Measurement of mean size and evaluation of polydispersity of gold nanoparticles from spectra of optical absorption and scattering

Two methods for determination of the mean size of gold nanoparticles, based on measurement of the wavelengths of the maxima λ_max of side scattering and extinction in the range 400–700 nm, are compared. Four sols with mean particle diameters d of about 15, 20, 25, and 30 nm, measured using the dynamic light-scattering technique, were studied experimentally. The slope of the size dependence λ_max(d) of the spectral position of the scattering peak exceeded that for the extinction peak by a factor of 2.4. This fact ensures a substantially higher accuracy of the scattering method. For simulating polydispersity, mixtures of three colloids with particle diameters of 20, 25, and 30 nm were used: sample S1, with a size distribution close to the normal one of around 25 nm, and sample S2, with equal concentrations of each of the components. The extinction spectra of mixtures S1 and S2 and the initial 25-nm sol (S0) were virtually identical, whereas their scattering spectra showed a pronounced increase in the peak amplitude in the series S0, S1, S2. These results agree with calculations based on the Mie theory. Thus, scattering spectra offer advantages over extinction spectra not only in measuring the mean size of gold particles but also in evaluating their polydispersity.     

Plasmonic nanopowders for photothermal therapy of tumors

We describe a novel strategy for the fabrication of plasmonic nanopowders (dried gold nanoparticles) by using wet chemical nanoparticle synthesis, PEG-SH functionalization, and a standard freeze-drying technique. Our strategy is illustrated by successful fabrication of different plasmonic nanopowders, including gold nanorods, gold-silver nanocages, and gold nanospheres. Importantly, the dried nanoparticles can be stored for a long time under usual conditions and then can easily be dissolved in water at a desired concentration without such hard manipulations as sonication or heating. Redispersed samples maintain the plasmonic properties of parent colloids and do not form aggregates. These properties make pegylated freeze-dried gold nanoparticles attractive candidates for plasmonic photothermal therapy in clinical settings. In this work, redispersed gold nanorods were intravenously administered to mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma tumors at doses of 2 and 8 mg (Au)/kg (animal). Particle biodistribution was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and tumor hyperthermia effects were studied under laser NIR irradiation. Significant tumor damage was observed only at the higher dose of the nanorods.     

Advances in high-throughput screening: biomolecular interaction monitoring in real-time with colloidal metal nanoparticles

The post-genomic era is revolutionizing the drug discovery process. The new challenges in the identification of therapeutic targets require efficient technological tools in order to be properly addressed. Label-free detection systems use proteins or ligands coupled to materials of which the physical properties are measurably modified upon specific interactions. Among the label-free systems currently available, the use of metal nanocolloids offers enhanced throughput and flexibility for real-time biomolecular recognition monitoring at a reasonable cost.     

Dichroism of bacterial suspensions in electrical fields

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 52, No. 6, pp. 978–983, June, 1990.     

The solvent effect on polar compounds containing acidic hydrogens

The effect of aromatic and non-aromatic solvents on the proton chemical shifts of 23 polar compounds has been determined. The protons which are activated by electron-withdrawing groups show large highfield shifts in benzene (relative to the isotropic solvents). Based on evidence provided by infrared data, the highfield shifts of the acidic protons in benzene solution are interpreted in terms of a model involving C? Hπ hydrogen bonding. This model successfully interprets the data reported previously for steroidal ketones. The same model can be extended to benzene solutions of other polar compounds containing strongly electron-deficient sites to which alkyl groups are attached. It is observed that the use of CCl₄ as a reference solvent in studies of benzene induced shifts may have greater significance, since these two solvents have similar dielectric constants.     

STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE AND VIBRATION OF CONCRETE BOX STRUCTURE AND RAIL VIADUCT

In this study, the vibration and acoustic resonance, and dominant frequency range of simple concrete box and viaduct are examined from the measurement results. A narrow band analysis—fast Fourier transform (FFT) method is used to analyze the measurement results and finite element method (FEM) is used to validate resonance frequencies for noise and vibration. The experiment of the concrete box structure is a preliminary study of analyzing resonance frequency radiated from the vibrating concrete structure since railway viaduct is a concrete box structure too. According to their noise and vibration spectra, it shows that the vibration resonance is more significant than the acoustics resonance.Based on the measurement results of the rail viaduct structure-borne noise and vibration, the relationship in terms of transfer function and coherence between noise and vibration are evaluated. They show that the dominant frequency range for noise and vibration of concrete viaduct is between 20 and 157 Hz, the resonance frequencies are 43 and 54 Hz and have significant tonal noise characteristics. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical relationship between sound and vibration.     

一个用于肿瘤研究中灌流和扩散成像参数分析的应用软件

A software package has been developed to process perfusion, relaxation times and diffusion MRI dat a acquired in cancer research. This software package was written on MATLAB platf orm (Version 6.0). Parameter maps, such as permeability, apparent diffusion coef ficient and T₁ were generated from original MRI data. The features of para metric analysis include ROI analysis, contrast adjust, statistical information generat ion, false color image and zoom in display. Since it was written in Matlab fun ct ions, this package can be used on almost all operation systems (Microsoft window s, Unix, Mac OS & Linux) and it is easy to expand the features.     

The effect of the size,shape, and structure of metal nanoparticles on the dependence of their optical properties on the refractive index of a disperse medium

The effect of the size, shape, and structure of gold and silver nanoparticles on the dependence of their extinction and integral scattering spectra on the dielectric environment has been investigated. Calculations were performed using the Mie theory for spheres and nanoshells and the T-matrix method for chaotically oriented bispheres, spheroids, and s cylinders with hemispherical ends. The sensitivity of plasmon resonances to variations in the refractive index of the environment in the range 1.3–1.7 for particles of different equivolume size, as well as to variations in the thickness of the metal layer of nanoshells, was studied. For nanoparticles with an equivolume diameter of 15 nm, the maximal shifts of plasmon resonances due to variation in the refractive index of the environment are observed for bispheres and the shifts decrease in the series nanoshells, s cylinders or spheroids, and spheres. For particles 60 nm in diameter, the largest shifts of plasmon resonances occur for nanoshells and the shifts decrease in the series bispheres, s cylinders or spheroids, and spheres. All other conditions being the same, silver nanoparticles are more sensitive to the resonance tuning due to a change in the dielectric environment.