Multicore iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia and combination therapy against cancer cells.

Hypothesis: Multicore flower-like iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are among the best candidates for magnetic hyperthermia applications against cancers. However, they are rarely investigated in physiological environments and their efficacy against cancer cells has been even less studied. The combination of magnetic hyperthermia, using multicore IONPs, with selected bioactive molecules should lead to an enhanced activity against cancer cells.

Single walled carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized by a ruthenium complex for photocatalytic oxidations.

The covalent bonding of a ruthenium bipyridine complex derivative with the aromatic network of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) through a stepwise protocol is presented, thus yielding the sample SWNT-Ru. To do that, an-amino decorated phenanthroline is bonded to the nanotube by means of the diazonium chemistry protocol, providing anchoring points for discrete organometallic units as depicted by the solid characterization techniques employed. The hybrid material, able to emit upon excitation, is active in the visible light-driven photocatalytic oxidation of organic sulfides to sulfoxides.

On-Surface Synthesis of Organolanthanide Sandwich Complexes.

The synthesis of lanthanide-based organometallic sandwich compounds is very appealing regarding their potential for single-molecule magnetism. Here, it is exploited by on-surface synthesis to design unprecedented lanthanide-directed organometallic sandwich complexes on Au(111). The reported compounds consist of Dy or Er atoms sandwiched between partially deprotonated hexahydroxybenzene molecules, thus introducing a distinct family of homoleptic organometallic sandwiches based on six-membered ring ligands.

Free PCR virus detection via few-layer bismuthene and tetrahedral DNA nanostructured assemblies.

In this work we describe a highly sensitive method based on a biocatalyzed electrochemiluminescence approach. The system combines, for the first time, the use of few-layer bismuthene (FLB) as a platform for the oriented immobilization of tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) specifically designed and synthetized to detect a specific SARS-CoV-2 gene sequence. In one of its vertices, these TDNs contain a DNA capture probe of the open reading frame 1 ab (ORF1ab) of the virus, available for the biorecognition of the target DNA/RNA.

A Graphene Acid - TiO Nanohybrid as Multifunctional Heterogeneous Photocatalyst for the Synthesis of 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles.

The immobilization of TiO nanoparticles on graphene acid (GA), a conductive graphene derivative densely functionalized with COOH groups, is presented. The interaction between the carboxyl groups of the surface and the titanium precursor leads to a controlled TiO heterogenization on the nanosheet according to microscopic and spectroscopic characterizations. Electronic communication shared among graphene and semiconductor nanoparticles shifts the hybrid material optical features toward less energetic radiation but maintaining the conductivity.

Iron oxide-manganese oxide nanoparticles with tunable morphology and switchable MRI contrast mode triggered by intracellular conditions.

Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials are very attractive for biomedical applications. They can be activated through external stimuli or by the physico-chemical conditions present in cells or tissues. Here, we describe the preparation of hybrid iron oxide-manganese oxide core-satellite shell nanostructures that change their contrast mode in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from T to T, after being internalized by cells.

A MoS platform and thionine-carbon nanodots for sensitive and selective detection of pathogens.

This work focuses on the combination of molybdenum disulfide (MoS) and à la carte functionalized carbon nanodots (CNDs) for the development of DNA biosensors for selective and sensitive detection of pathogens. MoS flakes prepared through liquid-phase exfoliation, serves as platform for thiolated DNA probe immobilization, while thionine functionalized carbon nanodots (Thi-CNDs) are used as electrochemical indicator of the hybridization event. Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies confirmed the interaction of Thi-CNDs with DNA.

Covalent modification of franckeite with maleimides: connecting molecules and van der Waals heterostructures.

The building of van der Waals heterostructures and the decoration of 2D materials with organic molecules share a common goal: to obtain ultrathin materials with tailored properties. Performing controlled chemistry on van der Waals heterostructures would add an extra level of complexity, providing a pathway towards 2D-2D-0D mixed-dimensional heterostructures. Here we show that thiol-ene-like "click" chemistry can be used to decorate franckeite, a naturally occurring van der Waals heterostructure with maleimide reagents.

The influence of cation incorporation and leaching in the properties of Mn-doped nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Hypothesis: Superparamagnetic MnFeO nanoparticles are promising materials for applications in biomedicine and other fields. Small variations in the Mn/Fe ratio have a strong impact on the properties of the nanoparticles. Those variations may be caused by the synthesis itself and by common post-synthesis manipulations like surface modification.

Thermally Activated Processes for Ferromagnet Intercalation in Graphene-Heavy Metal Interfaces.

The development of graphene (Gr) spintronics requires the ability to engineer epitaxial Gr heterostructures with interfaces of high quality, in which the intrinsic properties of Gr are modified through proximity with a ferromagnet to allow for efficient room temperature spin manipulation or the stabilization of new magnetic textures. These heterostructures can be prepared in a controlled way by intercalation through graphene of different metals. Using photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we achieve a nanoscale control of thermally activated intercalation of a homogeneous ferromagnetic (FM) layer underneath epitaxial Gr grown onto (111)-oriented heavy metal (HM) buffers deposited, in turn, onto insulating oxide surfaces.

Fluorescent C-NanoDots for rapid detection of BRCA1, CFTR and MRP3 gene mutations.

The authors report on a fluorometric method for the rapid detection of BRCA1, CFRT and MRP3 gene mutations. These are associated with breast cancer, cystic fibrosis and autoimmune hepatitis diseases, respectively. Carbon nanodots with blue fluorescence (with excitation/emission maxima at 340/440 nm) were synthesized and characterized, and their interactions with DNA were investigated.

Mild Covalent Functionalization of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with Maleimides: A "Click" Reaction for 2H-MoS and WS.

The physical properties of ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDCs) make them promising candidates as active nanomaterials for catalysis, optoelectronics, and biomedical applications. Chemical modification of TMDCs is expected to be key in modifying/adding new functions that will help make such promise a reality. We present a mild method for the modification of the basal planes of 2H-MoS and WS.

Study of the electronic structure of electron accepting cyano-films: TCNQversusTCNE.

In this article, we perform systematic research on the electronic structure of two closely related organic electron acceptor molecules (TCNQ and TCNE), which are of technological interest due to their outstanding electronic properties. These studies have been performed from the experimental point of view by the use electron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS) and supported theoretically by the use of ab-initio DFT calculations. The cross-check between both molecules allows us to identify the characteristic electronic features of each part of the molecules and their contribution to the final electronic structure.

Gas-Phase Functionalization of Macroscopic Carbon Nanotube Fiber Assemblies: Reaction Control, Electrochemical Properties, and Use for Flexible Supercapacitors.

The assembly of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into fibers (CNTFs) is a convenient approach to exploit and apply the unique physico-chemical properties of CNTs in many fields. CNT functionalization has been extensively used for its implementation into composites and devices. However, CNTF functionalization is still in its infancy because of the challenges associated with preservation of CNTF morphology.

Size, Shape, and Phase Control in Ultrathin CdSe Nanosheets.

Ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets raise a rapidly increasing interest due to their unique dimensionality-dependent properties. Most of the two-dimensional materials are obtained by exfoliation of layered bulk materials or are grown on substrates by vapor deposition methods. To produce free-standing nanosheets, solution-based colloidal methods are emerging as promising routes.

Bimodal supramolecular functionalization of carbon nanotubes triggered by covalent bond formation.

Many applications of carbon nanotubes require their chemical functionalization. Both covalent and supramolecular approaches have been extensively investigated. A less trodden path is the combination of both covalent and noncovalent chemistries, where the formation of covalent bonds triggers a particularly stable noncovalent interaction with the nanotubes.

Inorganically coated colloidal quantum dots in polar solvents using a microemulsion-assisted method.

The dielectric nature of organic ligands capping semiconductor colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) makes them incompatible with optoelectronic applications. For this reason, these ligands are regularly substituted through ligand-exchange processes by shorter (even atomic) or inorganic ones. In this work, an alternative path is proposed to obtain inorganically coated NCs.

Synthesis and characterization of boron azadipyrromethene single-wall carbon nanotube electron donor-acceptor conjugates.

The preparation of a novel donor-acceptor material, consisting of a red/near-infrared (NIR) absorbing boron azadipyrromethene donor covalently attached to a highly functionalized single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) acceptor, which bears great potential in the field of organic photovoltaics, has been demonstrated. Both purification and covalent functionalization of SWNTs have been demonstrated using a number of complementary characterization techniques, including atomic force microscopy, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared, and NIR-photoluminescence spectroscopy, and a functionalization density of approximately 1 donor molecule per 100 SWNT atoms has been estimated by XPS. The redox behavior of the fluorophore has been investigated by electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry as well as by pulse radiolysis.

Au nanoparticle-functionalised WO3 nanoneedles and their application in high sensitivity gas sensor devices.

A new method of synthesising nanoparticle-functionalised nanostructured materials via Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (AACVD) has been developed. Co-deposition of Au nanoparticles with WO(3) nanoneedles has been used to deposit a sensing layer directly onto gas sensor substrates providing devices with a six-fold increase in response to low concentrations of a test analyte (ethanol).

Reversing the thermal stability of a molecular switch on a gold surface: ring-opening reaction of nitrospiropyran.

The ring-opening/closing reaction between spiropyran (SP) and merocyanine (MC) is a prototypical thermally and optically induced reversible reaction. However, MC molecules in solution are thermodynamically unstable at room temperature and thus return to the parent closed form on short time scales. Here we report contrary behavior of a submonolayer of these molecules adsorbed on a Au(111) surface.