There are three well-known mechanisms for SWCNT PL enhancement S

There are three well-known mechanisms for SWCNT PL enhancement. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect is known to enhance PL intensities as well as Raman intensities via an amplified electric field near metal particles or a metal surface [21–23]. Since the Raman intensities of our sample did not show any enhancement at all, in

spite of substantial PL enhancement, SERS effect cannot explain our PL enhancement results. PL enhancement, via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), was reported when a rebundling of isolated SWCNTs occurred, where the PL enhancement was accompanied by a peak red-shift or a suppression of high-energy PL peak intensity [20, 24–26]. There was no PL peak shift, and all the PL features were enhanced concurrently in our results. Thus, we can rule out FRET as the underlying mechanism SBE-��-CD purchase of our PL enhancements.

It is well known that pH has a strong effect on PL intensity of SWCNTs. At low pH environment, the surface oxidation of SWCNTs causes a PL bleaching, but the PL intensity recovers at high pH [27–29]. We have measured the pH WH-4-023 molecular weight change before and after the introduction of metal particles, and the measured pH increases were less than 0.3 for all three metal particles, Au, Co, and Ni, which is too small to induce any observable PL enhancement. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to note that oxygen desorption from SWCNTs results in a PL enhancement [29]. Thus, it would be reasonable to assert

that oxygen desorption occurred for Selleckchem Autophagy Compound Library the biomolecule-functionalized SWCNTs upon the introduction of metal particles into the biomolecule-SWCNT suspension whereas it did not for the DOC-functionalized Meloxicam SWCNTs. Biomolecules such as DNA and RNA are structurally more flexible than the inorganic surfactant DOC. Subtle changes of the solution induced by metal particles, e.g., slight pH change, could make biomolecules highly susceptible to some structural change, which could lead to oxygen desorption from SWCNTs. Conclusions In summary, we have systematically investigated the effect of metal particles on the PL and the Raman spectra of functionalized SWCNTs in aqueous solutions. Substantial enhancement of the PL intensities was observed, while the Raman spectra remained unchanged, after gold, cobalt, or nickel particles were introduced into RNA-SWCNT aqueous suspensions. Almost the same results were obtained after the same metal particles were added to DNA-SWCNT aqueous suspensions. However, both the PL and the Raman spectra did not exhibit any change at all after the same metal particles were introduced into DOC-SWCNT aqueous suspensions. The unusual PL enhancements observed in this work cannot be accounted for by the three well-known mechanisms in the literature; SERS effect, FRET in a rebundling of isolated SWCNTs, and pH changes of the aqueous solutions.

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