Microfluidics-Driven Manufacturing and Multiscale Analytical Characterization of Nanoparticle-Vesicle Hybrids.

Coating synthetic nanoparticles (NPs) with lipid membranes is a promising approach to enhance the performance of nanomaterials in various biological applications, including therapeutic delivery to target organs. Current methods for achieving this coating often rely on bulk approaches which can result in low efficiency and poor reproducibility. Continuous processes coupled with quality control represent an attractive strategy to manufacture products with consistent attributes and high yields.

Electrodeposition of Sn-Ru Alloys by Using Direct, Pulsed, and Pulsed Reverse Current for Decorative Applications.

Pulsed current has proven to be a promising alternative to direct current in electrochemical deposition, offering numerous advantages regarding deposit quality and properties. Concerning the electrodeposition of metal alloys, the role of pulsed current techniques may vary depending on the specific metals involved. We studied an innovative tin-ruthenium electroplating bath used as an anti-corrosive layer for decorative applications.

Characterization of bovine serum albumin immobilization on surface modified glass slides in case of pyro-electrohydrodynamic spots.

Background: Pyro-electrohydrodynamic jetting (p-jet) has emerged recently as a promising technique for biosensing applications, through the concentration of highly diluted biomolecules in fluorescent spots at microscale. However, a great challenge still remains in optimizing the binding strategy for the sensing interface, enabling the detection of low abundance proteins through immunofluorescence protocols. Indeed, the surface of reaction can be functionalized with different chemical groups able to bind the target molecule with a strong interaction, prior to the p-jet spots decreasing the possibility to lose sensitivity after the common rinsing steps.

Introducing the new concept of a chiral-polaron giant-IRAV signature, optical-active giant-response in vibrational circular dichroism.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of compounds of primary importance in the field of organic semiconductors, with applications in both organic electronics and photovoltaics. This paper delves into two strictly related topics. First, the theoretical rationalization of the physical factors underlying the emergence of the polaron "giant-response infrared active vibrations (IRAVs)" signature in positively charged PAHs.

Sensitive colorimetric immunosensor using AuNP-functionalized polymer film for picogram-level detection of Tau protein intermediate aggregates.

Here we demonstrate for the first time that an antibody-gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-polymer conjugate thin-film biosensor can easily be fabricated to selectively capture Tau protein. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are employed as sensing elements, thus capitalizing on their propensity to undergo assembly or disassembly in response to the adsorption or conjugation of various biomolecules on their surface, thereby forming robust interactions with the target analyte. We show that the Tau protein in its different aggregation phases can be detected, by restricting the reaction area on the solid thin polymer film and thus reducing the diffusion effects usually encountered in immunosensors.

Kinetics of the mechanically induced ibuprofen-nicotinamide co-crystal formation by X-ray diffraction.

Mechanochemistry is drawing attention from the pharmaceutical industry given its potential for sustainable material synthesis and manufacture. Scaling mechanochemical processes to industrial level remains a challenge due to an incomplete understanding of their underlying mechanisms. We here show how time-resolved powder X-ray diffraction data, coupled with analytical kinetic modelling, provides a powerful approach to gain mechanistic insight into mechanochemical reactions.

Extracellular vesicles from the microalga Tetraselmis chuii are biocompatible and exhibit unique bone tropism along with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed bio-nanoparticles secreted by cells and naturally evolved to transport various bioactive molecules between cells and even organisms. These cellular objects are considered one of the most promising bio-nanovehicles for the delivery of native and exogenous molecular cargo. However, many challenges with state-of-the-art EV-based candidates as drug carriers still exist, including issues with scalability, batch-to-batch reproducibility, and cost-sustainability of the final therapeutic formulation.

Tailoring barrier layers design for haute couture through X-ray microanalysis: Insights and guidelines.

Barrier layers against intermetallic diffusion are a fundamental part on engineering electroplated coatings as they improve the lifetime of goods reducing wastes and improving the sustainability of the production chain. This study aims to set a cost-effective methodology to characterize barrier systems by evaluating the effectiveness with a recent approach based on XRF and EDS and characterize the kinetic of diffusion processes with X-ray diffractometry. Several high fashion barrier systems were tested highlighting that anticorrosion systems are not automatically suited as barrier layers for intermetallic diffusion, as opposed to industrial practice.

On the Electrochemical Growth of a Crystalline p-n Junction From Aqueous Solutions.

Our society largely relies on inorganic semiconductor devices which are, so far, fabricated using expensive and complex processes requiring ultra-high vacuum equipment. Here we report on the possibility of growing a p-n junction taking advantage of electrochemical processes based on the use of aqueous solutions. The growth of the junction has been carried out using the Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition (E-ALD) technique, which allowed to sequentially deposit two different semiconductors, CdS and CuS, on an Ag(111) substrate, in a single procedure.

NOX2 and NOX4 expression in monocytes and macrophages-extracellular vesicles in signalling and therapeutics.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a type of cytoplasmic vesicles secreted by a variety of cells. EVs originating from cells have been known to participate in cell communication, antigen presentation, immune cell activation, tolerance induction, etc. These EVs can also carry the active form of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase Hydrogen (NADPH) oxidase, which is very essential for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that can then modulate processes such as cell regeneration.

Alginate-Based Emulsions and Hydrogels for Extending the Shelf Life of Banana Fruit.

Edible coatings are used to extend the shelf life of various fruit, including bananas ( from the family). After harvest, bananas reach the ripening and subsequent senescence phase. During senescence, the quality of the fruit deteriorates as it takes on a brown color and the tissue becomes soft.

Mechanochemical ignition of self-propagating reactions in equimolar Al-Ni powder mixtures and multilayers.

This work addresses a long standing question in the field of mechanochemistry, namely the role of mesostructure in the initiation of self-propagating high-temperature reactions in exothermic chemical systems, commonly referred to as ignition. In an attempt to find robust evidence in this regard, we compare the ignition behaviour of equimolar Al-Ni powder mixtures and equimolar Al-Ni multilayers. To achieve the best possible control of experimental conditions and allowing high reproducibility, we used elemental powders sieved in the range between 20 μm and 44 μm, and multilayers with bi-layer thickness between 10 nm and 800 nm.

Highly sensitive detection of the neurodegenerative biomarker Tau by using the concentration effect of the pyro-electrohydrodynamic jetting.

It is largely documented that neurodegenerative diseases can be effectively treated only if early diagnosed. In this context, the structural changes of some biomolecules such as Tau, seem to play a key role in neurodegeneration mechanism becoming eligible targets for an early diagnosis. Post-translational modifications are responsible to drive the Tau protein towards a transition phase from a native disorder conformation into a preaggregation state, which then straight recruits the final fibrillization process.

Modulating Polymer Ultrathin Film Crystalline Fraction and Orientation with Nanoscale Curvature.

We investigated the effect of nanoscale curvature on the structure of thermally equilibrated poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) ultrathin films. The curvature-induced effects were investigated with synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our results demonstrate that nanoscale curvature reduces the polymer crystalline fraction and the crystal length.

Chiral "doped" MOFs: an electrochemical and theoretical integrated study.

This work reports on the electrochemical behaviour of Fe and Zn based metal-organic framework (MOF) compounds, which are "doped" with chiral molecules, namely: cysteine and camphor sulfonic acid. Their electrochemical behaviour was thoroughly investigated via "solid-state" electrochemical measurements, exploiting an "" tailored experimental set-up: a paste obtained by carefully mixing the MOF with graphite powder is deposited on a glassy carbon (GC) surface. The latter serves as the working electrode (WE) in cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements.

Multiparametric Orthogonal Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles by Liquid Chromatography Combined with In-Line Light Scattering and Fluorescence Detection.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed biological nanoparticles with potential as diagnostic markers and carriers for therapeutics. Characterization of EVs poses severe challenges due to their complex structure and composition, requiring the combination of orthogonal analytical techniques. Here, we demonstrate how liquid chromatography combined with multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and fluorescence detection in one single apparatus can provide multiparametric characterization of EV samples, including concentration of particles, average diameter of the particles, protein amount to particle number ratio, presence of EV surface markers and lipids, EV shape, and sample purity.

Analytic procedure for the evaluation of copper intermetallic diffusion in electroplated gold coatings with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis.

A method for the determination of the intermetallic diffusion coefficient in the Cu-Au system is described based on energy dispersive X-ray techniques. XRF and EDS analysis were used to measure the thickness of the electroplated gold coating and the copper diffused through it, respectively. This information was used to obtain the diffusion coefficient through an equation based on Fick's law.

Orientation of capture antibodies on gold nanoparticles to improve the sensitivity of ELISA-based medical devices.

The sensitivity of ELISA-based devices strongly depends on the right orientation of antibodies on the sensor surface. The aim of this work was to increase the analytical performance of a commercial ELISA-based medical device (VIDAS®), thanks to the specific orientation of antibodies on gold nanostructured disposables. For this purpose, fPSA VIDAS® assay was used as model and the disposable providing the antigen binding surface (SPR®) was functionalized with gold nanostructures coated with monovalent half-fragment antibodies (reduced IgG, rIgG).

Ultrasound and Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Hexagonally Ordered Ce-Promoted Mesoporous Silica as Ni Supports for Ethanol Steam Reforming.

Solvothermal synthesis of mesoporous materials based on amphiphilic molecules as structure-directing agents can be enhanced using non-conventional technologies for stirring and thermal activation. Here, we disclose a green synthesis approach for the preparation of cerium-modified hexagonally ordered silica sieves. Ultrasound micromixing enabled us to obtain well-dispersed Ce in the self-assembled silica network and yielded ordered materials with high cerium content (Ce/Si molar ratio = 0.

Simple engineering of hybrid cellulose nanocrystal-gold nanoparticles results in a functional glyconanomaterial with biomolecular recognition properties.

Cellulose nanocrystal and gold nanoparticles are assembled, in a unique way, to yield a novel modular glyconanomaterial whose surface is then easily engineered with one or two different headgroups, by exploiting a robust click chemistry route. We demonstrate the potential of this approach by conjugating monosaccharide headgroups to the glyconanomaterial and show that the sugars retain their binding capability to C-type lectin receptors, as also directly visualized by cryo-TEM.

Measuring the Radius of Gyration and Intrinsic Flexibility of Viral Proteins in Buffer Solution Using Small-Angle X-ray Scattering.

Measuring structural features of proteins dispersed in buffer solution, in contrast to crystal form, is indispensable in understanding morphological characteristics of the biomolecule in a native environment. We report on the structure and apparent viscosity of unfolded α and β variants of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins dispersed in buffer solutions. The radius of gyration of the β variant is found to be larger than that of the α variant, while the ab initio computation of one of the possible particle-like bodies is consistent with the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) profiles resembling a conformation similar to the three-dimensional structure of the folded state of the corresponding α and β spike variant.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Biocompatible Nanoplatform Based on Silica-Embedded SPIONs Functionalized with Polydopamine.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have gained increasing interest in nanomedicine, but most of those that have entered the clinical trials have been withdrawn due to toxicity concerns. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design low-risk and biocompatible SPION formulations. In this work, we present an original safe-by-design nanoplatform made of silica nanoparticles loaded with SPIONs and decorated with polydopamine (SPIONs@SiO2-PDA) and the study of its biocompatibility performance by an ad hoc thorough in vitro to in vivo nanotoxicological methodology.