Journal of Nanoparticle Research最新文献

Nanoecotoxicology is essential for understanding the environmental impact of nanomaterials. This study evaluated the impact of Bi₂S₃-PVP nanorods on two model aquatic organisms with contrasting biology: Daphnia magna and Pomacea sp. The physicochemical properties of the nanorods were characterized. Nanorods presented a uniform hydrodynamic size (217.9 + / − 25.8 nm), Z-potential of − 5.24 + / − 0.76 mV, and thermal stability up to 500 °C. Daphnia incorporated Bi₂S₃-PVP nanorods in the digestive tract, but no evidence of immobilization/mortality (in presence or absence of xanthan gum as stabilizer) was observed up to 100 mg L⁻¹. Snail’s growth rate and ingestion rate were not affected by Bi₂S₃-PVP at concentrations of T1 = 1 and T10 = 10 mg L⁻¹ in the evaluated timeframe. Oxygen consumption increased significantly in both treatments T1 and T10, with respect to the control after 18 and 28 days of exposure. Bismuth concentrations were detected and quantified in snail muscle in both treatments (T1 = 13.66 ± 20 mg kg⁻¹ and T10 = 94.74 ± 144 mg kg⁻¹), and the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was positive (BAF = 13.96 ± 20.99) and equal for both treatments. Bi₂S₃-PVP nanorods interact with both aquatic organisms and were ingested by both organisms, highlighting their bioavailability across different trophic levels. We report for the first time the bioaccumulation of these NPs in the tissues of a freshwater snail and in the gut content of Daphnia. These results contribute to the knowledge of nanomaterials’ ecological risks, requiring the understanding of their dynamics and the development of regulatory frameworks for assessing emerging technologies.

In 1930, the Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman won the Nobel Prize of Physics for his work in understanding the light-matter interaction, known as Raman scattering. After this discovery, the advancement of the Raman spectroscopy technique has increased during the years. In this context, seeking the amplification of the Raman spectroscopy signal, the use of nanoparticles to promote the Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect appeared as an excellent alternative. Thus, the development of different SERS substrates with various nanostructures has been constantly happening by research groups around the world. Substrate modifications, nanoparticles with complex structures, new analysis configurations and different devices setups have gone beyond scientific publications and several researchers and companies have sought intellectual protection for their productions. In this sense, patents related to SERS, in general applications, have been filed over the years. This article brings a systematic review of patents involving the SERS effect (substrates, devices, and preparation methods) in the twenty-first century showing the main patenting trends for those who want to understand the evolution of SERS patents, as well as showing the future perspectives, thus bringing a fundamental vision for researchers in this area. For this purpose, a search was carried out in the Espacenet database, which offers access to over 150 million patent documents. The search strategy involved advanced queries for "Surface-enhanced Raman scattering" or "SERS" in patents published from January 1, 2001, to June 1, 2024, resulting in 3,436 patent documents. The findings reveal a significant increase in SERS patent publications over the years. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that universities and research institutes are the primary contributors, responsible for 70.20% of SERS patent applications. When evaluating the location of the patent application, the USA, Japan, and South Korea stand out as the three countries that fill out the most patent applications. For this reason, Asia and America emerge as the continents that most produce this type of patent with 43.41 and 42.96%, respectively. Thus, this review article gives an overview of the progress of the SERS patents in twenty-first century.

In view of the urgent need for efficient and low-cost treatment of organic pollutants in printing and dyeing wastewater, magnetic porous adsorbents have attracted significant attention owing to their high efficiency and reusability. Herein, magnetic bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework (mZIFs) nanoparticles with Fe₃O₄ cores were synthesized as the initial precursor. Subsequently, the novel hollow mZIFs core–shell nanocomposites (defined as mNCs) were prepared through a mild tannic acid etching method, designed for efficient removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. The mNCs displayed remarkable adsorption potential, reaching up to 879.49 mg/g for methylene blue (MB) and 262.50 mg/g for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) at 303 K, with adsorption following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fitting well to the Langmuir isotherm. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption of MB and TC by mNCs proceeds spontaneously through an endothermic process, and the mNCs retained over 80% of their MB removal efficiency even after five adsorption–desorption cycles. These results highlight the potential of mNCs as an efficient and reusable adsorbent for eliminating organic contaminants in wastewater treatment.

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In the upsurge of emergent semiconductor materials as photocatalytic agents, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have shown their promise extensively. However, the implication of shape-controlled ZnO is still lacking. In this study, we construct two distinct shapes of ZnO spheres (ZnO-s) and needle-like ZnO (ZnO-n) that are grown by sol–gel and hydrothermal methods for hydrogen production photocatalysts. The hydrogen production of ZnO-s and ZnO-n is 19.78 and 12.25 µmol.g⁻¹, respectively, after 4 h of irradiation. Both shapes of ZnO exhibit a greater quantity in comparison to commercial ZnO (ZnO-c) for hydrogen production (5.3 µmol.g⁻¹). Various characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been carried out. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy indicated that both ZnO-s and ZnO-n exhibit a reduced PL intensity relative to ZnO-c. This finding demonstrates that the electron recombination in both ZnO-s and ZnO-n was suppressed. Furthermore, the UV–Vis DRS validated that both zinc oxide nanostructures have band gaps within the visible-light spectrum.

Growing environmental concerns and the persistence of organic pollutants underscore the urgent need for effective wastewater treatment. Among the various strategies developed to address this challenge, photocatalysis has emerged as a promising approach due to its potential for sustainable and efficient degradation of pollutants. In this study, we investigate the simultaneous incorporation of transition metal cations (Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, and Fe³⁺) into the crystalline structure of titanate nanotubes (H₂Ti₃O₇, TiNT) via a straightforward ion-exchange method. This modification promotes the formation of a p-n heterostructure between TiNT and the corresponding metal oxides (CuO, NiO, CoO, and Fe₂O₃). Remarkably, metal cation incorporation leads to a substantial reduction in the band gap, from 3.3 eV to 1.5 eV, and induces a new absorption feature associated with the formation of p-n heterojunctions. These modifications effectively extend the light absorption of the materials into the visible region. Furthermore, the formation of the p-n heterojunction increased charge carrier density compared to that obtained in pristine TiNT. The photocatalytic activity of the resulting metal-doped TiNT (M-TiNT) semiconductors was evaluated for the degradation of ibuprofen and indigo carmine under both UV and visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to improved light harvesting and increased availability of charge carriers, facilitating the generation of reactive redox species. The importance of the hydroxyl radical as a reactive species was confirmed using a hydroxyl radical scavenger, which led to a significant reduction in photocatalytic activity compared to the control experiment without the scavenger. Notably, Cu–TiNT remained stable after the reuse cycles, retaining 90% of its initial photoactivity. These findings provide valuable insights for the rational design of nanostructured photocatalysts and underscore the potential of metal-doped TiNTs for efficient environmental remediation.

Glutamate-induced toxicity in neuronal cells plays a crucial role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, emphasizing the need for effective neuroprotective agents. Diosmin, a flavonoid known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, has demonstrated the ability to shield cells from the harmful effects of glutamate. However, its low bioavailability and stability limit its therapeutic potential. In this research, we created selenium nanoparticles containing diosmin and stabilized by chitosan, aiming to boost their neuroprotective properties against glutamate-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. We hypothesized that the synergistic combination of diosmin, SeNPs, and chitosan would improve stability, bioavailability, and cellular uptake, enhancing neuroprotection. This investigation provides insights into the potential therapeutic application of diosmin-loaded SeNPs stabilized by chitosan in neuroprotection, highlighting the role of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems in mitigating neurotoxicity. Ultimately, this study could potentially result in the creation of new approaches for managing neurodegenerative disorders.

This work reports on the linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopic study of calcium-doped iron oxide thin films (({text{Fe}}_{2}{text{O}}_{3}:text{Ca})) with various dopant concentrations (0 at.%, 2 at.%, 5 at.%, and 10 at.%) prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of hematite (({alpha })-({text{Fe}}_{2}{text{O}}_{3})) with a polycrystalline rhombohedral structure and a preferred orientation along the (104) plane. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the doped samples exhibited a smooth surface compared with undoped ({alpha })-({text{Fe}}_{2}{text{O}}_{3}). The (text{Ca})-doped ({alpha })-({text{Fe}}_{2}{text{O}}_{3})(5 at.%) thin films displayed a smoother surface than the other films, with an RMS value of 2.49 nm. The linear optical properties, such as transmittance, absorbance, reflectance, band gap energy, and refractive index, were investigated using the UV–VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. The electronic polarizability was estimated using the Clausius-Mosotti relation. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (({chi }^{left(3right)})) and nonlinear refractive index (({n}_{2})) were studied using a spectroscopic method based on Miller’s rule. The results show that 5 at.%(text{Ca}) doping in ({alpha })-({text{Fe}}_{2}{text{O}}_{3}) enhances the electronic polarizability, which in turn improves the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility. The results obtained indicate that the synthesized thin films hold promise for applications in laser technology.

We demonstrate that cupric ions can significantly accelerate the dissolution rate of PVP-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) when dispersed in a sodium chloride solution. To assess the impact of copper ion concentration on the dissolution of PVP-coated AgNPs and the role of the chloride ion, experiments were conducted in both chloride and deionized (DI) water. In an aqueous medium without chloride ions, AgNPs remain stable despite the presence of cupric ions. However, in a chloride medium, their solubility increases in direct proportion to the cupric ion concentration. The dissolution rate of AgNPs was monitored using UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, leveraging their plasmonic properties. This method allowed us to analyze the dissolution process of PVP-coated AgNPs in sodium chloride solution in the presence of cupric ions. Additionally, using the bathocuproine method and EDS analysis, the dissolution mechanism of AgNPs into solid silver chloride (AgCl) and cuprous ions within the sodium chloride medium containing cupric ions has been elucidated.

In this work, we developed a novel fluorescent glucose sensor based on boron and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (BN-CDs) functionalized with 2-formylphenylboronic acid (2-FPBA) via a facile one-step hydrothermal synthesis followed by condensation grafting. The resulting BN-CD/2-FPBA nanocomposite exhibits excellent water solubility, high fluorescence stability, and superior selectivity toward glucose through a turn-off fluorescence mechanism. Unlike conventional enzyme-based or heavy-metal-containing quantum dot sensors, our system leverages the intrinsic Lewis acid properties of B atoms and the synergistic effects of B, N co-doping to achieve specific glucose recognition with minimal interference from common biomolecules and ions. The sensor demonstrates a wide linear detection range of 100–4000 μM and a low detection limit of 77.17 μM. This work not only presents a robust, enzyme-free platform for glucose monitoring but also offers a generalizable functionalization strategy for designing high-performance carbon dot-based biosensors.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are used in the creation of many promising technologies that have the potential to revolutionize many medical and biotechnological fields such as medical imaging, cancer treatment and diagnosis, biosensors and diagnostic kits, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, cosmetics and dermatology, gene therapy and molecular biology, pharmacology, and drug delivery systems today and in the future. Their use as targeted treatment approaches, biocompatible materials and imaging agents with anticancer, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties enables revolutionary developments in modern medicine and biotechnology. The versatile uses of these elements may contribute to the development of more effective and sensitive methods in medical treatment and diagnosis in the future. For this reason, they are intensively researched worldwide. The focus of this research is that rare earth elements and their derivatives can provide innovative solutions for diagnosis and treatment at the molecular level. Doping with rare earth elements, which are considered as vitamins of industries, redefines the properties of materials and increases their efficiency. For this reason, research is aimed at obtaining new properties and applications by creating hybrid structures of rare earth elements with different components. In recent years, scientific interest in investigating the molecular interactions of REEs with biomolecules has increased. These studies aim to activate drug-specific molecules in target cells, reduce their side effects, and provide more effective treatment methods. These studies aim to create potential structures in gene therapy, biosensor technologies, and cancer research with modifications performed using REEs. This study investigates the transformative potential of REE nanoparticles in various biotechnological and biomedical applications and emphasizes their promise as versatile tools for innovation in multiple disciplines by highlighting their roles in advancing targeted therapies, reducing side effects and addressing critical challenges in modern healthcare.

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