Morphology and fluorescence properties of dye-entrapped silica nanoparticles

Publication date: 2011 Source:Procedia Food Science, Volume 1 Author(s): Namsoo Kim , Sun-Mi Oh , Chong-Tai Kim , Chul-Jin Kim , Yong-Jin Cho Dye-entrapped silica nanoparticles can be used to label biological components in immunosensing since they are bright and photostable, less prone to stochastic blinking with sustained imaging, biologically inert and thus basically non-toxic, and compatible with aqueous system due to hydrophilic surface. Therefore, the objective of this study was to produce dye-entrapped silica nanoparticles and to determine the morphological and spectral characteristics of these particles. Silica spheres were produced by a base-catalyzed entrapment protocol, and were determined for their properties by particle size analysis, SEM imaging, and analyses for fluorescence emission spectra and fluorescence kinetics. By the above procedure, dichlorotris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) (Ruphen) was entrapped into the silica matrix successfully. However, the incorporation of fluorescein, rhodamine B and 5(6)-carboxytetramethylrhodamine was not possible. The yield, particle size and shape of the Ruphen silica nanoparticles were dependent upon reaction variables. Compared to free dye, the silica spheres generally showed higher fluorescence intensity and stability, which seemed to be very advantageous for a sensitive biomarker detection needed to evaluate food functionality.
Source: Procedia Food Science - Category: Food Science Source Type: research