UC Davis

Inorganic colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by a layer of hydrophobic surfactant on their surfaces have poor solubility in the aqueous phase, thus limiting their application as biosensors under physiological conditions. Here we report a simple model to ionize various types of hydrophobic colloidal NPs, including FePt, cubic Fe3O4, Pd, CdSe, and NaYF4 (Yb 30%, Er 2%, Nd 1%) NPs, to multicharged (positive and negative) NPs via ligand exchange. Surfaces of neutral hydrophobic NPs were converted to multicharged ions, thus making them soluble in water. Furthermore, peroxidase-like activity was observed for ionic FePt, Fe3O4, Pd, and CdSe NPs, of which FePt and CdSe catalyzed the oxidation of the colorless substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to the blue-colored product in the absence of H2O2, while Pd and Fe3O4 catalyzed the oxidization of TMB in the presence of H2O2. With the benefit of the ionic functionalization protocols described herein, colloidal NPs should gain wider use as biomarkers, nanozymes, and biosensors.