UV-Vis Ratiometric Resonance Synchronous Spectroscopy for Determination of Nanoparticle and Molecular Optical Cross Sections.

Demonstrated herein is a UV-vis Ratiometric Resonance Synchronous Spectroscopic (R2S2, pronounced as "R-two-S-two" for simplicity) technique where the R2S2 spectrum is obtained by dividing the resonance synchronous spectrum of a NP-containing solution by the solvent resonance synchronous spectrum. Combined with conventional UV-vis measurements, this R2S2 method enables experimental quantification of the absolute optical cross sections for a wide range of molecular and nanoparticle (NP) materials that range optically from pure photon absorbers or scatterers to simultaneous photon absorbers and scatterers, simultaneous photon absorbers and emitters, and all the way to simultaneous photon absorbers, scatterers, and emitters in the UV-vis wavelength region. Example applications of this R2S2 method were demonstrated for quantifying the Rayleigh scattering cross sections of solvents including water and toluene, absorption and resonance light scattering cross sections for plasmonic gold nanoparticles, and absorption, scattering, and on-resonance fluorescence cross sections for semiconductor quantum dots (Qdots). On-resonance fluorescence quantum yields were quantified for the model molecular fluorophore Eosin Y and fluorescent Qdots CdSe and CdSe/ZnS. The insights and methodology presented in this work should be of broad significance in physical and biological science research that involves photon/matter interactions.

On-Resonance Fluorescence, Resonance Rayleigh Scattering, and Ratiometric Resonance Synchronous Spectroscopy of Molecular- and Quantum Dot-Fluorophores.

Existing studies on molecular fluorescence have almost exclusively been focused on Stokes-shifted fluorescence spectroscopy (SSF) in which the emitted photon is detected at the wavelengths longer than that for the excitation photons. Information on fluorophore on-resonance fluorescence (ORF) and resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) is limited and often problematic due to the complex interplay of the fluorophore photon absorption, ORF emission, RRS, and solvent Rayleigh scattering. Reported herein is a relatively large-scale systematic study on fluorophore ORF and RRS using the conventional UV-vis extinction and SSF measurements in combination with the recently reported ratiometric resonance synchronous spectroscopic (R2S2, pronounced as "R-Two-S-Two") method. A series of fundamental parameters including fluorophore ORF cross sections and quantum yields have been quantified for the first time for a total of 12 molecular and 6 semiconductor quantum dot (QD) fluorophores. All fluorophore spectra comprise a well-defined Gaussian peak with a full width at half-maximum ranging from 4 to 30 nm. However, the RRS features of fluorophores differ drastically. The effect of fluorophore aggregation on its RRS, UV-vis, R2S2, and SSF spectra was also discussed. This work highlights the critical importance of the combined UV-vis extinction, SSF, and R2S2 spectroscopic measurements for material characterizations. The method and insights described in this work can be directly used for improving the reliability of RRS spectroscopic methods in chemical analysis. In addition, it should pave the way for developing novel R2S2-based analytical applications.

Using water Raman intensities to determine the effective excitation and emission path lengths of fluorophotometers for correcting fluorescence inner filter effect.

Fluorescence and Raman inner filter effects (IFE) cause spectral distortion and nonlinearity between spectral signal intensity with increasing analyte concentration. Convenient and effective correction of fluorescence IFE has been an active research goal for decades. Presented herein is the finding that fluorescence and Raman IFE can be reliably corrected using the equation I(corr)/I(obsd) = 10(dxAx + dmAm) when the effective excitation and emission path lengths, dx and dm, of a fluorophotometer are determined by simple linear curve-fitting of Raman intensities of a series of water Raman reference samples that have known degrees of Raman IFEs. The path lengths derived with one set of Raman measurements at one specific excitation wavelength are effective for correcting fluorescence and Raman IFEs induced by any chromophore or fluorophore, regardless of the excitation and emission wavelengths. The IFE-corrected fluorescence intensities are linearly correlated to fluorophore concentration over 5 orders of magnitude (from 5.9 nM to 0.59 mM) for 2-aminopurine in a 1 cm × 0.17 cm fluorescence cuvette. This water Raman-based method is easy to implement. It does not involve complicated instrument geometry determination or difficult data manipulation. This work should be of broad significance to physical and biological sciences given the popularity of fluorescence techniques in analytical applications.

Direct Observation of Ion Pairing at the Liquid/Solid Interfaces by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Ion-pairing, the association of oppositely charged ionic species in solution and at liquid/solid interfaces has been proposed as a key factor for a wide range of physicochemical phenomena. However, experimental observations of ion pairing at the ligand/solid interfaces are challenging due to difficulties in differentiating ion species in the electrical double layer from that adsorbed on the solid surfaces. Using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy in combination with electrolyte washing, we presented herein the first direct experimental evidence of ion pairing, the coadsorption of oppositely charged ionic species onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Ion pairing reduces the electrolyte concentration threshold in inducing AuNP aggregation and enhances the competitiveness of electrolyte over neutral molecules for binding to AuNP surfaces. The methodology and insights provided in this work should be important for understanding electrolyte interfacial interactions with nanoparticles.