Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Metal-Ligand Bonds

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...

Labeling DNA Probes

Labeling DNA Probes

DNA probes are fragments of DNA labeled with a reporter tag to enable their detection or purification. The resulting labeled DNA probes can then hybridize to target nucleic acid sequences through complementary base-pairing, and may be used to recover or identify these regions.
Radioisotopes, fluorophores, or small molecule binding partners like biotin or digoxigenin, are the most widely used reporter tags for labeling DNA probes. These labels can be attached to the probe DNA molecule via...

Colors and Magnetism

Colors and Magnetism

Color in Coordination Complexes
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...

EDTA: Chemistry and Properties

EDTA: Chemistry and Properties

Polydentate ligands are most widely used in complexometric titrations because they form more stable complexes with the metal ions than mono- or bidentate ligands due to the chelate effect. Examples of polydentate ligands are ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), crown ethers, and cryptands. The most important feature of optimal polydentate ligands is the ability to form 1:1 complexes in a single-step process. Amino carboxylic acid derivatives are frequently used as complexing agents. EDTA is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

BFEE-Docking: A User-Friendly and Customizable End-to-End Tool from High-Throughput Virtual Screening to Binding Free-Energy Calculations.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2026

Same author

Triplet-Mediated Photon Upconversion via Near-Infrared-II Excitation without Tetracene Derivatives.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Convergence is not correctness: context-dependent performance of enhanced-sampling methods across biological complexity.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Aromatic ring flips reveal reshaping of protein dynamics in crystals and complexes.

Nature chemistry·2026

Same author

Programmable In Vivo Synthesis of Quantum Dots.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Simultaneous Localization of Electrons/Holes by Surface Cationic Dangling-Bonds/Vacancies for Synergistically Boosting Photocatalytic Activity.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same journal

Engineered Young Brown Adipose Tissue-Derived Exosomes Alleviate Radiation-Induced Lung Injury by Promoting G Protein-Coupled Receptor 183 Ubiquitination.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Pore Geometry-Driven Capture of Trace Aromatic Volatile Organic Compounds in Al-Based MOFs.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Dual-Bridged Porphyrin-Based Covalent Organic Framework with Integrated Specific Fluorescent Recognition and Cooperative Adsorption Capabilities.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Split-Gate Memtransistors for Energy-Efficient Adaptive Reinforcement Learning.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Interface Coordination Nucleation of Copper Nanoclusters on Covalent Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

High-Performance Near-Infrared Quantum Emission from Color Centers in hBN.

ACS nano·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Production and Targeting of Monovalent Quantum Dots

Production and Targeting of Monovalent Quantum Dots

Published on: October 23, 2014

Proton-Resistant Quantum Dots by Ligands.

Xia Zong¹, Meixin Liu¹, Xinran Xu¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Centre for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Chemistry Education, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Optoelectronics Technology, Ministry of Education, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China.

|October 22, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Engineered ligands create proton-resistant quantum dots (QDs) by shielding and trapping protons. These advanced QDs maintain stable fluorescence in acidic conditions, enhancing nanomaterial durability.

Keywords:

fluorescence hydrogen bond proton-resistant quantum dots surface ligand

More Related Videos

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging

Published on: October 9, 2012

Author Spotlight: High-Quality Quantum Dot Nanobeads for Sensitive Fluorescent Lateral Flow Immunoassays

Author Spotlight: High-Quality Quantum Dot Nanobeads for Sensitive Fluorescent Lateral Flow Immunoassays

Published on: June 28, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Production and Targeting of Monovalent Quantum Dots

Production and Targeting of Monovalent Quantum Dots

Published on: October 23, 2014

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging

Published on: October 9, 2012

Author Spotlight: High-Quality Quantum Dot Nanobeads for Sensitive Fluorescent Lateral Flow Immunoassays

Author Spotlight: High-Quality Quantum Dot Nanobeads for Sensitive Fluorescent Lateral Flow Immunoassays

Published on: June 28, 2024

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Chemistry

Background:

Quantum dots (QDs) possess unique optical and electronic properties for various applications.
QD surface chemistry critically impacts photoluminescence, especially in acidic environments where protonation causes aggregation and fluorescence quenching.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop proton-resistant quantum dots (QDs) using only ligand engineering, avoiding bulky coatings.
To investigate a synergistic proton defense mechanism involving electrostatic shielding and proton trapping.

Main Methods:

Designed surface ligands with proton-amenable groups (e.g., amino) for electrostatic shielding.
Utilized low dielectric constant solvents (e.g., ethylene glycol) to enhance shielding.
Incorporated hydrogen-bonding moieties in ligands to trap protons via network formation.

Main Results:

Achieved proton-resistant Ag2Se QDs through ligand engineering alone.
Demonstrated stable fluorescence retention at proton concentrations up to 0.8 mol/L.
Observed a four-orders-of-magnitude improvement in proton tolerance compared to standard QDs.

Conclusions:

Ligand engineering offers a universal strategy for creating proton-resistant QDs.
This approach advances nanomaterial design for applications in harsh acidic environments.