Optical and Physicochemical Characterizations of a Cellulosic/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB5 Film.

CdSe quantum dots nanoparticles were coated with the thiolated (DiAminoButane based dendrimer) DAB dendrimer of fifth generation (S-DAB5) and embedded in a highly hydrophilic regenerated cellulose (RC) film by simple dip-coating method (immersion in QD-dendrimer aqueous solution) as a way to get a flexible nano-engineered film (RC-4/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB5) with high transparency and photoluminescence properties for different applications. Optical changes in the RC film associated with QDs inclusion were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements, which provide information on changes caused in the refraction index and the extinction coefficients of the film, as well as by light transmittance/reflectance curves and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Impedance spectroscopy (IS) and other typical physicochemical techniques for material characterization (TEM, SEM and XPS) have also been used in order to have more complete information on film characteristics. A comparison of RC-4/CdSe-QDs@S-DAB5 film optical characteristics with those exhibited by other RC-modified films depending on the type of dendrimer was also carried out.

Mercury(II) sensing based on the quenching of fluorescence of CdS-dendrimer nanocomposites.

A chemical sensor for mercury(II) (Hg(II)) was developed based on the quenching of the fluorescence of cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) coated with polypropylenimine tetrahexacontaamine dendrimer (DAB) generation 5, CdS-DAB nanocomposites. The synthesis and characterization of CdS-DAB nanocomposites by means of EDXA, SEM and steady state luminescence is described. Macroscopic spherical structures are observed by electronic microscopy and the wavelength for the maximum fluorescence emission occurs at 535 nm (excitation at 351 nm). Stern-Volmer plots show a linear response in the range of 1 x 10(-6) to 1 x 10(-5) M with a quenching constant (K(sv)) of 1.5 x 10(5) M(-1). A parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis model confirmed that Hg(II) alone provokes quenching of the fluorescence. Cu(II) and Pb(II) also quench the fluorescence of CdS-DAB nanocomposites, with a K(sv) = 1.9 x 10(5) M(-1) and K(sv) = 2.2 x 10(4) M(-1), respectively, and Cd(II), Zn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) have no effect. Ionic strength, in the range from 1.25 x 10(-3) up to 2 M, provokes a shift in the wavelength of the maximum of the emission spectra, from 482 to 677 nm.

Electrocatalytical properties of polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers and their applications in biosensing.

The electrochemical characterization of polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers deposited onto a platinum electrode and their applications as hydrogen peroxide and glucose sensor are described. The redox dendrimers consist of flexible poly(propileneimine) dendrimer cores functionalised with octamethylferrocenyl units. Amperometric biosensors for glucose were prepared by immobilization of glucose oxidase onto these modified electrodes. The influence of the dendrimer generation and the thickness of the dendrimer layer, the effect of the substrate concentration, and the interferences and reproducibility on the response of the sensors were investigated.

ZnS:Mn nanoparticles functionalized by PAMAM-OH dendrimer based fluorescence ratiometric probe for cadmium.

We report a nanocomposite of ZnS:Mn quantum dots and a third generation PAMAM-OH dendrimer (ZnS:Mn@PAMAM-OH(G=3)) which was rationalized to be used as ratiometric nanosensor for Cd(2+) in aqueous solution. The nanoparticles exhibited a bright yellow-orange emission with peaks at 448 and 595 nm. The structure of ZnS:Mn was not changed after coupling with PAMAM-OH, which was evidenced by the analysis of the emission spectra of the compounds. The results confirm that the prepared fluorescence nanoparticles could selectively detect Cd(2+) in aqueous solution with a limit of detection of 24.34 µM and RSD 4.07%, obtained by using the ratio I448/I595. The method was applied to different water samples.

Amperometric enzyme electrodes for aerobic and anaerobic glucose monitoring prepared by glucose oxidase immobilized in mixed ferrocene-cobaltocenium dendrimers.

The enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) has been immobilized electrostatically onto carbon and platinum electrodes modified with mixed ferrocene-cobaltocenium dendrimers. The ferrocene units have been used successfully as mediators between the GOx and the electrode under anaerobic conditions. In experiments carried out in the presence of oxygen, the cobaltocenium moieties act as electrocatalysts in the reduction of the oxygen in the solution, thus making possible the determination of the oxygen variation due to the enzymatic reaction, with high sensitivity. The current response of the electrode was determined by measuring steady-state current values obtained applying a constant potential. The effect of the substrate concentration, the dendrimer generation, the thickness of the dendrimer layer, interferences, and storage on the response of the sensors were investigated.

Effective recognition of H2PO4- by a new series of dendrimers functionalized with ferrocenyl-urea termini.

A new series of dendrimers with poly(propylene imine) backbones and 4, 8, 16, or 32 peripheral ferrocenyl-urea groups were prepared and characterized; their voltammetric behavior in DMSO solution was very sensitive to the presence of hydrogenphosphate anions at submillimolar concentration levels.

New carbosilane polymers with interacting ferrocenes as support and bioelectrocatalysts of oxidases to develop versatile and specific amperometric biodevices.

In this work, the bioelectrocatalytical properties and kinetic characteristics of new oxidase amperometric biosensors based on two different ferrocene functionalized carbosilane polymers, polydiallylmethylsilane (PDAMS) and polymethyldiundecenylsilane (PMDUS) are described. In the development of these biodevices, glucose oxidase has been used as example of oxidase enzyme, and two different immobilization procedures have been studied. The polymer-modified electrodes act as efficient transducers for glucose sensing in anodic and cathodic aerobic conditions and also in anodic anaerobic conditions, and this fact turns them into useful devices for a wide field of applications. PMDUS has shown to be the bioelectrocatalyst with best kinetic and analytical properties in aerobic media while PDAMS was better in anaerobic conditions. The best aerobic biosensor developed displayed a strictly linear range from 0 to 3.0 mM, a detection limit of 7.8 µM and a response time less than 2 s in an ascorbate interference free work potential interval. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was calculated to be 1.36 mM according to the Lineweaver-Burk equation.