5,939 results match your criteria: "Institute for Nanotechnology[Affiliation]"

The i-motif is a pH-responsive cytosine-rich oligonucleotide sequence that forms, under acidic conditions, a quadruplex structure. This tunable structural switching has made the i-motif a useful platform for designing pH-responsive nanomaterials. Despite the widespread application of i-motif DNA constructs as biomolecular switches, the mechanism of i-motif folding on the atomic scale has yet to be established.

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Full Conjugation in a Polymer with Non-conjugated Piperazine-2,5-dione Units via Energy-minimized Lactam-to-Lactim Tautomerization Enables Water-gated Transistor Fluoride Sensors.

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

November 2024

Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.

Article Synopsis
  • - Piperazine-2,5-dione (GA) is being used to create a new type of conjugated polymer, PIDHPTT, which is aimed at improving chemical sensing in organic electronics.
  • - Within the polymer, GA changes from a non-conjugated form to a conjugated form, driven by energy minimization and enhanced π-conjugation—this phenomenon is noted as a "long-range vinylogous effect" that has only been seen in small molecules before.
  • - PIDHPTT shows strong interactions with fluoride ions, leading to notable changes in optical and electronic properties, and demonstrates high sensitivity and selectivity in a water-gated field-effect transistor, highlighting its potential for practical applications in chemical
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Enhancing Biocatalysis: Metal-Organic Frameworks as Multifunctional Enzyme Hosts.

Acc Chem Res

December 2024

International Institute for Nanotechnology and Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.

ConspectusEnzymes are highly efficient and selective catalysts that operate under mild conditions, making them invaluable for various chemical transformations. However, their limitations, such as instability and high cost, call for advancements in enzyme immobilization and the development of suitable host materials. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), characterized by high porosity, crystallinity, and tunability, are promising candidates for enzyme encapsulation.

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Multi-Level High Entropy-Dissipative Structure Enables Efficient Self-Decoupling of Triple Signals.

Adv Mater

January 2025

Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.

The theory of high entropy-dissipative structure is confined to high-entropy alloys and their oxide materials under harsh conditions, but it is very difficult to obtain high entropy-dissipative structure for smart sensors based on polymers and metal oxides under mild conditions. Moreover, multiple signal coupling effect heavily hinder the sensor applications, and current multimodal integrated devices can solve two signal-decoupling, but need very complicated process way. In this work, new synthesis concept is the first time to fabricate high entropy-dissipative conductive layer of smart sensors with triple-signal response and self-decoupling ability within poly-pyrrole/zinc oxide (PPy/ZnO) system.

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The application of perovskite oxide for high-temperature electrocatalysis is hindered by its limited activity. Exsolution is a smart strategy that allows the enrichment of the perovskite's surface with highly reactive phases, yielding heteroboundaries. However, the identification of the exact catalytic role of this complex architecture is still elusive.

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Nanocomposites (NCs) have attractive potential applications in gas-sensing, energy, photocatalysis, and biomedicine. In the present work, the fabrication of CuO/ZrO/TiO/RGO nanocomposites (NCs) was done a simple chemical route. Our aim in this work was to synthesis and investigate the selective anticancer activity of TiO NPs by supporting CuO, ZrO, and RGO toward cancer and normal cells.

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Strategy for Accurate Detection of Six Tropane Alkaloids in Honey Using Lateral Flow Immunosensors.

Sensors (Basel)

November 2024

National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Security, Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.

Honey, a widely consumed food, is susceptible to contamination by various toxic substances during production. Tropane alkaloids, with their potent neurotoxicity, are frequently found in honey. Hence, there is an acute need for rapid and effective detection methods to monitor these alkaloids.

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Unveiling the Significance of Graphene Nanoplatelet (GNP) Localization in Tuning the Performance of PP/HDPE Blends.

Materials (Basel)

November 2024

International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM), WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, West Midlands, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • HDPE and PP blends filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are explored to understand how processing parameters like blending sequence and screw speed affect their performance.
  • *The study finds that the blending sequence significantly influences the crystallization behavior and tensile properties of the blends, particularly showing that GNPs premixed with PP lead to greater increases in crystallization temperature for PP than GNPs premixed with PE.
  • *Results indicate that while tensile moduli are stable under different processing conditions, elongation at break and tensile toughness exhibit significant changes, emphasizing the critical link between processing methods and material performance.
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Mitigating Membrane Fouling in Abattoir Wastewater Treatment: Integration of Pretreatment Step with Zwitterion Modified Graphene Oxide-Polyethersulfone Composite Membranes.

Membranes (Basel)

October 2024

Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, Roodepoort 1710, South Africa.

Composite polyethersulfone (PES) membranes containing N-aminoethyl piperazine propane sulfonate (AEPPS)-modified graphene oxide (GO) were integrated with either of the two pretreatment processes (activated carbon (AC) adsorption or polyelectrolyte coagulation) to assess their effectiveness in mitigating membrane fouling during the treatment of abattoir wastewater. The AEPPS@GO-modified membranes, as compared to the pristine PES membranes, showed improved hydrophilicity, with water uptake increasing from 72 to 118%, surface porosity increasing from 2.34 to 27%, and pure water flux (PWF) increasing from 235 to 673 L.

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mRNA compartmentalization via multimodule DNA nanostructure assembly augments the immunogenicity and efficacy of cancer mRNA vaccine.

Sci Adv

November 2024

New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety and CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, 100190, China.

Article Synopsis
  • mRNA vaccines show promise for cancer treatment, but their effectiveness is currently limited by low immune response and inefficient mRNA expression.
  • A new approach uses a custom DNA nanostructure called MMDNS, which helps improve mRNA translation by concentrating mRNA and necessary reaction components in specific areas.
  • This innovative vaccine design results in a stronger immune response against tumors, helping to inhibit their growth and spread, making it a significant development in cancer immunotherapy.
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Detection of extracellular DNA (exDNA) released by invasive pathogens is crucial for understanding biotic stress in plants but remains challenging due to the lack of practical sensing tools. This study introduces a fluorescent nanosensor for remote, noninvasive detection of exDNA in plant tissues. Comprising GelGreen and polyethylenimine-modified silica nanoparticles, the nanosensor forms a self-reporting nanoplatform that simultaneously captures exDNA and generates signals.

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Mechanoelectric sensitivity reveals destructive quantum interference in single-molecule junctions.

Nat Commun

November 2024

Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, Spain.

Quantum interference plays an important role in charge transport through single-molecule junctions, even at room temperature. Of special interest is the measurement of the destructive quantum interference dip itself. Such measurements are especially demanding when performed in a continuous mode of operation.

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DNA-Regulated Multi-Protein Complement Control.

J Am Chem Soc

December 2024

Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.

In nature, the interactions between proteins and their complements/substrates can dictate complex functions. Herein, we explore how DNA on nucleic acid modified proteins can be used as scaffolds to deliberately control interactions with a peptide complement (by adjusting length, sequence, and rigidity). As model systems, split GFPs were covalently connected through DNA scaffolds (36-58 bp).

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Advances in electron microscopy have revolutionized material characterization on the nano- and microscales, providing important insights into local ordering, structure, and size and quality distributions. While shape and size can be rigorously quantified through microscopy, it is often limited to local structure analysis and fails to describe bulk sample quality. Herein, a flexible machine learning (ML) tool is described that can segment and classify faceted crystals in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs to determine sample quality through the crystal size and product distribution.

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Sm-doped Pb(MgNb)O-PbTiO (Sm-PMN-PT) bulk materials have revealed outstanding ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties due to enhanced local structural heterogeneity. In this study, we further explore the potential of Sm-PMN-PT by fabricating epitaxial thin films by pulsed laser deposition, revealing that Sm doping significantly improves the capacitive energy-storage, piezoelectric, electrocaloric, and pyroelectric properties of PMN-PT thin films. These Sm-PMN-PT thin films exhibit fatigue-free performance up to 10 charge-discharge cycles and maintain thermal stability across a wide temperature range from -40 to 200 °C.

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A high affinity and selective DNA aptamer for copper ions.

Chem Commun (Camb)

November 2024

Department of Chemistry, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.

Capture-SELEX was employed for the selection of DNA aptamers for Cu. The best aptamer named Cu-1 has a of 14.2 nM as determined using the strand-displacement assay, representing an approximate 3000-fold improvement over a previously reported Cu aptamer.

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Investigating Ni nanoparticles on CeO for methane dissociation: a comparative study of theoretical calculations and experimental insights.

Phys Chem Chem Phys

November 2024

Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.

CeO supported with Ni nanoparticles has emerged as a promising catalyst for enhancing the efficiency of dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction. Methane dissociation (CH → CH + H) was reported as one of the rate-determining steps in the DRM reaction. We elucidated the reaction mechanism and explored methods for reducing the activation energy using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, where the activation energy of methane dissociation was determined at multiple Ni cluster sites on CeO.

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Leveraging Ligand Desymmetrization to Enrich Structural Diversity of Zirconium Metal-Organic Frameworks for Toxic Chemical Adsorption.

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

November 2024

Department of Chemistry and International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States.

The discovery of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with novel structures provides significant opportunities for developing porous solids with new properties and enriching the structural diversity of functional materials for various applications. The rational design of building units with specific geometric conformations is essential to direct the construction of MOFs with unique properties. Herein, we leverage a ligand desymmetrization approach to construct a series of new MOFs.

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Advancing Topoisomerase Research Using DNA Nanotechnology.

Small Methods

November 2024

Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel.

In this Perspective, the use of DNA nanotechnology is explored as a powerful tool for studying a family of enzymes known as topoisomerases. These enzymes regulate DNA topology within a living cell and play a major role in the pharmaceutical field, serving as anti-cancer and anti-bacterial targets. This Perspective will provide a short historical overview of the methods employed in studying these enzymes and emphasizing recent advancements in assays using DNA nanotechnology.

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Development and characterization of PVA-zein/α-tocopherol nonwoven mats for functional wound dressing applications.

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces

February 2025

Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Polymer Research, Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada; Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo,  200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Waterloo,  200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; Institute of Polymer Research, University of Waterloo,  200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address:

Wound healing poses significant clinical challenges due to issues like bacterial infections, oxidative stress, and the need for sustained therapeutic delivery. This study aimed to develop and characterize biocompatible nonwoven fibrous mats composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and zein encapsulating α-tocopherol for wound dressing applications. α-Tocopherol was nano-encapsulated in zein proteins using an antisolvent co-precipitation method, followed by its dispersion in PVA solutions.

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Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent disease with a rapidly increasing incidence projected worldwide, affecting both industrialized and developing regions. Effective diabetes management requires precise therapeutic strategies, primarily through self-monitoring of blood glucose levels to achieve tight glycemic control, thereby mitigating the risk of severe complications. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in non-invasive techniques for measuring blood glucose using photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), as it shows great promise for the detection of glucose using the infrared region (e.

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The major histocompatibility complex class I antigen presentation pathways play pivotal roles in orchestrating immune responses. Recent studies have begun to explore the therapeutic potential of cysteines within the immunopeptidome, such as the use of covalent ligands to generate haptenated peptide neoepitopes for immunotherapy. In this work, we report a platform for mapping reactive cysteines on MHC-I-bound peptide antigens.

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Effective Stabilization of Organic Cathodes Through Formation of a Protective Solid Electrolyte Interface Layer via Reduction.

ChemSusChem

November 2024

Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2 L 3G1, Canada.

Organic electrode materials offer a promising alternative for lithium-ion batteries due to their lower costs, reduced environmental impact, renewability, and high theoretical capacity. Among them, 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DHBQ) is a promising cathode material, but its high solubility in electrolytes leads to rapid capacity degradation of the battery. This study investigates the dilithium salt of DHBQ, LiDHBQ, as a cathode material for LIBs.

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Work-Function-Dependent Reduction of Transition Metal Nitrides in Hydrogen Environments.

J Phys Chem Lett

November 2024

Industrial Focus Group XUV Optics, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522NB Enschede, Netherlands.

Article Synopsis
  • The study emphasizes the need for advanced coatings to protect materials from reactive hydrogen environments as hydrogen becomes increasingly important for sustainability.
  • It identifies the work function as a critical factor influencing how transition metal nitrides respond to hydrogen radicals, particularly their reducibility at high temperatures.
  • The research suggests that when the work function of a transition metal nitride drops below a certain threshold, the reduction process halts due to hydrogen preferentially binding to metal atoms, thus offering new insights into material stability in hydrogen applications.
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Dissociation Constant (K) Measurement for Small-Molecule Binding Aptamers: Homogeneous Assay Methods and Critical Evaluations.

Small Methods

November 2024

Department of Chemistry, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.

Since 1990, numerous aptamers have been isolated and discovered for use in various analytical, biomedical, and environmental applications. This trend continues to date. A critical step in the characterization of aptamer binding is to measure its binding affinity toward both target and non-target molecules.

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