Porous alumina photoluminescence-inherent particles are produced and proposed for the development of biomarkers detectors and localized treatment of HepG2 cells. Nanoporous alumina particles (NPAPs) are amorphous, consist of hexagonally ordered nanometric pores in an alumina matrix, have high chemical stability in physiological pH, and exhibit a high inherent photoluminescence in the visible spectrum independently of their size, selectable from nanometers to tens of micrometers. The surface of NPAPs is chemically modified using two different functionalization methods, a multistep method with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde (GLTA) and a novel simplified-step method with silane-PEG-NHS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPorous silicon has received much attention because of its optical properties and for its usefulness in cell-based biosensing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. Surface properties of the biomaterial are associated with cell adhesion and with proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The present article analyzes the behavior of human aortic endothelial cells in macro- and nanoporous collagen-modified porous silicon samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPorous silicon (pSi) is a prosperous biomaterial, biocompatible, and biodegradable. Obtaining regularly functionalized pSi surfaces is required in many biotechnology applications. Silane-PEG-NHS (triethoxysilane-polyethylene-glycol-N-hydroxysuccinimide) is useful for single-molecule studies due to its ability to attach to only one biomolecule.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) is a material with great interest in nanotechnology and with promising applications to biotechnology. Obtaining specific and regularly functionalized NAA surfaces is essential to obtain meaningful results and applications. Silane-PEG-NHS (triethoxysilane-polyethylene-glycol-N-hydroxysuccinimide) is a covalent linker commonly used for single-molecule studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe sea cucumber Holothuria forskåli possesses a specialized system called Cuvierian tubules. During mechanical stimulation white filaments (tubules) are expelled and become sticky upon contact with any object. We isolated a protein with adhesive properties from protein extracts of Cuvierian tubules from H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSilica-based materials are used in many high-tech products including microelectronics, optoelectronics, and catalysts. Siliceous sponges (Demospongiae and Hexactinellida) are unique in their ability to synthesize silica enzymatically. We have cloned the silica-forming enzymes, silicateins, from both demosponges (marine and freshwater sponges) and hexactinellid sponges.
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