrogels via employing a series of bile acid derivatives (BAs) as pre-gelators. The encapsulated Cu NCs demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the methylene blue (MB)–hydrazine (N2H4) reduction system.
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Yi-Lin Chen, Jia-Le Huang, Jin-Dun Chen, Cong Zhao, Yang-Qing Zheng, Tao Yu, Yi Yang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Soft Matter 2013 vol. 9(Issue 6) pp:2017-2023
Publication Date(Web):02 Jan 2013
DOI:10.1039/C2SM26878G
In situ fabrication of metal nanostructures such as metal nanoparticles (NPs) and nanoclusters (NCs) in supramolecular gels (particularly hydrogels) is important for the construction of novel and promising bio-/chemosensing platforms, and catalytic and antibacterial functional materials, because of their intriguing properties. Reported herein are our recent findings, in which we employed sodium salts of a series of structurally similar bile acid derivatives (BAs) to construct supramolecular hydrogels incorporating various metal ions including Ag+ and Au3+, and to investigate the feasibility of in situ fabrication of Ag NPs and Au NPs in these supramolecular hydrogel systems via a simple and environmentally friendly method of photoreduction, without adding any external reducing or stabilizing agents. These results demonstrated that the gelation ability of BAs induced by the coordination of Mn+ could also be tuned by a slight structural alteration of BAs, and forming Ag or Au NPs as effective nodes could facilitate increasing strength of the resulting supramolecular hydrogels. This is the first reported supramolecular hydrogel system capable of in situ formation of both Ag NPs and Au NPs, expected to open an entry for preparing novel functional gel materials incorporating metal nanostructures for numerous potential applications.
Co-reporter:Xiaoyan Fu, Lijun Fang, Shuyun Niu, Hongwu Zhang
Journal of Luminescence 2013 Volume 142() pp:163-166
Publication Date(Web):October 2013
DOI:10.1016/j.jlumin.2013.03.055
•A series of novel luminescent phosphors SrMgSi2O6:Ce,Tb were synthesized by solid-state reaction.•The SrMgSi2O6:Ce,Tb phosphors were prepared in a low synthesis temperature.•The intense green emission is greatly enhanced by co-doped sensitizer Ce3+.•Ce3+→Tb3+energy transfer is ascribed to the dipole–dipole interaction.A series of new luminescent phosphors SrMgSi2O6:Ce,Tb have been prepared by a solid state reaction method. The phase characterizations, luminescence emission and excitation spectra and optimum doping concentrations of the SrMgSi2O6:Ce,Tb phosphors are investigated in detail. The intense green emission monitored at 542 nm is realized in the SrMgSi2O6: Ce, Tb phosphors on the basis of the highly efficient energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+. The energy transfer mechanism is ascribed to the dipole–dipole interaction. When the Tb3+ ion concentration was increased to 0.05, the transfer efficiency increased to 77%. The critical distance of the energy transfer has been calculated by the concentration quenching method.
Co-reporter:Zhanjun Li, Hongwu Zhang, Haixia Fu
Journal of Luminescence 2013 Volume 135() pp:79-83
Publication Date(Web):March 2013
DOI:10.1016/j.jlumin.2012.10.036
This study offers a new method to facilely synthesize morphology-controllable Zn2SiO4:Mn nanophosphors. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were employed both as nanoreactors and templates in this process. First, Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions were impregnated into the mesopores of MSNs. Second, Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions reacted with the MSNs at high temperature and α phase Zn2SiO4:Mn phosphors were synthesized at a temperature higher than 800 °C. Zn2SiO4:Mn phosphors with various sizes and morphologies were successfully synthesized by using the corresponding MSNs as templates. The influences of the annealing temperature, Zn/Si molar ratio, annealing time, and particle size on the photoluminescence intensities of the as-prepared nanophosphors were investigated and the results indicate that the annealing temperature and Zn/Si molar ratio are the main factors. The resulting samples exhibit tunable morphologies, non-agglomeration, narrow size distribution and intense emission at 525 nm. The advantages of this method include simplified procedure, low annealing temperature, timesaving, controllable sizes and morphologies, large-scale production and wide practicality for other phosphor materials.Highlights► A facile template method was used to prepare Zn2SiO4:Mn nanophosphors. ► Mesoporous silica nanoparticles were used as the templates. ► Sizes and morphologies of Zn2SiO4:Mn nanospheres can be controlled by the templates. ► Influence factors of the photoluminescence intensity of Zn2SiO4:Mn were studied. ► Annealing temperature and Zn/Si molar ratio were the dominant factors.
Co-reporter:Zhan-Jun Li, Yi-Juan Zhang, Hong-Wu Zhang, Hai-Xia Fu
Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 2013 Volume 176() pp:48-54
Publication Date(Web):August 2013
DOI:10.1016/j.micromeso.2013.02.050
•Mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) were functionalized by CaTiO3:Pr3+ by sol–gel method.•CaTiO3:Pr3+@MSNs nanospheres synthesized at 700 °C possess both mesoporous and long-lasting phosphorescence properties.•CaTiO3:Pr3+@MSNs nanospheres can be observed in vivo.•CaTiO3:Pr3+@MSNs nanospheres can be used as sustained drug delivery system.•The drug release process can be monitored by detecting the phosphorescence intensity.Long-lasting phosphorescence functionalization of the ordered mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) was realized by depositing a CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor layer on its surface via the Pechini sol–gel process, resulting in the formation of the MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ composite material. This material, which combines the mesoporous structure of MSNs and the red long-lasting phosphorescence property of CaTiO3:Pr3+, can be used as a novel functional drug delivery system. The results indicate that a CaTiO3:Pr3+ layer can be synthesized when the annealing temperature reaches 600 °C and impurity phases start to appear when the annealing temperature reaches 800 °C or higher. The specific surface area of MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ decreases along with the increase of annealing temperature. The MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ sample synthesized at 700 °C has appropriate phosphorescence intensity and enough specific surface area (306 m2/g) to load drug molecules. The as-synthesized MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ composite material can be tracked in vivo by optical imaging in 12 min after peritoneal injection. The quercetin-loaded MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ system still shows the red phosphorescence of Pr3+ (614 nm) after UV irradiation and possesses sustained drug release property. In addition, the phosphorescence intensity of Pr3+ increases with an increase in the cumulative released amount of quercetin in the system, making the extent of drug release easily identifiable, trackable, and monitorable by the change of phosphorescence. Our research supplies a new way to fabricate in vivo visible drug delivery system.We found that mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) could be functionalized with long-lasting phosphorescence by depositing a CaTiO3:Pr3+ layer on the particle surfaces. The as-synthesized MSNs@CaTiO3:Pr3+ could be used as a novel drug carrier which can be tracked in vivo. The phosphorescence intensity could be used as a new signal to monitor the extent of drug release.
Co-reporter:Zhanjun Li;Jiangshan Shen
Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2013 Volume 128( Issue 1) pp:845-850
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1002/app.38223
Abstract
A simple and effective solvent swelling method was developed for the preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/europium (Eu) complex hybrid nanospheres. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering results indicate that the as-prepared PMMA–Eu nanoparticles had a spherical morphology, with a narrow particle size distribution ranging from 100–200 nm. The PMMA–Eu nanospheres exhibited strong red emissions with a maximum peak at 612 nm under UV excitation, and the luminescence lifetime of the Eu complex was enhanced after it was swollen into PMMA nanospheres. Furthermore, the luminescence intensity of the PMMA–Eu nanospheres was very stable in various severe media, including aqueous solutions with various pHs, 1 mM Ca2+, 1 mM Fe2+, 1 mM Cu2+, 0.1M phosphate-buffered saline solution, 1 mM citric acid solution, 1 mM lysine, and 1 mM glutamic acid. After the nanospheres were incubated at various temperatures for 1 h, the luminescence properties remained stable when the temperature was less than 40°C yet decreased slightly between 40 and 60°C and decreased rapidly at higher temperatures. These luminescent nanospheres were successfully applied in the luminescence-sensing assay of hydrogen peroxide and exhibited a high sensitivity and broad linear concentration range. Because of their unique luminescence properties, the as-synthesized PMMA–Eu nanospheres are expected to have great potential for use as luminescent labels or probes for long-time imaging and analysis in which severe media situations are present. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Co-reporter:Zhanjun Li, Hongwu Zhang, Haixia Fu
Optical Materials 2013 Volume 35(Issue 3) pp:451-455
Publication Date(Web):January 2013
DOI:10.1016/j.optmat.2012.09.043
The principle of color conversion process was used to generate red long-lasting phosphorescence (LLP) using SrAl2O4:Eu, Dy (SAO) as primary light source and rhodamine B encapsulated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-R) as effective color conversion agent. The phosphorescence spectra of MCM-R/SAO hybrid samples show green peaks from 425 nm to 550 nm and red peaks from 550 nm to 700 nm, which can be attributed to the phosphorescence of SAO and the fluorescence of MCM-R, respectively. The phosphorescence color can be adjusted from green to red by changing the mass ratio of MCM-R/SAO. When the mass ratio of MCM-R/SAO increases from 0.05 to 1.5, a blue shift for the green peak and a red shift for the red peak of the phosphorescence spectra can be observed and the intensity of the red emission peak increase relatively towards the green one. The phosphorescence decay curves show that MCM-R and SAO have similar decay dynamics and the MCM-R can inherit the LLP properties of SAO. The phosphorescence decay spectra indicate that the MCM-R/SAO hybrid can retain constant and steady visual phosphorescence color. The red phosphorescence can be seen in the dark with naked eyes for more than 5 h. So, the red LLP can be successfully achieved based on the principle of color conversion process.Graphical abstractRed long-lasting phosphorescence is achieved based on the principal of color conversion process using SrAl2O4:Eu, Dy (SAO) as a long-lasting phosphorescence light source and rhodamine B encapsulated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-R) as color conversion agent. The phosphorescence color can be adjusted from green to red by changing the mass ratio of MCM-R/SAO.Highlights► The principal of color conversion process was used to generate red long-lasting phosphorescence (LLP). ► SrAl2O4:Eu, Dy (SAO) was used as LLP light source. ► Rhodamine B encapsulated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-R) was used as color conversionagent. ► The phosphorescence color can be adjusted from green to red by changing the mass ratio of MCM-R/SAO. ► MCM-R can inherit the long-lasting phosphorescence properties of SAO.
Co-reporter:Li Zhan-Jun, Zhang Hong-Wu, Sun Meng, Shen Jiang-Shan and Fu Hai-Xia
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2012 vol. 22(Issue 47) pp:24713-24720
Publication Date(Web):04 Oct 2012
DOI:10.1039/C2JM35650C
In order to prepare new promising optical nanoprobes, long afterglow nanospheres with a narrow size distribution were successfully synthesized using mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) both as morphology-controlling templates and the silicon source of long afterglow silicate. In our experiments, metal ions (Sr2+, Mg2+, Eu3+, Dy3+) were impregnated into the pores of mesoporous silica nanospheres followed by high temperature calcination. The X-ray powder diffraction results show that SrMgSi2O6 crystalline phase can be formed after calcination at 900 °C for 3 h in a weakly reducing atmosphere and the as-prepared afterglow nanospheres have a nominal composition of SiO2/SrMgSi2O6:Eu0.01, Dy0.02. The field emission scanning electron microscopy results indicate that the as-prepared long afterglow silicate nanoparticles have spherical morphology with a narrow size distribution and their size can be tuned between 50 nm and 500 nm. Approximately 10 nm pores can be formed in the as-prepared nanospheres, certified by the transmission electron microscopy and BET analysis results. Long afterglow properties, ranging from 400 nm to 550 nm, peaking at 467 nm, can be observed from the as-prepared nanospheres. After the surface was modified with amino groups, grafted by PEG–COOH and irradiated with 365 nm UV light for 10 min, the afterglow signal could be observed in real time for more than 1 h in a live mouse after peritoneal injection.
Co-reporter:Zhanjun Li;Jiangshan Shen
Polymer Composites 2011 Volume 32( Issue 11) pp:1712-1717
Publication Date(Web):
DOI:10.1002/pc.21185
Abstract
Nanoparticles composed of Eu-complex, Eu(TTA)3Phen, and polystyrene (PS) were successfully synthesized through an improved solvent swelling method. The unstable Eu(TTA)3Phen could be protected by the hydrophobic shell of PS nanoparticles. This method is very appropriate to embed unstable luminescent molecules into polymer nanoparticles. The as-synthesized luminescent PS nanoparticles have been turned out to be water-dispersible, strong red luminescent, ultrastable in strong acid and alkali, and luminescence lifetime enhanced. A cell imaging assay was further carried out and strong luminescent signal could be obtained, which showed that the as-synthesized luminescent Eu-complex/PS nanoparticles are a good candidate to be used as luminescent nanoparticles in tumor cell detection. This solvent swelling method is simple, easy to scale-up, and has great potential in the preparation of other luminescent nanoparticles. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Qing-Guo Cai, Yun-Bao Jiang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Chemical Communications 2010 vol. 46(Issue 36) pp:6786-6788
Publication Date(Web):23 Aug 2010
DOI:10.1039/C0CC02030C
We found that melamine in its protonated form could be triggered by oxoanions such as NO3−, PO43−, ATP, and SO42− to form superstructures and to gelate a large amount of water molecules, presumably resulting from the electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions operating in a synergistic manner; the gelation can be reversibly switched off/on by increasing/decreasing pH or temperature.
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Guo-Juan Mao, Yu-Hua Zhou, Yun-Bao Jiang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Dalton Transactions 2010 vol. 39(Issue 30) pp:7054-7058
Publication Date(Web):22 Jun 2010
DOI:10.1039/C0DT00364F
We report a novel example of ligand-chirality finely controlled in situ supramolecular hydrogel formation based on the coordination of phenylalanine (Phe) to Cu(II) with higher selectivity over other metal ions. As decreasing both enantiomeric excesses (ee%) of ligand Phe towards its D- and L-forms, the gelation ability of Phe-Cu(II) supramolecular metallogelator was found to be weakened and eventually disappeared, which likely resulted from the stereoselectivity of the ligand Phe. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and/or π–π stacking interactions were also found to be essential for forming the metallogel. We believe that the present work can open up a new entry for developing novel and promising chiral sensing and recognition platforms, i.e. visually sensing chiral molecules by naked eyes due to the feature of a sol-to-gel transition induced smartly by varying the ligand chirality.
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Qing-Guo Cai, Yun-Bao Jiang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Chemical Communications 2010 - vol. 46(Issue 36) pp:NaN6788-6788
Publication Date(Web):2010/08/23
DOI:10.1039/C0CC02030C
We found that melamine in its protonated form could be triggered by oxoanions such as NO3−, PO43−, ATP, and SO42− to form superstructures and to gelate a large amount of water molecules, presumably resulting from the electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions operating in a synergistic manner; the gelation can be reversibly switched off/on by increasing/decreasing pH or temperature.
Co-reporter:Junpeng Shi, Haixia Fu, Xia Sun, Jiangshan Shen and Hongwu Zhang
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2015 - vol. 3(Issue 4) pp:NaN641-641
Publication Date(Web):2014/11/19
DOI:10.1039/C4TB01721H
In this paper, Gd2O3@mSiO2@CaTiO3:Pr nanoparticles with a novel core/shell structure featured by mesoporous, magnetic and long persistent luminescent properties have been synthesized via a facile template method. The as-prepared nanoparticles show ordered mesoporous characteristics, monodisperse spherical morphology and narrow size distribution, so they are expected to be suitable as a drug carrier. These nanoparticles exhibit bright red phosphorescence at 614 nm after UV irradiation and the persistent luminescence can persist for more than one hour. Moreover, they possess a prominent longitudinal relaxivity (r1) value of 6.43 mM−1 s−1, which suggests that these nanoparticles can be used as MR imaging agents. The combination of long persistent luminescent and magnetic properties reveals the high imaging sensitivity, which suggests that these nanoparticles can be used for imaging in vivo with a high signal to noise ratio. Drug release results indicate that the nanoparticles hold excellent drug sustained properties. The cumulative released amount of drugs can also be easily monitored by the change of luminescence intensity. After modification with polyethylene glycol, the resulting nanoparticles demonstrate good biocompatibility and low toxicity. Furthermore, we can realize in vivo imaging for over 20 min using these nanoparticles. These results indicate the promising use of these nanoparticles as multifunctional traceable drug carriers in vivo.
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Yi-Lin Chen, Qiu-Ping Wang, Tao Yu, Xin-Yi Huang, Yi Yang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2013 - vol. 1(Issue 11) pp:NaN2096-2096
Publication Date(Web):2013/01/22
DOI:10.1039/C3TC00941F
We report a simple and environmentally friendly method for the in situ synthesis of red emissive Cu nanoclusters (NCs) in supramolecular hydrogels via employing a series of bile acid derivatives (BAs) as pre-gelators. The encapsulated Cu NCs demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the methylene blue (MB)–hydrazine (N2H4) reduction system.
Co-reporter:Jiang-Shan Shen, Guo-Juan Mao, Yu-Hua Zhou, Yun-Bao Jiang and Hong-Wu Zhang
Dalton Transactions 2010 - vol. 39(Issue 30) pp:NaN7058-7058
Publication Date(Web):2010/06/22
DOI:10.1039/C0DT00364F
We report a novel example of ligand-chirality finely controlled in situ supramolecular hydrogel formation based on the coordination of phenylalanine (Phe) to Cu(II) with higher selectivity over other metal ions. As decreasing both enantiomeric excesses (ee%) of ligand Phe towards its D- and L-forms, the gelation ability of Phe-Cu(II) supramolecular metallogelator was found to be weakened and eventually disappeared, which likely resulted from the stereoselectivity of the ligand Phe. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and/or π–π stacking interactions were also found to be essential for forming the metallogel. We believe that the present work can open up a new entry for developing novel and promising chiral sensing and recognition platforms, i.e. visually sensing chiral molecules by naked eyes due to the feature of a sol-to-gel transition induced smartly by varying the ligand chirality.
Co-reporter:Li Zhan-Jun, Zhang Hong-Wu, Sun Meng, Shen Jiang-Shan and Fu Hai-Xia
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2012 - vol. 22(Issue 47) pp:NaN24720-24720
Publication Date(Web):2012/10/04
DOI:10.1039/C2JM35650C
In order to prepare new promising optical nanoprobes, long afterglow nanospheres with a narrow size distribution were successfully synthesized using mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) both as morphology-controlling templates and the silicon source of long afterglow silicate. In our experiments, metal ions (Sr2+, Mg2+, Eu3+, Dy3+) were impregnated into the pores of mesoporous silica nanospheres followed by high temperature calcination. The X-ray powder diffraction results show that SrMgSi2O6 crystalline phase can be formed after calcination at 900 °C for 3 h in a weakly reducing atmosphere and the as-prepared afterglow nanospheres have a nominal composition of SiO2/SrMgSi2O6:Eu0.01, Dy0.02. The field emission scanning electron microscopy results indicate that the as-prepared long afterglow silicate nanoparticles have spherical morphology with a narrow size distribution and their size can be tuned between 50 nm and 500 nm. Approximately 10 nm pores can be formed in the as-prepared nanospheres, certified by the transmission electron microscopy and BET analysis results. Long afterglow properties, ranging from 400 nm to 550 nm, peaking at 467 nm, can be observed from the as-prepared nanospheres. After the surface was modified with amino groups, grafted by PEG–COOH and irradiated with 365 nm UV light for 10 min, the afterglow signal could be observed in real time for more than 1 h in a live mouse after peritoneal injection.
