Publication date: 10th April 2014
Surface modification of nanoparticle with cyclic molecules wich have molecular recognition abilities holds great importance in the construction of functional nanodevices. Curcubit[n]urils (CB[n]) are a family of water soluble macrocycles of glycoluril units which have increased their interest due to their unique structure and superior molecular recognition abilities.1 Their structure is like a pumpkin with a hydrophobic cavity which is accessible through carbonyl groups located at the edges. Their internal cavity is capable of forming strong inclusion complexes with molecules and ions and this make them suitable for constructing sensors, drug delivery and biomimetic systems.2 Some studies demonstrate the interaction between CB[n] and metallic nanoparticles (silver2 or gold3) and lanthanide cations.4
Up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are interesting due their emission properties. When exciting them with NIR light, UCNPs emit in the visible. Generally, UCNPs are synthetized with organics ligands and present non water-dispersibility which limit their application in biological systems.5
We have synthesized oleate-capped NaYF4: Yb3+(18%), Er3+(2%) UCNPs following an already described protocol.6 Subsequently we have made them water-dispersible by efficient exchange of the oleate capping for CB[7]. These nanohybrids have been fully characterized and the resulting data will be discussed.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2011-27758, M.G.B Juan de la Cierva contract and L.F.S. FPU). This research was supported by a Marie Curie Career Integration Grants within the 7th European Community Framework Programme.
References:
1. J. Kim, I. S. Jung, S. Y. Kim, E. Lee, J. K. Kang, S. Sakamoto, K. Yamaguchi, K. Kim, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2000, 122, 540-541.
2. T. Premkumar, Y. Lee, K.E. Geckeler, Chem. Eur. J. 2010, 16, 11563 – 11566.
3. T.C Lee, O.A. Scherman, Chem. Commun., 2010, 46, 2438–2440.
4. L.L. Liang, Y. Zhao, Y.Q. Zhang, Z. Tao, S.F. Xue, Q.J Zhua, J.X. Liu, CrystEngComm, 2013, 15, 3943–3950.
5. J. Chen, J. X. Zhao, Sensors, 2012, 12, 2414-2435.
6. Z. Li, Y. Zhang, Nanotech., 2008, 19, 345606-345610.
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