Call to Replicators: NanoBubbles replication initiative

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Maha Said

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Feb 19, 2026, 7:08:53 AM (21 hours ago) Feb 19

to Italian Reproducibility Network

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to share a newly launched call for replicators as part of the NanoBubbles' replication project. The NanoBubbles replication initiative aims to evaluate the reproducibility of influential experimental claims in nanoscience, with a particular focus on articles reporting the use of nanoparticles for detecting cytosolic targets, as outlined in our recent Perspective article.

The first article we selected for replication was the highly cited 2012 Angewandte Chemie paper “Carbon-Dot-Based Dual-Emission Nanohybrid Produces a Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor for In Vivo Imaging of Cellular Copper Ions” by Zhu et al. Our replication, conducted using pre-registered, peer-reviewed protocols and open science practices, has been completed and published as an OSF preprint and formally recommended by Peer Community in Registered Reports and will also appear in Royal Society Open Science early March 2026. The results showed substantial divergence from the original findings, namely, quantum yields approximately 20 times lower than reported and no fluorescence response to Cu²⁺ concentration, raising important questions about the robustness of these carbon quantum dot (CQD)-based sensing claims.

We are now inviting independent research teams from the fields of nano or physical chemisty to participate in reproducing these results achieved by our team. The present call aims to assess whether the replication process itself, based on detailed protocols, preregistration, and full transparency, enables the production of robust and reproducible results.

Selected participants will benefit from financial support from the NanoBubbles project. The experimental work is estimated to take 3-5 months, with results intended for a joint open-access publication (without co-authorship from the NanoBubbles Replication Team) and all raw data openly deposited on Zenodo.

If you are interested in applying, we are waiting for your application!

Full details and the online application form (deadline: March 6, 2026, 17:00), are available here.

If you have any scientific questions about the call or eligibility, please contact c.me...@ibmc-cnrs.unistra.fr. For administrative, financial, or submission-related matters, please reach out to nikolina.ra...@univ-paris13.fr.