SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INDUM PHOPHIDE SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS: APPLICATION IN NANOTHERMOMETRY

Work package:
Resume Nanoscale temperature measurement (nanothermometry) is critical for applications like cancer thermotherapy, where magnetic or plasmonic nanoparticles generate heat, and nanocatalysis, where reaction activity depends on nanoparticle surface temperature. However, measuring local temperature at the nanoscale is challenging due to steep thermal gradients between the heat source and its surroundings.[1] Semiconductor nanocrystals (or quantum dots - QDs) are promising thermometric probes since their optical properties (absorption/emission) vary with temperature, and they are more robust and efficient than traditional fluorophores. Most QDs studied so far (CdSe, PbS/CdS/CdSe)[2] contain toxic, scarce elements like cadmium, lead, or selenium. Indium phosphide (InP) is emerging as a greener alternative, being less toxic and capable of near-infrared emission suitable for biological applications. Building on the group's expertise in InP QD synthesis, this master's project aims to use InP-based QDs to measure the local surface temperature of magnetic iron-based heating nanoparticles used in nanocatalysis and nanomedicine. The objectives are: (i) synthesize highly emissive core-shell InP/ZnS QDs, (ii) study and characterize their chemical changes under heating, and (iii) develop an instrumental setup and data processing method for temperature measurement. The project spans organometallic chemistry and QD synthesis, characterization, and application, offering training in air-sensitive chemistry techniques (Schlenk line, glove box), characterization methods (NMR, XRD, TEM/HRTEM), and Python coding. References: [1] Z.J. Díaz-Puerto & al. Nanoscale 2021, 13 (29), 12438- 12442 ; [2] H. Zhao, & al. Small 2020, 16, 2000804.