Agarose-Based Fluorescent Waveguide with Embedded Silica Nanoparticle–Carbon Nanodot Hybrids for pH Sensing
Francesco Amato, Marco César Prado Soares, Thiago D. Cabral, Eric Fujiwara, Cristiano M. B. Cordeiro, Alejandro Criado, Maurizio Prato, Júlio Roberto Bartoli
Abstract
Agradecimentos: The authors thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Brazil) under Grant 2019/22554-4, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil) (Finance Code -001), Espaço da Escrita—Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa—UNICAMP for the language services provided and Faepex/Unicamp, M. Möller (CIC biomaGUNE-BRTA) for the FEG-TEM analysis, Professor S. Bosi, Dr. F. Arcudi, Dr. G. Filippini, Dr. M. Cacioppo (DSCF/UNITS), Dr. P. Bertoncin (DSV/UNITS), Professor C. K. Suzuki (FEM/Unicamp), Professor M. Carreño, and Professor I. Pereyra (LME/EPUSP) for the technical support and for scientific discussions and insights, and Gildo S. Rodrigues (Unicamp) for the 3D printing of the molds. Professor Maurizio Prato is the AXA Chair for Bionanotechnology (2016–2023). This study was supported by the University of Trieste, INSTM, the Italian Ministry of Education, MIUR (cofin Prot. 2017PBXPN4), and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, MICIU (project PID2019-108523RB-I00). Part of this research was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency, Grant No. MDM-2017-0720