Search results for "NANOMATERIALS"
showing 10 items of 291 documents
Shedding Light on Graphene Quantum Dots: Key Synthetic Strategies, Characterization Tools, and Cutting-Edge Applications
2021
During the last 20 years, the scientific community has shown growing interest towards carbonaceous nanomaterials due to their appealing mechanical, thermal, and optical features, depending on the specific nanoforms. Among these, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) recently emerged as one of the most promising nanomaterials due to their outstanding electrical properties, chemical stability, and intense and tunable photoluminescence, as it is witnessed by a booming number of reported applications, ranging from the biological field to the photovoltaic market. To date, a plethora of synthetic protocols have been investigated to modulate the portfolio of features that GQDs possess and to facilitate the…
Nanostructured Based Electrochemical Sensors.
2019
In this work, we present some results concerning the electrochemical behavior of nanostructured-based electrochemical sensors. In particular, the attention has been focused on Pd and Cu nanowires for detection of hydrogen peroxide and NiO thin film or Ni@NiO core–shell nanowires for detection of mercury ions. Ordered array of Pd and Cu nanowires was obtained through displacement deposition reaction in a commercial polycarbonate membrane acting as a template. The method leads to stable nanostructured electrodes of Pd and Cu with high surface area. For the detection of mercury ions, we have fabricated a Ni/NiO electrochemical sensor, obtained by mild thermal oxidation of Ni-foil. Some results…
Detoxifying antitumoral drugs via nanoconjugation: the case of gold nanoparticles and cisplatin
2021
Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a potential tool to improve cancer treatment. Among the proposed uses in imaging and therapy, their use as a drug delivery scaffold has been extensively highlighted. However, there are still some controversial points which need a deeper understanding before clinical application can occur. Here the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to detoxify the antitumoral agent cisplatin, linked to a nanoparticle via a pH-sensitive coordination bond for endosomal release, is presented. The NP conjugate design has important effects on pharmacokinetics, conjugate evolution and biodistribution and results in an absence of observed toxicity. Besides, AuNPs present unique o…
Biologically inspired information processing and synchronization in ensembles of non-identical threshold-potential nanostructures.
2013
Nanotechnology produces basic structures that show a significant variability in their individual physical properties. This experimental fact may constitute a serious limitation for most applications requiring nominally identical building blocks. On the other hand, biological diversity is found in most natural systems. We show that reliable information processing can be achieved with heterogeneous groups of non-identical nanostructures by using some conceptual schemes characteristic of biological networks (diversity, frequency-based signal processing, rate and rank order coding, and synchronization). To this end, we simulate the integrated response of an ensemble of single-electron transisto…
A tungsten oxide–lutetium bisphthalocyanine n–p–n heterojunction: from nanomaterials to a new transducer for chemo-sensing
2019
We report on a new hybrid heterojunction gas-sensitive device by combining a molecular material with a metal oxide. WO3 was synthesised via an aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition technique from a tungsten hexacarbonyl precursor. Onto an inorganic film, LuPc2 was vacuum evaporated. The morphology of the WO3–LuPc2 hybrid films is dominated by the morphological features of the tungsten oxide film, as shown by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Raman spectroscopy of the device confirms the presence of both materials. The non-linear I–V characteristics demonstrate the existence of an energy barrier at the interface between the inorganic and molecular materials. The…
Coupling colloidal chemistry with coordination chemistry: Design of hybrid nanomaterials by the assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles and functional co…
2021
Nanotechnology involves the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by the control of the shape and size at the nanometer scale involving different fields. In the last decade, nanotechnology development has boosted the interest in hybrid nanomaterials. These materials are a complimenting combination of two (or more) nanoparticles (NPs) with enhanced performance characteristics that offer exciting opportunities. It allows the possibility of integrating materials with different physical and chemical properties to widen the range of practical applications. In this context, Au NPs have recently attracted a lot of attention due to the great opportu…
Effect of mechanical stirring and temperature on dynamic hydrothermal synthesis of titanate nanotubes
2017
Abstract In the late century, it has been clearly demonstrated that titanate nanotubes (TNTs) are attractive nanomaterials with various potential applications due to their interesting properties. In this work, an essential reaction parameter, rarely considered in the literature, has been studied: stirring during hydrothermal synthesis. For this purpose, an intermittent mechanical stirring, ranging from 0 to 20 min/h, has been applied during the TNTs synthesis using a new dynamic hydrothermal reactor. It was proved that a long stirring cycle (more than 10 min/h) at 150 °C and an overall reaction time of 16 h promotes nanoribbons synthesis instead of nanotubes. In this context, a detailed mor…
2D slab models of TiO2 nanotubes for simulation of water adsorption: Validation over a diameter range
2020
Financial support provided by Scientific Research Project for Students and Young Researchers Nr. SJZ/2019/2 realized at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia is greatly acknowledged. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART 2 .
Synthesis of Yb nanoparticles by laser ablation of ytterbium target in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micellar solution
2010
Abstract Surfactant-coated ytterbium nanoparticles were produced by Nd:YAG laser ablation of a Yb bulk target immersed in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/ n -heptane micellar solution. In our experimental conditions, as highlighted by IR spectroscopy, AOT molecules are not decomposed by the intense laser pulses but play a pivotal role in the stabilisation of Yb nanoparticles. The formation of Yb nanoparticles in the liquid phase was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy whereas the Yb/AOT composites obtained by evaporation of the organic solvent were characterised by XPS and TEM. Data analysis consistently shows the presence of surfactant-coated, nearly spherical and non-interacting…
Nanodiamond Theranostic for Light-Controlled Intracellular Heating and Nanoscale Temperature Sensing
2021
Temperature is an essential parameter in all biological systems, but information about the actual temperature in living cells is limited. Especially, in photothermal therapy, local intracellular temperature changes induce cell death but the local temperature gradients are not known. Highly sensitive nanothermometers would be required to measure and report local temperature changes independent of the intracellular environment, including pH or ions. Fluorescent nanodiamonds (ND) enable temperature sensing at the nanoscale independent of external conditions. Herein, we prepare ND nanothermometers coated with a nanogel shell and the photothermal agent indocyanine green serves as a heat generato…