Campus Units
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Document Type
Article
Research Focus Area
Advanced and Nanostructured Materials, Health Care Technology and Biomedical Engineering
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
12-25-2020
Journal or Book Title
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
First Page
129350
DOI
10.1016/j.snb.2020.129350
Abstract
Colloidal silicon crystallites in the size range of 1-12 nm, also referred to as “silicon nanocrystals” have unique optical properties that include high quantum efficiency, size-dependent emission spanning the visible to near-infrared range, and robust photostability. These features, combined with silicon’s high earth-abundance and good biocompatibility, make them an attractive option to serve as signal transduction elements in bioanalytical sensors. In this study, we combine silicon nanocrystals with a sodium-selective ionophore and a charge balancing additive in polymeric nanosensors to create a Silicon Nanocrystal NanoSensor (SiNC-NS). The SiNC-NS responded to sodium through a decrease in fluorescence intensity without the inclusion of a pH-sensitive absorbing dye which is sometimes included in analogous sensors for signal gating, leading to a sensor design with more photostable components. The SiNC-NS has a biologically relevant dynamic range of 4 – 277 mM Na+, is selective against potentially interfering cations, and its response is reversible between 0 and 2 M Na+ for at least three cycles. This work shows the first sodium-responsive silicon nanocrystal-based sensor, the first use of silicon nanocrystals in polymeric nanosensors, and demonstrates an intriguing ionophore-mediated response in silicon nanocrystals to be explored further in the future.
Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Ferris, Mark S.; Chesney, Ashley P.; Ryan, Bradley J.; Ramesh, Utkarsh; Panthani, Matthew G.; and Cash, Kevin J., "Silicon Nanocrystals as Signal Transducers in Ionophore-Based Fluorescent Nanosensors" (2020). Chemical and Biological Engineering Publications. 453.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cbe_pubs/453
Included in
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons, Polymer Science Commons
Comments
This is a manuscript of an article published as Ferris, Mark S., Ashley P. Chesney, Bradley J. Ryan, Utkarsh Ramesh, Matthew G. Panthani, and Kevin J. Cash. "Silicon Nanocrystals as Signal Transducers in Ionophore-Based Fluorescent Nanosensors." Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical (2020): 129350. DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.129350.