Insight into the Role of Ligands in the Yellow Luminescence of Zinc Oxide Nanocrystals
Résumé
Hollow nanocapsules (named Hybridosomes®) possessing a polymer/nanoparticles shell were used to covalently construct hybrid films in a one-pot fashion. Alkyne bearing organic/inorganic Hybridosomes® were reticulated with azide bearing homobifunctional polyethyleneglycol (PEG) linkers, by using an electro-click reaction on F-SnO2 (FTO) electrodes. The coatings were obtained by promoting the Cu(I)-catalyzed click reaction between alkyne and azide moieties in the vicinity of the electrode by the electrochemical generation of Cu(I) ions. The physicochemical properties of the covalently reticulated hybrid films obtained were studied by SEM, AFM, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The one-pot covalent click reaction between the nanocapsules and the PEG linkers in the film did not affect the desirable features of the Hybridosomes® i.e. their hollow nanostructure their chemical versatility and their pH-sensitivity. Consequently, both the composition and the cargo-loading of Hybridosomes® films could be tuned, demonstrating the versatility of these hybrid coatings. As an example, Hybridosome® films were used to encapsulate and release a bodipy fluorescent probe in response to either a pH drop or the application of an oxidative +1V potential (vs Ag/AgCl) at the substrate. By bringing the field of electro-synthesized films a step further toward the design of complex physicochemical interfaces, these results open perspectives for multifunctional coatings where a chemical versatility, a controllable stability and a hollow nanostructure are required.