Previous Article in Journal
The Blue Coloration of Natural Sapphires After Heating in Oxidizing and Reducing Environments
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Crystals
Volume 16
Issue 7
10.3390/cryst16070476
crystals-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Synthesis of Cu₁.₉₅Se Nanocrystals and Their Application in Photoacoustic Imaging

by
Samuel Fuentes
1,
Brady Killham
1,
Juan Ramirez
1,
Aditi Mulgaonkar
2,
Rainie Luo
3,
Yunfeng Wang
4,
Jiechao Jiang
1,
Robert Carson Sibley
2,
Xiankai Sun
2 and
Yaowu Hao
1,*
1
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
2
Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
3
Engineering Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08618, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Crystals 2026, 16(7), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16070476
Submission received: 31 May 2026 / Revised: 16 July 2026 / Accepted: 20 July 2026 / Published: 22 July 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Inorganic Crystalline Materials)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Copper-deficient copper selenide (Cu2−xSe) nanocrystals possess strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and efficient photothermal conversion, making them attractive candidates for photoacoustic imaging . In this study, Cu2−xSe nanocrystals with distinct morphologies were synthesized using different selenium precursors and evaluated as photoacoustic contrast agents. Se–oleylamine precursors produced predominantly disk-shaped nanocrystals with average dimensions of approximately 20 nm in diameter and 5 nm in thickness, while Se–TOP/TOPO precursors yielded smaller spherical nanocrystals. Structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, and selected-area electron diffraction confirmed the formation of highly crystalline copper-deficient Cu2−xSe nanocrystals with a face-centered cubic crystal structure. UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy revealed broad optical absorption extending into the NIR region, with morphology-dependent spectral characteristics. Multispectral optoacoustic tomography demonstrated strong photoacoustic signal generation from both nanodisks and nanospheres over a broad wavelength range. In vivo studies using PEGylated Cu2−xSe nanospheres showed successful lymphatic uptake following hind paw injection and enabled visualization of the draining popliteal lymph node through spectral unmixing of nanoparticle and hemoglobin signals. These results demonstrate that Cu2−xSe nanocrystals are promising photoacoustic contrast agents for lymphatic imaging and other biomedical imaging applications.
Keywords: Cu2−xSe nanocrystals; copper selenide; nanodisks; nanospheres; near-infrared absorption; localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR); photoacoustic imaging; multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT); lymphatic imaging; contrast agents Cu2−xSe nanocrystals; copper selenide; nanodisks; nanospheres; near-infrared absorption; localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR); photoacoustic imaging; multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT); lymphatic imaging; contrast agents

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Fuentes, S.; Killham, B.; Ramirez, J.; Mulgaonkar, A.; Luo, R.; Wang, Y.; Jiang, J.; Sibley, R.C.; Sun, X.; Hao, Y. Synthesis of Cu₁.₉₅Se Nanocrystals and Their Application in Photoacoustic Imaging. Crystals 2026, 16, 476. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16070476

AMA Style

Fuentes S, Killham B, Ramirez J, Mulgaonkar A, Luo R, Wang Y, Jiang J, Sibley RC, Sun X, Hao Y. Synthesis of Cu₁.₉₅Se Nanocrystals and Their Application in Photoacoustic Imaging. Crystals. 2026; 16(7):476. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16070476

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fuentes, Samuel, Brady Killham, Juan Ramirez, Aditi Mulgaonkar, Rainie Luo, Yunfeng Wang, Jiechao Jiang, Robert Carson Sibley, Xiankai Sun, and Yaowu Hao. 2026. "Synthesis of Cu₁.₉₅Se Nanocrystals and Their Application in Photoacoustic Imaging" Crystals 16, no. 7: 476. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16070476

APA Style

Fuentes, S., Killham, B., Ramirez, J., Mulgaonkar, A., Luo, R., Wang, Y., Jiang, J., Sibley, R. C., Sun, X., & Hao, Y. (2026). Synthesis of Cu₁.₉₅Se Nanocrystals and Their Application in Photoacoustic Imaging. Crystals, 16(7), 476. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16070476

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop