Surfactant assisted exfoliation of near infrared fluorescent silicate nanosheets

  • Fluorophores that emit light in the near infrared (NIR) are advantageous in photonics and imaging due to minimal light scattering, absorption, phototoxicity and autofluorescence in this spectral region. The layered silicate Egyptian blue (\(CaCuSi_{4}O_{10}\)) emits as a bulk material bright and stable fluorescence in the NIR and is a promising NIR fluorescent material for (bio)photonics. Here, we demonstrate a surfactant-based (mild) exfoliation procedure to produce nanosheets (EB-NS) of high monodispersity, heights down to 1 nm and diameters <20 nm in large quantities. The approach combines planetary ball milling, surfactant assisted bath sonication and centrifugation steps. It avoids the impurities that are typical for the harsh conditions of tip-sonication. Several solvents and surfactants were tested and we found the highest yield for sodium dodecyl benzyl sulfate (SDBS) and water. The NIR fluorescence emission (\(\lambda_{em}\) ≈ 930–940 nm) is not affected by this procedure, is extremely stable and is not affected by quenchers. This enables the use of EB-NS for macroscopic patterning/barcoding of materials in the NIR. In summary, we present a simple and mild route to NIR fluorescent nanosheets that promise high potential as NIR fluorophores for optical applications.

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Metadaten
Author:Björn HillORCiDGND, Smitha AbrahamGND, Anas AkhtarGND, Gabriele SelvaggioGND, Kristina TschulikORCiDGND, Sebastian KrussORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:294-108520
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ra04083f
Parent Title (English):RSC Advances
Publisher:RSC Publishing
Place of publication:London
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2024/02/26
Date of first Publication:2023/07/11
Publishing Institution:Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsbibliothek
Tag:Open Access Fonds
Volume:13
Issue:30
First Page:20916
Last Page:20925
Note:
Article Processing Charge funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Open Access Publication Fund of Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
Dewey Decimal Classification:Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / Chemie, Kristallographie, Mineralogie
open_access (DINI-Set):open_access
faculties:Fakultät für Chemie und Biochemie
Licence (English):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY 3.0 Unported - Attribution 3.0 Unported