title: Fabrication of photoactive heterostructures based on quantum dots decorated with Au nanoparticles.
abstract: Silica based multifunctional heterostructures, exhibiting near infrared (NIR) absorption (650-1200 nm) and luminescence in the visible region, represent innovative nanosystems useful for diagnostic or theranostic applications. Herein, colloidal synthetic procedures are applied to design a photoactive multifunctional nanosystem. Luminescent silica (SiO2) coated quantum dots (QDs) have been used as versatile nanoplatforms to assemble on their surface gold (Au) seeds, further grown into Au spackled structures. The synthesized nanostructures combine the QD emission in the visible region, and, concomitantly, the distinctive NIR absorption of Au nanodomains. The possibility of having multiple QDs in a single heterostructure, the SiO2shell thickness, and the extent of Au deposition onto SiO2surface have been carefully controlled. The work shows that a single QD entrapped in 16 nm thick SiO2shell, coated with Au speckles, represents the most suitable geometry to preserve the QD emission in the visible region and to generate NIR absorption from metal NPs. The resulting architectures present a biomedical potential as an effective optical multimodal probes and as promising therapeutic agents due to the Au NP mediated photothermal effect.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fanizza
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urso
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Farmacia - Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy; Istituto tumori IRCCS Giovanni Paolo II, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: R Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Iacobazzi
authors.affiliation: Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Depalo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corricelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panniello
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy; Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR, Via Orabona 4, 70126Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agostiano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Farmacia - Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Denora
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Farmacia - Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Valentino
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Laquintana
authors.affiliation: Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: Marinella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Striccoli
authors.affiliation: Istituto per i Processi Chimico Fisici IPCF Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR , Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari , Italy.
authors.forename: M Lucia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Curri
keywords: 10 Engineering and Structural materials; Quantum dots; metal nanoparticles; multimodal bioimaging; plasmonic luminescent nanostructures