Effect of a three-dimensional nanotube array substrate on photocatalytic conversion performance of CO gas to methanol by amine-loaded CuO/ZnO catalysts.

The photocatalytic conversion of CO gas into energy-dense hydrocarbons holds the potential to address both environmental and energy problems. Catalysts consisting of CuO clusters/nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods on a metallic nanotube array (MeNTA) silicon substrate were utilized for CO reduction. The surface of the catalysts was modified with 3-amino-propyltriethoxysilane (APTES), the amine terminal of which can selectively bind CO gas.

Protector-free, non-plasmonic silver quantum clusters by femtosecond pulse laser irradiation: binding on nanocellulose filaments for improved catalytic activity and cycling performance.

This study introduces a new, facile method to synthesize silver clusters from aqueous silver ion solution by using high intensity femtosecond pulse laser irradiation. The particles obtained in the absence of reducing or capping agents are 1-17 nm in size and presented quantum properties, as characterized by fluorescence, but did not exhibit plasmon signals, which is not a common characteristic of conventional silver nanoparticles. In a further development, small silver quantum clusters (∼1 nm) were bound to wet-spun filaments of cellulose nanofibrils by pulsed laser irradiation.

Nanoarchitectonics of Nanocellulose Filament Electrodes by Femtosecond Pulse Laser Deposition of ZnO and Conjugation of Conductive Polymers.

Electroactive filament electrodes were synthesized by wet-spinning of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) followed by femtosecond pulse laser deposition of ZnO (CNF@ZnO). A layer of conducting conjugated polymers was further adsorbed by polymerization of either pyrrole or aniline, yielding systems optimized for electron conduction. The resultant hybrid filaments were thoroughly characterized by imaging, spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance, and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering.

Electrochemical nonenzymatic glucose sensors catalyzed by Au nanoclusters on metallic nanotube arrays and polypyrrole nanowires.

Monitoring blood glucose level is critical, since its abnormality leads to diabetes and causes death, even though glucose is essential for human living. Herein, the sensing study was performed on electrochemical nonenzymatic glucose sensors, which are composed of an Au nanocluster (AuNC) catalyst deposited on a metallic nanotube array (MeNTA) and polypyrrole nanowire (PPyNW). The AuNC was produced by irradiating a femtosecond pulse laser to the Au precursor solution, and it is a simple and facile method.

Movements of Magnetite-Encapsulated Graphene Particles at Air-Water Interface and Their Cell Growths under Dynamic Magnetic Field.

The motion of magnetic particles under magnetic fields is an object to be solved in association with basic and practical phenomena. Movement phenomena of magnetite-encapsulated graphene particles at air-water interfaces were evaluated by manufacturing a feedback control system of the magnetic field to cause the motion of particles due to magnetic torque. A homogeneous magnetic field was generated using two pairs of electromagnets located perpendicular to each other, which were connected to an electronic switch.

Electrochemical immunosensing by carbon ink/carbon dot/ZnO-labeled-Ag@polypyrrole composite biomarker for CA-125 ovarian cancer detection.

In this work, we demonstrated a novel cancer antigen 125 (CA125) biomarker detection based on electrochemical immunosensor. The biomarker on conductive composite materials of carbon ink/carbon dot/zine oxide (C-ink/CD/ZnO) was employed as an electrode platform by using ITO substrate to enhance the interaction of antibodies (Ab) with supporting catalytic performance of ZnO as a labeling signal molecule. They were a scientist attention for biosensor with chemical stability, strong biocompatibility, high conductive signal, and accuracy.

Preparation of Functional Nanoparticles-Loaded Magnetic Carbon Nanohorn Nanocomposites towards Composite Treatment.

Combination therapy for cancer is expected for the synergetic effect of different treatments, and the development of promising carrier materials is demanded for new therapeutics. In this study, nanocomposites including functional nanoparticles (NPs) such as samarium oxide NP for radiotherapy and gadolinium oxide NP as a magnetic resonance imaging agent were synthesized and chemically combined with iron oxide NP-embedded or carbon dot-coating iron oxide NP-embedded carbon nanohorn carriers, where iron oxide NP is a hyperthermia reagent and carbon dot exerts effects on photodynamic/photothermal treatments. These nanocomposites exerted potential for delivery of anticancer drugs (doxorubicin, gemcitabine, and camptothecin) even after being coated with poly(ethylene glycol).

Role of HIKESHI on Hyperthermia for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer and Application of a Novel Magnetic Nanoparticle with Carbon Nanohorn for Magnetic Hyperthermia.

The prognosis of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is technically scarce; therefore, a novel treatment for CRPC remains warranted. To this end, hyperthermia (HT) was investigated as an alternative therapy. In this study, the analysis focused on the association between CRPC and heat shock protein nuclear import factor "hikeshi (HIKESHI)", a factor of heat tolerance.

Enhancement of Perovskite Solar Cells by TiO-Carbon Dot Electron Transport Film Layers.

The high performance of perovskite solar cells was produced with the help of an electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer. The film ETL (mesoporous (meso)-TiO/carbon dot) boosted the efficiency of the perovskite solar cells. A perovskite cell was fabricated by a coating of carbon dot on a meso-TiO ETL.

Cascade Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Studies for Enhancement of Light Harvesting on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

This work reports cascade Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based n-type (ZnO) and p-type (NiO) dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), discussing approaches to enhance their overall performance. Although DSSCs suffer from poorer performance than other solar cells, the use of composites with carbon dot (Cdot) can enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSCs. However, further improvements are demanded through molecular design to stimulate DSSCs.

Complexation Nanoarchitectonics of Carbon Dots with Doxorubicin toward Photodynamic Anti-Cancer Therapy.

Carbon dots (Cdots) are known as photosensitizers in which the nitrogen doping is able to improve the oxygen-photosensitization performance and singlet-oxygen generation. Herein, the characteristics of nanoconjugates of nitrogen-doped Cdots and doxorubicin were compared with the property of nitrogen-doped Cdots alone. The investigation was performed for the evaluation of pH-dependent zeta potential, quantum yield, photosensitization efficiency and singlet-oxygen generation, besides spectroscopy (UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectra) and cytotoxicity on cancer model (HeLa cells).

Cobalt Incorporated Graphitic Carbon Nitride as a Bifunctional Catalyst for Electrochemical Water-Splitting Reactions in Acidic Media.

Non-noble metal-based bifunctional electrocatalysts may be a promising new resource for electrocatalytic water-splitting devices. In this work, transition metal (cobalt)-incorporated graphitic carbon nitride was synthesized and fabricated in electrodes for use as bifunctional catalysts. The optimum catalytic activity of this bifunctional material for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which benefitted at a cobalt content of 10.

Hierarchical Composite Nanoarchitectonics with a Graphitic Core, Dendrimer and Fluorocarbon Domains, and a Poly(ethylene glycol) Shell as O Reservoirs for Reactive Oxygen Species Production.

Graphene oxide (GO), single-walled carbon nanohorn (CNHox), and nitrogen-doped CNH (N-CNH) were functionalized with fluorinated poly(ethylene glycol) (-PEG) and/or with a fluorinated dendrimer (-DEN) to prepare a series of assembled nanocomposites (GO/-PEG, CNHox/-PEG, N-CNH/-PEG, N-CNH/-DEN, and N-CNH/-DEN/-PEG) that provide effective multisite O reservoirs. In all cases, the O uptake increased with time and saturated after 10-20 min. When graphitic carbons (GO and CNHox) were coated with -PEG, the O uptake doubled.

Nanoscaled PAMAM Dendrimer Spacer Improved the Photothermal-Photodynamic Treatment Efficiency of Photosensitizer-Decorated Confeito-Like Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy.

A critical factor in developing an efficient photosensitizer-gold nanoparticle (PS-AuNP) hybrid system with improved plasmonic photosensitization is to allocate a suitable space between AuNPs and PS. Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer is selected as a spacer between the PS and confeito-like gold nanoparticles (confeito-AuNPs), providing the required distance (≈2.5-22.

Femtosecond pulse laser fabrication of zinc oxide quantum clusters/nanoparticles and their electrical, optical, and chemical characteristics.

Despite various studies on the preparation of different types and sizes of ZnO, the synthesis of quantum clusters of bare metal oxide has rarely been reported. The research goals of this study were to create clusters/nanoparticles using femtosecond laser irradiation to increase the electrical, optical, and chemical functionalities of ZnO. Femtosecond pulse laser irradiation deposition technology was used here to produce ZnO from a precursor in water (pH = 5.

Chitosan-Coated-PLGA Nanoparticles Enhance the Antitumor and Antimigration Activity of Stattic - A STAT3 Dimerization Blocker.

Purpose: The use of nanocarriers to improve the delivery and efficacy of antimetastatic agents is less explored when compared to cytotoxic agents. This study reports the entrapment of an antimetastatic Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) dimerization blocker, Stattic (S) into a chitosan-coated-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (C-PLGA) nanocarrier and the improvement on the drug's physicochemical, in vitro and in vivo antimetastatic properties post entrapment.

Methods: In vitro, physicochemical properties of the Stattic-entrapped C-PLGA nanoparticles (S@C-PLGA) and Stattic-entrapped PLGA nanoparticles (S@PLGA, control) in terms of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, drug loading, entrapment efficiency, Stattic release in different medium and cytotoxicity were firstly evaluated.

A nanocellulose-based platform towards targeted chemo-photodynamic/photothermal cancer therapy.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have advantages as drug delivery carriers because of their biocompatibility and the presence of hydroxyl groups which favor chemical modification and drug binding. The present study describes the development of novel multifunctional rod-like CNCs-based carriers as therapeutic platforms: CNCs were hybridized with folic acid for actively targeting tumor cells, carbon dots (Cdots) for both imaging and photodynamic/photothermal treatments and doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug. Hybridized carriers displayed excellent drug-loading capacity.

Capacitance enhancement of nitrogen-doped graphene oxide/magnetite with polyaniline or carbon dots under external magnetic field: Supported by theoretical estimation.

The effect of conductive materials (polyaniline (PA) or carbon dots (Cdots)) added to supercapacitor consisting of nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (NG) and magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite, FeO) was assessed. Small amounts (4 wt%) of Cdots in composites of NG and FeO nanoparticles have shown better supercapacitor performance than the addition of PA. When the external stimulating force (magnetic field, 8.

Selective colorimetric and electrochemical detections of Cr(III) pollutant in water on 3-mercaptopropionic acid-functionalized gold plasmon nanoparticles.

Gold plasmon nanoparticle (AuNP) was applied to the detection and the quantification of pollutant Cr(III) in water. It was synthesized by the chemical reduction of tetrachloroauric(III) acid with sodium citrate as a reducing and capping agent and was modified with 3-mercaptopropanoic acid (3-mpa) to improve the sensing recognition for the metal ion in the colorimetric detection. The 3-mpa-deposited AuNP selectively bound Cr(III) among the other 14 metal cations, resulting in the redshift of the gold plasmon band from 521 nm to 670 nm.

Self-standing films of octadecylaminated-TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils with antifingerprint properties.

Self-standing films of cellulose nanofibril derivatives were prepared via oxidation by the 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy radical and amidation with octadecylamine (ODA). The transparency and rigidity of the films decreased and their flexibility increased as the amide/carboxyl ratio increased. The introduction of the ODA also resulted in rising contact angles of water (from 43.

Enhanced Photosensitization by Carbon Dots Co-adsorbing with Dye on p-Type Semiconductor (Nickel Oxide) Solar Cells.

In this work, the effect of carbon dots (C-dots) on the performance of NiO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was explored. NiO nanoparticles (NPs) with a rectangular shape (average size: 11.4 × 16.

Nitric Oxide Gas Delivery by Fluorinated Poly(Ethylene Glycol)@Graphene Oxide Carrier toward Pharmacotherapeutics.

In view of preparing effective nitric oxide gas carriers, a fluorinated poly(ethylene glycol) (-PEG) was noncovalently conjugated with acid-treated graphene oxide (GO) to prepare the composite of -PEG@GO. When the persistence of NO gas doped on GO and -PEG@GO was investigated for 3 h, the conserved NO gas decreased from 49.00 ± 7.

Cyclodextrin- and dendrimer-conjugated graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for the delivery of selected chemotherapeutic and photosensitizing agents.

In this study, nanohybrid materials consisting of graphene oxide (GO), β‑cyclodextrin (CD) and poly(amido amine) dendrimer (DEN) were successfully prepared by covalent bonding. GO-CD and GO-CD-DEN were found to be potential nanocarriers for anticancer drugs including chemotherapeutics (doxorubicin (DOX), camptothecin (CPT)) and photosensitizer (protoporphyrin IX (PpIX)). GO-CD possessed 1.

Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering of Rhodamine 6G in Dispersions and on Films of Confeito-Like Au Nanoparticles.

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) of rhodamine 6G was measured on confeito-like Au nanoparticles (CAuNPs). The large CAuNPs (100 nm in diameter) in aqueous dispersion systems showed stronger enhancing effect (analytical enhancement factor: over 10⁵) of SERRS than the small CAuNPs (50 nm in diameter), while the spherical Au nanoparticles (20 nm in diameter) displayed rather weak intensities. Especially, minor bands in 1400-1600 cm were uniquely enhanced by the resonance effect of CAuNPs.