The distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) consisting of alternating layers of ZnO and heavy doped amorphous silicon (a-Si) have been fabricated by magnetron sputtering. It is novel to find that the optical absorptions exist in the stopband of the DBRs, and that many discrete strong optical absorption peaks exist in the wavelength range of visible to near-infrared. The calculated results by FDTD show that the absorptions in the stopband mainly exist in the first a-Si layer, and that the light absorbed by other a-Si layers inside contributes to the two absorption peaks in near-infrared range. The strong absorptions ranged from visible to infrared open new possibilities to the enhancement of the performance of amorphous silicon solar cells.
We report a novel method for formation of self-organized single-standing carbon nanotubes by customizing a plasma-based process. The growth of carbon nanotubes by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition provides suitable grounds to utilize plasma–solid interactions for nanopatterning. The bulk plasma is utilized to fabricate carbon nanotubes on the prepatterned Ni catalyst which in turn can confine the plasma to the growth region. The plasma localization leads to a dielectrophoretic force exerted on Ni atoms and can be engineered in order to grow a specific pattern of self-organized single-standing carbon nanotubes. Numerical simulations based on the plasma localization and dielectrophoretic force confirmed the experimental results. This method provides a simple and cost-effective approach to obtain nanopatterned arrays of carbon nanotubes which can be used for fabrication of photonic and phononic crystals, self-gated field emission-based transistors and displays.
Dendritic Pt–Cu nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile one-step method with the help of surfactant Brij58 at room temperature, and we also studied the effects of different Pt–Cu ratios on the morphology and size of nanoparticles. In addition, we further tuned the morphology of the Pt–Cu nanostructures by introducing bromide ions, eventually leading to the appearance of some tripod-like structures. Compared with dendritic Pt–Cu and commercial Pt black, these tripod-like Pt–Cu nanostructures exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity and CO tolerance for catalyzing methanol oxidation.
New self-assembled material (Ru@SC) with ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) and 4-sulfocalix[4]arene (SC) is synthesized in water at room temperature. Ru@SC is characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis, FT-IR, powder x-ray diffraction, TEM and SEM analysis. The size of Ru nanoparticles in the self-assembly is approximately 5 nm. The self-assembled material Ru@SC shows an efficient catalytic reduction of toxic ‘brilliant yellow’ (BY) azo dye. The reduced amine products were successfully separated and confirmed by single-crystal XRD, NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Ru@SC showed a better catalytic activity in comparison with commercial catalysts Ru/C (ruthenium on charcoal 5 %) and Pd/C (palladium on charcoal 5 and 10 %). The catalyst also showed a promising recyclability and heterogeneous nature as a catalyst for reduction of ‘BY’ azo dye.
The paper presents the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity tests of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoclusters coated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA). Electron microscopy analysis (SEM) evidences that magnetite nanoparticles are closely packed into the clusters stabilized with EDTA with well-defined near spherical shapes and sizes in the range 100–200 nm. From XRD measurements, we determined the mean size of the crystallites inside the magnetic cluster about 36 nm. The saturation magnetization determined for the magnetic clusters stabilized with EDTA has high value, about 81.7 emu/g at 300 K. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to determine both the elemental and chemical structure of the magnetic cluster surface. In vitro studies have shown that the magnetic clusters at low doses did not induce toxicity on human umbilical vein endothelial cells or lesions of the cell membrane. In contrast, at high doses, the magnetic clusters increased the lipid peroxidation and reduced the leakage of a cytoplasmic enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), in parallel with increasing the antioxidant defense.
The solvent varying technique (SVT) provides a simple method for the production of uniform batches of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) of a target average diameter. SNPs synthesized using the SVT have been observed to agglomerate over increasing storage times leading to an increase in average particle diameter. Since the particle diameters of the SNPs produced using the SVT may vary over increasing storage durations, the previous model, suggested by Gao et al., which is based on the diameter of the original SNPs, is unreliable when predicting a target particle diameter using the initial volume of ethanol. A centrifuge and replacement of solvent method has been applied in this investigation to the SNP solutions created using the SV technique. This reduces the amount of unused reactants in the centrifuged colloidal suspensions, which further improves the quality of the SNPs and hence any subsequent photonic crystals. Post centrifuge and replace, the morphology of the centrifuged particles is more uniform than that of the original particles, which has been evaluated using SEM micrographs. The face-centered cubic (FCC) structures observed on the surface of the photonic crystal films have also been imaged using a SEM. A linear equation for the prediction of the SNP diameters for a given initial amount of ethanol is proposed based on the centrifuged SNP diameters. The particle diameter measurements for the new equation were recorded using a DLS instrument. The dispersion of the SNPs was also recorded using DLS. The morphology of the surface of the particles has been confirmed using TEM micrographs.
An easy and rapid one-pot microwave-assisted soft-template synthesis method for the preparation of Pd-Ni nanoalloys confined in mesoporous carbon is reported. This approach allows the formation of mesoporous carbon and the growth of the particles at the same time, under short microwave irradiation (4 h) compared to the several days spent for the classical approach. In addition, the synthesis steps are diminished and no thermopolymerization step or reduction treatment being required. The influence of the Pd-Ni composition on the particle size and on the carbon characteristics was investigated. Pd-Ni solid solutions in the whole composition range could be obtained, and the metallic composition proved to have an important effect on the nanoparticle size but low influence on carbon textural properties. Small and uniformly distributed nanoparticles were confined in mesoporous carbon with uniform pore size distribution, and dependence between the nanoparticle size and the nanoalloy composition was observed, i.e., increase of the particle size with increasing the Ni content (from 5 to 14 nm). The magnetic properties of the materials showed a strong nanoparticle size and/or composition effect. The blocking temperature of Pd-Ni nanoalloys increases with the increase of Ni amount and therefore of particle size. The magnetization values are smaller than the bulk counterpart particularly for the Ni-rich compositions due to the formed graphitic shells surrounding the particles inducing a dead magnetic layer.
Graphical abstract PdNi nanoalloys confined in mesoporous carbon exhibiting magnetic properties dependent on thealloys composition and size were synthesized by a fast microwave approach
The effect of interaction of low-index atomic planes, (100), (110), and (111) terminating CdSe platelet nanocrystals is examined using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Asymmetry of the environment of atoms at the end surface layers leads to anisotropic deformation of the cubic lattice and to a relative shift of Cd and Se sub-lattices. Interference of distortions of the crystal lattice originating at the terminal surfaces leads to changes of symmetry of the CdSe lattice in the whole sample volume. In the models, 2–3 nm thick, for all types of surfaces under examination, the initial cubic lattice symmetry gets lost in the whole sample volume.
In this study, two different synthetic methods in aqueous solution are presented to tune the optical properties of CdTe and CdSe semiconductor nanoparticles. Additionally, the influence of different temperatures, pressures, precursor ratios, surface ligands, bases, and core components in the synthesis was investigated with regard to the particle sizes and optical properties. As a result, a red shift of the emission and absorption maxima with increasing reaction temperature (100 to 220°C), pressure (1 to 25 bar), and different ratios of core components of alloyed semiconductor nanoparticles could be observed without a change of the particle size. An increase in particle size from 2.5 to 5 nm was only achieved by variation of the mercaptocarboxylic acid ligands in combination with the reaction time and used base. To get a first hint on the cytotoxic effects and cell uptake of the synthesized quantum dots, in vitro tests mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were carried out.
Carbon-based nanoparticles (NPs) such as fullerenes and nanotubes have been extensively studied for drug delivery in recent years. The permeation process of fullerene and its derivative molecules through membrane is essential to the utilization of fullerene-based drug delivery system, but the mechanism and the dynamics of permeation through cell membrane are still unclear. In this study, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the permeation process of functionalized fullerene molecules (ca. 0.72 nm) through the membrane. Our results show that single functionalized fullerene molecule in such nanoscale could permeate the lipid membrane in micro-second time scale. Pristine C60 molecules prefer to aggregate into several small clusters while C60OH15 molecules could aggregate into one big cluster to permeate through the lipid membrane. After permeation of C60 or its derivatives into membrane, all C60 and C60OH15 molecules disaggregated and monodispersed in the lipid membrane.
Addition reaction between C60 and ethylenediamine occurred at room temperature in an ambient condition. C60-ethylenediamine adduct particles were prepared by mixing toluene solutions of C60 and ethyelenediamine. Average diameter of the C60-ethylenediamine adduct particles was changed non-linearly according to the reaction time, which were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Early stage of the reaction, the diameter of the adduct particles was changed from about 250 to about 430 nm. Then, the size of the adduct particles was converged to about 300 nm. During this addition reaction, the crystalline sizes of adduct particles were constant about 2–3 nm, regardless of the sizes of the adduct particles, which were determined by X-ray diffraction measurement.
The results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of CdSe crystals terminated by low-index atomic planes, (100), (110) and (111), are presented. The effect of the crystal termination on the atomic arrangement (interatomic distances) at the surface and underneath the surface is examined. It is shown that the crystal lattice is distorted in lateral and normal directions to the depth of up to about 2 nm from the surface. The exact characteristic of the changes of interatomic distances is specific to the type of the atomic plane terminating the crystal lattice. At some surfaces, the very last monoatomic layer loses the long-range ordering and becomes quasi amorphous. The atoms group into randomly distributed pairs or short linear groups.
Nitrilimine cycloadditions to ethylenes, acetylenes, and activated nitriles have been exploited in the presence of catalytic amounts of oleic-acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (diameter?=?11.9?±?1.0 nm). The reactions were fully regioselective with monosubstituted ethylenes and ethyl cyanoformiate, while mixtures of cycloadducts were obtained in the presence of methyl propiolate. The intervention of iron oxide nanoparticles allowed carrying out the cycloadditions at milder conditions compared to the metal-free thermal processes. A labile intermediate has been proposed to explain this behavior.
Graphical abstract Nitrilimine cycloadditions to ethylenes, acetylenes, and activated nitriles have been exploited in the presence of catalytic amounts of oleic-acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles.
Despite advancements in treatment of infectious diseases, opportunistic pathogens continue to pose a worldwide threat. Identifying a source of infection/inflammation is often challenging which highlights the need of improved diagnostic agents. Using a model of local S. aureus infection, here we evaluated the potential of betamethasone or dexamethasone loaded in poly (lactic acid) nanoparticles and radiolabeled with 99mTc to detect an infection/inflammation site in vivo. A betamethasone and dexamethasone nanoparticles (NPs) with 200 and 220 nm in size, respectively, were created with a 98% 99mTc radiolabeling efficiency. When injected in infected mice, betamethasone NPs presented a higher accumulation in the infected hind paw in comparison with dexamethasone NPs. Our results suggest that this nanosystem may be a valid nanoradiopharmaceutical for the detection of inflammation/infection foci in vivo.
A combined strategy of in situ oxidation and assembly is developed to prepare Ag/AgCl nanospheres and nanocubes from Ag nanoparticles under room temperature. It is a new facile way to fabricate Ag/AgCl with small sizes and defined morphologies. Ag/AgCl nanospheres with an average size of 80 nm were achieved without any surfactants, while Ag/AgCl nanocubes with a mean edge length of 150 nm were obtained by introduction of N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-2-ammonio-acetate. The possible formation mechanism involves the self-assembly of AgCl nanoparticles, Ostwald ripening and photoreduction of Ag+ into Ag0 by the room light. The as-prepared Ag/AgCl nanospheres and nanocubes exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity and stability toward degradation of organic pollutants under visible-light irradiation. It is demonstrated that Ag/AgCl nanocubes display enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison with Ag/AgCl nanospheres due to the more efficient charge transfer. This work may pave an avenue to construct various functional materials via the assembly strategy using nanoparticles as versatile building blocks.
Graphical abstract A combined strategy of in situ oxidation and assembly was developed to construct Ag/AgCl nanospheres and nanocubes from Ag nanoparticles, which exhibited highly photocatalytic activity and good stability for degrading methyl orange under visible light irradiation.
The most important limitation for boron neutron capture therapy of cancer is the selective accumulation of boron compounds in tumor tissues in significant quantities. In this paper, we describe the possibility to use magnetic Ni/Fe nanotubes as carriers for boron delivery. Carborane derivatives containing 10 and 21 boron atoms per molecule were immobilized on Ni/Fe nanotubes by covalent and ionic interactions. Magnetic properties of NTs were investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Structure, element, chemical composition, and morphology of obtained magnetic nanotubes were studied by XRD, SEM-EDA, and FTIR spectroscopy. Results indicate success immobilization of carborane derivatives on Ni/Fe nanotubes and great potential to use them as carriers for boron neutron cancer therapy of cancer.
In recent years, two-dimensional confined catalysis, i.e., the enhanced catalytic reactions in confined space between metal surface and two-dimensional overlayer, makes a hit and opens up a new way to enhance the performance of catalysts. In this work, graphdiyne overlayer was proposed as a more excellent material than graphene or hexagonal boron nitride for two-dimensional confined catalysis on Pt(111) surface. Density functional theory calculations revealed the superiority of graphdiyne overlayer originates from the steric hindrance effect which increases the catalytic ability and lowers the reaction barriers. Moreover, with the big triangle holes as natural gas tunnels, graphdiyne possesses higher efficiency for the transit of gaseous reactants and products than graphene or hexagonal boron nitride. The results in this work would benefit future development of two-dimensional confined catalysis.
Presence of basic nitrogen throughout the chain of poly(2-vinylpyridine) make them alluring candidate for applications requiring chelation of heavy metals. In this study, we report the use of poly (2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) homopolymers of varying molar masses for the stabilization of gold nanoparticles for the first time. A study based on AFM, DLS and UV-visible spectroscopy was conducted to establish a correlation of the molar mass of P2VP with the size and distribution of the gold nanoparticles. Systematic and gradual change in the absorbance intensity and shift in SPR band of gold nanoparticles were also observed upon variations in treatment temperature, concentration of polymer, residence time, pH, and electrolyte concentration. The results obtained by UV-visible spectroscopy, AFM and DLS are complementary. The size of the P2VP-stabilised AuNPs was found to be in the range of 20–130 nms. At last, the effect of the size of P2VP-stabilised AuNPs (directly related to the molar mass of P2VP) on the drug-loading efficiency is evaluated.
A novel strategy to synthesize photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) from a reaction between tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and trimethyl-hexadecyl-ammonium borohydride (CTABH4) in organic solvent is presented. The formation reaction occurs spontaneously at room temperature in homogeneous phase. The produced silicon nanocrystals are characterized by using their photoluminescent properties and via HRTEM. In addition, theoretical calculations of the optical absorption spectrum of silicon quantum dots in vacuum with different sizes and surface moieties were performed in order to compare with the experimental findings. The new chemical reaction is simple and can be implemented to produce silicon nanocrystal with regular laboratory materials by performing easy and safe procedures.
Layered zinc-based metal-organic framework ([Zn(4,4′-bpy)(tfbdc)(H2O)2], Zn-LMOF) nanosheets were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method (4,4′-bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine, H2tfbdc = tetrafluoroterephthalic acid). The materials were characterized by IR spectrum, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface. When the Zn-LMOF nanosheets with the thickness of about 24 ± 8 nm were used as an anode material of lithium-ion batteries, not only the Zn-LMOF electrode shows a high reversible capacity, retaining 623 mAh g?1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g?1 but also exhibits an excellent cyclic stability and a higher rate performance.
Graphical abstract Zinc-based layered metal-organic framework ([Zn(4,4′-bpy)(tfbdc)(H2O)2], Zn-LMOF) nanosheets have been synthesized, displaying a high capacity as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
