Search results for " Nanoparticle"
showing 10 items of 936 documents
Impact of nanoparticles on the environmental sustainability of polymer nanocomposites based on bioplastics or recycled plastics – A review of life-cy…
2022
Adding nanoparticles to a host polymer can lead to performance improvements that can be twice as beneficial to the environment: first, sustainable nanocomposites based on bioplastics or recycled plastics could replace ubiquitous petroleum-based polymers; second, substantial plastic saving could be achieved by profiting from the superior specific properties of the nanocomposites. Nevertheless, the inherent environmental burden of nanoparticles can compromise the expected benefits. Here we address the controversial issue of the environmental sustainability of “green” polymer nanocomposites based on bioplastics and recycled plastics. A critical review of life-cycle assessment studies regarding…
Colloidal Self-assembled Nanosphere Arrays for Plasmon-enhanced Light Trapping in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells
2014
To realize high-efficiency thin-film silicon solar cells it is crucial to develop light-trapping methods that can increase absorption of the near- bandgap light in the silicon material. That can be achieved using the far-field scattering properties of metal nanoparticles (MNP) sustaining surface plasmons. The MNPs should be inserted in the back of the cell, embedded in the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer which separates the rear mirror from the silicon layers. In this way, a plasmonic back reflector (PBR) is constructed that can redirect light at angles away from the incidence direction and thereby increase its path length in the cell material. In this work, a novel technique is pr…
Molybdenum Trioxide Nanoparticles with Intrinsic Sulfite Oxidase Activity
2014
Sulfite oxidase is a mitochondria-located molybdenum-containing enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate in the amino acid and lipid metabolism. Therefore, it plays a major role in detoxification processes, where defects in the enzyme cause a severe infant disease leading to early death with no efficient or cost-effective therapy in sight. Here we report that molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanoparticles display an intrinsic biomimetic sulfite oxidase activity under physiological conditions, and, functionalized with a customized bifunctional ligand containing dopamine as anchor group and triphenylphosphonium ion as targeting agent, they selectively target the mitochondria while bein…
Influence of SiO2 nanoparticles on relative fluorescence of plant cells
2015
Nanoparticles (nano-scale particles (NSPs)) are defined as particles with dimensions less than 100 nm. SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles are one of the most widely common nanoparticles in the environment, particularly in urban areas. The sources of SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles are very different, including natural nanoparticles, anthropogenic and engineered nanoparticles. The SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles could be considered a source of different pollution effects on leaving organisms. Nevertheless, knowledge of the mechanisms, through which the SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles affect cells, is incomplete. The aim of the research was to elaborate a …
Potential biological role of laccase from the sponge Suberites domuncula as an antibacterial defense component
2014
Abstract Background Laccases are copper-containing enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of a wide variety of phenolic substrates. Methods We describe the first poriferan laccase from the marine demosponge Suberites domuncula. Results This enzyme comprises three characteristic multicopper oxidase homologous domains. Immunohistological studies revealed that the highest expression of the laccase is in the surface zone of the animals. The expression level of the laccase gene is strongly upregulated after exposure of the animals to the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide. To allow the binding of the recombinant enzyme to ferromagnetic nanoparticles, a recombinant laccase was prepared which con…
Stir bar sorptive-dispersive microextraction for trace determination of triphenyl and diphenyl phosphate in urine of nail polish users
2018
Abstract This work describes a new analytical method useful for monitoring the human exposure to the endocrine-disrupting plasticizer triphenyl phosphate (TPP) via nail polish use. The method allows trace determination of this parent compound and its main metabolite, namely diphenyl phosphate (DPP), in urine samples of nail polish users. The method is based on a novel microextraction technique termed stir bar sorptive-dispersive microextraction (SBSDME) using a magnetic composite made of CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles embedded into a mixed-mode weak anion exchange polymer (Strata™-X-AW), followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The main parameters involved in t…
Why does vacuum drive to the loading of halloysite nanotubes? The key role of water confinement.
2019
The filling of halloysite nanotubes with active compounds solubilized in aqueous solvent was investigated theoretically and experimentally. Based on Knudsen thermogravimetric data, we demonstrated the water confinement within the cavity of halloysite. This process is crucial to properly describe the driving mechanism of halloysite loading. In addition, Knudsen thermogravimetric experiments were conducted on kaolinite nanoplates as well as on halloysite nanotubes modified with an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecanoate) in order to explore the influence of both the nanoparticle morphology and the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of the lumen on the confinement phenomenon. The analysis of the…
Self Calibrating Nano-Ruler
2012
The aim of a nanoruler is to measure distances on a length scale in the order of nanometers. This concept can be realized by two plasmonic nanoparticles (usually spheres), which are placed within a short distance to each other. Since the plasmon modes of both particles are coupled, they influence each other along the interparticle axis (i.e. longitudinal plasmon mode, resulting in a shift of the resonance wavelength compared to the single particle. Because the resulting resonance wavelength depends on the interparticle distance, the spectral investigation of such a dimer allows the determination of the interparticle distance.
Partitioning of nanoparticle-originated dissolved silver in natural and artificial sediments
2017
Sediments are believed to be a major sink for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the aquatic environment, but there is a lack of knowledge about the environmental effects and behavior of AgNPs in sediments. The release of highly toxic Ag+ through dissolution of AgNPs is one mechanism leading to toxic effects in sediments. We applied an ultrasound-assisted sequential extraction method to evaluate the dissolution of AgNPs and to study the partitioning of dissolved Ag in sediments. Silver was spiked into artificial and 2 natural sediments (Lake Hoytiainen sediment and Lake Kuorinka sediment) as silver nitrate (AgNO3 ), uncoated AgNPs, or polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated AgNPs (PVP-AgNPs). In addition,…
Gold nanostars co-coated with the Cu(II) complex of a tetraazamacrocyclic ligand
2015
The twelve-membered tetraazamacrocyclic ligand L1 bears an appended lipoic acid unit, whose disulphide ring is an efficient grafting moiety for the surface of gold nanostars (GNS). The GNS that were used featured a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption at ∼800 nm, i.e. in the near infrared (NIR). We investigated different approaches for coating them with the Cu(2+) complex of L1. While the direct reaction of [CuL1](2+) with as-prepared GNS led to aggregation, an initial coating step with polyethyleneglycol-thiol (PEG-SH) was found to be advantageous. Displacement reactions were carried out on pegylated GNS either with [CuL1](2+), directly generating [Cun(L1@GNS)](2n+), or wi…