Ribonuclease-A (RNase-A) encapsulated PbS quantum dots (RNase-A@PbS Qdots) which emit in the second near-infrared biological window (NIR-II, ca. 1000–1400 nm) are rapidly synthesized under microwave heating. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the Qdots can be tuned across the entire NIR-II range by simply controlling synthesis temperature. The size and morphology of the Qdots are examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Quantum yield (Φ_f) measurement confirms that the prepared Qdots are one of the brightest water-soluble NIR-II emitters for in vivo imaging. Their high Φ_f (∼17.3%) and peak emission at ∼1300 nm ensure deep optical penetration to muscle tissues (up to 1.5 cm) and excellent imaging contrast at an extremely low threshold dose of ∼5.2 pmol (∼1 μg) per mouse. Importantly, this protein coated Qdot displays no signs of toxicity toward model neuron, normal, and cancer cells in vitro. In addition, the animal’s metabolism results in thorough elimination of intravenously injected Qdots from the body within several days via the reticuloendothelial system (RES), which minimizes potential long-term toxicity in vivo from possible release of lead content. With a combination of attractive properties of high brightness, robust photostability, and excellent biocompatibility, this new NIR-II emitting Qdot is highly promising in accurate disease screening and diagnostic applications.

Ultra-small gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have unique size-dependent optical, electrical and chemical properties. They have emerged as a new nanomaterial with broad applications in optoelectronics, catalysis, biosensing, and bioimaging. Several strategies have been exploited to prepare AuNCs of different “magic number” sizes, using different templates e.g. dendrimers, polyethyleneimines, peptides, and more recently, proteins. Notwithstanding, almost all bio-template-protected AuNCs reported so far exhibit fairly low fluorescence quantum yields (QYs), typically <5%, which is especially true for AuNCs prepared using the protein templates. In this paper, we report a facile, one-pot aqueous synthesis of highly fluorescent AuNCs using bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase-A) as the bio-template. The as-prepared AuNCs not only fluoresce strongly at the near-infrared (NIR) region (λ_em = 682 nm), but also exhibit an elevated QY of ∼12%. Additionally, the RNase-A-encapsulated AuNC (RNase-A-AuNC) displays an exceptionally large Stokes shift of ∼210 nm as well as a single dominant fluorescence lifetime of ∼1.5 μs, about three orders of magnitude longer than biological autofluorescence. Furthermore, by coupling vitamin B₁₂ (VB₁₂) to the RNase-A-AuNC, we develop a multifunctional nanoplatform that is suitable for simultaneous targeting and imaging of cancer at the cellular level using Caco-2 cell lines as an in vitro model. Since VB₁₂ has effective uptake pathways in the digestive system, this nanoplatform may have potential for targeted oral drug delivery in vivo.

Recent advances in high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) have made it possible to study the conformational dynamics of single unlabeled transmembrane channels and transporters. Improving environmental control with the integration of a non-disturbing buffer exchange system, which in turn allows the gradual change of conditions during HS-AFM operation, has provided a breakthrough toward the performance of structural titration experiments. Further advancements in temporal resolution with the use of line scanning and height spectroscopy techniques show how high-speed atomic force microscopy can measure millisecond to microsecond dynamics, pushing this method beyond current spatial and temporal limits offered by less direct techniques.

In this paper, we demonstrate that it is possible to observe many aspects of critical phenomena in supported lipid bilayers using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the aid of stable and precise temperature control. The regions of criticality were determined by accurately measuring and calculating phase diagrams for the 2 phase L_d–L_o region, and tracking how it moves with temperature, then increasing the sampling density around the estimated critical regions. Compositional fluctuations were observed above the critical temperature (T_c) and characterised using a spatial correlation function. From this analysis, the phase transition was found to be most closely described by the 2D Ising model, showing it is a critical transition. Below T_c roughening of the domain boundaries occurred due to the reduction in line tension close to the critical point. Smaller scale density fluctuations were also detected just below T_c. At T_c, we believe we have observed fluctuations on length scales greater than 10 μm. The region of critically fluctuating 10–100 nm nanodomains has been found to extend a considerable distance above T_c to temperatures within the biological range, and seem to be an ideal candidate for the actual structure of lipid rafts in cell membranes. Although evidence for this idea has recently emerged, this is the first direct evidence for nanoscale domains in the critical region.