Dark-Field Microscopic Study of Cellular Uptake of Carbon Nanodots: Nuclear Penetrability.

Carbon nanodots are fascinating candidates for the field of biomedicine, in applications such as bioimaging and drug delivery. However, the nuclear penetrability and process are rarely studied and lack understanding, which limits their applications for drug carriers, single-molecule detection and live cell imaging. In this study, we attempt to examine the uptake of CNDs in cells with a focus on the potential nuclear penetrability using enhanced dark-field microscopy (EDFM) associated with hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to quantitatively determine the light scattering signals of CNDs in the cells.

Antiproliferative and ROS Regulation Activity of Photoluminescent Curcumin-Derived Nanodots.

Recently, various types of nanomaterials have been employed to design delivery vehicles for curcumin to address the problems of poor bioavailability, low aqueous solubility, and rapid metabolism. The present study focuses on a direct one-pot synthesis of curcumin-derived nanoparticles and exploits their potential therapeutic properties in cancer cells without additional delivery vehicles. The nanoparticles, named E-Curc-dots, are synthesized using three precursor molecules, ethylenediamine (EDA), curcumin, and citric acid.

Design of Curcumin Loaded Carbon Nanodots Delivery System: Enhanced Bioavailability, Release Kinetics, and Anticancer Activity.

Despite the potential health benefits of curcumin, such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, its usage is limited by poor bioavailability and low aqueous solubility. Nano-formulations of curcumin have gained a lot of attention due to their increased bioavailability, solubility, circulation times, targeted specificity, decreased biodegradation, better stability, and improved cellular uptake. The current study aimed to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin using carbon nanodots (CNDs) as loading vehicles to deliver curcumin due to their excellent biocompatibility, aqueous solubility, and photoluminescence properties.

Novel microwave synthesis of near-metallic copper sulfide nanodiscs with size control: experimental and DFT studies of charge carrier density.

A simple unprecedented microwave synthesis of size controllable copper sufide (CuS) nanodiscs is reported. The experimental results and density functional theory (DFT)-calculated results show charge carrier densities on the order of 10 cm with an effective mass of 0.3 , resulting in near-metallic properties.

High Quantum Yield Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots for detection of Fe (III) Ions and Electrochemical Study of Quenching Mechanism.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) offer potential applications in photocatalysis, optoelectronics, bio-imaging, and sensing due to their excellent photoluminescence (PL) properties, biocompatibility, aqueous solubility, and easy functionalization. Recent emphasis on CNDs in the selective detection of metal ions is due to the growing concern for human and environmental safety. In this work, two types of fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) are synthesized economically from ethylene diamine (E-CNDs) or urea (U-CNDs) in a single step microwave process.

Tuning the Functional Groups on Carbon Nanodots and Antioxidant Studies.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) have shown good antioxidant capabilities by scavenging oxidant free radicals such as diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) and reactive oxygen species. While some studies suggest that the antioxidation activities associate to the proton donor role of surface active groups like carboxyl groups (⁻COOH), it is unclear how exactly the extent of oxidant scavenging potential and its related mechanisms are influenced by functional groups on CNDs' surfaces. In this work, carboxyl and the amino functional groups on CNDs' surfaces are modified to investigate the individual influence of intermolecular interactions with DPPH• free radical by UV-Vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry.

Antioxidant Capacity of Nitrogen and Sulfur Codoped Carbon Nanodots.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) have shown potential for antioxidative activity at the cellular level. Here we applied a facile hydrothermal method to prepare fluorescent nitrogen and sulfur (N,S-)codoped CNDs using -lipoic acid, citric acid, and urea as precursor molecules. This work describes a comprehensive study for exploring their antioxidation activity using UV-vis absorption and electrochemistry measurements of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), as well as a lucigenin chemiluminescence (lucigenin-CL) assay.

A fluorescence-electrochemical study of carbon nanodots (CNDs) in bio- and photoelectronic applications and energy gap investigation.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) have attracted great attention due to their superior solubility, biocompatibility, tunable photoluminescence, and opto-electronic properties. This work describes a new fluorescence-based spectroelectrochemistry approach to simultaneously study the photoluminescence and wavelength dependent photocurrent of microwave synthesized CNDs. The fluorescence of CNDs shows selective quenching upon a reversible redox couple, ferricyanide/ferrocyanide, reaction during cyclic voltammetry.

X-Ray absorption spectroscopy of LiBF4 in propylene carbonate: a model lithium ion battery electrolyte.

Since their introduction into the commercial marketplace in 1991, lithium ion batteries have become increasingly ubiquitous in portable technology. Nevertheless, improvements to existing battery technology are necessary to expand their utility for larger-scale applications, such as electric vehicles. Advances may be realized from improvements to the liquid electrolyte; however, current understanding of the liquid structure and properties remains incomplete.

Electrokinetic detection for X-ray spectra of weakly interacting liquids: n-decane and n-nonane.

The introduction of liquid microjets into soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy enabled the windowless study of liquids by this powerful atom-selective high vacuum methodology. However, weakly interacting liquids produce large vapor backgrounds that strongly perturb the liquid signal. Consequently, solvents (e.

STUDY OF THE NEAR INFRARED-MEDIATED HEATING OF DISPERSIONS OF PROTEIN-COATED PRISTINE AND CARBOXYLATED SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES.

Previously, we demonstrated the selective NIR-mediated ablation of tumor cells using pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with adsorbed tumor-targeting ligands and carboxylated SWNTs with covalently-attached ligands. The covalent approach is advantageous in ensuring that protein ligands remain associated with the NIR-absorbing SWNTs in biological matrices and the noncovalent approach has the advantage of enabling SWNT functionalization without perturbation of the SWNT lattice and photothermal properties. Herein, we compare the ability of moderately-carboxylated (~4 at.