Highly sensitive plasmonic paper substrate fabricated via amphiphilic polymer self-assembly in microdroplet for detection of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants.

We report an innovative and facile approach to fabricating an ultrasensitive plasmonic paper substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The approach exploits the self-assembling capability of poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine) block copolymers to form a thin film at the air-liquid interface within the single microdroplet scale for the first time and the subsequent in situ growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The concentration of the block copolymer was found to play an essential role in stabilizing the droplets during the mass transfer phase and formation of silver nanoparticles, thus influencing the SERS signals.

Novel molecularly imprinted nanogel modified microfluidic paper-based SERS substrate for simultaneous detection of bisphenol A and bisphenol S traces in plastics.

Paper-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) optical nanoprobes provide ultrasensitive analyte detection; however, they lack selectivity, making them difficult to use in real-world sample analysis without a pretreatment process. This work describes the design of a microfluidic paper-based SERS substrate based on molecularly imprinted nanogels decorated with silver nanoparticles to simultaneously detect bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) traces in plastic toys and receipts. The synthesized nanogels have two characteristics that boost SERS performance: molecularly imprinted cavities that allow for selective adsorption and a wrinkled surface that creates uniformly distributed hot spots.

Cell penetrating peptides: Highlighting points in cancer therapy.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), first identified in HIV a few decades ago, deserved great attention in the last two decades; especially to support the penetration of anticancer drug means. In the drug delivery discipline, they have been involved in various approaches from mixing with hydrophobic drugs to the use of genetically conjugated proteins. The early classification as cationic and amphipathic CPPs has been extended to a few more classes such as hydrophobic and cyclic CPPs so far.

Turn Off-On Fluorescent CO Gas Detection Based on Amine-Functionalized Imidazole-Based Poly(ionic liquid).

Poly(ionic liquids) (PILs) have been widely used for CO capture because their characteristics resemble those of an ionic liquid, yet they have properties typically associated with polymers. We studied the application of the amine-functionalized poly(vinylimidazole)-based PIL (PVIm-NH) as a chemosensor. The PVIm-NH was successfully prepared by a facile and low-cost method and was characterized by several analytical techniques: proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and spectrofluorometry.

Polymer-Based Hybrid Nanoarchitectures for Cancer Therapy Applications.

Globally, cancer is affecting societies and is becoming an important cause of death. Chemotherapy can be highly effective, but it is associated with certain problems, such as undesired targeting and multidrug resistance. The other advanced therapies, such as gene therapy and peptide therapy, do not prove to be effective without a proper delivery medium.

Water-stable perovskite-loaded nanogels containing antioxidant property for highly sensitive and selective detection of roxithromycin in animal-derived food products.

Luminescent inorganic lead halide perovskite nanoparticles lack stability in aqueous solutions, limiting their application to optical sensors. Here, hybrid CsPbBr-loaded MIP nanogels were developed with enhanced stability in aqueous media. Multifunctional MIP nanogels with antioxidant function and hydrophobic cavities were synthesized from HEMA derivatives in the presence of roxithromycin as a template.

Recent Advances in Nanomicelles Delivery Systems.

The efficient and selective delivery of therapeutic drugs to the target site remains the main obstacle in the development of new drugs and therapeutic interventions. Up until today, nanomicelles have shown their prospective as nanocarriers for drug delivery owing to their small size, good biocompatibility, and capacity to effectively entrap lipophilic drugs in their core. Nanomicelles are formed via self-assembly in aqueous media of amphiphilic molecules into well-organized supramolecular structures.

Selective optosensing of iron(III) ions in HeLa cells using NaYF:Yb/Tm upconversion nanoparticles coated with polyepinephrine.

Novel polyepinephrine-modified NaYF:Yb,Tm upconversion luminescent nanoparticles (UCNP@PEP) were prepared via the self-polymerization of epinephrine on the surfaces of the UCNPs for selective sensing of Fe inside a cell and for intracellular imaging. The proposed UCNP@PEP probe is a strong blue light emitter (λ = 474 nm) upon exposure to an excitation wavelength of 980 nm. The probe was used for detecting Fe owing to the complexation reaction between UCNP@PEP and Fe, resulting in reduced upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity.

Solvent-resistant microfluidic paper-based analytical device/spray mass spectrometry for quantitative analysis of C -ceramide biomarker.

We developed a highly efficient and low-cost organic solvents-resistant microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) coupled with paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) for quantitative determination of C -ceramide as a prognostic biomarker for several diseases. Several models of μPAD patterns have been examined to select the most resistant and efficient microchannel barriers, which can provide continuous spray at ionization zone and prevent "coffee ring" effect. Moreover, the developed μPAD has enabled the analysis of low concentration of C -ceramide because of the maximum supply of deposited analyte through microchannel.

Dual emission nonionic molecular imprinting conjugated polythiophenes-based paper devices and their nanofibers for point-of-care biomarkers detection.

Enzyme-based assays have been extensively used for the early diagnosis of disease-related biomarkers. However, these assays are time-consuming, resource-intensive, and infrastructure-dependent, which renders them unsuitable and impractical for use in resource-constrained areas. Thus, there is a strong demand for a biocompatible and potentially generalizable sensor that can rapidly detect cancer biomarkers at ultralow concentration.

Multiple Emitting Amphiphilic Conjugated Polythiophenes-Coated CdTe QDs for Picogram Detection of Trinitrophenol Explosive and Application Using Chitosan Film and Paper-Based Sensor Coupled with Smartphone.

Novel multiple emitting amphiphilic conjugated polythiophene-coated CdTe quantum dots for picogram level determination of the 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) explosive are developed. Four biocompatible sensors, cationic polythiophene nanohybrids (CPTQDs), nonionic polythiophene nanohybrids (NPTQDs), anionic polythiophene nanohybrids (APTQDs), and thiophene copolymer nanohybrids (TCPQDs), are designed using an in situ polymerization method, which shows highly enhanced fluorescence intensity and quantum yield (up to 78%). All sensors are investigated for nitroexplosive detection to provide a remarkable fluorescence quenching for TNP and the quenching efficiency reached 96% in the case of TCPQDs.

One-step synthesis of NaLuGdF:Yb/Er(Tm) upconversion nanoparticles for in vitro cell imaging.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) possess a unique type of photoluminescence (PL) in which lower-energy excitation is converted into higher-energy emission via multi-photon absorption processes. In this work, we have used a facile one-step hydrothermal method promoted water solubility to synthesis NaLuGdF:Yb/Er(Tm) UCNPs coated with malonic acid (MA). Scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction patterns reveal sphere-shaped UCNPs with an average size of ~80nm crystallized in the cubic NaLuF structure.

Phospholipase A2-Responsive Phosphate Micelle-Loaded UCNPs for Bioimaging of Prostate Cancer Cells.

We report the effective synthesis of biocompatible upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP)-loaded phosphate micelles and successful delivery of UCNPs to prostate cancer cells via secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA-2) enzyme cleavage of the loaded micelles for the first time. The activity of the (sPLA-2) enzyme toward the synthesized micelles was investigated and confirmed by LC-MS. TEM results showed that the micelles have a size distribution of 80 to 150 nm, whereas UCNP-loaded micelles range from 200 to 350 nm, indicating the successful loading of UCNPs.

Yb,Er,Eu-codoped YVO material for bioimaging with dual mode excitation.

We propose an efficient bioimaging strategy using Yb,Er,Eu-triplet doped YVO nanoparticles which were synthesized with polymer as a template. The obtained particles possess nanoscale, uniform, and flexible excitation. The effect of Eu ions on the luminescence properties of YVO:Yb,Er,Eu was investigated.