Elsevier

Optical Materials

Volume 100, February 2020, 109669
Optical Materials

Spectroscopy and non-linear optical properties of DNA - Bilberry complex

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2020.109669Get rights and content

Highlights

  • All novel biodegradable, originating from renewable ressources, non toxic, photonic materials were obtained.

  • These materials exhibited a high optical damage threshold, larger than the synthetic polymers.

  • The obtained materials present an attractive alternative for synthetic ones for application in photonics.

  • The obtained materials exhibit blue fluorescence with potential applications in blue light emitting devices as well as in blue lasers.

Abstract

Natural extracts are getting more attention due to the fast degradability rate and low toxicity. In this paper the obtained results for the complex based on deoxyribonucleic acid biopolymer with bilberry (BBE) natural extract are presented and discussed. The interaction between the two materials (DNA-BBE complex) was evaluated by measuring the linear optical properties using UV–Vis and fluorescence spectral methods. Furthermore, the DNA-BBE complex was used for non-linear optical (NLO) properties investigations of the obtained thin films on glass substrate by spin-coating technique. Also, the optical damage threshold of the studied DNA-BBE complexes was measured in order to check their potentiality and interest for application in photonics.

Introduction

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is a fruit known also as European blueberry [1], huckleberry or whortleberry [2]. It grows abundantly in the Northern and Eastern areas of Europe [1], usually on acid soils, from marginal forests up to high altitude [3]. In bilberries fruit, anthocyanins represent about 90% of the total phenolic compounds [1]. The bilberry extract has beneficial effects as antioxidant, hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering agent [4]. Usually, it contains phenolic acids, tannins, flavonols (catechins, quercetin), resveratrol, hydroquinone, thiamin, vitamin C and mostly anthocyanosides, which are flavonoid derivatives of anthocyanins [1,2,4]. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants, water-soluble pigments that belong to the flavonoids class [5,6] and are naturally synthesized in the epidermal tissue. They confer the red, blue and purple colors to the berries [5,7]. Also, anthocyanines have protective role against cold stress, but they are sensible to environmental factors such as temperature or light that may affect their stability [8]. The most commonly occuring anthocyanidins are delphinidins, cyanidins, malvidins and petunidins [1], (Fig. 1).

Synthetic polymers are subjected to slow degradation rates. Thus to avoid the pollution it is wishful to use natural materials such as biopolymers [9]. One of the main categories of biopolymers are polynucleotides like DNA and RNA which are long chain polymers composed of 13 or more nucleotide monomers [10,11]. In previous studies, good optical properties were exhibited when DNA was used in combination with natural extracts [9]. The non-linear optical (NLO) properties of thin films are usually investigated using the Third Harmonic Generation [[12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]].

In this paper we report on preparation and characterization of a new biomaterial in view of its application in photonics. The composite material was obtained by doping, in solution, the DNA extract with bilberry natural extract. It was characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence studies to evaluate its linear optical properties. Furthermore, the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties characterization of functionalized thin films was performed by the optical third harmonic generation (THG) measurements at 1064.2 nm fundamental wavelength. The optical damage threshold measurements were also performed in order to establish the applicability of DNA-BBE thin films in photonics.

Section snippets

Materials, equipment and thin films processing

A low molecular mass deoxyribonucleic acid, purchased from Sigma Aldrich Company, was used in this study. The bilberry natural hydroalcoholic extract used for this study had a concentration of approximately 50% and was received from Hofigal S.A. The UV–Vis linear optical absorption spectra were recorded using 1 cm quartz cuvettes, in 200–800 nm spectral range, on an instrument from Thermo Scientific, Evolution 220 model, with integrated Insight v. 2.3.345 Software. The optical fluorescence

UV-VIS absorption spectra

The UV–Vis absorption spectra of the solutions, prepared using different concentrations of bilberry extract in 0.05 g/L DNA solution are displayed in Fig. 2. The spectra present a specific absorption peak for the DNA at 260 nm [22,23]. Also, for the bilberry extract specific peaks at 278 nm and 309 nm were identified and are assigned to a multitude of phenolic compounds such as hydroxybenzoic acids [2] and cyanidins from the class of anthocyanins [24], respectively to flavanols and flavonols [2

Conclusions

In this study we show that novel all biodegradable, originating from renewable ressources, non toxic, photonic materials can be obtained. These materials exhibit a high optical damage threshold, larger than the synthetic polymers. They can be processed into good optical quality thin films by the solution casting method, what is very important for application in integrated optics. The photosensitive, nature made, molecule bilberry exhibits blue fluorescence showing potential of application in

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the financial support of UEFISCDI organism, under Contract Number 7/2018, Code Project PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-0580, BIO-COL-DNA.

References (36)

  • W.-k. Chu et al.

    Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.)

  • R. Nestby et al.

    The European blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and the potential for cultivation. A review

    Eur. J. Plant Sci. Biotechnol.

    (2011)
  • C. Ulbricht et al.

    An evidence-based systematic review of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) by the natural standard research collaboration

    J. Diet. Suppl.

    (2009)
  • J. Shipp et al.

    Food applications and physiological effects of anthocyanins as functional food ingredients

    Open Food Sci. J.

    (2010)
  • P. Kylli

    Berry Phenolics: Isolation, Analysis, Identification, and Antioxidant Properties

    (2011)
  • M. Horbowicz et al.

    Anthocyanins of fruits and vegetables - their occurrence, analysis and role in human nutrition

    Veg. Crops Res. Bull.

    (2008)
  • A.-M. Manea et al.

    Preparation, linear and NLO properties of DNA-CTMA-SBE complexes

    SPIE Proc.

    (2013)
  • P. Yadav et al.

    Biomedical biopolymers, their origin and evolution in biomedical sciences: a systematic review

    J. Clin. Diagn. Res.

    (2015)
  • Cited by (3)

    • Optical characterization of wild berries embedded into collagen matrix

      2021, Optics and Laser Technology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Thin films were prepared by the spin-coating technique on carefully clened glass substrates using a spin-coater from Laurell Technologies Corporation, model WS-400B-6NPP/LITE. Their thickness was determined by the profilometry technique using DEKTAK 120 model profilometer of KLA Tencor [41,42]. Third harmonic generation and the optical damage threshold measurements were performed using a Neodymium doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser operating at 1064.2 nm fundamental wavelength with 10 Hz repetition frequency and 6 ns pulse duration.

    View full text