Retraction: A facile cation exchange-based aqueous synthesis of highly stable and biocompatible Ag₂S quantum dots emitting in the second near-infrared biological window

Abstract

Retraction of ‘A facile cation exchange-based aqueous synthesis of highly stable and biocompatible Ag₂S quantum dots emitting in the second near-infrared biological window’ by Rijun Gui et al., Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 16690–16697, DOI: 10.1039/C4DT00699B.

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The Royal Society of Chemistry hereby wholly retracts this Dalton Transactions article due to concerns with the reliability of the data in the published article.

The TEM images in Fig. 2a and b duplicate data in another publication, but represent different materials.¹

The NIR-II PL image in Fig. S7a duplicates data that has been reported in other publications.^2,3 In addition the optical image in Fig. S7b duplicates data from ref. 2.

The XRD image in Fig. 3b duplicates data in other publications, but representing different materials.^4–7

Given the number and significance of the concerns about the validity of the data, the findings presented in this paper are no longer reliable.

Rijun Gui opposes the retraction, saying that incorrect images were inadvertently used in Fig. 2a and b, but states that the data in Fig. 3b, S7a and S7b is accurate. The other authors were contacted but did not respond.

Signed: Andrew Shore, Executive Editor, Dalton Transactions

Date: 21^st September 2020

References

1. R. Gui and X. An, RSC Adv., 2013, 3, 20959–20969.
2. M. Yang, R. Gui, H. Jin, Z. Wang, F. Zhang, J. Xia, S. Bi and Y. Xia, Colloids Surf., B, 2015, 126, 115–120.
3. L. Tan, A. Wan and H. Li, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2013, 5(21), 11163–11171.
4. L. Tan, S. Liu, Q. Yang and Y. Shen, Langmuir, 2015, 31, 3958–3964.
5. L. Tan, A. Wan and H. Li, Langmuir, 2013, 29, 15032–15042.
6. L. Tan, R. Huang, X. Li, S. Liu, Yu.-M. Shen and Z. Shao, Carbohydr. Polym., 2017, 157, 325–334.
7. R. Gui, A. Wan, X. Liu, W. Yuan and H. Jin, Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 5467–5473.

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