In this report we emphasize our efforts towards elucidating the intracellular processes involved in sensing a mechanical stimulus and transducing that stimulus into a biochemical reaction resulting in light output. Bioluminescent dinoflagellates are ideal for such work because they are free-living singlecelled organisms, making it relatively simple to examine intracellular transduction events; ...

A general, efficient method is demonstrated for exchanging native oxyanionic ligands on inorganic nanocrystals with functional trimethylsilylated (TMS) chalcogenido ligands. In addition, newly synthesized TMS mixed chalcogenides leverage preferential reactivity of TMS-S bonds over TMS-O bonds, enabling efficient transfer of luminescent nanocrystals into aqueous media with retention of their opt...

Reversible mechanochromic luminescence (ML) is known for difluoroboron β-diketonates (BF2bdks). Here, we report ML for the methoxy-substituted dinaphthoylmethane (dnmOMe) ligand even without coordination to boron. In addition, dnmOMe shows solvatochromism and aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Diketone thin films showed high contrast emission when smeared, and rapid recovery of the pre-smeared...

Luminescent glutathione-capped gold nanoclusters (GS-AuNCs) with tunable emissions have been efficiently synthesized by a solution-based microwave method.

We report herein the G-quadruplex-selective property of a luminescent cyclometallated iridium(III) complex for the detection of adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) in aqueous solution. The ATP-binding aptamer was employed as the ATP recognition unit, while the iridium(III) complex was used to monitor the formation of the G-quadruplex structure induced by ATP. The sensitivity and fold enhancement of...

The lanthanide-functionalized multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles combining the superparamagnetic core and the luminescent europium complex were successfully designed and assembled via layer-by-layer strategy in this work. It is noted that the hybrid nanoparticles were modified by a hydrophilic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) through hydrogen bonding which bestowed excellent hydrophilicity and...

This study has investigated the effect of dopant concentration on the luminescent emission of Er in ZrO2 nanocrystals. The structure and morphology of the resulting nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope. The room-temperature optical properties of synthesized nanocrystals were studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The dependence...

Periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles can be used to enhance the emission of light in certain directions. We fabricated hexagonal arrays of aluminium nanoparticles combined with thin layers of luminescent material and optimized period (275 nm) and thickness (1500 nm) to obtain sideward directional emission into glass for a wavelength band around 620 nm. The key physics is that the luminesce...