3D visualization of additive occlusion and tunable full-spectrum fluorescence in calcite

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13524

Authors: David C. Green (University of Leeds) , Johannes Ihli (University of Leeds) , Paul D. Thornton (University of Leeds) , Mark A. Holden (University of Leeds) , Bartosz Marzec (University of Leeds) , Yi-Yeoun Kim (University of Leeds) , Alex N. Kulak (University of Leeds) , Mark A. Levenstein (University of Leeds) , Chiu Tang (Diamond Light Source) , Christophe Lynch (Central Laser Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Research Complex at Harwell) , Stephen E. D. Webb (Central Laser Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Research Complex at Harwell) , Christopher J. Tynan (Central Laser Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Research Complex at Harwell) , Fiona C. Meldrum (University of Leeds)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Nature Communications , VOL 7

State: Published (Approved)
Published: November 2016
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 10137

Abstract: From biomineralization to synthesis, organic additives provide an effective means of controlling crystallization processes. There is growing evidence that these additives are often occluded within the crystal lattice. This promises an elegant means of creating nanocomposites and tuning physical properties. Here we use the incorporation of sulfonated fluorescent dyes to gain new understanding of additive occlusion in calcite (CaCO3), and to link morphological changes to occlusion mechanisms. We demonstrate that these additives are incorporated within specific zones, as defined by the growth conditions, and show how occlusion can govern changes in crystal shape. Fluorescence spectroscopy and lifetime imaging microscopy also show that the dyes experience unique local environments within different zones. Our strategy is then extended to simultaneously incorporate mixtures of dyes, whose fluorescence cascade creates calcite nanoparticles that fluoresce white. This offers a simple strategy for generating biocompatible and stable fluorescent nanoparticles whose output can be tuned as required.

Journal Keywords: Biomineralization; Fluorescence spectroscopy, Nanoparticles

Diamond Keywords: Biomineralisation

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Materials, Biology and Bio-materials


Instruments: I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction

Added On: 23/11/2016 09:28

Documents:
ncomms13524.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Biomaterials Chemistry Materials Science Life Sciences & Biotech Organometallic Chemistry

Technical Tags:

Diffraction X-ray Powder Diffraction