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Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Published on: January 10, 2017
Bright fluorescence from individual single-walled carbon nanotubes
Andrea J Lee1, Xiaoyong Wang, Lisa J Carlson
1Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States.
Nano Letters
|March 23, 2011
Summary
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) show increased fluorescence when reducing agents are added. This brightening is reversible, suggesting SWNTs are inherently bright emitters, with defects limiting their emission.
Area of Science:
- * Nanotechnology
- * Materials Science
- * Physical Chemistry
Background:
- * Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) possess unique photophysical properties.
- * However, their practical applications are often limited by low fluorescence efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate methods for enhancing the fluorescence efficiency of SWNTs.
- * To understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for fluorescence quenching in SWNTs.
Main Methods:
- * Employed DNA wrapping to functionalize SWNTs.
- * Introduced various reducing agents (dithiothreitol, Trolox, β-mercaptoethanol) to assess their impact on SWNT fluorescence.
- * Monitored fluorescence changes upon addition and removal of reducing agents.
Main Results:
- * Significant increases in fluorescence efficiency were observed for DNA-wrapped SWNTs in the presence of reducing agents.
- * The observed fluorescence enhancement was reversible upon removal of the reducing molecules.
- * This suggests a transient reduction of defect sites on the SWNT sidewall is responsible for the effect.
Conclusions:
- * SWNTs are intrinsically bright emitters.
- * Poor emission in SWNTs is primarily attributed to the presence of defects on their surface.
- * Reducing agents can transiently mitigate these defects, restoring fluorescence efficiency.
