To explore the effect of Cu―Cu distance in the structure of copper complexes on their catechol oxidase and nuclease activity, six copper complexes with a similar coordination sphere but different Cu―Cu distances were synthesized and characterized with elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, molar conductivity measurements, IR and UV–visible spectroscopy. Complex 1 is a binuclear copper complex and complex 4 is a polynuclear complex with a Z-chain structure, as evidenced by their crystal structures. Complementary characterizations showed that complexes 2 and 3 have a similar binuclear structure to the complex 1; and complexes 5 and 6 are analogous to complex 4. The catechol oxidase activity of complexes 1, 2, 3 is quite akin to that of 4, 5, 6, suggesting that the catechol oxidase activity of the complexes was determined by the coordination environment of the copper center, when Cu―Cu distance is large. In contrast, DNA cleavage activity of the complexes 1, 2 and 3 are much higher than that of 4, 5 and 6, indicating that the planar ligand structure in the complexes 4, 5 and 6 is more critical than the copper coordination sphere and the Cu―Cu distance for their nuclease activity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), owing to their unique morphology, ultra-small lateral sizes, and exceptional properties, hold great promise for many applications, especially in the biomedical field. In this work, the cellular internalization, distribution, and cytotoxicity of the GQDs are explored complementarily using transmission electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies, and flow cytometry with human gastric cancer MGC-803 and breast cancer MCF-7 cells. It is demonstrated that the GQDs are internalized primarily through caveolae-mediated endocytosis. The effects of GQDs on the cell viability, internal cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, mitochondrial membranes potential, and cell cycles show that the cytotoxicity of GQDs is lower than that of the micrometer-sized graphene oxide (GO). The low cytotoxicity and size consistence render GQDs appropriate for biomedical application.

This minireview describes recent progress in solution-processable graphene quantum dots (SGQDs). Advances in the preparation, modification, properties, and applications of SGQDs are highlighted in detail. As one of emerging nanostructured materials, possible ongoing research related to the precise control of the lateral size, edge structure and surface functionality; the manipulation and characterization; the relationship between the properties and structure; and interfaces with biological systems of SGQDs have been speculated upon.