Nanoscale Research Letters最新文献

Metal oxide nanostructures have recently gained high attention due to advances in their synthesis, particularly hydrothermal techniques, which allow precise control over their morphology, composition, and crystallinity, as well as integration into devices. Zinc-tin oxide (ZTO) nanostructures, in particular, are notable for their sustainability and multifunctional applications, including catalysis, electronics, sensors, and energy harvesting. Their ternary oxide nature supports a broad range of functionalities. The use of seed layers during synthesis has proven to be beneficial, particularly for binary systems such as ZnO, as it not only impacts the growth of nanostructures but is also advantageous for applications requiring nanostructures supported on substrates, such as in photocatalysis and sensor technologies. This work investigates the effect of various seed layers (e.g., Cu, stainless steel, Cr, Ni) on the hydrothermal synthesis of ZTO nanostructures. Compared to seed layer free methods under similar conditions, the presence of seed layers significantly influenced the resulting structures. The study produced diverse morphologies, including ZnSnO₃ nanowires and Zn₂SnO₄ nanoparticles, octahedrons, and nanowires. Findings suggest a relationship between the seed layer’s phase and the resulting nanostructure phase. Furthermore, shorter synthesis durations favored discrete nanostructures, while longer durations facilitated the formation of thin films with nanostructured surfaces. These observations underscore the dual role of seed layers in influencing both the structural phase and growth kinetics of ZTO nanostructures.

The increasing demand for miniaturised, high-performance sensing platforms necessitates materials that can be deposited with high spatial precision. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a powerful analytical technique, offering significant signal amplification. Nanoporous (np) metals, particularly np Ag, are promising candidates for SERS substrates due to their high surface area and tunable nanostructure. In this study, we compare np Ag fabricated via electrohydrodynamic redox printing (EHD-RP), an additive manufacturing technique with high spatial resolution, to conventionally produced counterparts using physical vapour deposition (PVD). EHD-RP-derived np Ag exhibits comparable SERS performance to PVD samples. Structural analysis reveals that the density of sub-25 nm pores and the degree of structural disorder strongly contribute to enhancement factors. Additionally, EHD-RP-derived np Ag demonstrates excellent stability under varying illumination conditions and effectively catalyses the plasmon-driven dimerisation of 4-nitrobenzenethiol. These results underscore the potential of EHD-RP for fabricating functional nanostructured materials for integrated sensing applications.

The need for reliable and effective energy storage systems has grown because of the world’s growing energy needs and the quest for sustainable technology. Researchers are interested in supercapacitors because they can charge and discharge quickly, have a high power density, and last a long time. To meet future energy storage requirements, the fabrication of advanced electrode materials is essential.This study focuses on developing CdFe₂O₄-rGO nanocomposites, leveraging the synergistic combination of cadmium ferrite (CdFe₂O₄), a redox-active spinel oxide, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), a highly conductive material, to enhance supercapacitor performance. The integration of these materials improves electrochemical properties by combining pseudocapacitive and double-layer capacitance mechanisms, with CdFe₂O₄ providing excellent redox activity and rGO enhancing conductivity and surface area, thus elevatingactive sites for ion adsorption and redox reactions.Morphological studies reveal that CdFe₂O₄ bundles of clustered platelets are uniformly anchored on rGO sheets, creating a well interconnected structure that facilitates efficient ion diffusion and electron transfer.Comprehensive structural (XRD and FTIR) and electrochemical analyses confirm the superior charge storage capacity and long-term cycling stability of the rGO-CdFe₂O₄ composite, which exhibits a specific capacitance (C_sp) of 340.08 Ag⁻¹. Future research could explore optimizing the synthesis process and investigating the composite’s performance in hybrid energy storage systems to further enhance its practical viability.

Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound derived from Curcuma longa, has garnered substantial interest for its extensive pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. However, its clinical and nutritional applications are hindered by significant physicochemical challenges, including poor water solubility, rapid metabolic degradation, and low systemic bioavailability. Recent advances in nanotechnology have opened new pathways for enhancing curcumin’s therapeutic potential through the development of biocompatible nanocarrier systems. These nanoformulations, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, dendrimers, and cyclodextrin complexes, offer improved solubility, protection from enzymatic and environmental degradation, targeted delivery, and controlled release profiles. This review critically explores the evolution and design of curcumin-based nanocarriers with applications spanning functional food systems and biomedical therapeutics. It provides a comprehensive synthesis of the formulation strategies. The integration of nano-curcumin into functional foods has also shown promising results in improvements of sensory acceptability across dairy, beverage, bakery, and nutraceutical products. In therapeutic applications, curcumin-loaded nanocarriers demonstrate superior efficacy in cancer therapy, neurodegenerative disorders, hepatoprotection, the management of metabolic syndrome, and wound healing, owing to their targeted delivery and controlled release mechanisms. The novelty of this review lies in its comprehensive and critical synthesis that brings together advances in nanocarrier design and application across both biomedical and functional food domains. By integrating evidence from pharmacology, materials science, and food technology, it highlights how nanocarrier strategies address the multifaceted limitations of native curcumin and identifies common principles guiding their translation. Future perspectives include the development of innovative and stimuli-responsive systems, the need for global standardization, expansion of clinical trials, and integration into personalized nutrition platforms.

Graphical abstract

The worst of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic may be over, but its impact continues to be felt worldwide. During the outbreak, medical regulatory authorities introduced several principles for outbreak control, with the World Health Organization emphasizing three key strategies: prevention, early detection, and treatment. In this context, technological advancements have played a critical role, particularly nanotechnology, which has emerged as a promising platform for medical innovation. Its applications span multiple sectors, including healthcare, environmental protection, and diagnostics. These applications offer unmatched potential to enhance personal protective equipment, develop antiviral surface coatings, and engineer rapid point-of-care diagnostics. Nanotechnology contributed significantly to combating COVID-19, enhancing prevention through nanofiber-enhanced masks and nanoparticle-based disinfectants; facilitating diagnosis via gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and magnetic nanoparticle biosensors, quantum dots, and artificial intelligence-integrated nanosensors; and supporting treatment efforts through lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines, virus-like particles, and targeted drug delivery systems. We highlight key nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles, AuNPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles, and selenium nanoparticles, alongside advanced formulations like LNPs and polymeric nanocarriers, exploring their mechanisms of viral inactivation, sensitive detection, and controlled delivery of therapeutics. Furthermore, this review addresses critical regulatory and translational challenges and post-pandemic adaptations of nanotechnologies for emerging viral threats.

Recognition of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is crucial for a strong publication. Drug-resistant microbes, such as Candida albicans, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, pose a significant health threat. There is an urgent need for innovative and synergistic therapies. The new engineered nanocomposite system, zinc oxide/chitosan nanocomposite loaded with vancomycin (VA/ZnO/CS), directly addresses this challenge by aiming to enhance or restore the efficacy of existing drugs. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were biosynthesized using Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 4527, and then combined with chitosan (CS) and vancomycin (VA) through a green chemical method. The nanocomposite that was produced was characterized using various techniques. The results of UV–Vis spectroscopy showed an adsorption peak at 348 nm. The material matrix of the nanocomposite contains ZnO NPs and numerous active groups, as indicated by the results of X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Images captured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the VA/ZnO/CS particles were spherical with an average size of 78 ± 2.3 nm. The mean crystallite size of the nanocomposite was calculated using the Scherrer equation from the XRD data (79.38 nm) which closely matched the dimensions of the ZnO core observed in the TEM images (78 ± 2.3 nm). The antimicrobial activity of VA/ZnO/CS was tested against Bacillus cereus ATCC 14,579, MRSA ATCC 33,592, P. mirabilis AUF1, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 11,296, and Candida albicans ATCC 10,231. Compared to common drugs like fluconazole and vancomycin, VA/ZnO/CS demonstrated significantly higher levels of biocidal activity in the agar well-diffusion test, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC). The antimicrobial activity was found to be dependent on the dose of nanocomposite with higher doses resulting in increased antimicrobial inhibition. The prepared nanocomposite achieved a complete biocidal effect against the investigated microorganisms with 5–15 µg/ml, while conventional drugs required 25–30 µg/ml. The powerful antimicrobial action of VA/ZnO/CS was demonstrated by the TEM micrographs of C. albicans showing malformations and distortions of cell structure, including cell wall destruction and the emergence of vacuoles. Based on the results, the green synergy between ZnO/CS nanocomposite and VA will provide an effective biomaterial for treating infections and microbial diseases.

Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as promising nanomaterials for cancer detection and diagnosis due to their unique optical properties, biocompatibility, and surface functionalization capabilities. Metal Quantum dots (QDs) hold great promise for biomedical applications; however, their potential toxicity due to heavy metal ion release and ROS generation raises safety concerns. Subsequently, tremendous research efforts are being conducted toward the development of biogenic CDs synthesized from sustainable bio-sources, aiming towards harnessing their intrinsic biocompatibility and multifunctionality in cancer theranostics. With the increasing demand for safer and eco-friendly nanomaterials in cancer diagnosis and treatment, there is an urgent need for the exploration of biowaste derived CDs representing significant advancement in nanomedicine. In this mini review, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in utilizing bio waste derived green CDs as cancer biomarkers detectors. We discuss various synthesis methods for CDs, including bottom-up and top-down approaches, highlighting their ability to tailor optical and surface properties for specific applications in cancer detection. Functionalization strategies for enhancing targeting specificity and binding affinity of CDs to cancer biomarkers are also explored, encompassing covalent and non-covalent modifications. Furthermore, we review the applications of CDs in detecting diverse cancer biomarkers, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules, through fluorescence-based assays. Despite their potential, several challenges such as improving assay sensitivity, specificity, and clinical translation are discussed. Finally, we outline future perspectives, suggesting the integration of CDs into advanced diagnostic platforms for early cancer detection and personalized medicine. Harnessing the unique properties of green CDs holds great promise for revolutionizing cancer diagnostics, enabling early-stage detection, monitoring disease progression, and guiding personalized treatment strategies.

Prostate cancer ranks as the second most prevalent solid malignancy in men. Androgen deprivation therapy is a common approach of treating metastatic prostate cancer. However, development of castrate resistance in patients over the course of treatment, non-specific drug distribution and low solubility of drugs are major challenges in the treatment of prostate cancer treatment. In this study, serotonin (ST), a monoamine neurotransmitter, was explored for the site-specific delivery of cabazitaxel (CBZ) to 5HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptors overexpressing prostate cancer cells. ST was conjugated to G4 PAMAM dendrimers (DEND) which have well defined, highly branched, nanoscale, multifunctional architecture to carry and enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs. This study demonstrates the successful synthesis, characterisation, and CBZ delivery using serotonin-polyethylene glycol-dendrimer complex (ST-PEG-DEND) to DU154 human prostate cancer cells. According to the findings, CBZ@PEG-DEND showed significantly higher time- and dose-dependent cytotoxicities and growth-inhibitory effects to DU145 cells in comparison to pure CBZ. Further, the cellular uptake studies revealed high cellular uptake of targeted and fluorescent conjugate (Rho@ST-PEG-DEND) in comparison to non-targeted fluorescent conjugate (Rho@PEG-DEND), highlighting the role of ST in improved delivery of CBZ to 5HT receptor overexpressed cancer cells.

Nanostructured targets showed improved interaction with ultra-intense laser pulses in comparison to planar ones, both in simulations and in experiments. By increasing the surface area, the absorption and conversion efficiency of the laser energy to the accelerated particle energy are enhanced due to volumetric heating, leading to advanced proton acceleration, x-ray emission, ultra-high energy density matter creation, and terabar pressure generation. This work is focused on exploring the limits of the electrodeposition methods for the fabrication of nanostructured targets suitable for ultra-intense laser experiments at focused intensities as high as 10²³W/cm². The geometrical characteristics of the nanostructures are expanded to meet a wide range of experimental requirements: diameter, length, distance between structures, and substrate thickness. Nickel nanotubes and nanowires on few hundreds nanometer thick substrates were fabricated using porous alumina as template, obtained by aluminium anodization in various electrolyte solutions. The resulting structures revealed diameters and spacing of several hundreds of nanometers, with length varying between 1–10 micrometers, covering homogeneous areas of several square centimetres. The influence of temperature on the current density, with two electrolyte mixtures containing oxalic, citric, phosphoric acids used for anodization, is also reported. In the initial testing using high-power lasers, we found an increase in proton energy by 1.5 times and flux at high-energy tail of the spectrum higher by an order of magnitude, from the nanostructured targets.