title: pH sensor based on boron nitride nanotubes.
abstract: A submicrometer-sized pH sensor based on biotin-fluorescein-functionalized multiwalled BN nanotubes with anchored Ag nanoparticles is designed. Intrinsic pH-dependent photoluminescence and Raman signals in attached fluorescein molecules enhanced by Ag nanoparticles allow this novel nanohybrid to perform as a practical pH sensor. It is able to work in a submicrometer-sized space. For example, the sensor may determine the environmental pH of sub-units in living cells where a traditional optical fiber sensor fails because of spatial limitations.
authors.affiliation: World Premier International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan. HQHUANG@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Golberg
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D001896:Boron Compounds; C017282:boron nitride