Non-invasive in vivo sensing of bacterial implant infection using catalytically-optimised gold nanocluster-loaded liposomes for urinary readout.

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial implant-associated infections, causing significant morbidity and mortality, underscoring the need for rapid, non-invasive, and cost-effective diagnostics. Here, we optimise the synthesis of renal-clearable gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) for enhanced catalytic activity with the aim of developing a sensitive colourimetric diagnostic for bacterial infection. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm the stability of glutathione-coated AuNCs and surface access for peroxidase-like activity in complex physiological environments.

The Nanozyme Revolution: Enhancing the Performance of Medical Biosensing Platforms.

Nanozymes represent a class of nanosized materials that exhibit innate catalytic properties similar to biological enzymes. The unique features of these materials have positioned them as promising candidates for applications in clinical sensing devices, specifically those employed at the point-of-care. They notably have found use as a means to amplify signals in nanosensor-based platforms and thereby improve sensor detection limits.

Author Correction: Uncovering active precursors in colloidal quantum dot synthesis.

In the original version of this Article, Fig. 3 contained several errors in the chemical structures. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Uncovering active precursors in colloidal quantum dot synthesis.

Studies of the fundamental physics and chemistry of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) have been central to the field for over 30 years. Although the photophysics of QDs has been intensely studied, much less is understood about the underlying chemical reaction mechanism leading to monomer formation and subsequent QD growth. Here we investigate the reaction mechanism behind CdSe QD synthesis, the most widely studied QD system.

General and Efficient C-C Bond Forming Photoredox Catalysis with Semiconductor Quantum Dots.

Photoredox catalysis has become an essential tool in organic synthesis because it enables new routes to important molecules. However, the best available molecular catalysts suffer from high catalyst loadings and rely on precious metals. Here we show that colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) can serve as efficient and robust, precious-metal free, photoassisted redox catalysts.

Fabrication of Tapered Microtube Arrays and Their Application as a Microalgal Injection Platform.

A template-synthesis method that enables fabrication of tapered microtube arrays is reported. Track-etched poly(ethylene terephthalate) membranes are used as the template, with closed-tipped conical pores having length and base diameter of 6.27 ± 0.