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Industrial Chemistry | ISSN: 2469-9764 | Volume 4
17
th
International Conference on
May 21-22, 2018 | New York, USA
Industrial Chemistry and Water Treatment
Ind Chem 2018, Volume 4
DOI: 10.4172/2469-9764-C1-009
Bioinspired synthesis of biomolecule-derived fluorescent nanodots from natural amino acids with
enhanced photo-stability, biocompatibility and cellular uptake
Xu Hesheng Victor
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
N
atural amino acids possess different side chain R groups whichmake themexcellent precursors for programmable synthesis
of biomolecule-derived fluorescent nanodots (bio-dots) with desired properties. In order to establish the material design
rules, 20 amino acids-derived bio-dots were synthesized via hydrothermal treatment and comprehensively characterized. We
discovered that the properties of the bio-dots are determined by their unique side chain functional groups. Amino acids
such as Arg, His, Asp, Asn, Ser and Thr with reactive side chains including amine, hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups
give rise to bright bio-dots with quantum yield >15%. The length of the side chains is also critical in determining the final
morphology (e.g., nanodot, nanowire or nanomesh) and consequently the photoluminescent properties of the bio-dots. It
is worthy to note that hydroxyl-containing amino acids (i.e., Ser and Thr) form highly photostable bio-dots with negligible
intensity reduction upon UV exposure. Selective mixing of specific amino acid precursors (such as Ser with Arg) leads to the
formation of hybrid bio-dots which exhibit enhanced photostability photo-stability with significant red-shift in their emission
wavelength. Furthermore, cell studies demonstrate that the bio-dots displayed outstanding biocompatibility and excellent
intracellular uptake, which are highly desirable for fluorescence imaging applications. As such, bioinspired synthesis of bio-
dots provides a versatile route for customizable development of nanoscale biomaterials by design.
xuhesheng08@gmail.com