Peptide nucleic acid stabilized perovskite nanoparticles for nucleic acid sensing

Nanostructural hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites offer a wide range of potential applications including photovoltaics, solar cells, and light emitting diodes. Up to now the surface stabilizing ligands were used solely to obtain the optimal properties of nanoparticles in terms of dimensionality and stability, however their possible additional functionality was rarely considered. In the present work, hybrid lead bromide perovskite nanoparticles (PNP) were prepared using a unique approach where a peptide nucleic acid is used as a surface ligand. Methylammonium lead bromide perovskite colloidal nanoparticles stabilized by thymine-based peptide nucleic acid monomer (PNA-M) and relevant trimer (PNA-T) were prepared exhibiting the size below 10 nm. Perovskite structure and crystallinity were verified by X-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. PNP-PNA-M and PNP-PNA-T colloidal dispersions in chloroform and toluene possessed green-blue fluorescence, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and quantum chemical calculations showed that the PNA coordinates to the PNP surface through the primary amine group. Additionally, the sensing ability of the PNA ligand for adenine nucleic acid was demonstrated by photoluminescence quenching via charge transfer. Furthermore, PNP thin films were effectively produced by the centrifugal casting. We envision that combining the unique, tailored structure of peptide nucleic acids and the prospective optical features of lead halide perovskite nanoparticles could expand the field of applications of such hybrids exploiting analogous ligand chemistry.