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Biomedical subjects

Nada M Dimitrijevic

Publications and source records attributed to Nada M Dimitrijevic.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Complex and charge transfer between TiO2 and pyrroloquinoline quinone.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) forms a tridentate complex with coordinatively unsaturated titanium atoms on the surface of approximately 4.5 nm TiO2 particles; an association constant of K = 550 M-1 per Ti(IV)surf has been determined. Low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance was employed in identification of localized charges and consequently produced radicals and in determination of charge-transfer processes. The photoexcitation of the PQQ-TiO2 complex results in the transfer of conduction band electrons from TiO2 to bound PQQ and the formation of the semiquinone radical. Attaching dopamine (DA) as an electron donor and PQQ as an electron acceptor on the surface of TiO2 results in spatial separation of photogenerated charges; the holes localize on dopamine and electrons on PQQ, with higher yields than for each component separately. In this triad-type assembly (PQQ-TiO2/DA) the PQQ that is bound to the particles acts as a sink for electrons allowing their almost complete scavenging even at temperature as low as 4 K.

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Charge separation and surface reconstruction: a Mn2+ doping study.

Hydrothermal synthesis of Mn doped anatase (TiO2) nanoparticles using scrolled nanotubes of TiO2 and MnCl2 as the starting materials is described. Incorporation of Mn2+ ions on the substitutional sites was confirmed using X-ray absorption fine structure (FT-XAFS) while the oxidation state Mn(II) and coordination environment were determined using both electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Two different hyperfine couplings of 96 and 86 G were found using high-field (130 GHz) EPR reporting that Mn atoms occupy two distinct sites: one undercoordinated (reconstructed surface) and the other octahedral crystalline geometry (nanoparticle core), respectively. It was found that Mn atoms that occupy surface layers are weakly bound to the anatase lattice and can be easily leached using simple dialysis, while those incorporated in the nanoparticle core are bound more strongly and cannot be removed by dialysis. Light excitation EPR reveals that Mn ions incorporated in the surface layers participate in the charge separation, while those trapped deeply in the nanoparticle core do not show any photoactivity. Doping of the core of nanoparticles with Mn2+ ions, on the other hand, enables synthesis of optically transparent films having superparamagnetic behavior at room temperatures with a saturation magnetic moment of 1.23 microB per Mn atom.

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Photophysics of dopamine-modified quantum dots and effects on biological systems.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been widely used for fluorescent labelling. However, their ability to transfer electrons and holes to biomolecules leads to spectral changes and effects on living systems that have yet to be exploited. Here we report the first cell-based biosensor based on electron transfer between a small molecule (the neurotransmitter dopamine) and CdSe/ZnS QDs. QD-dopamine conjugates label living cells in a redox-sensitive pattern: under reducing conditions, fluorescence is only seen in the cell periphery and lysosomes. As the cell becomes more oxidizing, QD labelling appears in the perinuclear region, including in or on mitochondria. With the most-oxidizing cellular conditions, QD labelling throughout the cell is seen. Phototoxicity results from the creation of singlet oxygen, and can be reduced with antioxidants. This work suggests methods for the creation of phototoxic drugs and for redox-specific fluorescent labelling that are generalizable to any QD conjugated to an electron donor.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Surface states of titanium dioxide nanoparticles modified with enediol ligands.

Control of surface states of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine (dopamine) and 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid, which act as ligands to the undercoordinated surface sites (carrier traps), is demonstrated by electrochemical techniques. The deepest traps were found to be most reactive and are selectively removed by the addition of the ligands which enhances the kinetics of electron accumulation in the film. Furthermore, a shift in the Fermi level to more positive potentials was detected for electrodes modified with the negatively charged ligand (3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid) compared to that of electrodes modified with the positively charged ligand (dopamine). The presence of the negative charge on the ligand also contributed to the underpotential of hydrogen evolution on 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid-modified electrodes.

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Assembly and charge transfer in hybrid TiO(2) architectures using biotin-avidin as a connector.

Exploiting the presence of undercoordinated surface Ti atoms at the tips of TiO2 nanorods and the dopamine selectivity for these Ti surface states, biotin was conjugated to TiO2 nanocrystallites using dopamine as a bridging linker. Using abiotin-avidin complex as a connector the "tip-to-tip" assembly of 400 nm elongated TiO2 rods was obtained. The photoexcitation of avidin-TiO2 hybrids resulted in the transfer of holes from nanocrystallites to protein and consequent oxidation of avidin, most probably at tyrosine 33.

Avidin↗

Photoinduced charge separation reactions of J-aggregates coated on silver nanoparticles.

The photochemistry of cyanine J-aggregates on the surface of colloidal Ag nanoparticles is reported. The photochemistry is initiated through ultrafast photoexcitation of the plasmon band in Ag nanoparticles, producing an enhanced near-field that interacts with the J-aggregate monolayer. Through transient absorption spectroscopy, we show that photoexcitation of the plasmon in Ag nanoparticles leads to exciton dynamics that differ strongly from J-aggregates alone or for J-aggregate monolayers on bulk metal surfaces. Specifically, charge-separated states with a lifetime of approximately 300 ps between the J-aggregate and Ag colloid are formed. The reduction of the Ag nanoparticles is shown to be a multielectron process.

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