Using HO as a green oxidant to produce fluorescent GaOOH nanomaterials from a liquid metal.

We report a simple and rapid method for the synthesis of fluorescent gallium oxyhydroxide (GaOOH) nanoparticles from liquid Ga by a probe sonication method in the presence of HO as an oxidant. The aspect ratio of the GaOOH nanoparticles is determined by the concentration of HO and solution pH, as well as the probe energy and sonication time. Further surface modification with cyclodextrin to achieve biocompatibility for potential biomedical applications is reported where an example of cell uptake and fluorescence imaging is shown.