Glucose biosensor enhanced by nanoparticles

Glucose biosensors have been formed with glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilized in composite immobilization membrane matrix, which is composed of hydrophobic gold, or hydro-philic gold, or hydrophobic silica nanoparticles, or the combination of gold and silica nanoparticles, and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) by a sol-gel method. The experiments show that nanoparticles can significantly enhance the catalytic activity of the immobilization enzyme. The current response can be increased from tens of nanoamperometer (nA) to thousands of nanoamperometer to the same glucose concentration, and the electrodes respond very quickly, to about 1 min. The function of nanoparticles effect on immobilization enzyme has been discussed.     

Are diamond nanoparticles cytotoxic?

Finely divided carbon particles, including charcoal, lampblack, and diamond particles, have been used for ornamental and official tattoos since ancient times. With the recent development in nanoscience and nanotechnology, carbon-based nanomaterials (e.g., fullerenes, nanotubes, nanodiamonds) attract a great deal of interest. Owing to their low chemical reactivity and unique physical properties, nanodiamonds could be useful in a variety of biological applications such as carriers for drugs, genes, or proteins; novel imaging techniques; coatings for implantable materials; and biosensors and biomedical nanorobots. Therefore, it is essential to ascertain the possible hazards of nanodiamonds to humans and other biological systems. We have, for the first time, assessed the cytotoxicity of nanodiamonds ranging in size from 2 to 10 nm. Assays of cell viability such as mitochondrial function (MTT) and luminescent ATP production showed that nanodiamonds were not toxic to a variety of cell types. Furthermore, nanodiamonds did not produce significant reactive oxygen species. Cells can grow on nanodiamond-coated substrates without morphological changes compared to controls. These results suggest that nanodiamonds could be ideal for many biological applications in a diverse range of cell types.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles

Magnetic nanoparticles with average diameter in the range of 6.4-8.3 nni have been synthesized by a chemical co-precipitation of Fe(Ⅱ)and Fe(Ⅲ)salts in 1.5 M NH4OH solution.The size of the magnetic particles is dependent on both temperature and the ionic strength of the iron ion solutions.The magnetic particles formed at higher temperature or lower ionic strength were slightly larger than those formed at lower temperature or higher ionic strength respectively.In spite of the different reaction conditions,all the resultant nanoparticles are nearly spherical and have a similar crystalline structure.At 300 K,such prepared nanoparticles are superparam-agnetic.The saturation magnetizations for 7.8 and 6.4 nm particles are 71 and 63 emu/g respectively,which are only ~ 20-30% less than the saturation magnetization(90 emu/g)of bulk Fe3O4 Our results indicated that a control of the reaction conditions could be used to tailor the size of magnetic nanoparticles in free precipitation.     

Lanthanide nanoparticles ignite dark molecular triplets

Molecular triplets have attracted great interest across multidisciplinary fields of the research ranging from thermally activated delayed fluorescence[1],triplet-triplet annihilation(TTA)upconversion[2],to photodynamic therapy relying on TTA between triplet photosensitizers and surrounding triplet oxygen to generate singlet oxygen species[3].     

A new way to synthesize ZnS nanoparticles

ZnS nanoparticles were prepared with normal ZnO and Na2S by solid-liquid chemical reaction under ultrasonic condition andcharacterized by XRD,TEM,SEM,IR and TG-DTG.The results showed that these particles were good crystal cubic zinc blendedwith average size of 50 nm,possess good IR transmittance in the range of 400-4000 cm and good thermal stability.     

Physico-chemical characterization of γ-amino n-butyric acid nanoparticles

This work deals with the preparation and characterization of high-purity nanoparticles of γ-amino n-butyric acid (GABA) in order to enhance the efficiency of this drug. A sublimation procedure at low pressure was applied to GABA after improving the experimental parameters of this physical transformation. The elaboration of the molecule is solvent-free. The process does not change the chemical formula of the compound but modifies its physico-chemical characteristics. In this work, we present the experimental parameters for preparing monoclinic GABA nanoparticles. Their identification and physico-chemical properties were determined with a large number of investigations: Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), density and purity measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), calorimetric measurements (ΔH(dissolution) and C(p)), thermally stimulated current (TSC), and electrochemical impedance.     

Chemical effects of size quantization of CdS nanoparticles

The behaviour of photoreaction occurring on the superfine duster interface of semiconductor CdS has been studied. The results indicated that the size quantization effect of semiconductor nanoparticles was obviously reflected not only in their physical properties, but also in the interfacial photocatalysis reactions initiated by superfine nanopartides. This means that the direction and mechanisms in photoreactions of the compounds adsorbed on the surface of nanopartides could vary with the alteration of particle size because the redox potential values of semiconductor particles could be changed with the variation of particle size. Doubtlessly, this effect could play an important role in controlling the interfacial reaction mechanisms and raising the selectivity to photoreaction paths.     

Kinetic effect in the size-control of CdS nanoparticles

A new method of size control for CdS nanoparticles, called common cation coprecipitation, is reported. In the course of coprecipitation, both CdS and CdSt_2(cadmium stearate) formations are diffusion-controlled and their rates are quite different. The size of CdS nanoparticles depends on the ratio of initial concentrations of S~(2-) to St~- (stearate ion). Characterized by UV-Vis absorption, XRD, TEM, fluorescence and XPS, the results obtained show that the coprecipitate is a composite, i. e. CdS particle inserts in the CdSt_2 molecular layers to form a sandwich-like structure. The method reported for size control of CdS nanoparticles might be called kinetic self-assembling.     

Synthesis of magnetic hybrid magnetite—gold nanoparticles

Methods for the synthesis of hybrid nanoparticles, consisting in the simultaneous modification of the magnetic core and reduction of gold on the surface using various reagents, were proposed and developed. Depending on synthesis conditions, various hybrid nanoparticles were obtained, namely, hybrid nanoparticles decorated with gold nuclei and hybrid nanoparticles of the core—shell type. The obtained products can be used as promising materials for catalytic and biomedical applications.

     

In-situ synthesis of nanoparticles via supersolubilizing micelle self-assembly

In-situ synthesis of nano-particles using the self-assembly of molten salt and super soluble micellae was proposed based on a phenomenon of super solubilization of molten salt in reverse micellae and its self-assembly when the concentration reached up to 95%(w/w).The mechanism of the self-assembly indicates that the self-assembly of molten salt occurs in a reverse micelle where a homogenous phase is established between 5%(w/w)of a surfactant with a VB value of less than 1 and a hydrocarbon spe- cies.This synthesis has some unique features,such as being free of water,highly effective deposition and narrow distribution of particle size.     

The preparation and fluorescence properties of europium nanoparticles

A new structured metallic nanomaterial of europium nanoparticle was prepared using tannic acid as the reductive agent,and nanoeuropium protein conjugates were synthesized by the method of lipoic acid modification on the surface of nanoparticle,which opens a new field of application of lanthanides in nanotechniques.Their properties were also characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy (TEM),and fluorescence spectroscopy.The europium nanoparticle and its protein conjugates solution were stable and water-soluble.The fluorescence intensity of the composite europium nanoparticles was significantly increased in the presence of trace protein,and was linear proportional to the concentration of proteins under optimum conditions.According to this,a fluorimetric method for the determination of protein was developed in this paper.     

Photo-responsive nanoparticles for β-lapachone delivery in vitro

We reported a one-step encapsulation of indocyanine green (ICG) in ZIF-8 nanoparticles (NPs). The as-prepared ICG@ZIF-8 NPs possess an absorption band in the near infrared region and have the good photothermal conversion efficiency.     

Janus mesoporous nanoparticles enable building biological logic systems

<正>This highlight is inspired by a recent article in Nature Chemistry [1], in which Zhao and co-workers from Fudan University developed an innovative emulsion-orientated anisotropic assembly method for the controllable fabrication of MSN&m PDA(mesoporous silica nanoparticles=MSN,     

Synthesis of palladium-rhodium bimetallic nanoparticles for formic acid dehydrogenation

Herein,we report for the first time the synthesis of preformed bimetallic Pd-Rh nanoparticles with different Pd:Rh ratios(nominal molar ratio:80-20,60-40,40-60,20-80) and the corresponding Pd and Rh monometallic ones by sol immobilization using polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) as protecting agent and NaBH4 as reducing agent,using carbon nanofibers with high graphitization degree(HHT) as the desired support.The synthesized catalysts were characterized by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES).TEM shows that the average particle size of the Pd-Rh nanoparticles is the range of 3-4 nm,with the presence of few large agglomerated nanoparticles.For bimetallic catalysts,EDX-STEM analysis of individual nanoparticles demonstrated the presence of random-alloyed nanoparticles even in all cases Rh content is lower than the nominal one(calculated Pd:Rh molar ratio:90-10,69-31,49-51,40-60).The catalytic performance of the Pd-Rh catalysts was evaluated in the liquid phase dehydrogenation of formic acid to H2.It was found that Pd-Rh molar ratio strongly influences the catalytic performance.Pd-rich catalysts were more active than Rh-rich ones,with the highest activity observed for Pd90:Rh10(1792 h^-1),whereas Pd69:Rh31(921 h^-1) resulted the most stable during recycling tests.Finally,Pd90:Rh10 was chosen as a representative sample for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of muconic acid using formic acid as hydrogen donor,showing good yield to adipic acid.     

Alumina ultrafiltration membranes derived from carboxylate–alumoxane nanoparticles

The fabrication of asymmetric alumina ultrafiltration membranes using acetic acid surface stabilized alumina nanoparticles (A-alumoxanes) has been investigated. Contacting α-alumina supports with an aqueous solution of A-alumoxane (after firing to 1000°C) yields a defect free alumina membrane with a thickness of ca. 2 μm. The alumoxane-derived membranes have a molecular weight cut-off in the range of 35,000–44,000 g mol⁻¹, high porosity, and a permeability that is comparable to or greater than that of commercially available alumina membranes. SEM and AFM show that the surface of the alumoxane-derived membranes is quite smooth and contact angles show that the membrane is hydrophillic. A comparison with commercial alumina and polymer membranes, as well as those derived from sol–gel methods is presented.     

Non-aqueous sol–gel preparation of carbon-supported nickel nanoparticles

This work addresses the novel non-aqueous sol–gel process preparation of carbon-supported nickel nanoparticles. In the sol–gel process, ethanol, nickel nitrate or nickel (П) acetylacetonate, and citric acid were used as solvent, source of metallic element, and chelating agent, respectively. Hexadecylamine (HDA), oleic acid and oleylamine were used as surfactants. The calcination process was performed under protecting Ar or N₂ flowing. Carbon supported nickel nanoparticles can be prepared by this sol–gel process. Moreover, no grain growth occurs in a temperature range of 200 K, meaning that the grain size of the nickel nanoparticles can be controlled in this sol–gel process. The nickel nanoparticles can display typical superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature when HDA has been used. This novel method is expected to have wide applications in the field of metallic nanoparticles.     

Facile synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles by reduction phase transformation from γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in organic solvent

A phase transformation induced by the reduction of as-synthesized γ-maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles was performed in solution by exploiting the reservoir of reduction gas (CO) generated from the incomplete combustion reaction of organic substances in the reactor. Results from X-ray diffraction, color indicator, and magnetic analysis using a SQUID strongly support this phase transformation. Based on this route, monodisperse magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles were simply produced in the range from 260 to 300 °C. Almost all aspects of the original γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, such as shape, size, and monodispersity, were maintained in the produced Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Bimetallic palladium–gold nanoparticles synthesized in ionic liquid microemulsion

The palladium and gold precursors were dissolved in dispersive and continuous phase of ionic liquid microemulsion (H₂O/Triton X-100 (TX-100)/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate), respectively. [PdCl₆]^2? ions were reduced in situ by TX-100 in dispersive phase (H₂O) to prepare Pd nanoparticles (NPs) and then [AuCl₄]^? crossed through the interface film and reacted with the as-prepared Pd NPs to form Pd₄Au NPs. The as-prepared Pd₄Au NPs were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The as-prepared Pd₄Au NPs suspension and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suspension were vigorously stirred to prepare the electrocatalyst supported on the CNTs with a total metal loading of 20?wt.% (denoted by Pd₄Au/CNTs). Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry tests show that the Pd₄Au/CNTs are very promising for the oxidation of ethanol in alkaline medium. The result can be attributed to the synergistic effect between Pd and Au during the catalytic process.     

Crystallization behaviour of TiO2–ZrO2 composite nanoparticles

Nano-composite TiO₂?CZrO₂ materials were prepared via sol?Cgel processes by hydrolysis of mixtures of titanium- and zirconium-containing alkoxides with TiO₂:ZrO₂ ratios of 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, and 10:1. Precipitated powders were dried at room temperature and annealed in ambient air at temperatures between 350 and 500?°C for 4?h. Pure TiO₂ and ZrO₂ powders were synthesized for comparison. Samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near edge fine structure (XANES). The detailed analysis of those data provides the crystalline and amorphous phase composition as well as the crystallite particle size. According to XRD and XANES analysis, only the two pure oxide samples and one of the composite samples with a composition TiO₂:ZrO₂?=?10:1, crystallized. Both titania containing powders, the pure TiO₂ and the TiO₂:ZrO₂?=?10:1 composite, were found to crystallize in the anatase structure. ZrO₂ was found to stay amorphous in the composites but crystalline in the pure oxide. In the crystallized composite TiO₂:ZrO₂?=?10:1 sample, the concentration of the amorphous phase remains larger than in pure TiO₂ samples, but the crystallite size was found to be nearly constant with increasing annealing temperature in contrast to the increasing particle size of pure TiO₂-samples. Pure TiO₂ precipitates are amorphous directly after preparation, however they crystallize after 6?month storage at ambient conditions by aging. Such an aging was not observed for the TiO₂:ZrO₂ composites.     

Taylor dispersion analysis of metallic-based nanoparticles – A short review

Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) is an interesting tool for nanoparticle (NP) size determination, feasible using simple capillary electrophoresis apparatus. Based upon the radial diffusion of analytes upon a laminar stream, the diffusion coefficient of species is easily estimable. Moreover, TDA is generally more adequate than conventional dynamic light scattering methodologies as it is less dependent on the polydispersity of the sample, leading to accurate measurement and reliable results. This review provides every paper mentioning the use of TDA for metallic-based NPs size determination. Diverse strategies for the detection of metallic NPs (like UV–visible and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry – ICP–MS – for instance) and interpretation of the Taylorgrams are discussed. Based upon the literature, advices on future prospects are also indicated, especially for the comparison of TDA results with other classical techniques.