Competition between energy transfer quenching and chelation enhanced fluorescence in a Cu (II) coordinated conjugated polymer system.

An investigation of the mechanism of the fluorescence quenching by Cu(2+) for a conjugated polymer system initially designed as a fluorescence "turn-on" chemosensor based on chelation enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) is described in this paper. Unlike all other metal cations tested, the polymer/Cu(2+) hybrid system with a 1:1 ratio between the receptor and Cu(2+) has only weak fluorescence with lambda(max) = 490 nm and a quantum yield of 0.004 in THF at room temperature. In solvent glasses at 77 K the fluorescence remained quenched suggesting that the quenching mechanism was due to energy transfer between the Cu(2+) and the conjugated polymer backbone. The energy transfer quenching competes effectively with the electron transfer involved in the CHEF resulting in a more selective chemosensory system.

Keratin capped silver nanoparticles--synthesis and characterization of a nanomaterial with desirable handling properties.

We report for the first time the stabilization of silver nanoparticles in good yield, average diameter 3.5 nm, using wool keratin hydrolysates as stabilizers. The nanoparticles are extremely stable as a suspension and can be lyophilized into a powder and easily reconstituted in solvent with no change in spectral properties relative to the initial suspension. The nanoparticles interact with nitrogen and oxygen moieties of the keratin hydrolysates under the pH conditions used in the synthesis and appear to act as cross-linkers between adjacent chains. The product has excellent handling properties which we believe will make it a very attractive biocompatible coating/additive, providing prolonged antimicrobial efficacy to a wide variety of products such as textiles, plastics, paints, orthopedic devices and others.

Enhanced conductivity of thin film polyaniline by self-assembled transition metal complexes.

In a recent study, the transition metal complex, cis-dichlorobis(2-,2'-dipyridyl)ruthenium (II) (Ru(bpy)2Cl2), and the macrocycle Ru(TPP)CO (TPP:- tetraphenylporphine) were bound to pyridine terminated self-assembled monolayers on quartz. Following modification of the quartz surface with metal complexes, the conducting polymer polyaniline was deposited via in situ polymerization. The sheet conductivity (as measured by the four-probe method) of the resulting polyaniline films deposited onto Ru(bpy)2Cl2 and Ru(TPP)CO surfaces was significantly enhanced relative to films deposited onto unmodified quartz. It is postulated that either the macrocycle or the transition metal complex-modified surface interacts with the conducting polymer as it is forming, resulting in a more ordered expanded coil conformation for the polymer. The net result of such an interaction is a thin film possessing significantly greater electrical conductivity.