A novel sensitive solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor material: Ru(bpy)(2+)(3) doped SiO2@MWNTs coaxial nanocable

A simple, large scale, and one-step process for the preparation of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(I) (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) doped SiO2@carbon nanotubes (MVNTs) coaxial nanocable used for an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is presented for the first time. More importantly, a directly coated as-formed functional material on ITO electrode surface exhibits excellent ECL behavior, good stability, and high sensitivity in the presence of tripropylamine (TPA). This novel functional material will find potential applications in biosensor, electrophoresis and electroanalysis.

Tunable luminescence properties of Tb3+-doped LaGaO3 nanocrystalline phosphors

Nanocyrstalline Tb3+-doped LaGaO3 phosphors were prepared through a Pechini-type sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence spectra, and lifetimes were utilized to characterize the synthesized phosphors. XRD results reveal that the sample begins to crystallize at 900 degrees C and pure LaGaO3 phase can be obtained at 1000 degrees C. FESEM images indicate that the Tb3+-doped LaGaO3 phosphors are composed of aggregated spherical particles with sizes ranging from 40 to 80 nm. Under the excitation of ultraviolet light and low-voltage electron beams (0.5-3 kV), the Tb3+-doped LaGaO3 phosphors show the characteristic emissions from the LaGaO3 host lattice and the Tb3+ (D-5(3,4)-F-7(6,5,4,3) transitions). The emission colors of Tb3+-doped LaGaO3 phosphors can be tuned from blue to green by changing the excitation wavelength of ultraviolet light and the doping concentration of Tb3+ to some extent. Relevant luminescence mechanisms are discussed.

Electrochemiluminescence-based DNA detection using guanine oxidation at electrostatic self-assembly of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-doped silica nanoparticles on indium tin oxide electrode

A Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-doped silica nanoparticle-[Ru@Silica] modified indium tin oxide electrode was prepared by simple electrostatic self-assembly technique, and one-electron catalytic oxidation of guanine bases in double-strand and denatured DNA was realized using the electrochemiluminescence detection means.

Tris(2,2 '-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) doped silica film modified indium tin oxide electrode and its electrochemiluminescent properties

An approach was reported to synthesize silica hybridized ruthenium bipyridyl complex through amidation reaction by covalent attachment of bis(bipyridyl)-4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridyl-ruthenium to (3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane. The hybrid complex then was gelatinized through acid catalytic hydrolysis method and a sol-gel modified indium, tin oxide electrode was prepared via spin coating technique. As prepared indium tin oxide electrode possesses good stability therein with excellent electrochemiluminescence behavior.

Template-free fabrication of hexagonal ZnO microprism with an interior space

Well-faceted hexagonal ZnO microprisms with regular interior space have been successfully prepared by a template-free hydrothermal synthetic route. The morphologies of the products depend on the experimental conditions such as the solvent, the concentration of ammonia aqueous solution, and the reaction temperature. Through manipulation of the aging time, the as-prepared ZnO can be controlled as a monodispersed hexagonal twinning solid or as hollow microprisms. Moreover, the evolution process of the hollow ZnO nanoarchitecture after reaction for 2, 6, 12, and 24 h has been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A possible growth mechanism has also been proposed and discussed. Furthermore, the photoluminescence (PL) measurement exhibits the unique emitting characteristic of hollow ZnO nanostructures.

Morphology of electrodeposited poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrene sulfonate) films

Poly(4-styrene sulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT/PSS) films with ring-, arrow-, and bubble-like microstructures have been electrochemically generated simply by a one-step cyclic voltammetry in an aqueous media. Influences of applied potentials and surfactant/dopant-PSS on morphology of the resulting film were investigated, and a gas bubble template mechanism has been proposed. The result confirmed a well-doping of PSS in the PEDOT film. Electrochemical property and conductivity of the micro-structured PEDOT/PSS film were investigated further. Similar preparation with potential applications in fabrication of microdevices and micro-sensors can be extended to other micro-structured conducting polymers.

Random lasing emission from a red fluorescent dye doped polystyrene film containing dispersed polystyrene nanoparticles

The authors report a random lasing emission from 4-(dicy-anomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran doped polystyrene thin films by introducing polystyrene nanoparticles. The aspects of concentration and diameter of polystyrene nanoparticles have been intensively investigated and found that the lasing occurs due to the scattering role of polystyrene nanoparticles. The devices emit a resonance multimode peak centered at a wavelength of 630 nm with a mode linewidth of less than 0.35 nm and exhibit threshold excitation intensity of as low as 0.06 mJ pulse(-1) cm(-2). The microscopic laser cavities formed by multiple scattering have been captured. The demonstration of random laser opens up the possibility of using organic scattering as alternative sources of coherent light emission.

Preparation of a phosphopolyoxomolybdate P2Mo18O626- doped polypyrrole modified electrode and its catalytic properties

A phosphopolyoxomolybdate (P2Mo18) doped polypyrrole (PPy) modified electrode was prepared in aqueous solution by a one-step method. During the polymerization of PPy, P2Mo18 acted as both catalyst and dopant. The electrochemical behavior of the PPy/P2Mo18 modified electrode before and after the overoxidation of PPy was investigated. Both of these showed a catalytic effect toward bromate. The PPy/P2Mo18 composite film was characterized by chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry, the rotating disk electrode technique, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

Fabrication and luminescent properties of rare earths-doped Gd-2(WO4)(3) thin film phosphors by Pechini sol-gel process

Rare earth ions (Eu3+ and Dy3+)-doped Gd-2(WO4)(3) phosphor films were prepared by a Pechini sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting powders and films. The results of XRD indicate that the films begin to crystallize at 600degreesC and the crystallinity increases with the elevation of annealing temperatures. The film is uniform and crack-free, WO(4)(2-)mainly consists of closely packed fine particles with an average grain size of 80 nm. Owing to an energy transfer from 4 groups, the rare earth ions show their characteristic emissions in crystalline Gd-2(WO4)(3) phosphor films, i.e., D-5(J) -F-7(J), (J = 0, 1, 2, 3; J' = 0 1, 2, 3, 4, not in all cases) transitions for Eu3+ and F-4(9/2)-H-6(J) (J = 13/2, 15/2) transitions for D Y3+, with the hypersensitive transitions D-5(0)-F-7(2) (Eu3+) and F-4(9/2) - H-6(13/2) (Dy3+) being the most prominent groups, respectively.

Fabrication, patterning and luminescence properties of X-2-Y2SiO5 : A (A = Eu3+, Tb3+, Ce3+) phosphor films via sol-gel soft lithography

X-2-y(2)SiO(5):A (A = Eu3+, Tb3+, Ce3+) phosphor films and their patterning were fabricated by a sol-gel process combined with a soft lithography. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) optical microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicated that the films began to crystallize at 900 degreesC with X-1-Y2SiO5, which transformed completely to X-2-Y2SiO5 at 1250 degreesC. Patterned thin films with different band widths (5 pin spaced by 5 pm and 16 pm spaced by 24 pm) were obtained by a soft lithography technique (micromoulding in capillaries, MIMIC). The SEM and AFM study revealed that the nonpattemed phosphor films were uniform and crack free, and the films mainly consisted of closely packed grains with an average size of 350 run. The doped rare earth ions (A) showed their characteristic emissions in X-2-Y2SiO5 phosphor films, i.e., D-5(0)-F-7(J) (J = 0, 1, 2,3,4) for Eu3+, D-5(3), (4)-F-7(J) (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) for Tb3+ and 5d (D-2)-4f (F-2(2/5),(2/7)) for Ce3+, respectively. The optimum doping concentrations for EU3+, Tb3+ were determined to be 13 and 8 mol% of Y3+ in X-2-Y2SiO5 films, respectively.

Luminescent properties of Gd2Ti2O7 : Eu3+ phosphor films prepared by sol-gel process

Gd2Ti2O7: Eu3+ thin film phosphors were fabricated by a sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicated that the films began to crystallize at 800 degreesC and the crystallinity increased with the elevation of annealing temperatures. Uniform and crack free phosphor films were obtained, which mainly consisted of grains with an average size of 70 nm. The doped Eu3+ showed orange-red emission in crystalline Gd2Ti2O7 phosphor films due to an energy transfer from Gd2Ti2O7 host to them. Both the lifetimes and PL intensity of the Eu3+ increased with increasing the annealing temperature from 800 to 1000 degreesC, and the optimum concentrations for Eu3+ were determined to be 9 at.%. of Gd3+ in Gd2Ti2O7 film host.

Effect of dye concentration on the charge carrier transport in molecularly doped organic light-emitting diodes

The effect of the concentration of 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7, 7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) as dopant in tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum (Alq(3)) on the charge carrier transport in Alq(3):DCJTB was investigated by measuring the steady current-voltage characteristics and the transient electroluminescence. The dopant concentration dependence of the current-voltage relationship clearly indicates the carrier trapping by the DCJTB molecule. The DCJTB concentration significantly affects the electron mobility in Alq(3):DCJTB. The mobility has a nontrivial dependence on the doping level. For relatively low doping levels, less than 1%, the electron mobility of Alq(3):DCJTB decreases with the doping level. An increasing mobility is then observed if the dopant concentration is further increased, followed by a decrease for doping levels larger than similar to2%. The change of the electron mobility with the DCJTB concentration in Alq(3) is attributed to the additional energetic disorder due to potential fluctuations caused by the dipole-dipole interaction of random distribution dopant at the relatively low doping concentration, and to the phase separation at the high doping concentration.

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensors using Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) doped in silica nanoparticles

A novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-doped silica (RuDS) nanoparticles conjugated with a biopolymer chitosan membrane was developed. These uniform RuDS nanoparticles ( similar to 40 nm) were prepared by a water-in-oil microemulsion method and were characterized by electrochemical and transmission electron microscopy technology. The Ru( bpy)(3)(2+)-doped interior maintained its high ECL efficiency, while the exterior nanosilica prevented the luminophor from leaching out into the aqueous solution due to the electrostatic interaction. This is the first attempt to branch out the application of RuDS nanoparticles into the field of ECL, and since a large amout of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) was immobilized three-dimensionally on the electrode, the Ru( bpy)(3)(2+) ECL signal could be enhanced greatly, which finally resulted in the increased sensitivity. This sensor shows a detection limit of 2.8 nM for tripropylamine, which is 3 orders of magnitude lower than that observed at a Nafion-based ECL sensor. Furthermore, the present ECL sensor displays outstanding long-term stability.

Tunable photoluminescent and cathodoluminescent properties of ZnO and ZnO : Zn phosphors

ZnO and ZnO: Zn powder phosphors were prepared by the polyol-method followed by annealing in air and reducing gas, respectively. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence ( CL) spectra, respectively. The results indicate that all samples are in agreement with the hexagonal structure of the ZnO phase and the particle sizes are in the range of 1-2 mu m. The PL and CL spectra of ZnO powders annealed at 950 degrees C in air consist of a weak ultraviolet emission band ( similar to 390 nm) and a broad emission band centered at about 527 nm, exhibiting yellow emission color to the naked eyes. When the sample was reduced at the temperatures from 500 to 1050 degrees C, the yellow emission decreased gradually and disappeared completely at 800 degrees C, whereas the ultraviolet emission band became the strongest. Above this temperature, the green emission ( similar to 500 nm) appeared and increased with increasing of reducing temperatures.

ZnO-based hollow microspheres: Biopolymer-assisted assemblies from ZnO nanorods

Many efforts have been made in fabricating three-dimensional (3D) ordered zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures due to their growing applications in separations, sensors, catalysis, bioscience, and photonics. Here, we developed a new synthetic route to 3D ZnO-based hollow microspheres by a facile solution-based method through a water-soluble biopolymer (sodium alginate) assisted assembly from ZnO nanorods. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Raman and photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO-based hollow microspheres were obtained at room temperature to investigate their optical properties. The hollow microspheres exhibit exciting emission features with a wide band covering nearly all the visible region. The calculated CIE (Commission Internationale d'Eclairage) coordinates are 0.24 and 0.31, which fall at the edge of the white region (the 1931 CIE diagram). A possible growth mechanism of the 3D ZnO superstructures based on typical biopolymer-crystal interactions in aqueous solution is tentatively proposed, which might be really interesting because of the participation of the biopolymer.