Unveiling Chirality in MoS Nanosheets: A Breakthrough in Phase Engineering for Enhanced Chiroptical Properties.

The development of new synthetic strategies to introduce and control chirality in inorganic nanostructures has been highly stimulated by the broad spectrum of potential applications of these exiting nanomaterials. Molybdenum disulfide is among the most investigated transition metal dichalcogenides due to its promising properties for applications that spread from optoelectronic to spintronic. Herein, we report a new two-step approach for the production of chiroptically active semiconductor 2H MoS nanosheets with chiral morphology based on the manipulation of their crystallographic structure.

Investigating the Local Bonding Structure of Amorphous Zinc Tin Oxide to Elucidate the Effect of Altering the Intercation Ratio.

In this paper, the local bonding structure in amorphous zinc tin oxide (a-ZTO) is probed using a combination of XANES and EXAFS techniques at the Zn and Sn K-edges to gain insight into charge carrier generation in the material. a-ZTO is prepared using two growth methods; spray pyrolysis and magnetron sputtering. It is seen that a-ZTO grown by magnetron sputtering shows no changes in the chemical environment as the cation ratio is varied; meanwhile, XANES analysis of spray pyrolysis grown samples shows alterations to spectra likely due to the effects caused by different precursors.

Bottom-up Synthesis of Highly Chiral 1T Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets.

Chirality in inorganic nanostructures has recently stimulated the attention of many researchers, both to unravel fundamental questions on the origin of chirality in inorganic and hybrid materials, as well as to introduce novel promising properties that are originated by the symmetry breaking. MoS is one of the most investigated among the large family of layered transition metal dichalcogenides. In particular, the metastable metallic 1T-MoS phase is of large interest for potential applications.

Multishell Silver Indium Selenide-Based Quantum Dots and Their Poly(methyl methacrylate) Composites for Application in Red-Light-Emitting Diodes.

In this work, the production of novel multishell silver indium selenide quantum dots (QDs) shelled with zinc selenide and zinc sulfide through a multistep synthesis precisely designed to develop high-quality red-emitting QDs is explored. The formation of the multishell nanoheterostructure significantly improves the photoluminescence quantum yield of the nanocrystals from 3% observed for the silver indium selenide core to 27 and 46% after the deposition of the zinc selenide and zinc sulfide layers, respectively. Moreover, the incorporation of the multishelled QDs in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix via in situ radical polymerization is investigated, and the role of thiol ligand passivation is proven to be fundamental for the stabilization of the QDs during the polymerization step, preventing their decomposition and the relative luminescence quenching.

Chiroptically active quantum nanonails.

In recent years, extensive research efforts have been dedicated to the investigation of CdSe/CdS-based quantum-confined nanostructures, driven by their distinctive properties. The morphologies of these nanostructures have been shown to directly affect their properties, an area which has proven to be an important field of study. Herein, we report a new morphology of CdSe/CdS core-shell heterostructures in the form of a 'nanonail' - a modified nanorod-like morphology, in which a distinctive triangular head can be observed at one end of the structure.

Boron Nitride Nanosheet-Magnetic Nanoparticle Composites for Water Remediation Applications.

The combination of 0D nanoparticles with 2D nanomaterials has attracted a lot of attention over the last years due to the unique multimodal properties of resulting 0D-2D nanocomposites. In this work, we developed boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) functionalized with manganese ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The functionalization process involved attachment of MNPs to exfoliated BNNS by refluxing the precursor materials in a polyol medium.

Expanding the Horizons of Machine Learning in Nanomaterials to Chiral Nanostructures.

Machine learning holds significant research potential in the field of nanotechnology, enabling nanomaterial structure and property predictions, facilitating materials design and discovery, and reducing the need for time-consuming and labor-intensive experiments and simulations. In contrast to their achiral counterparts, the application of machine learning for chiral nanomaterials is still in its infancy, with a limited number of publications to date. This is despite the great potential of machine learning to advance the development of new sustainable chiral materials with high values of optical activity, circularly polarized luminescence, and enantioselectivity, as well as for the analysis of structural chirality by electron microscopy.

Chiroptically Active Multi-Modal Calcium Carbonate-Based Nanocomposites.

The development of multimodal nano- and micro-structures has become an increasingly popular area of research in recent years. In particular, the combination of two or more desirable properties within a single structure opens multiple opportunities from biomedicine, sensing, and catalysis, to a variety of optical applications. Here, for the first time, we report the synthesis and characterization of multimodal chiroptically active CaCO nanocomposites.

Ligand induced chirality in InS nanoparticles.

Chiral inorganic nanostructures have attracted a lot of attention over the last few years. Here we report the first observation of chirality in indium sulfide nanoparticles, which have been produced by a co-precipitation reaction in the presence of cysteine as a chiral agent. The process resulted in the production of spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of around 3.

Boron Nitride Nanosheets Functionalized with FeO and CoFeO Magnetic Nanoparticles for Nanofiltration Applications.

Nanofiltration (NF) is one of the emerging technologies that is very promising for water purification among many other applications. 2D boron nitride (BN) based nanomaterials are excellent building blocks for NF membranes. In our work, BN nanosheets (BNNS) have been functionalized with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to form BNNS-MNP nanocomposites.

Magnetically driven preparation of 1-D nano-necklaces capable of MRI relaxation enhancement.

We report a novel magnetically-facilitated approach to produce 1-D 'nano-necklace' arrays composed of 0-D magnetic nanoparticles, which are assembled and coated with an oxide layer to produce semi-flexible core@shell type structures. These 'nano-necklaces' demonstrate good MRI relaxation properties despite their coating and permanent alignment, with low field enhancement due to structural and magnetocrystalline anisotropy.

Chirality in luminescent CsCuBr microcrystals produced ligand-assisted reprecipitation.

Herein we report new chiral luminescent CsCuBr needle-like microcrystals and the analysis of their optical properties and the effect of the ligand structure on the transfer of chirality.

MnFeO@SiO@CeO core-shell nanostructures for applications in water remediation.

Removal of dye pollutants from wastewater is among the most important emerging needs in environmental science and engineering. The main objective of our work is to develop new magnetic core-shell nanostructures and explore their use for potential removal of pollutants from water using an external magnetic field. Herein, we have prepared magnetic core-shell nanoparticles that demonstrated excellent dye pollutant adsorbent properties.

XRD and Spectroscopic Investigations of ZIF-Microchannel Glass Plates Composites.

In this study, new composite materials comprising zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) structures and microchannel glass (MCG) plates were fabricated using the hydrothermal method and their morphological and spectral properties were investigated using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. XRD studies of powder samples revealed the presence of an additional phase for a ZIF-8 sample, whereas ZIF-67 samples, which were prepared through two different chemical routes, showed no additional phases. A detailed analysis of the FTIR and micro-Raman spectra of the composite samples revealed the formation of stable ZIF structures inside the macropores of the MCG substrate.

Partially oxidised boron nitride as a 2D nanomaterial for nanofiltration applications.

Boron nitride (BN) based 2D nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for the development of new membranes for nanofiltration applications. Here, we report the preparation, characterisation and testing of highly promising nanofiltration membranes produced from partially oxidised BN (BNOx) 2D nanosheets. In our work, the partial oxidation of BN was successfully achieved by heating the bulk h-BN powder in air at 1000 °C, resulting in BNOx product.

Design and Development of Magnetic Iron Core Gold Nanoparticle-Based Fluorescent Multiplex Assay to Detect .

is a bacterial pathogen which is one of the leading causes of severe illnesses in humans. The current study involved the design and development of two methods, respectively using iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) and iron core gold nanoparticle (ICGNP), conjugated with the Salmonella antibody and the fluorophore, 4-Methylumbelliferyl Caprylate (4-MUCAP), used as an indicator, for its selective and sensitive detection in contaminated food products. Twenty double-blind beverage samples, spiked with , , and , were prepared in sterile Eppendorf tubes at room temperature.

Chiral non-stoichiometric ternary silver indium sulfide quantum dots: investigation on the chirality transfer by cysteine.

Chiral semiconductor quantum dots have recently received broad attention due to their promising application in several fields such as sensing and photonics. The extensive work in the last few years was focused on the observation of the chiroptical properties in binary Cd based systems. Herein, we report on the first evidence of ligand-induced chirality in silver indium sulfide semiconductor quantum dots.

Microbe-Based Sensor for Long-Term Detection of Urine Glucose.

The development of a reusable and low-cost urine glucose sensor can benefit the screening and control of diabetes mellitus. This study focused on the feasibility of employing microbial fuel cells (MFC) as a selective glucose sensor for continuous monitoring of glucose levels in human urine. Using MFC technology, a novel cylinder sensor (CS) was developed.

Photoluminescent, "ice-cream cone" like Cu-In-(Zn)-S/ZnS nanoheterostructures.

Copper based ternary and quaternary quantum confined nanostructures have attracted huge attention over recent years due to their potential applications in photonics, photovoltaics, imaging, sensing and other areas. However, anisotropic nanoheterostructures of this type are still poorly explored to date, despite numerous predictions of the distinctive optical properties of these highly fluorescent heavy metal free nanostructures. Here, we report new fluorescent multicomponent Cu-In-(Zn)-S/ZnS nanoheterostructures with a unique anisotropic "ice-cream cone" like morphology.

High-Performance Boron Nitride-Based Membranes for Water Purification.

In recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have resulted in the development of new alternative sustainable technologies for water purification. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for nanofiltration membranes. In this work, we report the production, characterisation and testing of a promising nanofiltration membrane made from water-exfoliated boron nitride (BN) 2D nanosheets.

Bactericidal Activity of Multilayered Hybrid Structures Comprising Titania Nanoparticles and CdSe Quantum Dots under Visible Light.

Titania nanoparticle/CdSe quantum dot hybrid structures are a promising bactericidal coating that exhibits a pronounced effect against light-sensitive bacteria. Here, we report the results of a comprehensive study of the photophysical properties and bactericidal functionality of these hybrid structures on various bacterial strains. We found that our structures provide the efficient generation of superoxide anions under the action of visible light due to electron transfer from QDs to titania nanoparticles with ~60% efficiency.

Anisotropic nanomaterials for asymmetric synthesis.

The production of enantiopure chemicals is an essential part of modern chemical industry. Hence, the emergence of asymmetric catalysis led to dramatic changes in the procedures of chemical synthesis, and now it provides the most advantageous and economically executable solution for large-scale production of chiral chemicals. In recent years, nanostructures have emerged as potential materials for asymmetric synthesis.

Sampling, Identification and Characterization of Microplastics Release from Polypropylene Baby Feeding Bottle during Daily Use.

Microplastics (MPs) are becoming a global concern due to the potential risk to human health. Case studies of plastic products (i.e.

Enantioselective effect of cysteine functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles in U87 MG and GM08680 human cells and bacteria.

Chirality is a fundamental phenomenon in biological systems, since most of the biomolecules and biological components and species are chiral and therefore recognize and respond differently depending on the enantiomer present. With increasing research into the use of nanomaterials for biomedical purposes, it is essential to understand the role that chirality of nanoparticles plays at the cellular level. Here, the chiral cysteine functionalization of mesoporous silica nanoparticles has been shown to broadly affect its interaction with U87 MG human glioblastoma cell, healthy human fibroblast (GM08680) and methicillin-resistant S.