In this work we demonstrate time-gated confocal fluorescence imaging on live cancer cells immunostained by antibody-conjugated silicon quantum dot nanoparticles (SiQD-NPs) and organic dyes, for simultaneous detection of two biological targets and removal of background autofluorescence. With almost all radiative recombinations occurring through oxide-related defect states located on the SiQD surface, the SiQD-NPs have very long photoluminescence lifetimes of about 25 μs, in contrast to the nanosecondrange lifetimes of other commonly used biological fluorophores. This drastic lifetime difference enables a time-gated imaging method here, in which the time-resolved photon distribution of each pixel of a fluorescence image is measured by using a time-correlated single-photon counting technique. Then, by integrating the photon histogram of each pixel over respective time windows, the long-lived component of the fluorescence image comprising only the fluorescence emitted from the SiQD-NPs is separated from all other short-lived signals resulting from the organic dyes and the cell endogenous luminescence. For instance, the membrane and nucleus of a single cancer cell or two types of cancer cells, immunostained with the SiQD-NPs and the organic dyes, respectively, can be clearly distinguished from each other by time-gating, which otherwise cannot be accomplished by conventional multiplexing due to spectral overlap in the wavelength domain.

Fluorescent silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) have shown a great potential as antiphotobleaching, nontoxic and biodegradable labels for various in vitro and in vivo applications. However, fabricating SiQDs with high water-solubility and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) remains a challenge. Furthermore, for targeted imaging, their surface chemistry has to be capable of conjugating to antibodies, as well as sufficiently antifouling. Herein, antibody-conjugated SiQD nanoparticles (SiQD-NPs) with antifouling coatings composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are demonstrated for immunostaining on live cancer cells. The monodisperse SiQD-NPs of diameter about 130 nm are synthesized by a novel top-down method, including electrochemical etching, photochemical hydrosilylation, high energy ball milling, and "selective-etching" in HNO3 and HF. Subsequently, the BSA and PEG are covalently grafted on to the SiQD-NP surface through presynthesized chemical linkers, resulting in a stable, hydrophilic, and antifouling organic capping layer with isothiocyanates as the terminal functional groups for facile conjugation to the antibodies. The in vitro cell viability assay reveals that the BSA-coated SiQD-NPs had exceptional biocompatibility, with minimal cytotoxicity at concentration up to 1600 μg mL(-1). Under 365 nm excitation, the SiQD-NP colloid emits bright reddish photoluminescence with PLQY = 45-55% in organic solvent and 5-10% in aqueous buffer. Finally, through confocal fluorescent imaging and flow cytometry analysis, the anti-HER2 conjugated SiQD-NPs show obvious specific binding to the HER2-overexpressing SKOV3 cells and negligible nonspecific binding to the HER2-nonexpressing CHO cells. Under similar experimental conditions, the immunofluorescence results obtained with the SiQD-NPs are comparable to those using conventional fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC).

High-brightness white-light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs) with excellent color quality is demonstrated by using nontoxic nanomaterials. Previously, we have reported the high color quality w-LEDs with heavy-metal phosphor and quantum dots (QDs), which may cause environmental hazards. In the present work, liquid-type white LEDs composed of nontoxic materials, named as graphene and porous silicon quantum dots are fabricated with a high color rendering index (CRI) value gain up to 95. The liquid-typed device structure possesses minimized surface temperature and 25% higher value of luminous efficiency as compare to dispensing-typed structure. Further, the as-prepared device is environment friendly and attributed to low toxicity. The low toxicity and high R9 (87) component values were conjectured to produce new or improve current methods toward bioimaging application.

A comparative TCAD (Technology Computer Aided Design) simulation study of various 4H-SiC trench gate MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) (or U-shaped trench gate MOSFET abbreviated for UMOSFET) architectures for high voltage and high-speed switching applications is reported. The DC (Direct Current) and AC (Alternating Current) characteristics of the different trench gate structures are investigated. Particularly, compared to conventional 4H-SiC UMOSFETs, the breakdown voltage of the UMOSFET having a p-type implanted bottom shield is increased by 44%. However, due to the extra JFET (Junction Field Effect Transistor) region, the specific on resistance also increases by 6%. Furthermore, under 1000 V drain bias, the peak electric field at the bottom oxide of the shielded trench gate is below 0.3 MV/cm. In contrast, the peak electric field of conventional UMOSFETs can be as high as 8 MV/cm, which might cause reliability issues. On the other hand, when the bottom oxide thickness of the trench gate is increased, the UMOSFET exhibits 22% less total gate charge, leading to 76% and 71% shorter switching delay time, compared to conventional UMOSFETs and bottom shield UMOSFETs, respectively. As revealed by the simulation results, the UMOSFETs with the p-type implanted bottom shield or thick bottom oxide are advantageous for high voltage and high-speed power switching applications.