Vortrag von Prof. Wei am 23.09.2016

Herr Prof. Gang Wei ist Senior Principal Research Scientist und "Director of China Engagement" von CSIRO Manufacturing and Mineral Resources Australia.  Herr Prof. Wei wird über folgendes Thema sprechen: „Functionalized Nanomaterials: The Route to Low Cost Sensors and Devices”

Ort:   Raum CHE/091, Neubau Chemie (Bergstraße 66)
Zeit:  14:00 Uhr

Abstract:
Over the past 10 years our team has been developing a capability for the production of low cost functional nanomaterials that can serve in real-world applications, aiming to meet the demands of industry. In particular, our efforts have focused on the development of inexpensive, flexible, robust membranes embedded with nanoparticles that can serve as sensors with an optical mode of operation. Recently fluorescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and their organic counterparts, carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as exciting candidates for chemical sensing. These nanoparticles exhibit unique optical properties in that they are capable of absorbing light over a broad range of wavelengths yet they only fluoresce over a narrow range. Quantum dots can have excellent quantum efficiency, long term stability, and the ability to tailor functional groups to their exterior, which means they can be tuned for solubility in different environments or sensitivity towards different materials. They also exhibit efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). As sensors, changes in their fluorescence or absorbance in the presence of a quencher can be monitored and such changes in optical properties may be proportional to the analyte concentration. Here we report on the application of quantum dot and carbon dot materials for sensing, particularly for metal cations, and also the development of flexible, water permeable, chromogenic membranes loaded such particles. The membranes can be easily cast onto a variety of substrates, including optical fiber tips, making them quite robust. Incorporating QDs with different fluorescence emissions and hence different colors into sensing membranes may enable the discrete color of the QD emission to be associated with a different analyte to be sensed simultaneously.