RT Journal Article
T1 A brighter era for silver chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals
A1 Ming, Liyan
A1 Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene
A1 Gómez Calderón, Óscar
A1 Melle Hernández, Sonia
A1 Ximendes, Erwing
A1 Rubio Retama, Benito Jorge
A1 Marín, Riccardo
AB Silver chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals (Ag2E SNCs) have become a household name in the biomedical field, where they are used as contrast agents in bioimaging, photothermal therapy agents, and luminescent nanothermometers. The prominent position they have come to occupy in this field stems from a unique combination of features, above all near-infrared excitation and emission alongside low cytotoxicity. However, the first reports on Ag2E SNCs showed that a great limitation of these luminescent nanomaterials resided in their low photoluminescence quantum yield, which results in reduced brightness: a crippling feature in bioimaging and biosensing. In this article, we provide an overview of the strategies developed to overcome this hurdle. These strategies aim to remedy the presence of defects in the SNC core and/or surface, the presence of metallic silver, and off-stoichiometric composition. These features stem from the high mobility and redox potential of Ag+ ions, alongside the difficulty in controlling the nucleation and growth rate of Ag2E SNCs. The effectiveness of each approach is discussed. Lastly, a perspective on future research efforts to make Ag2E SNCs even brighter – and thus more effective in biomedical applications – is provided, with the hope of inspiring further investigation on these nanomaterials with a rich, complex set of physicochemical and spectroscopic properties.
PB Elsevier
SN 0925-3467
YR 2023
FD 2023-06-03
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/91894
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/91894
LA eng
NO Ming, Liyan, Zabala Gutiérrez, I., Gómez Calderón, Ó. et al. «A Brighter Era for Silver Chalcogenide Semiconductor Nanocrystals». Optical Materials, vol. 141, julio de 2023, p. 113940. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2023.113940.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Instituto de Salud Carlos III
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
NO Banco Santander
NO China Scholarship Council
DS Docta Complutense
RD 17 jul 2024