Issue 35, 2023

A general method for endowing hydrophobic nanoparticles with water dispersion abilities

Abstract

Inorganic nanoparticles with long-chain ligands are usually hydrophobic. However, simple and practical methods for converting hydrophobic nanoparticles to hydrophilic nanoparticles are still lacking. Herein, we developed a general method involving using dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) for endowing hydrophobic nanoparticles with water dispersion abilities. By mixing a tetrahydrofuran solution of DMSA with a cyclohexane solution of hydrophobic nanoparticles, the long-chain ligands were replaced with DMSA, with the replacement due to the strong and broad-spectrum coordination abilities of sulphydryls and carboxyls. Four representative kinds of hydrophobic nanoparticles, namely Ag, NaGdF4, TiO2, and ZnS nanoparticles, were selected for verifying the performance of this DMSA-based modification method. Meanwhile, this method can also widen the applications of hydrophobic nanoparticles and facilitate their being subjected to further graft modifications. We hope that our research will increase the chances for applications of nanomaterials to be made.

Graphical abstract: A general method for endowing hydrophobic nanoparticles with water dispersion abilities

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 5 2022
Accepted
07 8 2023
First published
08 8 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 8464-8470

A general method for endowing hydrophobic nanoparticles with water dispersion abilities

H. Wang, Z. Fu, X. Ji, M. Lu, L. Deng, Z. Liu, B. Yin and D. Ni, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 8464 DOI: 10.1039/D2TB01038K

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