Search results for "nanoparticle"

Simulations on the mechanism of CNT bundle growth upon smooth and nanostructured Ni as well as θ-Al2O3 catalysts

2011

Abstract In the current study, we have performed ab initio DFT calculations on the gradually growing 2D periodic models of capped single-wall carbon nanotubes (SW CNTs) upon their perpendicular junctions with the Ni(111) substrate, in order to understand the peculiarities of the initial stage of their growth on either smooth or nanostructured catalytic particles. Appearance of the adsorbed carbon atoms upon the substrate follows from the dissociation of CVD hydrocarbon molecules, e.g., CH4: (CH4)ads → (CH)ads+3Hads and (CH)ads → Cads+Hads. (Since the effective growth of CNTs upon Ni nanoparticles occur inside the nanopores of amorphous alumina, we have also simulated analogous surface react…

Determination of the LD50 with the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay as a promising alternative in nanotoxicological evaluation

2021

Toxicity tests in rodents are still considered a controversial topic concerning their ethical justifiability. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay may offer a simple and inexpensive alternative. The CAM assay is easy to perform and has low bureaucratic hurdles. At the same time, the CAM assay allows the application of a broad variety of analytical methods in the field of nanotoxicological research. We evaluated the CAM assay as a methodology for the determination of nanotoxicity. Therefore we calculated the median lethal dose (LD50), performed in vivo microscopy and immunohistochemistry to identify organ-specific accumulation profiles, potential organ damage, and the kineti…

Developing Antibiofilm Fibrillar Scaffold with Intrinsic Capacity to Produce Silver Nanoparticles

2022

The development of biomedical systems with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties is a difficult medical task for preventing bacterial adhesion and growth on implanted devices. In this work, a fibrillar scaffold was produced by electrospinning a polymeric organic dispersion of polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(α,β-(N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-L-aspartamide-co-α,β-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-aspartamide) (PDAEA). The pendant catechol groups of PDAEA were used to reduce silver ions in situ and produce silver nanoparticles onto the surface of the electrospun fibers through a simple and reproducible procedure. The morphological and physicochemical characterization of the obtained s…

Photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2-based materials embedded with gold NPs for applications in antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT)

Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a potential treatment for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. It is based on the photosensitization of bacterial cells with exogenous agents that, when exposed to light, produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as OH-, O2-, H2O2. ROS can induce complex oxidative-reductive chains of reactions, resulting in damage of cellular components in target tissues1. Photocatalysts, like inorganic semiconductor oxides, represent an interesting class of materials to design new strategies for aPTD. As exposed to light of proper wavelengths, photocatalysts induce the formation of electron-hole pairs capable of producing a cascade of reactions suitable …

In Vitro Antioxidant Activity and In Vivo Topical Efficacy of Lipid Nanoparticles Co-Loading Idebenone and Tocopheryl Acetate

2019

Idebenone (IDE) is a strong antioxidant that has been proposed for the treatment of skin disorders, including skin ageing. Unfavorable physico-chemical properties make IDE a poor skin permeant where effectiveness could be improved by its loading into suitable delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). In this work, we designed novel IDE-loaded NLC containing tocopheryl acetate (VitE) as a liquid component to obtain a synergic effect between IDE and VitE. The resulting NLC showed small particle sizes (24&ndash

A novel TiO2-assisted magnetic nanoparticle separator for treatment and inactivation of bacterial contaminants in aquatic systems

2014

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles (Fe-nanoparticles) have been functionalized with recombinant poly- Glu [glutamic acid]-tagged silicatein, a biomineral-synthesizing enzyme from siliceous sponges that forms the inorganic silica skeleton of those animals. The biocatalytic activity of silicatein was used to form a titania (TiO2) shell around the iron nanoparticle core, using the water-soluble non- natural substrate titanium bis(ammonium lactato)-dihydroxide (TiBALDH). Thereby the diameter of the nanoparticles increases from 7 nm to ≈22 nm. This procedure also allows the layer-by-layer fabrication of titania/silica- Fe-nanoparticles. SEM/EDX analysis confirmed the presence of the Ti and Si signals i…

Chromogenic Detection of Aqueous Formaldehyde Using Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles

2016

Silica nanoparticles functionalized with thiol reactive units and bulky polar polyamines were used for the selective colorimetric detection of formaldehyde. The reaction of thiols groups in the nanoparticles surface with a squaraine dye resulted in loss of the pi-conjugation of the chromophores, and the subsequent bleaching of the solution. However, when formaldehyde was present in the suspension, the thiol-squaraine reaction was inhibited and a chromogenic response was observed. A selective response to formaldehyde was observed only when the thiol and polyamine groups were anchored to the silica surface. The observed selective response was ascribed to the fact that bulky polyamines generat…

Molecular dynamics of electrosprayed water nanodroplets containing sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate

2013

The behavior of aqueous solutions of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOTNa) subject to electrospray ionization (ESI) has been investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at three temperatures (350, 500 and 800 K). We consider several types of water nanodroplets containing AOTNa molecules and composed of a fixed number of water molecules (1000), N(AOT)(0) AOT(-) anions (N(AOT)(0) =  0, 5, 10) and N(Na)(0) sodium ions (N(Na)(0) =  0, 5, 10, 15, 20): in a short time scale (less than 1 ns), the AOTNa molecules, initially forming direct micelles in the interior of the water nanodroplets, are observed in all cases to diffuse nearby the nanodroplet surface, so that the hydrophilic …

Synergistic enhancement via plasmonic nanoplate-bacteria-nanorod supercrystals for highly efficient SERS sensing of food-borne bacteria

2017

Bio-sensing techniques utilizing metallic nanoparticles as a probe have gained more and more attention and play today an important role in the detection of bacteria. To date, although several sensing materials have been tested, there is still a long way to go to achieve a fast, low-cost, ultrasensitive and multifunctional substrate suitable for a universal biosensor for detection of bacterial cells. Here, we report a novel probe design based on anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles organized to a biocompatible 3D bio-inorganic scaffold, i.e., nanoplate-bacteria-nanorod supercrystals (NBNS) with extremely high surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) activity as a model of synergistic plasm…

Influence of citrates nanoparticles on morphological traits of bacterial cells pseudomonas syringae pv. atrofaciens

2020

Electron microscope investigations have revealed disintegration of the cell wall of Pseudomonas syringae pv. atrofaciens and subsequent killing of bacterial cells after application of 1% solutions of the citrates of Ag-Cu nanoparticles, the complex Co-Cu-Zn-Fe-Mn-Mo-Mg (Avatar-1) and iodine-selenium. In field conditions, it was revealed that pre-sowing treatment of wheat seeds with the aforementioned 1% solutions significantly inhibited the development of basal glume rot in cereals with artificial infection of Pseudomonas syringae рv. аtrofaciens. Consequently, reduction of the typical symptoms of basal glume rot of cereals and the percentage of isolated cells of Pseudomonas syringae рv. аt…