Factors Influencing the Stability of Au-Incorporated Metal-Oxide Supported Thin Films for Optical Gas Sensing

DOE PAGES

Baltrus, John P.; Holcomb, Gordon R.; Tylczak, Joseph H.; ...

2017-02-24

There is interest in using Au-nanoparticle incorporated oxide films as functional sensor layers for high-temperature applications in optical-based sensors for measurements in both highly-oxidizing and highly-reducing atmospheres at temperatures approaching 900°C-1000°C because of a relatively high melting temperature combined with the inert nature of Au nanoparticles. This study includes a systematic series of experiments and theoretical calculations targeted at further understanding stability of Au-nanoparticle incorporated TiO 2 films as archetype sensing materials. A combination of thermodynamic modeling and long-term exposure tests were utilized to unambiguously determine that gas stream composition-dependent reactive evaporation of Au (to form predominately Au(g) or AuH(g),more » depending upon the environment) at the surface of the nanoparticles is the dominant mechanism for mass loss of Au. Primary factors dictating the rate of reactive evaporation, and hence the associated film stability, were determined to be the gas stream temperature and the concentration of H 2, with the former playing a more significant role over the ranges of temperatures (700°C - 800°C) and H 2 concentrations (1% to 29% H 2 by volume) explored. The mitigation of Au-mass loss through reactive evaporation was also successfully demonstrated by depositing a SiO 2 overlayer on the Au-nanoparticle embedded films to prevent direct Au-nanoparticle/vapor-phase contact.« less

Factors Influencing the Stability of Au-Incorporated Metal-Oxide Supported Thin Films for Optical Gas Sensing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baltrus, John P.; Holcomb, Gordon R.; Tylczak, Joseph H.

There is interest in using Au-nanoparticle incorporated oxide films as functional sensor layers for high-temperature applications in optical-based sensors for measurements in both highly-oxidizing and highly-reducing atmospheres at temperatures approaching 900°C-1000°C because of a relatively high melting temperature combined with the inert nature of Au nanoparticles. This study includes a systematic series of experiments and theoretical calculations targeted at further understanding stability of Au-nanoparticle incorporated TiO 2 films as archetype sensing materials. A combination of thermodynamic modeling and long-term exposure tests were utilized to unambiguously determine that gas stream composition-dependent reactive evaporation of Au (to form predominately Au(g) or AuH(g),more » depending upon the environment) at the surface of the nanoparticles is the dominant mechanism for mass loss of Au. Primary factors dictating the rate of reactive evaporation, and hence the associated film stability, were determined to be the gas stream temperature and the concentration of H 2, with the former playing a more significant role over the ranges of temperatures (700°C - 800°C) and H 2 concentrations (1% to 29% H 2 by volume) explored. The mitigation of Au-mass loss through reactive evaporation was also successfully demonstrated by depositing a SiO 2 overlayer on the Au-nanoparticle embedded films to prevent direct Au-nanoparticle/vapor-phase contact.« less

Tuning the SERS Response with Ag-Au Nanoparticle-Embedded Polymer Thin Film Substrates.

PubMed

Rao, V Kesava; Radhakrishnan, T P

2015-06-17

Development of facile routes to the fabrication of thin film substrates with tunable surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) efficiency and identification of the optimal conditions for maximizing the enhancement factor (EF) are significant in terms of both fundamental and application aspects of SERS. In the present work, polymer thin films with embedded bimetallic nanoparticles of Ag-Au are fabricated by a simple two-stage protocol. Ag nanoparticles are formed in the first stage, by the in situ reduction of silver nitrate by the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film through mild thermal annealing, without any additional reducing agent. In the second stage, aqueous solutions of chloroauric acid spread on the Ag-PVA thin film under ambient conditions, lead to the galvanic displacement of Ag by Au in situ inside the film, and the formation of Ag-Au particles. Evolution of the morphology of the bimetallic nanoparticles into hollow cage structures and the distribution of Au on the nanoparticles are revealed through electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) extinction of the nanocomposite thin film evolves with the Ag-Au composition; theoretical simulation of the extinction spectra provides insight into the observed trends. The Ag-Au-PVA thin films are found to be efficient substrates for SERS. The EF follows the variation of the LSPR extinction vis-à-vis the excitation laser wavelength, but with an offset, and the maximum SERS effect is obtained at very low Au content; experiments with Rhodamine 6G showed EFs on the order of 10(8) and a limit of detection of 0.6 pmol. The present study describes a facile and simple fabrication of a nanocomposite thin film that can be conveniently deployed in SERS investigations, and the utility of the bimetallic system to tune and maximize the EF.

Fabrication and electrical characterization of a MOS memory device containing self-assembled metallic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sargentis, Ch.; Giannakopoulos, K.; Travlos, A.; Tsamakis, D.

2007-04-01

Floating gate devices with nanoparticles embedded in dielectrics have recently attracted much attention due to the fact that these devices operate as non-volatile memories with high speed, high density and low power consumption. In this paper, memory devices containing gold (Au) nanoparticles have been fabricated using e-gun evaporation. The Au nanoparticles are deposited on a very thin SiO 2 layer and are then fully covered by a HfO 2 layer. The HfO 2 is a high- k dielectric and gives good scalability to the fabricated devices. We studied the effect of the deposition parameters to the size and the shape of the Au nanoparticles using capacitance-voltage and conductance-voltage measurements, we demonstrated that the fabricated device can indeed operate as a low-voltage memory device.

Stabilization of gold nanoparticle films on glass by thermal embedding.

PubMed

Karakouz, Tanya; Maoz, Ben M; Lando, Gilad; Vaskevich, Alexander; Rubinstein, Israel

2011-04-01

The poor adhesion of gold nanoparticles (NPs) to glass has been a known obstacle to studies and applications of NP-based systems, such as glass/Au-NP optical devices. Here we present a simple scheme for obtaining stable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) transducers based on Au NP films immobilized on silanized glass and annealed. The procedure includes high-temperature annealing of the Au NP film, leading to partial embedding in the glass substrate and stabilization of the morphology and optical properties. The method is demonstrated using citrate-stabilized Au NPs, 20 and 63 nm mean diameter, immobilized electrostatically on glass microscope cover slides precoated with an aminosilane monolayer. Partial thermal embedding of the Au NPs in the glass occurs at temperatures in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature of the substrate. Upon annealing in air the Au NPs gradually settle into the glass and become encircled by a glass rim. In situ transmission UV-vis spectroscopy carried out during the annealing in a specially designed optical oven shows three regions: The most pronounced change of the surface plasmon (SP) band shape occurs in the first ca. 15 min of annealing; this is followed by a blue-shift of the SP band maximum (up to ca. 5 h), after which a steady red-shift of the SP band is observed (up to ca. 70 h, when the experiment was terminated). The development of the SP extinction spectrum was correlated to changes in the system structure, including thermal modification of the NP film morphology and embedding in the glass. The partially embedded Au NP films pass successfully the adhesive-tape test, while their morphology and optical response are stable toward immersion in solvents, drying, and thiol self-assembly. The enhanced adhesion is attributed to the metal NP embedding and rim formation. The stabilized NP films display a refractive index sensitivity (RIS) of 34-48 nm/RIU and 0.1-0.4 abs.u./RIU in SP band shift and extinction change, respectively. The RIS can be improved significantly by electroless deposition of Au on the embedded NPs, while the system stability is maintained. The method presented provides a simple route to obtaining stable Au NP film transducers. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Photoluminescence from Au nanoparticles embedded in Au:oxide composite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Hongbo; Wen, Weijia; Wong, George K.

2006-12-01

Au:oxide composite multilayer films with Au nanoparticles sandwiched by oxide layers (such as SiO2, ZnO, and TiO2) were prepared in a magnetron sputtering system. Their photoluminescence (PL) spectra were investigated by employing a micro-Raman system in which an Argon laser with a wavelength of 514 nm was used as the pumping light. Distinct PL peaks located at a wavelength range between 590 and 680 nm were observed in most of our samples, with Au particle size varying from several to hundreds of nanometers. It was found that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in these composites exerted a strong influence on the position of the PL peaks but had little effect on the PL intensity.

Optical effects in artificial opals infiltrated with gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comoretto, Davide; Morandi, Valentina; Marabelli, Franco; Amendola, Vincenzo; Meneghetti, Moreno

2006-04-01

Polystyrene artificial opals are directly grown with embedded gold nanoparticles (NpAu) in their interstices. Reflectance spectra of samples having different sphere diameters and nanoparticles load clearly show a red shift of the photonic band gap as well as a reduction of its width without showing direct evidence of NpAu absorption. The case of transmission spectra is instead more complicated: here, overlapped to a broad NpAu absorption, a structure having unusual lineshape is detected. The infiltration of opal with NpAu removes the polarization dependence of the photonic band structure observed in bare opals. The lineshape of the absorption spectra suggest a spatial localization of the electromagnetic field in the volume where NpAu are confined thus enhancing its local intensity. This effect seems to be effective to stimulate optical nonlinearities of NpAu. Nanosecond transient absorption measurements on NpAu infiltrated opals indicate that a variation of transmission of about 10% is observed. Since this effect takes place within the pump pulse and since NpAu photoluminescence has been subtracted to the signal, we attribute it to an optical switching process.

Confocal Raman microspectroscopic study of folate receptor-targeted delivery of 6-mercaptopurine-embedded gold nanoparticles in a single cell.

PubMed

Park, Jin; Jeon, Won Il; Lee, So Yeong; Ock, Kwang-Su; Seo, Ji Hye; Park, Jinho; Ganbold, Erdene-Ochir; Cho, Keunchang; Song, Nam Woong; Joo, Sang-Woo

2012-05-01

We investigate the cellular uptake behaviors and efficacy of folate-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for the targeted drug delivery system in human cancer cells. Folate-conjugated AuNPs embedded with a purine analogue cancer drug of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) were assembled via a 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) coupling reaction between the amino group of 4-aminobenzenethiol (ABT) and the carboxyl group of folic acid. The assembly of folate and 6MP on AuNPs has been examined by absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confocal Raman spectroscopy. The internalization of the conjugated AuNPs inside the folate receptor-positive HeLa and KB cells was checked by TEM and dark-field microscopy (DFM) combined with label-free confocal spectroscopy over the depth variable z at a micrometer resolution. DFM live cell imaging of folate-conjugated AuNPs in HeLa cells indicated that the targeted AuNPs appeared to attach on the cell surfaces and enter into the cell with an hour. The cell viability was also compared to estimate the efficacy of folate-conjugated AuNP delivery systems. Folate receptor-targeted AuNP systems appeared to decrease cancer cell viability both in vitro and in vivo more than did the use of the 6MP-coated AuNPs drug without any targeting systems. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optical Properties of Free and Embedded Small Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idrobo, Juan

2008-03-01

It is well known that the absorption spectra, as well as the effective dielectric function, of nanoparticles in vacuum or surrounded by a dielectric medium can be obtained by classical Mie and Maxwell-Garnett theories. A limit as to how the particles can be for the theory to apply has not been established. Here I present theoretical results on the optical properties of small Ag, Au, and Si and Ge nanoparticles with tens of atoms in vacuum and in an embedded dielectric medium obtained from first-principles density-functional calculations. In particular, I will discuss the role that d-electron play on the optical properties of Ag and Au nanoparticles, and the cases when classical Mie and Maxwell-Garnett theories can be applied for nanoparticles of just few atoms in size and whose atoms are in bulk-like and not bulk-like positions. Comparison will be made for nanoparticles in vacuum and embedded in an alumina matrix. The quantum-mechanical results indicate that small nanoparticles in alumina can have an imprint on the effective dielectric function that is several times larger than would be predicted by Maxwell-Garnett theory for same-size particles. This work was supported by a GOALI NSF grant, DOE, the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, and Alcoa Inc. Collaborators: S. ögüt, K. Jackson, J. Jellinek, A. Halabica. R. F. Haglund, R. Magruder, S.J. Pennycook and S.T. Pantelides.

Mecanismes de deformation de nanoparticules d'Au par irradiation ionique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harkati Kerbouah, Chahineze

2011-12-01

In the present thesis, we study the anisotropic deformation of gold nanoparticles embedded in amorphous silica or crystalline aluminum arsenide, under ion bombardment. We try to comprehend the mechanism responsible for this deformation and to remove any ambiguity related to the explanation of this phenomenon. A hybrid process combining sputtering and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition was used to fabricate Au/SiO2 layers on fused silica substrates. Structures with single and multilayer were obtained. Heating during or after deposition activates the Au atom agglomeration and favours the growth of the nanoparticles. Also, a Au/AlAs nanocomposite was obtained by ion implantation of AlAs films, followed by rapid thermal annealing. The samples of the two nanocomposites, cooled with liquid nitrogen, were irradiated with 2 to 40 MeV Cu, Si, Au or In ion beams, at fluences ranging from 1x10 13 to 4x1015 ions/cm2, using a Tandem or Tandetron accelerator. The structural and morphological properties of the Au/SiO2 nanocomposite were extracted by optical means; the frequency and the width of surface plasmon resonance band depend on the nanoparticle shape and size, their concentration, the inter-particle distance and the dielectric properties of material in which the particles are embedded. The aluminum arsenide crystallinity was studied by two techniques: Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channelling configuration (RBS/ channelling). The Au concentration in the nanocomposite layers was deducted from RBS results. The size distribution and metallic nanoparticles shape transformation in both nanocomposites were observed by electronic transmission microscopy. The results obtained within the framework of this work are the subject of three journal papers. The first publication shows the possibility of manipulating the width and spectral position of the gold nanoparticle absorption band in Au/SiO2 nanocomposites by modifying their structure (form, size and inter-particle distance). The obtained Au nanoparticles are nearly spherical. The surface plasmon (PS) absorption band corresponding to the distant particles is located at 520 nm. After ion irradiation, the spherical nanoparticles transform into ellipsoids aligned along the ion beam. The absorption band splits into two bands: transversal and longitudinal. The band corresponding to the ellipsoids small axis (transversal) is blue-shifted and that corresponding to the long axis (longitudinal) is red-shifted indicating the elongation of particles in the beam direction. The second paper is consecrated to the crucial role of the plastic deformation of the matrix and to the importance of the metal atomic mobility in the anisotropic nanoparticles deformation in Au/SiO 2 nanocomposites. Our measurements show that a threshold value of 2 keV/nm (electronic stopping power) is necessary for the deformation of Au nanoparticles. This value is close to that required for silica deformation. Mobility of the Au atoms at the time of the ion passage is confirmed by temperature calculation within the ionic track. The third paper treats the attempt of formation and deformation of Au nanoparticles in crystalline aluminum arsenide matrix known by its high resistance to amorphisation and deformation under ionic bombardment. The principal result of the last article confirms the essential role of the matrix. It proves that the anisotropic deformation of surrounding material is indispensable for gold nanoparticles deformation. The experimental results mentioned above and temperature calculations within ionic tracks allowed us to propose the following anisotropic deformation scenario of Au nanoparticles embedded in Au/SiO2 nanocomposite: (1) Each ion crossing the silica melts (very briefly) a narrow cylinder around its trajectory forming thus a latent track. This is consistent with the observed threshold value in the electronic stopping power. (2) The cumulative effect of many separate ion impacts leads to the anisotropic growth of the silica matrix which contracts in the direction of the beam and elongates in the perpendicular direction. The overlap model of the ionic tracks was used to validate this phenomenon. (3) The deformation of silica generates strains which act on the nanoparticles in the plane perpendicular to the ion trajectory. In order to accommodate these strains, the Au nanoparticles deform in the beam direction. (4) The deformation of nanoparticles occurs each time an ion traverses the gold particle and melts a cylinder around its trajectory. The mobility of the gold atoms was confirmed by a calculation of the equivalent temperature from the deposited energy in the material by incident ions. The scenario above is compatible with our experimental data obtained in the case of the Au/SiO2 nanocomposite. It is further supported by the fact that the Au nanoparticules do not deform when they are integrated in AlAs which is resistant to the deformation. Keywords: ion irradiation, nanoparticles, Au, electronic stopping power, surface plasmon resonance, elongation, silica, aluminum arsenide.

Synthesis of NiO-TiO2 hybrids/mSiO2 yolk-shell architectures embedded with ultrasmall gold nanoparticles for enhanced reactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Jiasheng; Zhang, Yiwei; Zhou, Yuming; Zhao, Shuo; Zhang, Chao; Huang, Mengqiu; Gao, Yan

2017-08-01

Novel NiO-TiO2 hybrids/mSiO2 yolk-shell architectures loaded with ultrasmall Au nanoparticles (STNVS-Au) were developed via the rational synthetic strategy. The hierarchical yolk-shell nanostructures (STNVS) with high surface areas were constructed by a facile "bottom-up" assembly process using SiO2 materials and polymer resins as cores/shells and sacrificial templates, accompanied by a simple hydrothermal incorporation of NiO into uniform amorphous TiO2 layers that were converted to NiO-anatase TiO2 p-n heterojunction hybrids. Then, numerous sub-3 nm Au nanoparticles were post encapsulated within STNVS nanostructures through the low-temperature hydrogen reduction based on the unique deposition-precipitation method with Au(en)2Cl3 compounds as gold precursors. The NiO-TiO2 hybrids alloying with Au nanoparticles were effectively protected and entrapped within STNVS architectures, and interacted with outer mSiO2-Au shells, which comprised the powerful STNVS-Au yolk-shell nanoreactors and produced stronger configural synergies in enhancing the heterogeneous catalysis. Into catalyzing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, the STNVS-Au was shown with outstanding activity and reusability, and its pristine morphology was well retained during the recycling process.

Au Nanoparticle Sub-Monolayers Sandwiched between Sol-Gel Oxide Thin Films

PubMed Central

Della Gaspera, Enrico; Menin, Enrico; Sada, Cinzia

2018-01-01

Sub-monolayers of monodisperse Au colloids with different surface coverage have been embedded in between two different metal oxide thin films, combining sol-gel depositions and proper substrates functionalization processes. The synthetized films were TiO2, ZnO, and NiO. X-ray diffraction shows the crystallinity of all the oxides and verifies the nominal surface coverage of Au colloids. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the metal nanoparticles is affected by both bottom and top oxides: in fact, the SPR peak of Au that is sandwiched between two different oxides is centered between the SPR frequencies of Au sub-monolayers covered with only one oxide, suggesting that Au colloids effectively lay in between the two oxide layers. The desired organization of Au nanoparticles and the morphological structure of the prepared multi-layered structures has been confirmed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses that show a high quality sandwich structure. The multi-layered structures have been also tested as optical gas sensors. PMID:29538338

Drug-loaded gold/iron/gold plasmonic nanoparticles for magnetic targeted chemo-photothermal treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Kim, Hyung Joon; Lee, Sun-Mi; Park, Kyu-Hyung; Mun, Chin Hee; Park, Yong-Beom; Yoo, Kyung-Hwa

2015-08-01

We have developed methotrexate (MTX)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid, PLGA) gold (Au)/iron (Fe)/gold (Au) half-shell nanoparticles conjugated with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD), which can be applied for magnetic targeted chemo-photothermal treatment, and in vivo multimodal imaging of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Upon near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, local heat is generated at the inflammation region due to the NIR resonance of Au half-shells and MTX release from PLGA nanoparticles is accelerated. The Fe half-shell layer embedded between the Au half-shell layers enables in vivo T2-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in addition to NIR absorbance imaging. Furthermore, the delivery of the nanoparticles to the inflammation region in collagen-induced arthritic (CIA) mice, and their retention can be enhanced under external magnetic field. When combined with consecutive NIR irradiation and external magnetic field application, these nanoparticles provide enhanced therapeutic effects with an MTX dosages of only 0.05% dosage compared to free MTX therapy for the treatment of RA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermo-responsive PNIPAM-metal hybrids: An efficient nanocatalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satapathy, Smith Sagar; Bhol, Prachi; Chakkarambath, Aswathy; Mohanta, Jagdeep; Samantaray, Kunal; Bhat, Suresh K.; Panda, Subhendu K.; Mohanty, Priti S.; Si, Satyabrata

2017-10-01

Micron size thermoresponsive cross-linked polymeric microgels of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) are used as "microreactor" for embedding metal nanoparticles of different shapes. Using a simple and robust method, we have synthesized various polymer-metal hybrid nanostructures incorporated with Au nanorods (AuNR), Au nanospheres (AuNS) and Ag nanospheres (AgNS). These hybrid nanostructures have been characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and static light scattering (SLS) followed by their catalytic activity. TEM studies directly confirmed the mondispersity of synthesized hybrid microgels and stability of the embedded metal nanoparticles within the microgels. Optical studies confirmed the presence of respective absorption bands that correspond to AuNS, AgNS and AuNR respectively. Extensive DLS studies demonstrated that although these hybrid microgels preserve their thermoresponsive properties, i.e their hydrodynamic radius decreased with increasing temperature, their thermosensitivity were comparatively lesser than pure PNIPAM microgels. Combining with studies using static light scattering, we further found that AuNS and AgNS were inhomogeneously distributed within microgels where the majority of the nanoparticles present within the loosely cross-linked shell. On the other hand AuNR were distributed more homogeneously within the microgels. Catalytic performance of various nanostructures loaded onto PNIPAM microgel beads were evaluated by studying the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. Complete catalytic conversion using AgNS occurred in ∼30 min with a first-order rate constant of 0.159 min-1 having a 7 min induction period. On the other hand no induction period was observed for AuNS and AuNR and the reaction completed in 3-4 min with a first-order rate constant of 1.607 min-1 and 1.627 min-1 respectively. Further, PNIPAM-AuNS and PNIPAM-AuNR possess better catalytic activity as well as recyclability compared to that of PNIPAM-AgNS.

Random Walk of Single Gold Nanoparticles in Zebrafish Embryos Leading to Stochastic Toxic Effects on Embryonic Developments

PubMed Central

Browning, Lauren M.; Lee, Kerry J.; Huang, Tao; Nallathamby, Prakash D.; Lowman, Jill E.; Xu, Xiao-Hong Nancy

2010-01-01

We have synthesized and characterized stable (non-aggregation, non-photobleaching and non-blinking), nearly monodisperse and highly-purified Au nanoparticles, and used them to probe transport of cleavage-stage zebrafish embryos and to study their effects on embryonic development in real time. We found that single Au nanoparticles (11.6 ± 0.9 nm in diameter) passively diffused into chorionic space of the embryos via their chorionic-pore-canals and continued their random-walk through chorionic space and into inner mass of embryos. Diffusion coefficients of single nanoparticles vary dramatically (2.8×10-11 to 1.3×10-8 cm2/s) as nanoparticles diffuse through various parts of embryos, suggesting highly diverse transport barriers and viscosity gradients of embryos. The amount of Au nanoparticles accumulated in embryos increase with its concentration. Interestingly, their effects on embryonic development are not proportionally related to the concentration. Majority of embryos (74% on average) incubated chronically with 0.025-1.2 nM Au nanoparticles for 120 h developed to normal zebrafish, with some (24%) being dead and few (2%) deformed. We developed a new approach to image and characterize individual Au nanoparticles embedded in tissues using histology sample preparation methods and LSRP spectra of single nanoparticles. We found that Au nanoparticles in various parts of normally developed and deformed zebrafish, suggesting that random-walk of nanoparticles in embryos during their development might have led to stochastic effects on embryonic development. These results show that Au nanoparticles are much more biocompatible (less toxic) to the embryos than Ag nanoparticles that we reported previously, suggesting that they are better suited as biocompatible probes for imaging embryos in vivo. The results provide powerful evidences that biocompatibility and toxicity of nanoparticles highly depend on their chemical properties, and the embryos can serve as effective in-vivo assays to screen their biocompatibility. PMID:20644873

Thermooptical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in ice: characterization of heat generation and melting.

PubMed

Richardson, Hugh H; Hickman, Zackary N; Govorov, Alexander O; Thomas, Alyssa C; Zhang, Wei; Kordesch, Martin E

2006-04-01

We investigate the system of optically excited gold NPs in an ice matrix aiming to understand heat generation and melting processes at the nanoscale level. Along with the traditional fluorescence method, we introduce thermooptical spectroscopy based on phase transformation of a matrix. With this, we can not only measure optical response but also thermal response, that is, heat generation. After several recrystallization cycles, the nanoparticles are embedded into the ice film where the optical and thermal properties of the nanoparticles are probed. Spatial fluorescence mapping shows the locations of Au nanoparticles, whereas the time-resolved Raman signal of ice reveals the melting process. From the time-dependent Raman signals, we determine the critical light intensities at which the laser beam is able to melt ice around the nanoparticles. The melting intensity depends strongly on temperature and position. The position-dependence is especially strong and reflects a mesoscopic character of heat generation. We think that it comes from the fact that nanoparticles form small complexes of different geometry and each complex has a unique thermal response. Theoretical calculations and experimental data are combined to make a quantitative measure of the amount of heat generated by optically excited Au nanoparticles and agglomerates. The information obtained in this study can be used to design nanoscale heaters and actuators.

Synthesis of plant-mediated gold nanoparticles and catalytic role of biomatrix-embedded nanomaterials

PubMed Central

Sharma, Nilesh C.; Nath, Sudip; Parsons, Jason G.; Gardea- Torresdey, Jorge L.; Pal, Tarasankar

2008-01-01

Growth of Sesbania seedlings in chloroaurate solution resulted in the accumulation of gold with the formation of stable gold nanoparticles in plant tissues. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the intracellular distribution of monodisperse nanospheres, possibly due to reduction of the metal ions by secondary metabolites present in cells. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure demonstrated a high degree of efficiency for the biotransformation of Au(III) into Au(0) by plant tissues. The catalytic function of the nanoparticle-rich biomass was substantiated by the reduction of aqueous 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). This is the first report of gold nanoparticle-bearing biomatrix directly reducing a toxic pollutant, 4-NP. PMID:17711235

Reduced Ensemble Plasmon Line Widths and Enhanced Two-Photon Luminescence in Anodically Formed High Surface Area Au-TiO2 3D Nanocomposites.

PubMed

Farsinezhad, Samira; Banerjee, Shyama Prasad; Bangalore Rajeeva, Bharath; Wiltshire, Benjamin D; Sharma, Himani; Sura, Anton; Mohammadpour, Arash; Kar, Piyush; Fedosejevs, Robert; Shankar, Karthik

2017-01-11

Localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) in TiO 2 nanorod and nanotube arrays decorated by gold nanoparticles can be exploited to improve photocatalytic activity, enhance nonlinear optical coefficients, and increase light harvesting in solar cells. However, the LSPR typically has a low quality factor, and the resonance is often obscured by the Urbach tail of the TiO 2 band gap absorption. Attempts to increase the LSPR extinction intensity by increasing the density of gold nanoparticles on the surface of the TiO 2 nanostructures invariably produce peak broadening due to the effects of either agglomeration or polydispersity. We present a new class of hybrid nanostructures containing gold nanoparticles (NPs) partially embedded in nanoporous/nanotubular TiO 2 by performing the anodization of cosputtered Ti-Au thin films containing a relatively high ratio of Au:Ti. Our method of anodizing thin film stacks containing alternate layers of Ti and TiAu results in very distinctive LSPR peaks with quality factors as high as 6.9 and ensemble line widths as small as 0.33 eV even in the presence of an Urbach tail. Unusual features in the anodization of such films are observed and explained, including oscillatory current transients and the observation of coherent heterointerfaces between the Au NPs and anatase TiO 2 . We further show that such a plasmonic NP-embedded nanotube structure dramatically outperforms a plasmonic NP-decorated anodic nanotube structure in terms of the extinction coefficient, and achieves a strongly enhanced two-photon fluorescence due to the high density of gold nanoparticles in the composite film and the plasmonic local field enhancement.

Direct observation of interfacial Au atoms on TiO₂ in three dimensions.

PubMed

Gao, Wenpei; Sivaramakrishnan, Shankar; Wen, Jianguo; Zuo, Jian-Min

2015-04-08

Interfacial atoms, which result from interactions between the metal nanoparticles and support, have a large impact on the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles. However, they are difficult to observe; the lack of knowledge has been a major obstacle toward unraveling their role in chemical transformations. Here we report conclusive evidence of interfacial Au atoms formed on the rutile (TiO2) (110) surfaces by activation using high-temperature (∼500 °C) annealing in air. Three-dimensional imaging was performed using depth-sectioning enabled by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Results show that the interface between Au nanocrystals and TiO2 (110) surfaces consists of a single atomic layer with Au atoms embedded inside Ti-O. The number of interfacial Au atoms is estimated from ∼1-8 in an interfacial atomic column. Direct impact of interfacial Au atoms is observed on an enhanced Au-TiO2 interaction and the reduction of surface TiO2; both are critical to Au catalysis.

“Beating speckles” via electrically-induced vibrations of Au nanorods embedded in sol-gel

PubMed Central

Ritenberg, Margarita; Beilis, Edith; Ilovitsh, Asaf; Barkai, Zehava; Shahmoon, Asaf; Richter, Shachar; Zalevsky, Zeev; Jelinek, Raz

2014-01-01

Generation of macroscopic phenomena through manipulating nano-scale properties of materials is among the most fundamental goals of nanotechnology research. We demonstrate cooperative “speckle beats” induced through electric-field modulation of gold (Au) nanorods embedded in a transparent sol-gel host. Specifically, we show that placing the Au nanorod/sol-gel matrix in an alternating current (AC) field gives rise to dramatic modulation of incident light scattered from the material. The speckle light patterns take form of “beats”, for which the amplitude and frequency are directly correlated with the voltage and frequency, respectively, of the applied AC field. The data indicate that the speckle beats arise from localized vibrations of the gel-embedded Au nanorods, induced through the interactions between the AC field and the electrostatically-charged nanorods. This phenomenon opens the way for new means of investigating nanoparticles in constrained environments. Applications in electro-optical devices, such as optical modulators, movable lenses, and others are also envisaged. PMID:24413086

Gold nanoparticles deposited on linker-free silicon substrate and embedded in aluminum Schottky contact.

PubMed

Gorji, Mohammad Saleh; Razak, Khairunisak Abdul; Cheong, Kuan Yew

2013-10-15

Given the enormous importance of Au nanoparticles (NPs) deposition on Si substrates as the precursor for various applications, we present an alternative approach to deposit Au NPs on linker-free n- and p-type Si substrates. It is demonstrated that, all conditions being similar, there is a significant difference between densities of the deposited NPs on both substrates. The Zeta-potential and polarity of charges surrounding the hydroxylamine reduced seeded growth Au NPs, are determined by a Zetasizer. To investigate the surface properties of Si substrates, contact angle measurement is performed. Field-emission scanning electron microscope is then utilized to distinguish the NPs density on the substrates. Finally, Al/Si Schottky barrier diodes with embedded Au NPs are fabricated, and their structural and electrical characteristics are further evaluated using an energy-filtered transmission electron microscope and current-voltage measurements, respectively. The results reveal that the density of NPs is significantly higher on n-type Si substrate and consequently has more pronounced effects on the electrical characteristics of the diode. It is concluded that protonation of Si-OH group on Si surface in low pH is responsible for the immobilization of Au NPs, which eventually contributes to the lowering of barrier height and enhances the electrical characteristics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid at a novel gold nanoparticles distributed poly(4-aminothiophenol) modified electrode.

PubMed

Gopalan, Anantha Iyengar; Lee, Kwang-Pill; Manesh, Kalayil Manian; Santhosh, Padmanabhan; Kim, Jun Heon; Kang, Jae Soo

2007-03-15

A modified electrode is fabricated by embedding gold nanoparticles into a layer of electroactive polymer, poly(4-aminothiophenol) (PAT) on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is performed to deposit PAT and concomitantly deposit Au nanoparticles. Field emission transmission electron microscopic image of the modified electrode, PAT-Au(nano)-ME, indicates the presence of uniformly distributed Au nanoparticles having the sizes of 8-10nm. Electrochemical behavior of the PAT-Au(nano)-ME towards detection of ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA) is studied using CV. Electrocatalytic determination of DA in the presence of fixed concentration of AA and vice versa, are studied using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). PAT-Au(nano)-ME exhibits two well defined anodic peaks at the potential of 75 and 400mV for the oxidation of AA and DA, respectively with a potential difference of 325mV. Further, the simultaneous determination of AA and DA is studied by varying the concentration of AA and DA. PAT-Au(nano)-ME exhibits selectivity and sensitivity for the simultaneous determination of AA and DA without fouling by the oxidation products of AA or DA. PAT and Au nanoparticles provide synergic influence on the accurate electrochemical determination of AA or DA from a mixture having any one of the component (AA or DA) in excess. The practical analytical utilities of the PAT-Au(nano)-ME are demonstrated by the determination of DA and AA in dopamine hydrochloride injection and human blood serum samples.

Surface plasmon resonance enhanced light absorption and wavelength tuneable in gold-coated iron oxide spherical nanoparticle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasri, Thananchai; Chingsungnoen, Artit

2018-06-01

Surface plasmon in nano-sized particles, such as gold, silver, copper and their composites, has recently attracted a great deal of attention due to its possible uses in many applications, especially in life sciences. It is desirable for application devices with a tenability of surface plasmon wavelength and optical properties enhancement. This article presents enhanced optical light absorption and tunable wavelength in gold-coated magnetite (Fe3O4@Au core-shell) nanoparticles embedded in water using the theoretical method of discrete dipole approximation (DDA). The absorption spectra in the wavelengths from 350 to 900 nm were found to be the spectra obtained from Fe3O4@Au core-shell nanoparticles, and when compared with pure Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the surface plasmon resonance can be enhanced and tuned over the entire visible spectrum (viz. 350-800 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum by varying the Au shell thickness (2-5 nm). Similarly, the Faraday rotation spectra can also be obtained.

Gold nanoparticles-decorated fluoroalkylsilane nano-assemblies for electrocatalytic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballarin, Barbara; Barreca, Davide; Cassani, Maria Cristina; Carraro, Giorgio; Maccato, Chiara; Mignani, Adriana; Lazzari, Dario; Bertola, Maurizio

2016-01-01

Metal/organosilane/oxide sandwich structures were prepared via a two-step self-assembly method. First, indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were functionalized with the following fluoroalkylsilanes (FAS): RFC(O)N(H)(CH2)3Si(OMe)3 (1, RF = C5F11), containing an embedded amide between the perfluoroalkyl chain and the syloxanic moiety, and RF(CH2)2Si(OEt)3 (2, RF = C6F13). Subsequently, Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) introduction in the obtained systems was carried out by controlled immersion into a solution of citrate-stabilized AuNPs. The physico-chemical properties of the target materials were thoroughly investigated by using various complementary techniques. Finally, the application of such systems as catalysts for methanol electro-oxidation under alkaline conditions was investigated, revealing the synergistical role played by FAS and AuNPs in promoting a remarkable electrocatalytic activity.

Plasmon enhanced water splitting mediated by hybrid bimetallic Au-Ag core-shell nanostructures.

PubMed

Erwin, William R; Coppola, Andrew; Zarick, Holly F; Arora, Poorva; Miller, Kevin J; Bardhan, Rizia

2014-11-07

In this work, we employed wet chemically synthesized bimetallic Au-Ag core-shell nanostructures (Au-AgNSs) to enhance the photocurrent density of mesoporous TiO2 for water splitting and we compared the results with monometallic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). While Au-AgNSs incorporated photoanodes give rise to 14× enhancement in incident photon to charge carrier efficiency, AuNPs embedded photoanodes result in 6× enhancement. By varying nanoparticle concentration in the photoanodes, we observed ∼245× less Au-AgNSs are required relative to AuNPs to generate similar photocurrent enhancement for solar fuel conversion. Power-dependent measurements of Au-AgNSs and AuNPs showed a first order dependence to incident light intensity, relative to half-order dependence for TiO2 only photoanodes. This indicated that plasmonic nanostructures enhance charge carriers formed on the surface of the TiO2 which effectively participate in photochemical reactions. Our experiments and simulations suggest the enhanced near-field, far-field, and multipolar resonances of Au-AgNSs facilitating broadband absorption of solar radiation collectively gives rise to their superior performance in water splitting.

Ion beam-induced shaping of Ni nanoparticles embedded in a silica matrix: from spherical to prolate shape

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Present work reports the elongation of spherical Ni nanoparticles (NPs) parallel to each other, due to bombardment with 120 MeV Au+9 ions at a fluence of 5 × 1013 ions/cm2. The Ni NPs embedded in silica matrix have been prepared by atom beam sputtering technique and subsequent annealing. The elongation of Ni NPs due to interaction with Au+9 ions as investigated by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows a strong dependence on initial Ni particle size and is explained on the basis of thermal spike model. Irradiation induces a change from single crystalline nature of spherical particles to polycrystalline nature of elongated particles. Magnetization measurements indicate that changes in coercivity (Hc) and remanence ratio (Mr/Ms) are stronger in the ion beam direction due to the preferential easy axis of elongated particles in the beam direction. PMID:21711659

Understanding Atom Probe Tomography of Oxide-Supported Metal Nanoparticles by Correlation with Atomic Resolution Electron Microscopy and Field Evaporation Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Devaraj, Arun; Colby, Robert J.; Vurpillot, F.

2014-03-26

Metal-dielectric composite materials, specifically metal nanoparticles supported on or embedded in metal oxides, are widely used in catalysis. The accurate optimization of such nanostructures warrants the need for detailed three-dimensional characterization. Atom probe tomography is uniquely capable of generating sub-nanometer structural and compositional data with part-per-million mass sensitivity, but there are reconstruction artifacts for composites containing materials with strongly differing fields of evaporation, as for oxide-supported metal nanoparticles. By correlating atom probe tomography with scanning transmission electron microscopy for Au nanoparticles embedded in an MgO support, deviations from an ideal topography during evaporation are demonstrated directly, and correlated with compositionalmore » errors in the reconstructed data. Finite element simulations of the field evaporation process confirm that protruding Au nanoparticles will evolve on the tip surface, and that evaporation field variations lead to an inaccurate assessment of the local composition, effectively lowering the spatial resolution of the final reconstructed dataset. Cross-correlating the experimental data with simulations results in a more detailed understanding of local evaporation aberrations during APT analysis of metal-oxide composites, paving the way towards a more accurate three-dimensional characterization of this technologically important class of materials.« less

Radiotherapy Improvements by Using Au Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Torrisi, Lorenzo

2015-01-01

Au nanoparticles can be prepared inside biological solutions and incorporated in special molecules for their transport through blood, drugs and proteins up to the tumour sites or directly injected in their volume when it is possible. The Au nanoparticles are biocompatible and can be accepted locally in the organism also at relatively high concentrations. The use of Au nanoparticles injected in the tumour site enhances significantly the effective atomic number of the medium, depending on the used concentration, and consequently the proton and electron energy loss and the X-ray absorption coefficient determining an increment of the local absorbed dose during radiotherapy. Traditional radiotherapy using electrons, X-rays and gamma rays, and innovative protontherapy can benefit the increment of the effective atomic number of the tissue in the presence of Au-nanoparticles embedded in the tumour volume with an adaptive up-take procedure. This method decreases the dose released to the healthy tissues permitting a better cantering of the irradiated targets and shielding the healthy tissue placed behind the tumour. The presented theoretical study approach permits to evaluate an enhancement of the radiotherapy dose of the order of 1 % using 60 MeV protons, of the order of 10% using 6 MeV electrons and of the order of 100 % using 100 keV X-ray photons. Here, we also disccused for patents relaed to the topic.

Direct electrochemical oxidation of S-captopril using gold electrodes modified with graphene-AuAg nanocomposites

PubMed Central

Pogacean, Florina; Biris, Alexandru R; Coros, Maria; Lazar, Mihaela Diana; Watanabe, Fumiya; Kannarpady, Ganesh K; Al Said, Said A Farha; Biris, Alexandru S; Pruneanu, Stela

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel approach for the electrochemical detection of S-captopril based on graphene AuAg nanostructures used to modify an Au electrode. Multi-layer graphene (Gr) sheets decorated with embedded bimetallic AuAg nanoparticles were successfully synthesized catalytically with methane as the carbon source. The two catalytic systems contained 1.0 wt% Ag and 1.0 wt% Au, while the second had a larger concentration of metals (1.5 wt% Ag and 1.5 wt% Au) and was used for the synthesis of the Gr-AuAg-1 and Gr-AuAg-1.5 multicomponent samples. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated the presence of graphene flakes that had regular shapes (square or rectangular) and dimensions in the tens to hundreds of nanometers. We found that the size of the embedded AuAg nanoparticles varied between 5 and 100 nm, with the majority being smaller than 20 nm. Advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy studies indicated a bimetallic characteristic of the metallic clusters. The resulting Gr-AuAg-1 and Gr-AuAg-1.5 samples were used to modify the surface of commonly used Au substrates and subsequently employed for the direct electrochemical oxidation of S-captopril. By comparing the differential pulse voltammograms recorded with the two modified electrodes at various concentrations of captopril, the peak current was determined to be well-defined, even at relatively low concentration (10−5 M), for the Au/Gr-AuAg-1.5 electrode. In contrast, the signals recorded with the Au/Gr-AuAg-1 electrode were poorly defined within a 5×10−6 to 5×10−3 M concentration range, and many of them overlapped with the background. Such composite materials could find significant applications in nanotechnology, sensing, or nanomedicine. PMID:24596464

Apolipoprotein E3 Mediated Targeted Brain Delivery of Reconstituted High Density Lipoprotein Bearing 3, 10, And 17 Nm Hydrophobic Core Gold Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Skylar T.

We have developed a high density lipoprotein (HDL)-based platform for transport and delivery of hydrophobic gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The ability of apolipoprotein E3 (apoE3) to act as a ligand for the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) was exploited to gain entry of HDL with AuNP into glioblastoma cells. AuNP of 3, 10 and 17 nm diameter, the latter two synthesized by phase transfer process, were solubilized by integration into reconstituted HDL (rHDL). Absorption spectroscopy indicated the presence of stable particles with signature surface plasmon bands, while electron microscopy revealed AuNP embedded in rHDL core. The rHDL-AuNP complexes displayed robust binding to the LDLr, were internalized by the glioblastoma cells, and appeared as aggregated AuNP in the endosomal-lysosomal compartments. The rHDL-AuNP generated little cytotoxicity and were able to cross the blood brain barrier. The findings bear significance since they offer an effective means of delivering AuNP across tumor cell membrane.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical response of plasmonic Au embedded BiVO4/Fe2O3 heterojunction.

PubMed

Verma, Anuradha; Srivastav, Anupam; Khan, Saif A; Rani Satsangi, Vibha; Shrivastav, Rohit; Kumar Avasthi, Devesh; Dass, Sahab

2017-06-14

The effect of embedding Au nanoparticles (NPs) in a BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 heterojunction for photoelectrochemical water splitting is studied here for the first time. The present nanostructured heterojunction offers three major advantages over pristine BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 : (i) the formation of a heterojunction between BiVO 4 and Fe 2 O 3 enhances the charge carrier separation and transfer, (ii) the layer of Fe 2 O 3 provides protection to BiVO 4 from photocorrosion and, (iii) the Au NPs possessing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhance the photoelectrochemical response by transferring energy to metal oxides by hot electron transfer (HET) and plasmon resonant energy transfer (PRET). The present study reveals that the heterojunction ITO/BiVO 4 /Fe 2 O 3 (with 32% v/v Au solution in both layers) gives the best performance and mitigates the limitations of both pristine Fe 2 O 3 and BiVO 4 . A thirteen-fold increment in applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency (ABPE) was observed at 1.24 V vs. RHE under the condition of 1 Sun illumination. Monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements indicated that an Au embedded heterojunction is more effective in harvesting visible light in comparison to a heterojunction without Au NPs.

Tessellated gold nanostructures from Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 molecular precursors and their use in organic solar cell enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauld, Reg; Hesari, Mahdi; Workentin, Mark S.; Fanchini, Giovanni

2014-06-01

We report for the first time the fabrication of nanocomposite hole-blocking layers consisting of poly-3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene:poly-styrene-sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) thin films incorporating networks of gold nanoparticles assembled from Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60, a molecular gold precursor. These thin films can be prepared reproducibly on indium tin oxide by spinning on it Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 solutions in chlorobenzene, annealing the resulting thin film at 400 °C, and subsequently spinning PEDOT:PSS on top. The use of our nanocomposite hole-blocking layers for enhancing the photoconversion efficiency of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells is demonstrated. By varying the concentration of Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 in the starting solution and the annealing time, different gold nanostructures were obtained ranging from individual gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to tessellated networks of gold nanostructures (Tess-AuNPs). Improvement in organic solar cell efficiencies up to 10% relative to a reference cell is demonstrated with Tess-AuNPs embedded in PEDOT:PSS.

Honeycomb-like thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) embedded with gold or silver nanoparticles formed at the planer liquid/liquid interface.

PubMed

Wang, Di; Ma, Huihui; Chu, Chunxiao; Hao, Jingcheng; Liu, Hong-Guo

2013-07-15

Composite thin films of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) decorated with Au or Ag nanoclusters and nanoparticles were fabricated at the interfaces of chloroform solution of PS-b-P2VP and aqueous solutions of HAuCl4 or AgNO3. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations indicated that large area of a single-layer honeycomb structure was formed, which is composed of polygons (most of them are hexagons) whose walls look like spindles with the length of several hundreds of nanometers. Large amount of Au or Ag nanoparticles are embedded in the walls and the undersides of the honeycomb structures. The formation of these novel composite structures was attributed to the adsorption of block copolymer molecules and inorganic species of AuCl4(-) and Ag(+) ions at the liquid-liquid interface, the combination of the polymer molecules and the inorganic ions, and the self-assembly of the composite molecules. After UV-light irradiation and KBH4 aqueous solution treatment, the inorganic species were reduced completely, as confirmed by UV-vis spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra. These composite films exhibited high catalytic activities for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by KBH4 in aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of ion and nanosecond-pulsed laser co-irradiation on the surface nanostructure of Au thin films on SiO{sub 2} glass substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Ruixuan; Meng, Xuan; Takayanagi, Shinya

2014-04-14

Ion irradiation and short-pulsed laser irradiation can be used to form nanostructures on the surfaces of substrates. This work investigates the synergistic effects of ion and nanosecond-pulsed laser co-irradiation on surface nanostructuring of Au thin films deposited under vacuum on SiO{sub 2} glass substrates. Gold nanoparticles are randomly formed on the surface of the substrate after nanosecond-pulsed laser irradiation under vacuum at a wavelength of 532 nm with a repetition rate of 10 Hz and laser energy density of 0.124 kJ/m{sup 2}. Gold nanoparticles are also randomly formed on the substrate after 100-keV Ar{sup +} ion irradiation at doses of upmore » to 3.8 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}, and nearly all of these nanoparticles are fully embedded in the substrate. With increasing ion irradiation dose (number of incident laser pulses), the mean diameter of the Au nanoparticles decreases (increases). However, Au nanoparticles are only formed in a periodic surface arrangement after co-irradiation with 6000 laser pulses and 3.8 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. The periodic distance is ∼540 nm, which is close to the wavelength of the nanosecond-pulsed laser, and the mean diameter of the Au nanoparticles remains at ∼20 nm with a relatively narrow distribution. The photoabsorption peaks of the ion- or nanosecond-pulsed laser-irradiated samples clearly correspond to the mean diameter of Au nanoparticles. Conversely, the photoabsorption peaks for the co-irradiated samples do not depend on the mean nanoparticle diameter. This lack of dependence is likely caused by the periodic nanostructure formed on the surface by the synergistic effects of co-irradiation.« less

Nonlinear optical behavior of DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulyk, B.; Krupka, O.; Smokal, V.; Figà, V.; Czaplicki, R.; Sahraoui, B.

2018-03-01

The third-order nonlinear optical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in the DNA-based composites were investigated by means of the third harmonic generation. With this purpose, the thin films comprising DNA-based complexes and Au nanoparticles were spin-deposited on glass substrate and their optical and nonlinear optical features were studied using the Maker-fringe technique at a laser fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. The values of the third-order susceptibility χ (3)(- 3ω; ω, ω, ω) of the composite films based on DNA complex doped with 5 wt% of N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-(4-nitrophenylazo)aniline were found to be significantly higher than those for pure composite films. Meanwhile, the presence of Au nanoparticles noticeable decreases the third-order nonlinear response of DNA-based composite mainly due to the enhanced absorption and scattering of laser and generated beam, respectively.

X-ray spectroscopy study of electronic structure of laser-irradiated Au nanoparticles in a silica film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonnard, P.; Bercegol, H.; Lamaignère, L.; Morreeuw, J.-P.; Rullier, J.-L.; Cottancin, E.; Pellarin, M.

2005-03-01

The electronic structure of gold nanoparticles embedded in a silica film is studied, both before and after irradiation at 355nm by a laser. The Au 5d occupied valence states are observed by x-ray emission spectroscopy. They show that before irradiation the gold atoms are in metallic states within the nanoparticles. After irradiation with a fluence of 0.5J/cm2, it is found that gold valence states are close to those of a metal-poor gold silicide; thanks to a comparison of the experimental Au 5d states with the calculated ones for gold silicides using the density-functional theory. The formation of such a compound is driven by the diffusion of the gold atoms into the silica film upon the laser irradiation. At higher fluence, 1J/cm2, we find a higher percentage of metallic gold that could be attributed to annealing in the silica matrix.

Electrophoretic analysis of biomarkers using capillary modification with gold nanoparticles embedded in a polycation and boron doped diamond electrode.

PubMed

Zhou, Lin; Glennon, Jeremy D; Luong, John H T

2010-08-15

Field-amplified sample stacking using a fused silica capillary coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded in poly(diallyl dimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) has been investigated for the electrophoretic separation of indoxyl sulfate, homovanillic acid (HVA), and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA). AuNPs (27 nm) exhibit ionic and hydrophobic interactions, as well as hydrogen bonding with the PDDA network to form a stable layer on the internal wall of the capillary. This approach reverses electro-osmotic flow allowing for fast migration of the analytes while retarding other endogenous compounds including ascorbic acid, uric acid, catecholamines, and indoleamines. Notably, the two closely related biomarkers of clinical significance, HVA and VMA, displayed differential interaction with PDDA-AuNPs which enabled the separation of this pair. The detection limit of the three analytes obtained by using a boron doped diamond electrode was approximately 75 nM, which was significantly below their normal physiological levels in biological fluids. This combined separation and detection scheme was applied to the direct analysis of these analytes and other interfering chemicals including uric and ascorbic acids in urine samples without off-line sample treatment or preconcentration.

Tunable plasmon-enhanced broadband light harvesting for perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Que, Meidan; Zhu, Liangliang; Yang, Yawei; Liu, Jie; Chen, Peng; Chen, Wei; Yin, Xingtian; Que, Wenxiu

2018-04-01

In this work, we report a reliable method for synthesizing (Au, Au/Ag core)/(TiO2 shell) nanostructures with their plasmonic wavelengths covering the visible light region for perovskite solar cells. The mono- and bi-metallic core-shell nanoparticles exhibit tunable localized surface plasmon resonance wavelength and function as "light tentacle" to improve the photo-electricity conversion efficiency. Plasmonic nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes, different thicknesses of TiO2 shell and Ag interlayer are found to have a strong influence on the localized surface plasmon resonance enhancement effect. The experimental photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells is significantly enhanced when the plasmonic nanoparticles are embedded inmesoporous TiO2 scaffolds. A champion photo-electricity conversion efficiency of 17.85% is achieved with nanoparticles (Au/Ag, λLSPR = 650 nm), giving a 18.7% enhancement over that of the pristine device (15.04%). Finite-difference time-domain simulations show that nanorod Au in mesoporus TiO2 scaffold induces the most intense electromagnetic coupling, and provides a novel emitter for photon flux in mesoporous perovskite solar cells. These theoretical results are consistent with the corresponding experimental those. Thus, enhancing the incident light intensities around 650 nm will be most favorable to the improvement of the photo-electricity conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

Plasmonic and metallic optical properties of Au/SiO2 metal-insulator films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battie, Yann; En Naciri, Aotmane; Vergnat, Michel

2017-12-01

In this paper, the optical properties and the growth mechanism of Au/SiO2 metal-insulator films (MIFs) are investigated by combining ellipsometry and transmission electron microscopy. The ellipsometric measurements, analyzed by using effective medium theories, show that the growth mechanism involves a Volmer-Weber growth mode while the morphology and the optical properties of Au/SiO2 MIFs are directly related to the percolation of the Au nanostructures. Indeed, below the percolation threshold of Au, the MIFs consist of ellipsoidal Au inclusions embedded in a SiO2 matrix. These insulating films present anisotropic plasmonic properties, attributed to the asymmetric interactions between nanaoparticles (NPs), which can be modeled according to the interacted shape distributed nanoparticle effective medium theory. At the percolation threshold of Au, an insulator-to-metal transition is observed. The MIFs simultaneously exhibit plasmonic and metallic optical properties, which can be described by the Bruggeman theory. The density of free electrons increases and the MIFs become more and more conductive as the Au volume fraction increases. We also demonstrate that for a high Au volume fraction, Bruggeman and Maxwell Garnett theories converge toward the same results, suggesting that the film is composed of isolated SiO2 inclusion embedded in a gold matrix.

Highly active surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates based on gold nanoparticles infiltrated into SiO2 inverse opals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ankudze, Bright; Philip, Anish; Pakkanen, Tuula T.; Matikainen, Antti; Vahimaa, Pasi

2016-11-01

SiO2 inverse opal (IO) films with embedded gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) application are reported. SiO2 IO films were loaded with AuNPs by a simple infiltration in a single cycle to form Au-SiO2 IOs. The optical property and the morphology of the Au-SiO2 IO substrates were characterized; it was observed that they retained the Bragg diffraction of SiO2 IO and the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs. The SERS property of the Au-SiO2 IO substrates were studied with methylene blue (MB) and 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP). The SERS enhancement factors were 107 and 106 for 4-ATP and MB, respectively. A low detection limit of 10-10 M for 4-ATP was also obtained with the Au-SiO2 IO substrate. A relative standard deviation of 18.5% for the Raman signals intensity at 1077 cm-1 for 4-ATP shows that the Au-SiO2 IO substrates have good signal reproducibility. The results of this study indicate that the Au-SiO2 IO substrates can be used in sensing and SERS applications.

The strain and thermal induced tunable charging phenomenon in low power flexible memory arrays with a gold nanoparticle monolayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ye; Han, Su-Ting; Xu, Zong-Xiang; Roy, V. A. L.

2013-02-01

The strain and temperature dependent memory effect of organic memory transistors on plastic substrates has been investigated under ambient conditions. The gold (Au) nanoparticle monolayer was prepared and embedded in an atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as the charge trapping layer. The devices exhibited low operation voltage, reliable memory characteristics and long data retention time. Experimental analysis of the programming and erasing behavior at various bending states showed the relationship between strain and charging capacity. Thermal-induced effects on these memory devices have also been analyzed. The mobility shows ~200% rise and the memory window increases from 1.48 V to 1.8 V when the temperature rises from 20 °C to 80 °C due to thermally activated transport. The retention capability of the devices decreases with the increased working temperature. Our findings provide a better understanding of flexible organic memory transistors under various operating temperatures and validate their applications in various areas such as temperature sensors, temperature memory or advanced electronic circuits. Furthermore, the low temperature processing procedures of the key elements (Au nanoparticle monolayer and Al2O3 dielectric layer) could be potentially integrated with large area flexible electronics.The strain and temperature dependent memory effect of organic memory transistors on plastic substrates has been investigated under ambient conditions. The gold (Au) nanoparticle monolayer was prepared and embedded in an atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as the charge trapping layer. The devices exhibited low operation voltage, reliable memory characteristics and long data retention time. Experimental analysis of the programming and erasing behavior at various bending states showed the relationship between strain and charging capacity. Thermal-induced effects on these memory devices have also been analyzed. The mobility shows ~200% rise and the memory window increases from 1.48 V to 1.8 V when the temperature rises from 20 °C to 80 °C due to thermally activated transport. The retention capability of the devices decreases with the increased working temperature. Our findings provide a better understanding of flexible organic memory transistors under various operating temperatures and validate their applications in various areas such as temperature sensors, temperature memory or advanced electronic circuits. Furthermore, the low temperature processing procedures of the key elements (Au nanoparticle monolayer and Al2O3 dielectric layer) could be potentially integrated with large area flexible electronics. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: UV-vis spectrum of Au nanoparticle aqueous solution, transfer characteristics of the transistors without inserting an Au nanoparticle monolayer, AFM image of the pentacene layer, transfer characteristics at different program voltages and memory windows with respect to the P/E voltage. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr32579a

TiO2 nanorods thin-films embedded with gold nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raval, Dhyey; Jani, Margi; Mukhopadhyay, Indrajit; Ray, Abhijit

2018-05-01

This article reports on the gold nanoparticle (Au-NP) induced absorption enhancement in the hydrothermally grown titanium dioxide nanorods (TiO2-NRs). The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and transfer of electron from Au-NPs attached to the TiO2-NR have been related to their photocatalytic response. The photocurrent enhancement observed in the studies of IPCE has been explained on the basis of electrons in the conduction band of TiO2-NR. The electrons from the Au-NP to the conduction band of TiO2-NR with respect to the wavelength of the incident spectrum shows an increase in efficiency over pristine TiO2-NRs sample. Further, to investigate the role of Au-NP, an absorption spectra with its incident wavelength shows an increase in the visible spectrum in the present study. This provides an explanation for the response to the absorption of the wide bandgap semiconductor oxide which gives an opportunity to develop a hybrid structure on the transparent substrates. The better response of Au-NPs/TiO2-NRs system can be used in photocatalytic processes.

The facile fabrication of tunable plasmonic gold nanostructure arrays using microwave plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chuen-Yuan; Huang, Jing-Wen; Gwo, Shangjr; Lin, Kuan-Jiuh

2010-01-01

Fabrication of isolated noble metal nanoparticles embedded in transparent substrates is the fasting growing demand for innovative plasmonic technologies. Here we report a simple and effective methodology for the preparation of highly stable plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in a glass surface. Size-controllable (10-70 nm) Au nanoparticles were rapidly prepared when subjected to the home-microwave plasma. Accordingly, the optical extinction maximum of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can be systematically tuned in the range 532-586 nm. We find that the plasmonic structures are exceedingly stable toward immersion in ethanol solvents and pass successfully the adhesive tape test, which makes our system highly promising for efficient transmission-LSPR nanosensors. Besides, the attractive features of substrate-bound plasmonic nanostructures include its low cost, versatility, robustness, reusability and a promising ability to make a multi-arrayed LSPR biochip.

High-yield aqueous synthesis of multi-branched iron oxide core-gold shell nanoparticles: SERS substrate for immobilization and magnetic separation of bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamer, Ugur; Onay, Aykut; Ciftci, Hakan; Bozkurt, Akif Göktuğ; Cetin, Demet; Suludere, Zekiye; Hakkı Boyacı, İsmail; Daniel, Philippe; Lagarde, Fabienne; Yaacoub, Nader; Greneche, Jean-Marc

2014-10-01

The high product yield of multi-branched core-shell Fe3- x O4@Au magnetic nanoparticles was synthesized used as magnetic separation platform and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. The multi-branched magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a seed-mediated growth approach using magnetic gold nanospheres as the seeds and subsequent reduction of metal salt with ascorbic acid in the presence of a stabilizing agent chitosan biopolymer and silver ions. The anisotropic growth of nanoparticles was observed in the presence of chitosan polymer matrix resulting in multi-branched nanoparticles with a diameter over 100 nm, and silver ions also play a crucial role on the growth of multi-branched nanoparticles. We propose the mechanism of the formation of multi-branched nanoparticles while the properties of nanoparticles embedded in chitosan matrix are discussed. The surface morphology of nanoparticles was characterized with transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry. Additionally, the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were also examined. We also demonstrated that the synthesized Fe3- x O4@Au multi-branched nanoparticle is capable of targeted separation of pathogens from matrix and sensing as SERS substrates.

Au/CdS Hybrid Nanoparticles in Block Copolymer Micellar Shells.

PubMed

Koh, Haeng-Deog; Changez, Mohammad; Lee, Jae-Suk

2010-10-18

A polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) micellar structure with a P2VP core containing 5 nm CdS nanoparticles (NPs) and a PS shell formed in toluene that is a good solvent for PS block undergoes the core-shell inversion by excess addition of methanol that is a good solvent for P2VP block. It leads to the formation of micellar shell-embedded CdS NPs in the methanol major phase. The spontaneous crystalline growth of Au NPs on the CdS surfaces positioned at micellar shells without a further reduction process is newly demonstrated. The nanostructure of Au/CdS/PS-b-P2VP hybrid NPs is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and UV-Vis absorption. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanophotonic switch: gold-in-Ga2O3 peapod nanowires.

PubMed

Hsieh, Chin-Hua; Chou, Li-Jen; Lin, Gong-Ru; Bando, Yoshio; Golberg, Dimitri

2008-10-01

A novel metal-insulator heterostructure made of twinned Ga2O3 nanowires embedding discrete gold particles along the twin boundary was formed through a reaction between gold, gallium, and silica at 800 degrees C during simple thermal annealing. The Au-in-Ga2O3 peapods spontaneously crystallized under phase separation induced by the formation of twin boundaries. The nanostructures were analyzed by field emission scanning (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopes (FETEM), and their photoresponse was investigated using a double-frequency Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 532 nm on a designed single-nanowire device. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects of embedded Au nanoparticles are proposed to be responsible for the remarkable photoresponse of these novel structures.

Deterministic embedding of a single gold nanoparticle into polymeric microstructures by direct laser writing technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Dam Thuy Trang; Pelissier, Aurélien; Montes, Kevin; Tong, Quang Cong; Ngo, Hoang Minh; Ledoux-Rak, Isabelle; Lai, Ngoc Diep

2016-04-01

We have precisely positioned and embedded a single gold nanoparticle (Au NP) into a desired polymeric photonic structure (PS) using a simple and low-cost technique called low one-photon absorption direct laser writing (LOPA DLW), with a two-step process: identification and fabrication. First, the position of the Au NP was identified with a precision of 20 nm by using DLW technique with ultralow excitation laser power (μW). This power did not induce the polymerization of the photoresist (SU8) due to its low absorption at the excitation wavelength (532 nm). Then, the structure containing the NP was fabricated by using the same DLW system with high excitation power (mW). Different 2D photonic structures have been fabricated, which contain a single Au NP at desired position. In particular, we obtained a microsphere instead of a micropillar at the position of the Au NP. The formation of such microsphere was explained by the thermal effect of the Au NP at the wavelength of 532 nm, which induced thermal polymerization of surrounding photoresist. The effect of the post-exposure bake on the quality of structures was taken into account, revealing a more efficient fabrication way by exploiting the local thermal effect of the laser. We studied further the influence of the NP size on the NP/PS coupling by investigating the fabrication and fluorescence measurement of Au NPs of different sizes: 10, 30, 50, 80, and 100 nm. The photon collection enhancements in each case were 12.9 +/- 2.5, 12.6 +/- 5.6, 3.9 +/- 2.7, 5.9 +/- 4.4, and 6.6 +/- 5.1 times, respectively. The gain in fluorescence could reach up to 36.6 times for 10-nm gold NPs.

Visualization of Macrophage Recruitment to Inflammation Lesions using Highly Sensitive and Stable Radionuclide-Embedded Gold Nanoparticles as a Nuclear Bio-Imaging Platform

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang Bong; Lee, Ho Won; Singh, Thoudam Debraj; Li, Yinghua; Kim, Sang Kyoon; Cho, Sung Jin; Lee, Sang-Woo; Jeong, Shin Young; Ahn, Byeong-Cheol; Choi, Sangil; Lee, In-Kyu; Lim, Dong-Kwon; Lee, Jaetae; Jeon, Yong Hyun

2017-01-01

Reliable and sensitive imaging tools are required to track macrophage migration and provide a better understating of their biological roles in various diseases. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of radioactive iodide-embedded gold nanoparticles (RIe-AuNPs) as a cell tracker for nuclear medicine imaging. To demonstrate this utility, we monitored macrophage migration to carrageenan-induced sites of acute inflammation in living subjects and visualized the effects of anti-inflammatory agents on this process. Macrophage labeling with RIe-AuNPs did not alter their biological functions such as cell proliferation, phenotype marker expression, or phagocytic activity. In vivo imaging with positron-emission tomography revealed the migration of labeled macrophages to carrageenan-induced inflammation lesions 3 h after transfer, with highest recruitment at 6 h and a slight decline of radioactive signal at 24 h; these findings were highly consistent with the data of a bio-distribution study. Treatment with dexamethasone (an anti-inflammation drug) or GSK5182 (an ERRγ inverse agonist) hindered macrophage recruitment to the inflamed sites. Our findings suggest that a cell tracking strategy utilizing RIe-AuNPs will likely be highly useful in research related to macrophage-related disease and cell-based therapies. PMID:28382164

Destructive Clustering of Metal Nanoparticles in Chalcogenide and Oxide Glassy Matrices.

PubMed

Shpotyuk, M V; Shpotyuk, O I; Cebulski, J; Kozyukhin, S

2016-12-01

The energetic χ-criterion is developed to parameterize difference in the origin of high-order optical non-linearity associated with metallic atoms (Cu, Ag, Au) embedded destructively in oxide- and chalcogenide glasses. Within this approach, it is unambiguously proved that covalent-bonded networks of soft semiconductor chalcogenides exemplified by binary As(Ge)-S(Se) glasses differ essentially from those typical for hard dielectric oxides like vitreous silica by impossibility to accommodate pure agglomerates of metallic nanoparticles. In an excellence according to known experimental data, it is suggested that destructive clustering of nanoparticles is possible in Cu-, Ag-, and Au-ion-implanted dielectric oxide glass media, possessing a strongly negative χ-criterion. Some recent speculations trying to ascribe equally this ability to soft chalcogenide glasses despite an obvious difference in the corresponding bond dissociation energies have been disclosed and criticized as inconclusive.

Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes for efficient plasmonic light scattering effect in low bandgap organic solar cells.

PubMed

Baek, Se-Woong; Park, Garam; Noh, Jonghyeon; Cho, Changsoon; Lee, Chun-Ho; Seo, Min-Kyo; Song, Hyunjoon; Lee, Jung-Yong

2014-04-22

In this report, we propose a metal-metal core-shell nanocube (NC) as an advanced plasmonic material for highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). We covered an Au core with a thin Ag shell as a scattering enhancer to build Au@Ag NCs, which showed stronger scattering efficiency than Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) throughout the visible range. Highly efficient plasmonic organic solar cells were fabricated by embedding Au@Ag NCs into an anodic buffer layer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and the power conversion efficiency was enhanced to 6.3% from 5.3% in poly[N-9-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT):[6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) based OSCs and 9.2% from 7.9% in polythieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7):PC70BM based OSCs. The Au@Ag NC plasmonic PCDTBT:PC70BM-based organic solar cells showed 2.2-fold higher external quantum efficiency enhancement compared to AuNPs devices at a wavelength of 450-700 nm due to the amplified plasmonic scattering effect. Finally, we proved the strongly enhanced plasmonic scattering efficiency of Au@Ag NCs embedded in organic solar cells via theoretical calculations and detailed optical measurements.

Magnetic/NIR-responsive drug carrier, multicolor cell imaging, and enhanced photothermal therapy of gold capped magnetite-fluorescent carbon hybrid nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hui; Cao, Guixin; Gai, Zheng

In our paper reports a type of multifunctional hybrid nanoparticle (NP) composed of gold nanocrystals coated on and/or embedded in a magnetite-fluorescent porous carbon core-shell NP template (Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au) for biomedical applications, including magnetic/NIR-responsive drug release, multicolor cell imaging, and enhanced photothermal therapy. The synthesis of the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs firstly involves the preparation of core-shell template NPs with magnetite nanocrystals clustered in the cores and fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) embedded in a porous carbon shell, followed by an in situ reduction of silver ions (Ag +) loaded in the porous carbon shell and a subsequent replacement ofmore » Ag NPs with Au NPs through a galvanic replacement reaction using HAuCl 4 as a precursor. Moreover, the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDsAu NPs can enter the intracellular region and light up mouse melanoma B16F10 cells in multicolor mode. The porous carbon shell, anchored with hydrophilic hydroxyl/carboxyl groups, endows the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs with excellent stability in the aqueous phase and a high loading capacity (719 mg g -1) for the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The superparamagnetic Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs with a saturation magnetization of 23.26 emu g -1 produce localized heat under an alternating magnetic field, which triggers the release of the loaded drug. The combined photothermal effects of the Au nanocrystals and the CDs on/in the carbon shell can not only regulate the release rate of the loaded drug, but also efficiently kill tumor cells under NIR irradiation. Finally, in benefitting from their excellent optical properties, their magnetic field and NIR light-responsive drug release capabilities and their enhanced photothermal effect, such nanostructured Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au hybrid NPs are very promising for simultaneous imaging diagnostics and high efficacy therapy.« less

Gold nanoparticles as markers for fluorinated surfaces containing embedded amide groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballarin, Barbara; Barreca, Davide; Bertola, Maurizio; Cristina Cassani, Maria; Carraro, Giorgio; Maccato, Chiara; Mignani, Adriana; Nanni, Daniele; Parise, Chiara; Ranieri, Silvia

2018-05-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were functionalized with fluoroalkylsilanes (FAS) having formula RFC(O)N(R)(CH2)3Si(OMe)3 (1, R = H, RF = C5F11; 2, R = CH3, RF = C5F11;3, R = H, RF = C3F7) and containing embedded amide moieties between the perfluoroalkyl chain and the syloxanic moiety. Subsequently, Au nanoparticle deposition (AuNP) onto the ITO-FAS functionalized surfaces was carried out by immersion into a solution of citrate-stabilized AuNP. The ITO-FAS and AuNP/ITO-FAS modified systems were characterized by various complementary techniques and compared with AuNP/ITO modified with RF(CH2)2Si(OEt)3 (4, RF = C6F13), free from functional groups between the fluorinated tail and the syloxanic moiety. The results showed that only ITO glasses modified with 1, 2 and 3 displayed an oleophobic, as well as hydrophobic, behaviour and that the AuNP Surface Coverage (SC %) directly depended on the fluoroalkylsilane nature with the following trend: 60% ITO-2 > 16% ITO-3 > 9% ITO-1 > 3% ITO-4. The obtained results revealed that, in organosilane 2, the presence of a methyl group on the amide nitrogen increases the steric hindrance in the rotation around the Nsbnd CO bond, resulting in the co-presence of two stable conformers in comparable amounts. Their co-presence in solution, combined with the lack of intermolecular Nsbnd H⋯OCsbnd N hydrogen bonds among the anchored molecules, has dramatic influences on the functionalized ITO, yielding a disorderedly packed coating able to accommodate a large quantity of AuNP. These results indicate that AuNP can act as excellent probes to evaluate the coating layer quality but, at the same time, it is possible to tune the gold loading on electroactive surfaces depending on the chemical structure of the used fluorinated silane.

Magnetic/NIR-responsive drug carrier, multicolor cell imaging, and enhanced photothermal therapy of gold capped magnetite-fluorescent carbon hybrid nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Wang, Hui; Cao, Guixin; Gai, Zheng; ...

2015-03-25

In our paper reports a type of multifunctional hybrid nanoparticle (NP) composed of gold nanocrystals coated on and/or embedded in a magnetite-fluorescent porous carbon core-shell NP template (Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au) for biomedical applications, including magnetic/NIR-responsive drug release, multicolor cell imaging, and enhanced photothermal therapy. The synthesis of the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs firstly involves the preparation of core-shell template NPs with magnetite nanocrystals clustered in the cores and fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) embedded in a porous carbon shell, followed by an in situ reduction of silver ions (Ag +) loaded in the porous carbon shell and a subsequent replacement ofmore » Ag NPs with Au NPs through a galvanic replacement reaction using HAuCl 4 as a precursor. Moreover, the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDsAu NPs can enter the intracellular region and light up mouse melanoma B16F10 cells in multicolor mode. The porous carbon shell, anchored with hydrophilic hydroxyl/carboxyl groups, endows the Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs with excellent stability in the aqueous phase and a high loading capacity (719 mg g -1) for the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The superparamagnetic Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au NPs with a saturation magnetization of 23.26 emu g -1 produce localized heat under an alternating magnetic field, which triggers the release of the loaded drug. The combined photothermal effects of the Au nanocrystals and the CDs on/in the carbon shell can not only regulate the release rate of the loaded drug, but also efficiently kill tumor cells under NIR irradiation. Finally, in benefitting from their excellent optical properties, their magnetic field and NIR light-responsive drug release capabilities and their enhanced photothermal effect, such nanostructured Fe 3O 4@PC-CDs-Au hybrid NPs are very promising for simultaneous imaging diagnostics and high efficacy therapy.« less

Au-nanoparticle-embedded cross-linked gelatin films synthesized on aqueous solution in contact with dielectric barrier discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirafuji, Tatsuru; Nakamura, Yusuke; Azuma, Shiori; Sotoda, Naoya; Isshiki, Toshiyuki

2018-01-01

A wine-red free-standing thin film has been formed by irradiating dielectric barrier discharge plasma on an aqueous solution containing HAuCl4 and gelatin. The film has a fibrous structure with an inhomogeneous thickness profile and is composed of cross-linked gelatin, as confirmed by optical microscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The film has embedded Au nanoparticles (GNPs), as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. In the region with a relatively small film thickness, the number density of GNPs is relatively low, and the sizes of GNPs range from 5.3 to 34.3 nm. In the region with a relatively large film thickness, on the other hand, GNPs are highly accumulated, and the sizes of GNPs range from 10.0 to 26.7 nm. The aqueous solution remains transparent even after the film growth process, which indicates that the plasma-induced processes involving GNP formation and film growth are confined near the surface of the aqueous solution. A possible film growth mechanism is discussed on the basis of the experimental results of this study.

Efficient room temperature hydrogen sensor based on UV-activated ZnO nano-network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Mohit; Kumar, Rahul; Rajamani, Saravanan; Ranwa, Sapana; Fanetti, Mattia; Valant, Matjaz; Kumar, Mahesh

2017-09-01

Room temperature hydrogen sensors were fabricated from Au embedded ZnO nano-networks using a 30 mW GaN ultraviolet LED. The Au-decorated ZnO nano-networks were deposited on a SiO2/Si substrate by a chemical vapour deposition process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum analysis revealed a hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO and presence of Au. The ZnO nanoparticles were interconnected, forming nano-network structures. Au nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on ZnO surfaces, as confirmed by FESEM imaging. Interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) were fabricated on the ZnO nano-networks using optical lithography. Sensor performances were measured with and without UV illumination, at room temperate, with concentrations of hydrogen varying from 5 ppm to 1%. The sensor response was found to be ˜21.5% under UV illumination and 0% without UV at room temperature for low hydrogen concentration of 5 ppm. The UV-photoactivated mode enhanced the adsorption of photo-induced O- and O2- ions, and the d-band electron transition from the Au nanoparticles to ZnO—which increased the chemisorbed reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The sensor response was also measured at 150 °C (without UV illumination) and found to be ˜18% at 5 ppm. Energy efficient low cost hydrogen sensors can be designed and fabricated with the combination of GaN UV LEDs and ZnO nanostructures.

Study of Dielectric Behavior and Charge Conduction Mechanism of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA)-Copper (Cu) and Gold (Au) Nanocomposites as a Bio-resorbable Material for Organic Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahendia, Suman; Goyal, Parveen Kumar; Tomar, Anil Kumar; Chahal, Rishi Pal; Kumar, Shyam

2016-10-01

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) embedded with varying concentrations of chemically synthesized copper (Cu) and gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using ex situ sol-gel casting method. The addition of almost the same concentration of CuNPs in PVA improves the conducting properties, while that of AuNPs improves the dielectric nature of composite films. It has been found that addition of AuNPs up to ˜0.4 wt.% concentration enhaneces the capacitive nature due to the formation of small Coulomb tunneling knots as internal capacitors. The dielectric studies suggest the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization as the dominant dielectric relaxation process, whereas the I- V characteristics indicate bulk limited Poole-Frenkel emission at high voltages as the dominant charge transport mechanism operating at room temperature in all specimens. These novel features lead to the conclusion that addition of a small quantity of metal nanoparticles can help tune the properties of PVA for desired applications in bio-compatible polymer-based organic electronic devices.

A colorimetric assay for measuring iodide using Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles coupled with Cu(2+).

PubMed

Zeng, Jingbin; Cao, Yingying; Lu, Chun-Hua; Wang, Xu-Dong; Wang, Qianru; Wen, Cong-Ying; Qu, Jian-Bo; Yuan, Cunguang; Yan, Zi-Feng; Chen, Xi

2015-09-03

Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and coupled with copper ion (Cu(2+)) for the colorimetric sensing of iodide ion (I(-)). This assay relies on the fact that the absorption spectra and the color of metallic core-shell NPs are sensitive to their chemical ingredient and dimensional core-to-shell ratio. When I(-) was added to the Au@Ag core-shell NPs-Cu(2+) system/solution, Cu(2+) can oxidize I(-) into iodine (I2), which can further oxidize silver shells to form silver iodide (AgI). The generated Au@AgI core-shell NPs led to color changes from yellow to purple, which was utilized for the colorimetric sensing of I(-). The assay only took 10 min with a lowest detectable concentration of 0.5 μM, and it exhibited excellent selectivity for I(-) over other common anions tested. Furthermore, Au@Ag core-shell NPs-Cu(2+) was embedded into agarose gels as inexpensive and portable "test strips", which were successfully used for the semi-quantitation of I(-) in dried kelps. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Au-embedded ZnO/NiO hybrid with excellent electrochemical performance as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitor.

PubMed

Zheng, Xin; Yan, Xiaoqin; Sun, Yihui; Bai, Zhiming; Zhang, Guangjie; Shen, Yanwei; Liang, Qijie; Zhang, Yue

2015-02-04

Here we design a nanostructure by embedding Au nanoparticles into ZnO/NiO core-shell composites as supercapacitors electrodes materials. This optimized hybrid electrodes exhibited an excellent electrochemical performance including a long-term cycling stability and a maximum specific areal capacitance of 4.1 F/cm(2) at a current density of 5 mA/cm(2), which is much higher than that of ZnO/NiO hierarchical materials (0.5 F/cm(2)). Such an enhanced property is attributed to the increased electro-electrolyte interfaces, short electron diffusion pathways and good electrical conductivity. Apart from this, electrons can be temporarily trapped and accumulated at the Fermi level (EF') because of the localized schottky barrier at Au/NiO interface in charge process until fill the gap between ZnO and NiO, so that additional electrons can be released during discharge. These results demonstrate that suitable interface engineering may open up new opportunities in the development of high-performance supercapacitors.

Highly efficient and porous TiO2-coated Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au microspheres for degradation of organic pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Mao; Chen, Suqing; Jia, Wenping; Fan, Guodong; Jin, Yanxian; Liang, Huading

2016-12-01

In this paper, we reported a novel hierarchical porous Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au@TiO2 core@shell microspheres with a highly photocatalytic activity and magnetically separable properties. The synthesis method is included of a Fe3O4 magnetic embedded Ag core (Ag@Fe3O4), an interlayer of carbon modified by PEI to form sufficient amounts of amine functional groups (Ag@Fe3O4@C-PEI), the grafting of Au nanoparticles on the surface of Ag@Fe3O4@C-PEI (Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au), and an ordered porous TiO2 structured shell. As an example of the applications, the photocatalytic activities of the samples were investigated by the reduction of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. The results show that the porous Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au@TiO2 core@shell microspheres display higher adsorption and photocatalytic activities compared to the pure porous TiO2 and Ag@Fe3O4@C@TiO2 microspheres, which are attributed to the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by the Ag and Au nanoparticles and the high specific surface area.

Facile fabrication of gold nanoparticles-poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun water-stable nanofibrous mats: efficient substrate materials for biosensors.

PubMed

Wang, Juan; Yao, Hong-Bin; He, Dian; Zhang, Chuan-Ling; Yu, Shu-Hong

2012-04-01

Electrospun nanofibrous mats are intensively studied as efficient scaffold materials applied in the fields of tissue engineering, catalysis, and biosensors due to their flexibility and porosity. In this paper, we report a facile route to fabricate gold nanoparticles-poly(vinyl alcohol) (Au NPs-PVA) hybrid water stable nanofibrous mats with tunable densities of Au NPs and further demonstrate the potential application of as-prepared Au NPs-PVA nanofibrous mats as efficient biosensor substrate materials. First, through the designed in situ cross-linkage in coelectrospun PVA-glutaraldehyde nanofibers, water insoluble PVA nanofibrous mats with suitable tensile strength were successfully prepared. Then, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTES) was modified on the surface of obtained PVA nanofibrous films, which triggered successful homogeneous decoration of Au NPs through gold-sulfur bonding interactions. Finally, the Au NPs-PVA nanofibrous mats embedded with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by electrostatic interactions were used as biosensor substrate materials for H(2)O(2) detection. The fabricated HRP-Au NPs/PVA biosensor showed a highly sensitive detection of H(2)O(2) with a detection limit of 0.5 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. By modifying other different functional nanaoparticles or enzyme on the PVA nanofibrous film will further expand their potential applications as substrate materials of different biosensors.

Improved prediction of heat of mixing and segregation in metallic alloys using tunable mixing rule for embedded atom method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divi, Srikanth; Agrahari, Gargi; Ranjan Kadulkar, Sanket; Kumar, Sanjeet; Chatterjee, Abhijit

2017-12-01

Capturing segregation behavior in metal alloy nanoparticles accurately using computer simulations is contingent upon the availability of high-fidelity interatomic potentials. The embedded atom method (EAM) potential is a widely trusted interatomic potential form used with pure metals and their alloys. When limited experimental data is available, the A-B EAM cross-interaction potential for metal alloys AxB 1-x are often constructed from pure metal A and B potentials by employing a pre-defined ‘mixing rule’ without any adjustable parameters. While this approach is convenient, we show that for AuPt, NiPt, AgAu, AgPd, AuNi, NiPd, PtPd and AuPd such mixing rules may not even yield the correct alloy properties, e.g., heats of mixing, that are closely related to the segregation behavior. A general theoretical formulation based on scaling invariance arguments is introduced that addresses this issue by tuning the mixing rule to better describe alloy properties. Starting with an existing pure metal EAM potential that is used extensively in literature, we find that the mixing rule fitted to heats of mixing for metal solutions usually provides good estimates of segregation energies, lattice parameters and cohesive energy, as well as equilibrium distribution of metals within a nanoparticle using Monte Carlo simulations. While the tunable mixing rule generally performs better than non-adjustable mixing rules, the use of the tunable mixing rule may still require some caution. For e.g., in Pt-Ni system we find that the segregation behavior can deviate from the experimentally observed one at Ni-rich compositions. Despite this the overall results suggest that the same approach may be useful for developing improved cross-potentials with other existing pure metal EAM potentials as well. As a further test of our approach, mixing rule estimated from binary data is used to calculate heat of mixing in AuPdPt, AuNiPd, AuPtNi, AgAuPd and NiPtPd. Excellent agreement with experiments is observed for AuPdPt.

Preparation and characterization of mesoporous TiO2-sphere-supported Au-nanoparticle catalysts with high activity for CO oxidation at ambient temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lili; Huang, Shouying; Zhu, Baolin; Zhang, Shoumin; Huang, Weiping

2016-11-01

Mesoporous TiO2-sphere-supported Au-nanoparticles (Au/m-TiO2-spheres) catalysts have been synthesized by a simple method using tetrabutyl titanate as TiO2 precursor and characterized with XRD, BET, ICP, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis DRS, XPS, as well as FT-IR. The samples with the size in the range of 200-400 nm were almost perfectly spherical. The average diameter of pores was about 3.6 nm, and the mesopore size distribution was in the range of 2-6 nm with a narrow distribution. When the catalyst was calcined at 300 °C, the Au NPs with the size ca. 5 nm were highly dispersed on the surfaces of m-TiO2 spheres and partially embedded in the supports. Remarkably, the specific surface area of the Au/m-TiO2-spheres was as high as 117 m2 g-1. The CO-adsorbed catalyst showed an apparent IR adsorption peak at 1714 cm-1 that matched with bridging model CO. It means the catalysts should be of high catalytic activity for the CO oxidation due to they could adsorb and activate CO commendably. When Au-content was 0.48 wt.%, the Au/m-TiO2-spheres could convert CO completely into CO2 at ambient temperature.

Laser-material interaction during atom probe tomography of oxides with embedded metal nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Shinde, D.; Arnoldi, L.; Devaraj, A.; ...

2016-10-28

Oxide-supported metal nano-particles are of great interest in catalysis but also in the development of new large-spectrum-absorption materials. The design of such nano materials requires three-dimensional characterization with a high spatial resolution and elemental selectivity. The laser assisted Atom Probe Tomography (La-APT) presents both these capacities if an accurate understanding of laser-material interaction is developed. In this paper, we focus on the fundamental physics of field evaporation as a function of sample geometry, laser power, and DC electric field for Au nanoparticles embedded in MgO. By understanding the laser-material interaction through experiments and a theoretical model of heat diffusion insidemore » the sample after the interaction with laser pulse, we point out the physical origin of the noise and determine the conditions to reduce it by more than one order of magnitude, improving the sensitivity of the La-APT for metal-dielectric composites. Published by AIP Publishing.« less

Tailoring dispersion and aggregation of Au nanoparticles in the BHJ layer of polymer solar cells: plasmon effects versus electrical effects.

PubMed

Kim, Wanjung; Cha, Bong Geun; Kim, Jung Kyu; Kang, Woonggi; Kim, Eunchul; Ahn, Tae Kyu; Wang, Dong Hwan; Du, Qing Guo; Cho, Jeong Ho; Kim, Jaeyun; Park, Jong Hyeok

2014-12-01

Plasmonic effects that arise from embedding metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in polymer solar cells (PSCs) have been extensively studied. Many researchers have utilized metallic NPs in PSCs by either incorporating them into the PSC interlayers (e.g., the hole extraction and electron extraction layers) or blending them into the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) active layer. In such studies, the dispersity of the metallic NPs in each layer may vary due to both the different nature of the ligands and the amount of ligands on the metallic NPs. This in turn can produce different PSC performance parameters. Here, we systematically control the amount of attached organic ligands on Au NPs to control their dispersion behavior in the BHJ active layer of PSCs. By controlling the number of capping organic ligands on the Au NPs, the dispersity of the NPs in the BHJ layer is also controlled and the positive effects (particularly the plasmonic and electrical effects) of the Au NPs in the PSCs are investigated. From the obtained results, we find that the electrical contribution of the Au NPs is a more dominant factor for enhancing cell efficiency when compared to the plasmonic effect. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Monte Carlo study of I-125 prostate brachytherapy with gold nanoparticles: dose enhancement with simultaneous rectal dose sparing via radiation shielding.

PubMed

Brivio, D; Nguyen, P L; Sajo, E; Ngwa, W; Zygmanski, P

2017-03-07

We investigate via Monte Carlo simulations a new 125 I brachytherapy treatment technique for high-risk prostate cancer patients via injection of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) directly into the prostate. The purpose of using the nanoparticles is to increase the therapeutic index via two synergistic effects: enhanced energy deposition within the prostate and simultaneous shielding of organs at risk from radiation escaping from the prostate. Both uniform and non-uniform concentrations of AuNP are studied. The latter are modeled considering the possibility of AuNP diffusion after the injection using brachy needles. We study two extreme cases of coaxial AuNP concentrations: centered on brachy needles and centered half-way between them. Assuming uniform distribution of 30 mg g -1 of AuNP within the prostate, we obtain a dose enhancement larger than a factor of 2 to the prostate. Non-uniform concentration of AuNP ranging from 10 mg g -1 and 66 mg g -1 were studied. The higher the concentration in a given region of the prostate the greater is the enhancement therein. We obtain the highest dose enhancement when the brachytherapy needles are coincident with AuNP injection needles but, at the same time, the regions in the tail are colder (average dose ratio of 0.7). The best enhancement uniformity is obtained with the seeds in the tail of the AuNP distribution. In both uniform and non-uniform cases the urethra and rectum receive less than 1/3 dose compared to an analog treatment without AuNP. Remarkably, employing AuNP not only significantly increases dose to the target but also decreases dose to the neighboring rectum and even urethra, which is embedded within the prostate. These are mutually interdependent effects as more enhancement leads to more shielding and vice-versa. Caution must be paid since cold spot or hot spots may be created if the AuNP concentration versus seed position is not properly distributed respect to the seed locations.

A Monte Carlo study of I-125 prostate brachytherapy with gold nanoparticles: dose enhancement with simultaneous rectal dose sparing via radiation shielding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brivio, D.; Nguyen, P. L.; Sajo, E.; Ngwa, W.; Zygmanski, P.

2017-03-01

We investigate via Monte Carlo simulations a new 125I brachytherapy treatment technique for high-risk prostate cancer patients via injection of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) directly into the prostate. The purpose of using the nanoparticles is to increase the therapeutic index via two synergistic effects: enhanced energy deposition within the prostate and simultaneous shielding of organs at risk from radiation escaping from the prostate. Both uniform and non-uniform concentrations of AuNP are studied. The latter are modeled considering the possibility of AuNP diffusion after the injection using brachy needles. We study two extreme cases of coaxial AuNP concentrations: centered on brachy needles and centered half-way between them. Assuming uniform distribution of 30 mg g-1 of AuNP within the prostate, we obtain a dose enhancement larger than a factor of 2 to the prostate. Non-uniform concentration of AuNP ranging from 10 mg g-1 and 66 mg g-1 were studied. The higher the concentration in a given region of the prostate the greater is the enhancement therein. We obtain the highest dose enhancement when the brachytherapy needles are coincident with AuNP injection needles but, at the same time, the regions in the tail are colder (average dose ratio of 0.7). The best enhancement uniformity is obtained with the seeds in the tail of the AuNP distribution. In both uniform and non-uniform cases the urethra and rectum receive less than 1/3 dose compared to an analog treatment without AuNP. Remarkably, employing AuNP not only significantly increases dose to the target but also decreases dose to the neighboring rectum and even urethra, which is embedded within the prostate. These are mutually interdependent effects as more enhancement leads to more shielding and vice-versa. Caution must be paid since cold spot or hot spots may be created if the AuNP concentration versus seed position is not properly distributed respect to the seed locations.

Optical detection of gold nanoparticles in a prostate-shaped porcine phantom.

PubMed

Grabtchak, Serge; Tonkopi, Elena; Whelan, William M

2013-07-01

Gold nanoparticles can be used as molecular contrast agents binding specifically to cancer sites and thus delineating tumor regions. Imaging gold nanoparticles deeply embedded in tissues with optical techniques possesses significant challenges due to multiple scattering of optical photons that blur the obtained images. Both diagnostic and therapeutic applications can benefit from a minimally invasive technique that can identify, localize, and quantify the payloads of gold nanoparticles deeply embedded in biological tissues. An optical radiance technique is applied to map localized inclusions of gold nanorods in 650- to 900-nm spectral range in a porcine phantom that mimics prostate geometry. Optical radiance defines a variation in the angular density of photons impinging on a selected point in the tissue from various directions. The inclusions are formed by immersing a capillary filled with gold nanorods in the phantom at increasing distances from the detecting fiber. The technique allows the isolation of the spectroscopic signatures of the inclusions from the background and identification of inclusion locations in the angular domain. Detection of ∼4×1010 gold nanoparticles or 0.04  mg Au/mL (detector-inclusion separation 10 mm, source-detector separation 15 mm) in the porcine tissue is demonstrated. The encouraging results indicate a promising potential of radiance spectroscopy in early prostate cancer diagnostics with gold nanoparticles.

Gold nanorod embedded novel 3D graphene nanocomposite for selective bio-capture in rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Perumal, Veeradasan; Saheed, Mohamed Shuaib Mohamed; Mohamed, Norani Muti; Saheed, Mohamed Salleh Mohamed; Murthe, Satisvar Sundera; Gopinath, Subash C B; Chiu, Jian-Ming

2018-09-30

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic and infectious airborne disease which requires a diagnosing system with high sensitivity and specificity. However, the traditional gold standard method for TB detection remains unreliable with low specificity and sensitivity. Nanostructured composite materials coupled with impedimetric sensing utilised in this study offered a feasible solution. Herein, novel gold (Au) nanorods were synthesized on 3D graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition. The irregularly spaced and rippled morphology of 3D graphene provided a path for Au nanoparticles to self-assemble and form rod-like structures on the surface of the 3D graphene. The formation of Au nanorods were showcased through scanning electron microscopy which revealed the evolution of Au nanoparticle into Au islets. Eventually, it formed nanorods possessing lengths of ~ 150 nm and diameters of ~ 30 nm. The X-ray diffractogram displayed appropriate peaks suitable to defect-free and high crystalline graphene with face centered cubic Au. The strong optical interrelation between Au nanorod and 3D graphene was elucidated by Raman spectroscopy analysis. Furthermore, the anchored Au nanorods on 3D graphene nanocomposite enables feasible bio-capturing on the exposed Au surface on defect free graphene. The impedimetric sensing of DNA sequence from TB on 3D graphene/Au nanocomposite revealed a remarkable wide detection linear range from 10 fM to 0.1 µM, displays the capability of detecting femtomolar DNA concentration. Overall, the novel 3D graphene/Au nanocomposite demonstrated here offers high-performance bio-sensing and opens a new avenue for TB detection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Antigen Retrieval Methods on Nonspecific Binding of Antibody-Metal Nanoparticle Conjugates on Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuying; Wang, Xin-Ping; Perner, Sven; Bankfalvi, Agnes; Schlücker, Sebastian

2018-01-02

Immunohistochemical analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues provides important diagnostic and prognostic information in pathology. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) and, in particular, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanotags as a new class of labeling reagents are promising to be used for multiplexed protein profiling on tissue sections. However, nonspecific binding of NPs onto the tissue specimens greatly hampers their clinical applications. In this study, we found that the antigen retrieval method strongly influences the extent of nonspecific binding of the antibody-SERS NP conjugates to the tissue. Our SERS labels comprised ca. 70 nm Au nanostars coated with ethylene glycol-modified Raman reporter molecules for hydrophilic stabilization and subsequent covalent bioconjugation to antibodies. We systematically investigated the influence of heat- and protease-induced epitope retrieval (HIER and PIER, respectively) on the immunostaining quality of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) on human prostate tissue sections. The best staining results were obtained with PIER. Pretreatment of the tissue sections by HIER led to selective but nonspecific adsorption of the antibody-Au nanostar conjugates onto epithelial cells, while enzymatic treatment within PIER did not. In addition to gold nanostars, also other types of metal NPs with different shapes and sizes (including ca. 20 nm quasi-spherical Au NPs and ca. 60 nm quasi-spherical Au/Ag nanoshells) as well as tissue sections from different organs (including prostate and breast) were tested; in each case the same tendency was observed, i.e., PIER yielded better results than HIER. Therefore, we recommend PIER for future NP-based tissue immunostaining such as immuno-SERS microscopy. Alternatively, for antigens that can only be unmasked by heating, PEGylation of the NPs is recommended to avoid nonspecific binding.

Spectroscopic Imaging of NIR to Visible Upconversion from NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Nanoparticles on Au Nano-cavity Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Jon; Zhao, Bo; Lin, Cuikun; Berry, Mary; May, P. Stanley; Smith, Steve

2015-03-01

We use spectroscopic imaging to assess the spatial variations in upconversion luminescence from NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ nanoparticles embedded in PMMA on Au nano-cavity arrays. The nano-cavity arrays support a surface plasmon (SP) resonance at 980nm, coincident with the peak absorption of the Yb3+ sensitizer. Spatially-resolved upconversion spectra show a 30X to 3X luminescence intensity enhancement on the nano-cavity array compared to the nearby smooth Au surface, corresponding to excitation intensities from 1 W/cm2 to 300kW/cm2. Our analysis shows the power dependent enhancement in upconversion luminescence can be almost entirely accounted for by a constant shift in the effective excitation intensity, which is maintained over five orders of magnitude variation in excitation intensity. The variations in upconversion luminescence enhancement with power are modeled by a 3-level-system near the saturation limit, and by simultaneous solution of a system of coupled nonlinear differential equations, both analyses agree well with the experiments. Analysis of the statistical distribution of emission intensities in the spectroscopic images on and off the nano-cavity arrays provides an estimate of the average enhancement factor independent of fluctuations in nano-particle density. Funding provided by NSF Award # 0903685 (IGERT).

Improvement of corrosion resistance and antibacterial effect of NiTi orthopedic materials by chitosan and gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Rasha A.; Fadl-allah, Sahar A.; El-Bagoury, Nader; El-Rab, Sanaa M. F. Gad

2014-02-01

Biocomposite consists of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and a natural polymer as Chitosan (CS) was electrodeposited over NiTi alloy to improve biocompatibility, biostability, surface corrosion resistance and antibacterial effect for orthopedic implantation. The forming process and surface morphology of this biocomposite coats over NiTi alloy were studied. The results showed that the nm-scale gold particles were embedded in the composite forming compact, thick and smooth coat. Elemental analysis revealed significant less Ni ion release from the coated NiTi alloy compared with the uncoated one by 20 fold. Furthermore, the electrochemical corrosion measurements indicated that AuNPs/CS composite coat was effective for improving corrosion resistance in different immersion times and at all pH values, which suggests that the coated NiTi alloys have potential for orthopedic applications. Additionally, the efficiencies of the biocomposite coats for inhibiting bacterial growth indicate high antibacterial effect.

Electronically decoupled stacking fault tetrahedra embedded in Au(111) films

PubMed Central

Schouteden, Koen; Amin-Ahmadi, Behnam; Li, Zhe; Muzychenko, Dmitry; Schryvers, Dominique; Van Haesendonck, Chris

2016-01-01

Stacking faults are known as defective structures in crystalline materials that typically lower the structural quality of the material. Here, we show that a particular type of defect, that is, stacking fault tetrahedra (SFTs), exhibits pronounced quantized electronic behaviour, revealing a potential synthetic route to decoupled nanoparticles in metal films. We report on the electronic properties of SFTs that exist in Au(111) films, as evidenced by scanning tunnelling microscopy and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. We find that the SFTs reveal a remarkable decoupling from their metal surroundings, leading to pronounced energy level quantization effects within the SFTs. The electronic behaviour of the SFTs can be described well by the particle-in-a-box model. Our findings demonstrate that controlled preparation of SFTs may offer an alternative way to achieve well-decoupled nanoparticles of high crystalline quality in metal thin films without the need of thin insulating layers. PMID:28008910

Electronically decoupled stacking fault tetrahedra embedded in Au(111) films.

PubMed

Schouteden, Koen; Amin-Ahmadi, Behnam; Li, Zhe; Muzychenko, Dmitry; Schryvers, Dominique; Van Haesendonck, Chris

2016-12-23

Stacking faults are known as defective structures in crystalline materials that typically lower the structural quality of the material. Here, we show that a particular type of defect, that is, stacking fault tetrahedra (SFTs), exhibits pronounced quantized electronic behaviour, revealing a potential synthetic route to decoupled nanoparticles in metal films. We report on the electronic properties of SFTs that exist in Au(111) films, as evidenced by scanning tunnelling microscopy and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. We find that the SFTs reveal a remarkable decoupling from their metal surroundings, leading to pronounced energy level quantization effects within the SFTs. The electronic behaviour of the SFTs can be described well by the particle-in-a-box model. Our findings demonstrate that controlled preparation of SFTs may offer an alternative way to achieve well-decoupled nanoparticles of high crystalline quality in metal thin films without the need of thin insulating layers.

Protein coated gold nanoparticles as template for the directed synthesis of highly fluorescent gold nanoclusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lingyan; Han, Fei

2018-04-01

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was selected as template for the synthesis of AuNPs@gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) core/shell nanoparticles, in which BSA not only acted as dual functions agent for both anchoring and reducing Au3+ ions, but also was employed as a bridge between the AuNPs and AuNCs. Optical properties of AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles were studied using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. The prepared AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles exhibited sphere size uniformity with improved monodispersity, excellent fluorescence and fluorescent stability. Compared with AuNCs, AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles possessed large size and strong fluorescence intensity due to the effect of AuNPs as core. Moreover, the mechanism of the AuNPs induced fluorescence changes of the core/shell nanoparticles was first explored.

Fabrication of Plasmonic Nanorod-Embedded Dipeptide Microspheres via the Freeze-Quenching Method for Near-Infrared Laser-Triggered Drug-Delivery Applications.

PubMed

Erdogan, Hakan; Yilmaz, Mehmet; Babur, Esra; Duman, Memed; Aydin, Halil M; Demirel, Gokhan

2016-05-09

Control of drug release by an external stimulus may provide remote controllability, low toxicity, and reduced side effects. In this context, varying physical external stimuli, including magnetic and electric fields, ultrasound, light, and pharmacological stimuli, have been employed to control the release rate of drug molecules in a diseased region. However, the design and development of alternative on-demand drug-delivery systems that permit control of the dosage of drug released via an external stimulus are still required. Here, we developed near-infrared laser-activatable microspheres based on Fmoc-diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) dipeptides and plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) via a simple freeze-quenching approach. These plasmonic nanoparticle-embedded microspheres were then employed as a smart drug-delivery platform for native, continuous, and pulsatile doxorubicin (DOX) release. Remarkable sustained, burst, and on-demand DOX release from the fabricated microspheres were achieved by manipulating the laser exposure time. Our results demonstrate that AuNR-embedded dipeptide microspheres have great potential for controlled drug-delivery systems.

Biosynthesis and stabilization of Au and Au Ag alloy nanoparticles by fungus, Fusarium semitectum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasaratrao Sawle, Balaji; Salimath, Basavaraja; Deshpande, Raghunandan; Dhondojirao Bedre, Mahesh; Krishnamurthy Prabhakar, Belawadi; Venkataraman, Abbaraju

2008-09-01

Crystallized and spherical-shaped Au and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles have been synthesized and stabilized using a fungus, F . semitectum in an aqueous system. Aqueous solutions of chloroaurate ions for Au and chloroaurate and Ag+ ions (1 : 1 ratio) for Au-Ag alloy were treated with an extracellular filtrate of F . semitectum biomass for the formation of Au nanoparticles (AuNP) and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles (Au-AgNP). Analysis of the feasibility of the biosynthesized nanoparticles and core-shell alloy nanoparticles from fungal strains is particularly significant. The resultant colloidal suspensions are highly stable for many weeks. The obtained Au and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles were characterized by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks using a UV-vis spectrophotometer, and the structure, morphology and size were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Possible optoelectronics and medical applications of these nanoparticles are envisaged.

Different growth regimes in InP nanowire growth mediated by Ag nanoparticles.

PubMed

Oliveira, D S; Zavarize, M; Tizei, L H G; Walls, M; Ospina, C A; Iikawa, F; Ugarte, D; Cotta, M A

2017-12-15

We report on the existence of two different regimes in one-step Ag-seeded InP nanowire growth. The vapor-liquid-solid-mechanism is present at larger In precursor flows and temperatures, ∼500 °C, yielding high aspect ratio and pure wurtzite InP nanowires with a semi-spherical metal particle at the thin apex. Periodic diameter oscillations can be achieved under extreme In supersaturations at this temperature range, showing the presence of a liquid catalyst. However, under lower temperatures and In precursor flows, large diameter InP nanowires with mixed wurtzite/zincblende segments are obtained, similarly to In-assisted growth. Chemical composition analysis suggest that In-rich droplet formation is catalyzed at the substrate surface via Ag nanoparticles; this process might be facilitated by the sulfur contamination detected in these nanoparticles. Furthermore, part of the original Ag nanoparticle remains solid and is embedded inside the actual catalyst, providing an in situ method to switch growth mechanisms upon changing In precursor flow. Nevertheless, our Ag-seeded InP nanowires exhibit overall optical emission spectra consistent with the observed structural properties and similar to Au-catalyzed InP nanowires. We thus show that Ag nanoparticles may be a suitable replacement for Au in InP nanowire growth.

Position-dependent performance of copper phthalocyanine based field-effect transistors by gold nanoparticles modification.

PubMed

Luo, Xiao; Li, Yao; Lv, Wenli; Zhao, Feiyu; Sun, Lei; Peng, Yingquan; Wen, Zhanwei; Zhong, Junkang; Zhang, Jianping

2015-01-21

A facile fabrication and characteristics of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)-based organic field-effect transistor (OFET) using the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) modification is reported, thereby achieving highly improved performance. The effect of Au NPs located at three different positions, that is, at the SiO2/CuPc interface (device B), embedding in the middle of CuPc layer (device C), and on the top of CuPc layer (device D), is investigated, and the results show that device D has the best performance. Compared with the device without Au NPs (reference device A), device D displays an improvement of field-effect mobility (μ(sat)) from 1.65 × 10(-3) to 5.51 × 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), and threshold voltage decreases from -23.24 to -16.12 V. Therefore, a strategy for the performance improvement of the CuPc-based OFET with large field-effect mobility and saturation drain current is developed, on the basis of the concept of nanoscale Au modification. The model of an additional electron transport channel formation by FET operation at the Au NPs/CuPc interface is therefore proposed to explain the observed performance improvement. Optimum CuPc thickness is confirmed to be about 50 nm in the present study. The device-to-device uniformity and time stability are discussed for future application.

Using the M13 Phage as a Biotemplate to Create Mesoporous Structures Decorated with Gold and Platinum Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Vera-Robles, L Irais; González-Gracida, Jaqueline; Hernández-Gordillo, Armin; Campero, Antonio

2015-08-25

By taking advantage of the physical and chemical properties of the M13 bacteriophage, we have used this virus to synthesize mesoporous silica structures. Major coat protein p8 was chemically modified by attaching thiol groups. As we show, the resulting thiolated phage can be used as a biotemplate able to direct the formation of mesoporous silica materials. Simultaneously, this thiol functionality acts as an anchor for binding metal ions, such as Au(3+) and Pt(4+), forming reactive M13-metal ionic complexes which evolve into metal nanoparticles (NPs) trapped in the mesoporous network. Interestingly, Au(3+) ions are reduced to Au(0) NPs by the protein residues without requiring an external reducing agent. Likewise, silica mesostructures decorated with Au and Pt NPs are prepared in a one-pot synthesis and characterized using different techniques. The obtained results allow us to propose a mechanism of formation. In addition, gold-containing mesoporous structures are tested for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methylene blue (MB) in the presence of NaBH4. Although all of the gold-containing catalysts exhibit catalytic activity, those obtained with thiolated phages present a better performance than that obtained with M13 alone. This behavior is ascribed to the position of the Au NPs, which are partially embedded in the wall of the final mesostructures.

Properties of Au/Copper oxide nanocomposite prepared by green laser irradiation of the mixture of individual suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aazadfar, Parvaneh; Solati, Elmira; Dorranian, Davoud

2018-04-01

The fundamental wavelength of a Q-switched pulsed Nd:YAG laser was employed to produce Au and copper oxide nanoparticles via pulsed laser ablation method in water. Different volumetric ratio of nanoparticles were mixed and irradiated by the second harmonic pulses of the Nd:YAG laser to prepare Au/Copper oxide nanocomposite. The experimental investigation was dedicated to study the properties of Au/Copper oxide nanocomposite as a function of volumetric ratio of Au nanoparticles and copper oxide nanoparticles. Nanocomposites of Au and copper oxide were found almost spherical in shape. Adhesion of spherical nanostructure in Au/Copper oxide nanocomposites was decreased with increasing the concentration of Au nanoparticles. Crystalline phase of the Au/Copper oxide nanocomposites differs with the change in the volumetric ratio of Au and copper oxide nanoparticles. The intensity of surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles was decreased after irradiation. Au/Copper oxide nanocomposites suspensions have emissions in the visible range. Results reveal that green laser irradiation of nanoparticle suspensions is an appropriate method to synthesize Au based nanocomposites with controlled composition and size.

Interaction of Silica Nanoparticles with Human Cells and Their Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Zhiqin

With recent development of nanotechnology, various nanoparticulate systems have been proposed to serve as functional units for biomedical applications in many innovative ways. Among various possible choices, silica nanoparticles (NPs) enjoys easily modifiable surface chemical characteristics and excellent stability in physiological environment. Therefore, it is considered as one of the most promising carrier candidate for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. A systematic study on the interaction between silica nanoparticles and human cells is first carried out in the present thesis work. Endocytosis and exocytosis are identified as major pathways for NPs entering, and exiting the cells, respectively. Most of the NPs are found to be enclosed in membrane bounded organelles, which are fairly stable (against rupture) as very few NPs are released into the cytoplasma. The nanoparticle-cell interaction is a dynamic process, and the amount of NPs inside the cells is affected by both the amount and morphology (degree of aggregation) of NPs in the medium. These interaction characteristics determine the low cytotoxicity of SiO2 NPs at low feeding concentration. Experiments were then designed to compare the biological consequence of two most common form of SiO2 nanoparticles, i.e., crystalline and amorphous NPs, when they were introduced to human cells. Although the apparent cytotoxicity of both types of NPs seems to be low, more detailed characterizations disclose the profound difference induced by the crystalline and amorphous ones, resulting in significantly different cell evolution pathways. Crystalline NPs but not amorphous ones are found to drastically increase the recative oxygen species (ROS) level in the cells, which can cause mitochondria dysfunction (being expressed as mitochondria proliferation), and eventually direct the cell into apoptosis. Nonetheless, only p53 deficient cells are subjective to such ROS induced cell damage, while p53 proficient cells can accommodate the stimulation from crystalline SiO2 NPs. The amorphous SiO2 NPs are found to be benign in the biological systems, and have great potential to be developed as nanomedicine. Base on the understanding obtained from the toxicology study of the SiO 2 NPs, we have designed a special nanocarrier system for drug delivery. We have combined advantages of both SiO2 and Au NPs by constructing Au-core/SiO2-shell (Au SiO2) nanocarriers with the photosensitizer (PS) drug embedded in the SiO2 shell layer. Compared with free PS, PS loading in the Au SiO2 NPs shows an enhanced drug efficacy. In particular, the cells treated with the NP drug take necrosis as a major death path instead of apoptosis, which is a much less effective route. The Au plasmonic effect is found to promote the photo-response of the PS drug under light irradiation, contributing to the largely decreased cell viability. Nevertheless, one shall note that spatial confinement of the drug moledules to the close proximity of the Au core and an energy match between the drug absorption and the Au surface plasmon resonance are critical in manifesting the plasmonic effect. At the same time, embedding the drug in the SiO 2 matrix leads to favorable change in the photochemical process. The combined effects brought by the Au SiO2 NP carrier is responsible for the high drug efficacy. These mechanisms can be generally valid in engineering drug molecule incorporation into NP carriers and also give guidance for the optimum design of the NP drug carrier.

Structural and morphological peculiarities of hybrid Au/nanodiamond engineered nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matassa, Roberto; Orlanducci, Silvia; Reina, Giacomo; Cassani, Maria Cristina; Passeri, Daniele; Terranova, Maria Letizia; Rossi, Marco

2016-08-01

Nanostructured Au nano-platelets have been synthesized from an Au(III) complex by growth process triggered by nanodiamond (ND). An electroless synthetic route has been used to obtain 2D Au/ND architectures, where individual nanodiamond particles are intimately embedded into face-centered cubic Au platelets. The combined use of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), was able to reveal the unusual organization of these hybrid nanoparticles, ascertaining the existence of preferential crystallographic orientations for both nanocrystalline species and highlighting their mutual locations. Detailed information on the sample microstructure have been gathered by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) of HR-TEM images, allowing us to figure out the role of Au defects, able to anchor ND crystallites and to provide specific sites for heteroepitaxial Au growth. Aggregates constituted by coupled ND and Au, represent interesting systems conjugating the best optoelectronics and plasmonics properties of the two different materials. In order to promote realistically the applications of such outstanding Au/ND materials, the cooperative mechanisms at the basis of material synthesis and their influence on the details of the hybrid nanostructures have to be deeply understood.

Structural and morphological peculiarities of hybrid Au/nanodiamond engineered nanostructures

PubMed Central

Matassa, Roberto; Orlanducci, Silvia; Reina, Giacomo; Cassani, Maria Cristina; Passeri, Daniele; Terranova, Maria Letizia; Rossi, Marco

2016-01-01

Nanostructured Au nano-platelets have been synthesized from an Au(III) complex by growth process triggered by nanodiamond (ND). An electroless synthetic route has been used to obtain 2D Au/ND architectures, where individual nanodiamond particles are intimately embedded into face-centered cubic Au platelets. The combined use of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), was able to reveal the unusual organization of these hybrid nanoparticles, ascertaining the existence of preferential crystallographic orientations for both nanocrystalline species and highlighting their mutual locations. Detailed information on the sample microstructure have been gathered by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) of HR-TEM images, allowing us to figure out the role of Au defects, able to anchor ND crystallites and to provide specific sites for heteroepitaxial Au growth. Aggregates constituted by coupled ND and Au, represent interesting systems conjugating the best optoelectronics and plasmonics properties of the two different materials. In order to promote realistically the applications of such outstanding Au/ND materials, the cooperative mechanisms at the basis of material synthesis and their influence on the details of the hybrid nanostructures have to be deeply understood. PMID:27514638

Room Temperature Ion-Beam-Induced Recrystallization and Large Scale Nanopatterning.

PubMed

Satpati, Biswarup; Ghosh, Tanmay

2015-02-01

We have studied ion-induced effects in the near-surface region of two eutectic systems. Gold and Silver nanodots on Silicon (100) substrate were prepared by thermal evaporation under high vacuum condition at room temperature (RT) and irradiated with 1.5 MeV Au2+ ions at flux ~1.25 x 10(11) ions cm-2 s-1 also at RT. These samples were characterized using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and associated techniques. We have observed that gold act as catalysis in the recrystallization process of ion-beam-induced amorphous Si at room temperature and also large mass transport up to a distance of about 60 nm into the substrate. Mass transport is much beyond the size (~ 6-20 nm) of these Au nanodots. Ag nanoparticles with diameter 15-45 nm are half-way embedded into the Si substrate and does not stimulate in recrystallization. In case of Au nanoparticles upon ion irradiation, mixed phase formed only when the local composition and transient temperature during irradiation is sufficient to cause mixing in accordance with the Au-Si stable phase diagram. Spectroscopic imaging in the scanning TEM using spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy provides one of the few ways to measure the real-space nanoscale mixing.

Layer-by-layer self-assembly of micro-capsules for the magnetic activation of semi-permeable nano-shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prouty, Malcolm D.

2007-12-01

Layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly has demonstrated broad perspectives for encapsulating, and the controllable delivery, of drugs. The nano-scale polymer layers have the capability of material protection. Magnetic nanoparticles have great potential to be applied with LbL technology to achieve both "focusing" of the encapsulated drugs to a specific location followed by "switching" them on to release the encapsulated drugs. In this work, Phor21-betaCG(ala), dextran, and dexamethasone were used as model drugs. Encapsulation of these drugs with layer-by-layer self-assembly formed biolnano robotic capsules for controlled delivery and drug release. Silica nanoparticles coated with polyelectrolyte layers of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or gelatin B, along with an oppositely charged peptide drug (Phor2l-betaCG(ala)), were prepared using LbL self-assembly and confirmed using QCM and zeta potential measurements. The peptide drug was assembled as a component of the multilayer walls. The release kinetics of the embedded peptide were determined. Up to 18% of the embedded Phor21-betaCG(ala) was released from the CMC multilayers over a period of 28 hours. The release was based on physiological conditions, and an external control mechanism using magnetic nanoparticles needed to be developed. Magnetic permeability control experiments were setup by applying LbL self-assembly on MnCO3 micro-cores to fabricate polyelectrolyte microcapsules embedded with superparamagnetic gold coated cobalt (Co Au) nanoparticles. An alternating magnetic field was applied to the microcapsules to check for changes in permeability. Permeability experiments were achieved by adding fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled dextran to the microcapsule solution. Before an alternating magnetic field was applied, the capsules remained impermeable to the FITC-dextran; however, after an alternating magnetic field was applied for 30 minutes, approximately 99% of the capsules were filled with FITC-dextran, showing that the Co Au embedded microcapsules were indeed "switched on" using an alternating magnetic field. LbL assembly was then applied to encapsulate micronized dexamethasone with biocompatible polyelectrolytes such as protamine sulfate C, chondroitin sulfate sodium salt, and gelatin B, along with a layer of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The biocompatible polymers were used to retain and protect the vulnerable drug. In vitro drug release kinetics were investigated according to different environmental factors such as temperature and pH. An external oscillating magnetic field was applied to "switch on" and accelerate the drug release. The results were compared to those without applying a magnetic field.

Thermally stable silica-coated hydrophobic gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kanehara, Masayuki; Watanabe, Yuka; Teranishi, Toshiharu

2009-01-01

We have successfully developed a method for silica coating on hydrophobic dodecanethiol-protected Au nanoparticles with coating thickness ranging from 10 to 40 nm. The formation of silica-coated Au nanoparticles could be accomplished via the preparation of hydrophilic Au nanoparticle micelles by cationic surfactant encapsulation in aqueous phase, followed by hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate on the hydrophilic surface of gold nanoparticle micelles. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles exhibited quite high thermal stability, that is, no agglomeration of the Au cores could be observed after annealing at 600 degrees C for 30 min. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles could serve as a template to derive hollow nanoparticles. An addition of NaCN solution to silica-coated Au nanoparticles led the formation of hollow silica nanoparticles, which were redispersible in deionized water. The formation of the hollow silica nanoparticles results from the mesoporous structures of the silica shell and such a mesoporous structure is applicable to both catalyst support and drug delivery.

Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles fabricated by block copolymer templates and their catalytic activity in the degradation of methyl orange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Huan; Jiao, Yapei; Li, Na; Pang, Juanjuan; Li, Wenting; Zhang, Xiaokai; Li, Xue; Li, Chunsheng

2018-01-01

A simple approach towards the fabrication of Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles is presented. Composite micelles of polystyrene-block-poly (ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO)/Ce(NO3)3/HAuCl4 with HAuCl4 and Ce(NO3)3 precursors incorporated in the PEO domains are prepared first. By manipulating the pH value of the composite micelles solution, a redox reaction between Au(III) with Ce(III) in the PEO domains occurs and Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles composed of a porous CeO2 and an Au nanoparticle are generated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis spectrum (UV), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements are employed to characterize the Janus-like nanoparticles. The catalytic degradation of methyl orange dye (MO) under ultrasonic irradiation is chosen as the test reaction to examine the catalytic activity of the Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles. It is found that Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles show higher activity than that of CeO2 nanoparticles or Au-CeO2 composite nanoparticles. The increased catalytic activity of Au-CeO2 Janus-like nanoparticles is attributed to the exposed Au core on one side of the Janus nanoparticles and the Au-CeO2 heterointerfaces.

Understanding Atom Probe Tomography of Oxide-Supported Metal Nanoparticles by Correlation with Atomic-Resolution Electron Microscopy and Field Evaporation Simulation.

PubMed

Devaraj, Arun; Colby, Robert; Vurpillot, François; Thevuthasan, Suntharampillai

2014-04-17

Oxide-supported metal nanoparticles are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis. The increasingly detailed design of such catalysts necessitates three-dimensional characterization with high spatial resolution and elemental selectivity. Laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT) is uniquely suited to the task but faces challenges with the evaporation of metal/insulator systems. Correlation of APT with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), for Au nanoparticles embedded in MgO, reveals preferential evaporation of the MgO and an inaccurate assessment of nanoparticle composition. Finite element field evaporation modeling is used to illustrate the evolution of the evaporation front. Nanoparticle composition is most accurately predicted when the MgO is treated as having a locally variable evaporation field, indicating the importance of considering laser-oxide interactions and the evaporation of various molecular oxide ions. These results demonstrate the viability of APT for analysis of oxide-supported metal nanoparticles, highlighting the need for developing a theoretical framework for the evaporation of heterogeneous materials.

Elucidating the sole contribution from electromagnetic near-fields in plasmon-enhanced Cu 2O photocathodes

DOE PAGES

DuChene, Joseph S.; Williams, Benjamin P.; Johnston-Peck, Aaron C.; ...

2015-11-05

Despite many promising reports of plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis, the inability to identify the individual contributions from multiple enhancement mechanisms has delayed the development of general design rules for engineering efficient plasmonic photocatalysts. Herein, we construct a plasmonic photocathode comprised of Au@SiO 2 (core@shell) nanoparticles embedded within a Cu 2O nanowire network to exclusively examine the contribution from one such mechanism: electromagnetic near-field enhancement. The influence of the local electromagnetic field intensity is correlated with the overall light-harvesting efficiency of the device through variation of the SiO 2 shell thickness (5—22 nm) to systematically tailor the distance between the plasmonic Au nanoparticlesmore » and the Cu 2O nanowires. A three-fold increase in device photocurrent is achieved upon integrating the Au@SiO 2 nanoparticles into the Cu 2O nanowire network, further enabling a ~40% reduction in semiconductor film thickness while maintaining photocathode performance. Photoelectrochemical results are further correlated with photoluminescence studies and optical simulations to confirm that the near-field enhancement is the sole mechanism responsible for increased light absorption in the plasmonic photocathode.« less

Nanotechnology combined therapy: tyrosine kinase-bound gold nanorod and laser thermal ablation produce a synergistic higher treatment response of renal cell carcinoma in a murine model.

PubMed

Liu, James; Abshire, Caleb; Carry, Connor; Sholl, Andrew B; Mandava, Sree Harsha; Datta, Amrita; Ranjan, Manish; Callaghan, Cameron; Peralta, Donna V; Williams, Kristen S; Lai, Weil R; Abdel-Mageed, Asim B; Tarr, Matthew; Lee, Benjamin R

2017-02-01

To investigate tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and gold nanorods (AuNRs) paired with photothermal ablation in a human metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) mouse model. Nanoparticles have been successful as a platform for targeted drug delivery in the treatment of urological cancers. Likewise, the use of nanoparticles in photothermal tumour ablation, although early in its development, has provided promising results. Our previous in vitro studies of nanoparticles loaded with both TKI and AuNRs and activated with photothermal ablation have shown significant synergistic cell kill greater than each individual arm alone. This study is a translation of our initial findings to an in vivo model. Immunologically naïve nude mice (athymic nude-Foxn1 nu ) were injected subcutaneously bilaterally in both flanks (n = 36) with 2.5 × 10 6 cells of a human metastatic renal cell carcinoma cell line (RCC 786-O). Subcutaneous xenograft tumours developed into 1-cm palpable nodules. AuNRs encapsulated in human serum albumin protein (HSA) nanoparticles were synthesised with or without a TKI and injected directly into the tumour nodule. Irradiation was administered with an 808-nm light-emitting diode laser for 6 min. Mice were humanely killed 14 days after irradiation; tumours were excised, formalin fixed, paraffin embedded, and evaluated for size and the percentage of necrosis by a genitourinary pathologist. The untreated contralateral flank tumours were used as controls. In mice that did not receive irradiation, TKI alone yielded 4.2% tumour necrosis on the injected side and administration of HSA-AuNR-TKI alone yielded 11.1% necrosis. In the laser-ablation models, laser ablation alone yielded 62% necrosis and when paired with HSA-AuNR there was 63.4% necrosis. The combination of laser irradiation and HSA-AuNR-TKI had cell kill rate of 100%. In the absence of laser irradiation, TKI treatment alone or when delivered via nanoparticles produced moderate necrosis. Irradiation with and without gold particles alone also improves tumour necrosis. However, when irradiation is paired with gold particles and drug-loaded nanoparticles, the combined therapy showed the most significant and synergistic complete tumour necrosis of 100% (P < 0.05). This study illustrates the potential of combination nanotechnology as a new approach in the treatment of urological cancers. © 2016 The Authors BJU International © 2016 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Investigation of Electrochemistry Behaviors of Tyrosinase Based on Directly-Electrodeposited Grapheneon Choline-Gold Nanoparticles.

PubMed

He, Yaping; Yang, Xiaohui; Han, Quan; Zheng, Jianbin

2017-06-23

A novel catechol (CA) biosensor was developed by embedding tyrosinase (Tyr) onto in situ electrochemical reduction graphene (EGR) on choline-functionalized gold nanoparticle (AuNPs-Ch) film. The results of UV-Vis spectra indicated that Tyr retained its original structure in the film, and an electrochemical investigation of the biosensor showed a pair of well-defined, quasi-reversible redox peaks with E pa = -0.0744 V and E pc = -0.114 V (vs. SCE) in 0.1 M, pH 7.0 sodium phosphate-buffered saline at a scan rate of 100 mV/s. The transfer rate constant k s is 0.66 s -1 . The Tyr-EGR/AuNPs-Ch showed a good electrochemical catalytic response for the reduction of CA, with the linear range from 0.2 to 270 μM and a detection limit of 0.1 μM (S/N = 3). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was estimated to be 109 μM.

Nanoscale semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell heterostructures: facile synthesis and light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gong Ping; Chen, Rui; Guo, Dong Lai; Wong, Lai Mun; Wang, Shi Jie; Sun, Han Dong; Wu, Tom

2011-08-01

Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO2 and In2O3 are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications.Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO2 and In2O3 are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Representative SEM and TEM images of 700 °C annealed ZnO/MgO core/shell NWs, a TEM image of an individual MgO nanocrystal inside the MgO NTs and SEM images of SnO2 NP chains embedded in MgO NTs and comb-shaped MgO hollow nanostructures. See DOI: 10.1039/c1nr10352k

Exfoliation restacking route to Au nanoparticle-clay nanohybrids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paek, Seung-Min; Jang, Jae-Up; Hwang, Seong-Ju; Choy, Jin-Ho

2006-05-01

A novel gold-pillared aluminosilicate (Au-PILC) were synthesized with positively charged gold nanoparticles capped by mercaptoammonium and exfoliated silicate layers. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized by NaBH4 reduction of AuCl4- in the presence of N,N,N-Trimethyl (11-mercaptoundecyl)ammonium (HS(CH2)11NMe3+) protecting ligand in an aqueous solution, and purified by dialysis. The resulting positively charged and water-soluble gold nanoparticles were hybridized with exfoliated silicate sheets by electrostatic interaction. The formation of Au clay hybrids could be easily confirmed by the powder X-ray diffraction with the increased basal spacing of clay upon insertion of Au nanoparticles. TEM image clearly revealed that the Au particles with an average size of 4 nm maintain their structure even after intercalation. The Au nanoparticles supported by clay matrix were found to be thermally more stable, suggesting that the Au nanoparticles were homogeneously protected with clay nanoplates. The present synthetic route could be further applicable to various hybrid systems between metal nanoparticles and clays.

Subsurface thermal behaviour of tissue mimics embedded with large blood vessels during plasmonic photo-thermal therapy.

PubMed

Paul, Anup; Narasimhan, Arunn; Das, Sarit K; Sengupta, Soujit; Pradeep, Thalappil

2016-11-01

The purpose of this study was to understand the subsurface thermal behaviour of a tissue phantom embedded with large blood vessels (LBVs) when exposed to near-infrared (NIR) radiation. The effect of the addition of nanoparticles to irradiated tissue on the thermal sink behaviour of LBVs was also studied. Experiments were performed on a tissue phantom embedded with a simulated blood vessel of 2.2 mm outer diameter (OD)/1.6 mm inner diameter (ID) with a blood flow rate of 10 mL/min. Type I collagen from bovine tendon and agar gel were used as tissue. Two different nanoparticles, gold mesoflowers (AuMS) and graphene nanostructures, were synthesised and characterised. Energy equations incorporating a laser source term based on multiple scattering theories were solved using finite element-based commercial software. The rise in temperature upon NIR irradiation was seen to vary according to the position of the blood vessel and presence of nanoparticles. While the maximum rise in temperature was about 10 °C for bare tissue, it was 19 °C for tissue embedded with gold nanostructures and 38 °C for graphene-embedded tissues. The axial temperature distribution predicted by computational simulation matched the experimental observations. A different subsurface temperature distribution has been obtained for different tissue vascular network models. The position of LBVs must be known in order to achieve optimal tissue necrosis. The simulation described here helps in predicting subsurface temperature distributions within tissues during plasmonic photo-thermal therapy so that the risks of damage and complications associated with in vivo experiments and therapy may be avoided.

Synthesis of NiAu alloy and core-shell nanoparticles in water-in-oil microemulsions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Hsin-Kai; Chiang, I.-Chen; Chen, Dong-Hwang

2009-07-01

NiAu alloy nanoparticles with various Ni/Au molar ratios were synthesized by the hydrazine reduction of nickel chloride and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate in the microemulsion system. They had a face-centered cubic structure and a mean diameter of 6-13 nm, decreasing with increasing Au content. As Au nanoparticles did, they showed a characteristic absorption peak at about 520 nm but the intensity decreased with increasing Ni content. Also, they were nearly superparamagnetic, although the magnetization decreased significantly with increasing Au content. Under an external magnetic field, they could be self-organized into the parallel lines. In addition, the core-shell nanoparticles, Ni3Au1@Au, were prepared by the Au coating on the surface of Ni3Au1 alloy nanoparticles. By increasing the hydrogen tetrachloroaurate concentration for Au coating, the thickness of Au shells could be raised and led to an enhanced and red-shifted surface plasmon absorption.

Gold nanoparticles embedded electropolymerized thin film of pyrimidine derivative on glassy carbon electrode for highly sensitive detection of l-cysteine.

PubMed

Kannan, Ayyadurai; Sevvel, Ranganathan

2017-09-01

This paper demonstrates the fabrication of novel gold nanoparticles incorporated poly (4-amino-6-hydroxy-2-mercaptopyrimidine) (Nano-Au/Poly-AHMP) film modified glassy carbon electrode and it is employed for highly sensitive detection of l-cysteine (CYS). The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). SEM images of modified electrode revealed the homogeneous distribution of gold nanoparticles on poly (4-amino-6-hydroxy-2-mercaptopyrimidine) thin film modified glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode was successfully utilized for highly selective and sensitive determination of l-cysteine at physiological pH7.0. The present electrochemical sensor successfully resolved the voltammetric signals of ascorbic acid (AA) and l-cysteine with peak separation of 0.510V. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of larger peak separation between AA and CYS. Wide linear concentration ranges (2μM-500μM), low detection limit (0.020μM), an excellent reproducibility and stability are achieved for cysteine sensing with this Nano-Au/Poly-AHMP/GCE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Au-coated 3-D nanoporous titania layer prepared using polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer nanoparticles.

PubMed

Shin, Won-Jeong; Basarir, Fevzihan; Yoon, Tae-Ho; Lee, Jae-Suk

2009-04-09

New nanoporous structures of Au-coated titania layers were prepared by using amphiphilic block copolymer nanoparticles as a template. A 3-D template composed of self-assembled quaternized polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (Q-PS-b-P2VP) block copolymer nanoparticles below 100 nm was prepared. The core-shell-type nanoparticles were well ordered three-dimensionally using the vertical immersion method on the substrate. The polar solvents were added to the polymer solution to prevent particle merging at 40 degrees C when considering the interaction between polymer nanoparticles and solvents. Furthermore, Au-coated PS-b-P2VP nanoparticles were prepared using thiol-capped Au nanoparticles (3 nm). The 3-D arrays with Au-coated PS-b-P2VP nanoparticles as a template contributed to the preparation of the nanoporous Au-coated titania layer. Therefore, the nanoporous Au-coated titania layer was fabricated by removing PS-b-P2VP block copolymer nanoparticles by oxygen plasma etching.

Controlled growth of Au nanoparticles in co-evaporated metal/polymer composite films and their optical and electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takele, H.; Schürmann, U.; Greve, H.; Paretkar, D.; Zaporojtchenko, V.; Faupel, F.

2006-02-01

Nanocomposite films containing Au nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix were prepared by vapour phase co-deposition of Au and polymers (Teflon AF and Poly(α -methylstyrene)) in high vacuum. The microstructure of the composite materials as well as metal content strongly depend on the condensation coefficient of the Au atoms, the deposition rates of the components, the substrate temperature, and the type of polymer matrix. The condensation coefficient, which varies between 0.03 and 1, was determined from energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) and surface profilometry. It is shown that the microstructure of nanocomposites (size, size distribution, and interparticle separation of metal clusters), which was determined by transmission electron microscopy, can be controlled by the deposition parameters and the choice of polymer matrix. The optical absorption in the visible region due to the particle plasmon resonance has a strong dependence on the metal filling factor. The correlation between the microstructure of nanocomposites and optical properties, studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy, was also established. Further more, the electrical properties of the composites were studied as a function of the metal volume fraction. It was observed that the nanocomposite films exhibit a percolation threshold at a metal volume fraction of 0.43 and 0.20 for gold nanoclusters in Teflon AF and Poly(α-methylstyrene), respectively.

Volume-confined synthesis of ligand-free gold nanoparticles with tailored sizes for enhanced catalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaik, Firdoz; Zhang, Weiqing; Niu, Wenxin; Lu, Xianmao

2014-10-01

Ligand-free Au nanoparticles with controlled sizes are synthesized via a volume-confined method. In this synthesis, mesoporous hollow silica shells (mHSS) are used as nano-containers for the impregnation of HAuCl4 solution before they are separated from the bulk solution. With a simple heating process, the Au precursor confined within the cavity of the isolated hollow shells is converted into ligand-free Au nanoparticles. The size of the Au nanoparticles can be tuned precisely by loading HAuCl4 solution of different concentrations, or by using mHSS with different cavity volumes. The ligand-free Au nanoparticles demonstrate superior catalytic activity than sodium citrate-capped Au nanoparticles.

Enhanced optical output power of blue light-emitting diodes with quasi-aligned gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Jin, Yuanhao; Li, Qunqing; Li, Guanhong; Chen, Mo; Liu, Junku; Zou, Yuan; Jiang, Kaili; Fan, Shoushan

2014-01-06

The output power of the light from GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was enhanced by fabricating gold (Au) nanoparticles on the surface of p-GaN. Quasi-aligned Au nanoparticle arrays were prepared by depositing Au thin film on an aligned suspended carbon nanotube thin film surface and then putting the Au-CNT system on the surface of p-GaN and thermally annealing the sample. The size and position of the Au nanoparticles were confined by the carbon nanotube framework, and no other additional residual Au was distributed on the surface of the p-GaN substrate. The output power of the light from the LEDs with Au nanoparticles was enhanced by 55.3% for an injected current of 100 mA with the electrical property unchanged compared with the conventional planar LEDs. The enhancement may originate from the surface plasmon effect and scattering effect of the Au nanoparticles.

Au–CsPbBr 3 Hybrid Architecture: Anchoring Gold Nanoparticles on Cubic Perovskite Nanocrystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balakrishnan, Subila K.; Kamat, Prashant V.

A selective growth of gold (Au) nanoparticles on the corners of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals (NCs) is made possible with the treatment of Au(III) salts such as Au(III) bromide and Au(III) chloride in solution. The surface bound oleylamine ligands not only stabilize NCs but also facilitate reduction of the Au(III) salts followed by nucleation of the Au nanoparticles on the corners of the perovskite NCs. The luminescence quantum yield of NCs is decreased when Au nanoparticles are formed on the corners of CsPbBr 3 NCs, suggesting interaction between the two systems. Formation of Au nanoparticles as well as an anion exchangemore » is seen when Au(III) bromide was replaced with Au(III) chloride as a precursor. This simple strategy of designing perovskite-gold hybrid nanostructures with good colloidal stability offers new opportunities to explore their photocatalytic properties.« less

Au–CsPbBr 3 Hybrid Architecture: Anchoring Gold Nanoparticles on Cubic Perovskite Nanocrystals

DOE PAGES

Balakrishnan, Subila K.; Kamat, Prashant V.

2016-11-29

A selective growth of gold (Au) nanoparticles on the corners of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals (NCs) is made possible with the treatment of Au(III) salts such as Au(III) bromide and Au(III) chloride in solution. The surface bound oleylamine ligands not only stabilize NCs but also facilitate reduction of the Au(III) salts followed by nucleation of the Au nanoparticles on the corners of the perovskite NCs. The luminescence quantum yield of NCs is decreased when Au nanoparticles are formed on the corners of CsPbBr 3 NCs, suggesting interaction between the two systems. Formation of Au nanoparticles as well as an anion exchangemore » is seen when Au(III) bromide was replaced with Au(III) chloride as a precursor. This simple strategy of designing perovskite-gold hybrid nanostructures with good colloidal stability offers new opportunities to explore their photocatalytic properties.« less

Spontaneous formation of Au-Pt alloyed nanoparticles using pure nano-counterparts as starters: a ligand and size dependent process.

PubMed

Usón, Laura; Sebastian, Victor; Mayoral, Alvaro; Hueso, Jose L; Eguizabal, Adela; Arruebo, Manuel; Santamaria, Jesus

2015-06-14

In this work we investigate the formation of PtAu monodisperse alloyed nanoparticles by ageing pure metallic Au and Pt small nanoparticles (sNPs), nanoparticle size <5 nm, under certain conditions. We demonstrate that those bimetallic entities can be obtained by controlling the size of the initial metallic sNPs separately prepared and by selecting their appropriate capping agents. The formation of this spontaneous phenomenon was studied using HR-STEM, EDS, ionic conductivity, UV-Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Depending on the type of capping agent used and the size of the initial Au sNPs, three different materials were obtained: (i) AuPt bimetallic sNPs showing a surface rich in Au atoms, (ii) segregated Au and Pt sNPs and (iii) a mixture of bimetallic nanoparticles as well as Pt sNPs and Au NPs. Surface segregation energies and the nature of the reaction environment are the driving forces to direct the distribution of atoms in the bimetallic sNPs. PtAu alloyed nanoparticles were obtained after 150 h of reaction at room temperature if a weak capping agent was used for the stabilization of the nanoparticles. It was also found that Au atoms diffuse towards Pt sNPs, producing a surface enriched in Au atoms. This study shows that even pure nanoparticles are prone to be modified by the surrounding nanoparticles to give rise to new nanomaterials if atomic diffusion is feasible.

Optical properties of ion-beam-synthesized Au nanoparticles in SiO2 matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Chang-Lin; Oyoshi, Keiji; Chao, Der-Sheng; Tsai, Hsu-Sheng; Hong, Wei-Lun; Takeda, Yoshihiko; Liang, Jenq-Horng

2016-05-01

In recent years, gold (Au) nanoparticles have been synthesized via various methods and used in optical and biomedical detection. Au nanoparticles contain some remarkable dimension-dependent optical properties due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in Au nanoparticles which causes high absorption in visible light regions. Since SPR in well-crystallized Au nanoparticles can enhance the local electromagnetic field, it is thus expected that greater efficiency in the photoluminescence (PL) originating from oxygen deficiency centers (ODC) can be achieved in Au-implanted SiO2 matrix. In order to demonstrate the enhancement of PL, Au nanoparticles were formed in SiO2 film using ion beam synthesis and their optical and microstructural properties were also investigated in this study. The results revealed that a clear absorption peak at approximately 530 nm was identified in the UV-Vis spectra and was attributed to SPR induced by Au nanoparticles in SiO2. The SPR of Au nanoparticles is also dependent on thermal treatment conditions, such as post-annealing temperature and ambient. The Au nanoparticle-containing SiO2 film also displayed several distinctive peaks at approximately 320, 360, 460, and 600 nm in the PL spectra and were found to be associated with ODC-related defects and non-bridging oxygen hole centers (NBOHC) in SiO2. In addition, the PL peak intensities increased as post-annealing temperature increased, a finding contradictory to the defect recovery but highly consistent with the SPR tendency. A maximum PL emission was achieved when the Au-implanted SiO2 film was annealed at 1100 °C for 1 h under N2. Therefore, the existence of Au nanoparticles in SiO2 film can induce SPR effects as well as enhance PL emission resulting from defect-related luminescence centers.

Tunable, biodegradable gold nanoparticles as contrast agents for computed tomography and photoacoustic imaging

PubMed Central

Cheheltani, Rabee; Ezzibdeh, Rami M.; Chhour, Peter; Pulaparthi, Kumidini; Kim, Johoon; Jurcova, Martina; Hsu, Jessica C.; Blundell, Cassidy; Litt, Harold I.; Ferrari, Victor A.; Allcock, Harry R.; Sehgal, Chandra M.; Cormode, David P.

2016-01-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) have been proposed for many applications in medicine. Although large AuNP (>5.5 nm) are desirable for their longer blood circulation and accumulation in diseased tissues, small AuNP (<5.5 nm) are required for excretion via the kidneys. We present a novel platform where small, excretable AuNP are encapsulated into biodegradable poly di(carboxylatophenoxy)phosphazene (PCPP) nanospheres. These larger nanoparticles (Au-PCPP) can perform their function as contrast agents, then subsequently break down into harmless byproducts and release the AuNP for swift excretion. Homogeneous Au-PCPP were synthesized using a microfluidic device. The size of the Au-PCPP can be controlled by the amount of polyethylene glycol-polylysine (PEG-PLL) block co-polymer in the formulation. Synthesis of Au-PCPP nanoparticles and encapsulation of AuNP in PCPP were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and their biocompatibility and biodegradability confirmed in vitro. The Au-PCPP nanoparticles were found to produce strong computed tomography contrast. The UV-Vis absorption peak of Au-PCPP can be tuned into the near infrared region via inclusion of varying amounts of AuNP and controlling the nanoparticle size. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated the potential of Au-PCPP as contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging. Therefore, Au-PCPP nanoparticles have high potency as contrast agents for two imaging modalities, as well as being biocompatible and biodegradable, and thus represent a platform with potential for translation into the clinic. PMID:27322961

Correlating structural dynamics and catalytic activity of AgAu nanoparticles with ultrafast spectroscopy and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Ferbonink, G F; Rodrigues, T S; Dos Santos, D P; Camargo, P H C; Albuquerque, R Q; Nome, R A

2018-05-29

In this study, we investigated hollow AgAu nanoparticles with the goal of improving our understanding of the composition-dependent catalytic activity of these nanoparticles. AgAu nanoparticles were synthesized via the galvanic replacement method with controlled size and nanoparticle compositions. We studied extinction spectra with UV-Vis spectroscopy and simulations based on Mie theory and the boundary element method, and ultrafast spectroscopy measurements to characterize decay constants and the overall energy transfer dynamics as a function of AgAu composition. Electron-phonon coupling times for each composition were obtained from pump-power dependent pump-probe transients. These spectroscopic studies showed how nanoscale surface segregation, hollow interiors and porosity affect the surface plasmon resonance wavelength and fundamental electron-phonon coupling times. Analysis of the spectroscopic data was used to correlate electron-phonon coupling times to AgAu composition, and thus to surface segregation and catalytic activity. We have performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of model hollow AgAu core-shell nanoparticles to characterize nanoparticle stability and equilibrium structures, besides providing atomic level views of nanoparticle surface segregation. Overall, the basic atomistic and electron-lattice dynamics of core-shell AgAu nanoparticles characterized here thus aid the mechanistic understanding and performance optimization of AgAu nanoparticle catalysts.

Synthesis of new liquid crystals embedded gold nanoparticles for photoswitching properties.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Lutfor; Biswas, Tapan Kumar; Sarkar, Shaheen M; Yusoff, Mashitah Mohd; Yuvaraj, A R; Kumar, Sandeep

2016-09-15

A new series of liquid crystals decorated gold nanoparticles is synthesized whose molecular architecture has azobenzenes moieties as the peripheral units connected to gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) via alkyl groups. The morphology and mesomorphic properties were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing optical microscopy. The thiolated ligand molecules (3a-c) showed enantiotropic smectic A phase, whereas gold nanoparticles (5a-c) exhibit nematic and smectic A phase with monotropic nature. HR-TEM measurement showed that the functionalized Au NPs are of the average size of 2nm and they are well dispersed without any aggregation. The trans-form of azo compounds showed a strong band in the UV region at ∼378nm for the π-π(∗) transition, and a weak band in the visible region at ∼472nm due to the n-π(∗) transition. These molecules exhibit attractive photoisomerization behaviour in which trans-cis transition takes about 15s whereas the cis-trans transition requires about 45min for compound 5c. The extent of reversible isomerization did not decay after 10 cycles, which proved that the photo-responsive properties of 5c were stable and repeatable. Therefore, these materials may be suitably exploited in the field of molecular switches and the optical storage devices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronic excitation induced modifications of structural, electrical and optical properties of Cu-C60 nanocomposite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inani, H.; Singhal, R.; Sharma, P.; Vishnoi, R.; Ojha, S.; Chand, S.; Sharma, G. D.

2017-09-01

High energy ion irradiation significantly affects the size and shape of nanoparticles in composites. Low concentration metal fraction embedded in fullerene matrix in form of nanocomposites was synthesized by thermal co-evaporation method. Swift heavy ion irradiation was performed with 120 MeV Au ion beam on Cu-C60 nanocomposites at different fluences 1 × 1012, 3 × 1012, 6 × 1012, 1 × 1013 and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. Absorption spectra demonstrated that absorption intensity of nanocomposite thin film was increased whereas absorption modes of fullerene C60 were diminished with fluence. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy was also performed to estimate the thickness of the film and atomic metal fraction in matrix and found to be 45 nm and 3%, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy was performed for structural and particle size evaluation of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) in fullerene C60 matrix. A growth of Cu nanoparticles is observed at a fluence of 3 × 1013 ions/cm2 with a bi-modal distribution in fullerene C60. Structural evolution of fullerene C60 matrix with increasing fluence of 120 MeV Au ion beam is studied by Raman spectroscopy which shows the amorphization of matrix (fullerene C60) at lower fluence. The growth of Cu nanoparticles is explained using the phenomena of Ostwald ripening.

Mechanical control of the plasmon coupling with Au nanoparticle arrays fixed on the elastomeric film via chemical bond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedogni, Elena; Kaneko, Satoshi; Fujii, Shintaro; Kiguchi, Manabu

2017-03-01

We have fabricated Au nanoparticle arrays on the flexible poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film. The nanoparticles were bound to the film via a covalent bond by a ligand exchange reaction. Thanks to the strong chemical bonding, highly stable and uniformly dispersed Au nanoparticle arrays were fixed on the PDMS film. The Au nanoparticle arrays were characterized by the UV-vis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The UV-vis and SEM measurements showed the uniformity of the surface-dispersed Au nanoparticles, and SERS measurement confirmed the chemistry of the PDMS film. Reflecting the high stability and the uniformity of the Au nanoparticle arrays, the plasmon wavelength of the Au nanoparticles reversely changed with modulation of the interparticle distance, which was induced by the stretching of the PDMS film. The plasmon wavelength linearly decreased from 664 to 591 nm by stretching of 60%. The plasmon wavelength shift can be explained by the change in the strength of the plasmon coupling which is mechanically controlled by the mechanical strain.

Combined Thermochromic And Plasmonic: Optical Responses In Novel Nanocomposite Au-VO2 Films Prepared By RF Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kana, J. B. Kana; Ndjaka, J. M.; Manyala, N.; Nemraoui, O.; Beye, A. C.; Maaza, M.

2008-09-01

We prepared gold/Vanadium dioxide nanocomposites thin films by the rf reactive inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering (ICMS) for the first time and report their enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) tunable shift reversibility. ICMS has been attracting much attention for its ability for uniform coating of three-dimensional objects and high-rate deposition of dielectric materials. To investigate the optical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in an active matrix (VO2) composite film was synthesized on corning glass substrates for several substrate temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 600 °C. The X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the Au and VO2 were well crystallized. The optical transmission properties were measured from 300nm to 1100nm and the absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au nanoparticles were observed. Under external temperature stimuli, the tunable reversibility of the SPR shift was observed when the nanocomposites temperature varies from 20 °C to 100 °C. The enhancement of this shift of SPR was observed as the substrate temperature increases and it was found that the shift of SPR increased rapidly with increasing substrate temperature but then remained constant at ˜57 nm for substrate temperature higher than 500 °C.

Enhanced optical output power of blue light-emitting diodes with quasi-aligned gold nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The output power of the light from GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was enhanced by fabricating gold (Au) nanoparticles on the surface of p-GaN. Quasi-aligned Au nanoparticle arrays were prepared by depositing Au thin film on an aligned suspended carbon nanotube thin film surface and then putting the Au-CNT system on the surface of p-GaN and thermally annealing the sample. The size and position of the Au nanoparticles were confined by the carbon nanotube framework, and no other additional residual Au was distributed on the surface of the p-GaN substrate. The output power of the light from the LEDs with Au nanoparticles was enhanced by 55.3% for an injected current of 100 mA with the electrical property unchanged compared with the conventional planar LEDs. The enhancement may originate from the surface plasmon effect and scattering effect of the Au nanoparticles. PMID:24393473

Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles prepared by interfacial etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Limei; Deming, Christopher P.; Peng, Yi; Hu, Peiguang; Stofan, Jake; Chen, Shaowei

2016-07-01

Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles were prepared by chemical etching of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles at the air/water interface. Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical deposition of a silver shell onto gold seed colloids followed by the self-assembly of 1-dodecanethiol onto the nanoparticle surface. The nanoparticles then formed a monolayer on the water surface of a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, and part of the silver shell was selectively etched away by the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in the water subphase, where the etching was limited to the side of the nanoparticles that was in direct contact with water. The resulting Janus nanoparticles exhibited an asymmetrical distribution of silver on the surface of the gold cores, as manifested in transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Interestingly, the Au@Ag semishell Janus nanoparticles exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reactions, as compared to their Au@Ag and Ag@Au core-shell counterparts, likely due to a synergistic effect between the gold cores and silver semishells that optimized oxygen binding to the nanoparticle surface.Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles were prepared by chemical etching of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles at the air/water interface. Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical deposition of a silver shell onto gold seed colloids followed by the self-assembly of 1-dodecanethiol onto the nanoparticle surface. The nanoparticles then formed a monolayer on the water surface of a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, and part of the silver shell was selectively etched away by the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in the water subphase, where the etching was limited to the side of the nanoparticles that was in direct contact with water. The resulting Janus nanoparticles exhibited an asymmetrical distribution of silver on the surface of the gold cores, as manifested in transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Interestingly, the Au@Ag semishell Janus nanoparticles exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reactions, as compared to their Au@Ag and Ag@Au core-shell counterparts, likely due to a synergistic effect between the gold cores and silver semishells that optimized oxygen binding to the nanoparticle surface. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional TEM, UV-vis, XPS, and electrochemical data. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr03368g

Au-nanoparticles grafted on plasma treated PE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Švorčík, V.; Chaloupka, A.; Řezanka, P.; Slepička, P.; Kolská, Z.; Kasálková, N.; Hubáček, T.; Siegel, J.

2010-03-01

Polyethylene (PE) surface was treated with Ar plasma. Activated surface was grafted from methanol solution of 1,2-ethanedithiol. Then the sample was immersed into freshly prepared colloid solution of Au-nanoparticles. Finally Au layer was sputtered on the samples. Properties of the modified PE were studied using various methods: AFM, EPR, RBS and nanoindentation. It was shown that the plasma treatment results in degradation of polymer chain (AFM) and creation of free radicals by EPR. After grafting with dithiol, the concentration of free radicals declines. The presence of Au and S in the surface layer after the coating with Au-nanoparticles was proved by RBS. Plasma treatment changes PE surface morphology and increases surface roughness, too. Another significant change in surface morphology and roughness was observed after deposition of Au-nanoparticles. Nanoindentation measurements show that the grafting with Au-nanoparticles increases adhesion of subsequently sputtered Au layer.

Synthesis and enhanced humidity detection response of nanoscale Au-particle-decorated ZnS spheres

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We successfully prepared Au-nanoparticle-decorated ZnS (ZnS-Au) spheres by sputtering Au ultrathin films on surfaces of hydrothermally synthesized ZnS spheres and subsequently postannealed the samples in a high-vacuum atmosphere. The Au nanoparticles were distributed on ZnS surfaces without substantial aggregation. The Au nanoparticle diameter range was 5 to 10 nm. Structural information showed that the surface of the annealed ZnS-Au spheres became more irregular and rough. A humidity sensor constructed using the Au-nanoparticle-decorated ZnS spheres demonstrated a substantially improved response to the cyclic change in humidity from 11% relative humidity (RH) to 33% to 95% RH at room temperature. The improved response was associated with the enhanced efficiency of water molecule adsorption onto the surfaces of the ZnS because of the surface modification of the ZnS spheres through noble-metal nanoparticle decoration. PMID:25520595

Synthesis and characterization of hollow magnetic nanospheres modified with Au nanoparticles for bio-encapsulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seisno, Satoshi; Suga, Kent; Nakagawa, Takashi; Yamamoto, Takao A.

2017-04-01

Hollow magnetic nanospheres modified with Au nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. Au/SiO2 nanospheres fabricated by a radiochemical process were used as templates for ferrite templating. After the ferrite plating process, Au/SiO2 templates were fully coated with magnetite nanoparticles. Dissolution of the SiO2 core lead to the formation of hollow magnetic nanospheres with Au nanoparticles inside. The hollow magnetic nanospheres consisted of Fe3O4 grains, with an average diameter of 60 nm, connected to form the sphere wall, inside which Au grains with an average diameter of 7.2 nm were encapsulated. The Au nanoparticles immobilized on the SiO2 templates contributed to the adsorption of the Fe ion precursor and/or Fe3O4 seeds. These hollow magnetic nanospheres are proposed as a new type of nanocarrier, as the Au grains could specifically immobilize biomolecules inside the hollow sphere.

Cellular Uptake and Tissue Biodistribution of Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles and Nanoclusters.

PubMed

Escudero-Francos, María A; Cepas, Vanesa; González-Menédez, Pedro; Badía-Laíño, Rosana; Díaz-García, Marta E; Sainz, Rosa M; Mayo, Juan C; Hevia, David

2017-02-01

In this study, the in vitro uptake by fibroblasts and in vivo biodistribution of 15 nm 11-mercaptoundecanoicacid-protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-MUA) and 3 nm glutathione- and 3 nm bovine serum albumin-protected gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@GSH and AuNCs@BSA, respectively) were evaluated. In vitro cell viability was examined after gold nanoparticle treatment for 48 h, based on MTT assays and analyses of morphological structure, the cycle cell, cellular doubling time, and the gold concentration in cells. No potential toxicity was observed at any studied concentration (up to 10 ppm) for AuNCs@GSH and AuNCs@BSA, whereas lower cell viability was observed for AuNPs-MUA at 10 ppm than for other treatments. Neither morphological damage nor modifications to the cell cycle and doubling time were detected after contact with nanoparticles. Associations between cells and AuNPs and AuNCs were demonstrated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). AuNCs@GSH exhibited fluorescence emission at 611 nm, whereas AuNCs@BSA showed a band at 640 nm. These properties were employed to confirm their associations with cells by fluorescence confocal microscopy; both clusters were observed in cells and maintained their original fluorescence. In vivo assays were performed using 9 male mice treated with 1.70 μg Au/g body weight gold nanoparticles for 24 h. ICP-MS measurements showed a different biodistribution for each type of nanoparticle; AuNPs-MUA mainly accumulated in the brain, AuNCs@GSH in the kidney, and AuNCs@BSA in the liver and spleen. Spleen indexes were not affected by nanoparticle treatment; however, AuNCs@BSA increased the thymus index significantly from 1.28 to 1.79, indicating an immune response. These nanoparticles have great potential as organ-specific drug carriers and for diagnosis, photothermal therapy, and imaging.

Generation of spin currents by surface plasmon resonance

PubMed Central

Uchida, K.; Adachi, H.; Kikuchi, D.; Ito, S.; Qiu, Z.; Maekawa, S.; Saitoh, E.

2015-01-01

Surface plasmons, free-electron collective oscillations in metallic nanostructures, provide abundant routes to manipulate light–electron interactions that can localize light energy and alter electromagnetic field distributions at subwavelength scales. The research field of plasmonics thus integrates nano-photonics with electronics. In contrast, electronics is also entering a new era of spintronics, where spin currents play a central role in driving devices. However, plasmonics and spin-current physics have so far been developed independently. Here we report the generation of spin currents by surface plasmon resonance. Using Au nanoparticles embedded in Pt/BiY2Fe5O12 bilayer films, we show that, when the Au nanoparticles fulfill the surface-plasmon-resonance conditions, spin currents are generated across the Pt/BiY2Fe5O12 interface. This spin-current generation cannot be explained by conventional heating effects, requiring us to introduce nonequilibrium magnons excited by surface-plasmon-induced evanescent electromagnetic fields in BiY2Fe5O12. This plasmonic spin pumping integrates surface plasmons with spin-current physics, opening the door to plasmonic spintronics. PMID:25569821

The strain and thermal induced tunable charging phenomenon in low power flexible memory arrays with a gold nanoparticle monolayer.

PubMed

Zhou, Ye; Han, Su-Ting; Xu, Zong-Xiang; Roy, V A L

2013-03-07

The strain and temperature dependent memory effect of organic memory transistors on plastic substrates has been investigated under ambient conditions. The gold (Au) nanoparticle monolayer was prepared and embedded in an atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (Al(2)O(3)) as the charge trapping layer. The devices exhibited low operation voltage, reliable memory characteristics and long data retention time. Experimental analysis of the programming and erasing behavior at various bending states showed the relationship between strain and charging capacity. Thermal-induced effects on these memory devices have also been analyzed. The mobility shows ~200% rise and the memory window increases from 1.48 V to 1.8 V when the temperature rises from 20 °C to 80 °C due to thermally activated transport. The retention capability of the devices decreases with the increased working temperature. Our findings provide a better understanding of flexible organic memory transistors under various operating temperatures and validate their applications in various areas such as temperature sensors, temperature memory or advanced electronic circuits. Furthermore, the low temperature processing procedures of the key elements (Au nanoparticle monolayer and Al(2)O(3) dielectric layer) could be potentially integrated with large area flexible electronics.

Electrochemical immunosensor based on poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) modified with gold nanoparticle to detect aflatoxin B1.

PubMed

Sharma, Arati; Kumar, A; Khan, Raju

2017-07-01

Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) functionalized Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) bioelectrodes were fabricated layer by layer deposition on ITO electrode for detection of aflatoxin B 1 . The monoclonal anti-aflatoxin antibodies (Anti-AFB 1 ) were immobilized over the surface of PEDOT/Au-NPs/ITO using EDC/NHS coupling. The surface morphology and characteristics of the modified electrodes were investigated by scanning electron microscope and contact angle measurements. The electrochemical analysis of the fabricated immunoelectrode and the immobilization of the antibodies have been evaluated and confirmed by performing Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Decrease in the value of electron transfer resistance (R et ) and increase in the peak current values after incorporation of Au-NPs signifies the enhanced properties of PEDOT embedded Au-NPs. The heterogeneous rate constant (k s ) and transfer coefficient (α) have been determined by using Laviron's method. The fabricated immunosensor exhibits high sensitive amperometric response of 3.72μAngmL -1 towards AFB 1 concentration in a linear range of 1-25ngmL -1 with detection limit (LOD) of 0.0045ngmL -1 and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.0156ngmL -1 . The fabricated immunoelectrode shows a reproducibility of 96.13% and 94.5% towards real maize sample spiked with AFB 1 of concentration 30ngmL -1 and 50ngmL -1 , respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel anti-reflection technology for GaAs single-junction solar cells using surface patterning and Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kim, Youngjo; Lam, Nguyen Dinh; Kim, Kangho; Kim, Sangin; Rotermund, Fabian; Lim, Hanjo; Lee, Jaejin

2012-07-01

Single-junction GaAs solar cell structures were grown by low-pressure MOCVD on GaAs (100) substrates. Micro-rod arrays with diameters of 2 microm, 5 microm, and 10 microm were fabricated on the surfaces of the GaAs solar cells via photolithography and wet chemical etching. The patterned surfaces were coated with Au nanoparticles using an Au colloidal solution. Characteristics of the GaAs solar cells with and without the micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticles were investigated. The short-circuit current density of the GaAs solar cell with 2 microm rod arrays and Au nanoparticles increased up to 34.9% compared to that of the reference cell without micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticles. The conversion efficiency of the GaAs solar cell that was coated with Au nanoparticles on the patterned surface with micro-rod arrays can be improved from 14.1% to 19.9% under 1 sun AM 1.5G illumination. These results show that micro-rod arrays and Au nanoparticle coating can be applied together in surface patterning to achieve a novel cost-effective anti-reflection technology.

The effect of Au amount on size uniformity of self-assembled Au nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S.-H.; Wang, D.-C.; Chen, G.-Y.; Chen, K.-Y.

2008-03-01

The self-assembled fabrication of nanostructure, a dreaming approach in the area of fabrication engineering, is the ultimate goal of this research. A finding was proved through previous research that the size of the self-assembled gold nanoparticles could be controlled with the mole ratio between AuCl4- and thiol. In this study, the moles of Au were fixed, only the moles of thiol were adjusted. Five different mole ratios of Au/S with their effect on size uniformity were investigated. The mole ratios were 1:1/16, 1:1/8, 1:1, 1:8, 1:16, respectively. The size distributions of the gold nanoparticles were analyzed by Mac-View analysis software. HR-TEM was used to derive images of self-assembled gold nanoparticles. The result reached was also the higher the mole ratio between AuCl4- and thiol the bigger the self-assembled gold nanoparticles. Under the condition of moles of Au fixed, the most homogeneous nanoparticles in size distribution derived with the mole ratio of 1:1/8 between AuCl4- and thiol. The obtained nanoparticles could be used, for example, in uniform surface nanofabrication, leading to the fabrication of ordered array of quantum dots.

Tailor-made Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticle 2D arrays on protein-coated graphene oxide with assembly enhanced antibacterial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huiqiao; Liu, Jinbin; Wu, Xuan; Tong, Zhonghua; Deng, Zhaoxiang

2013-05-01

Water-dispersible two-dimensional (2D) assemblies of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles are obtained through a highly selective electroless silver deposition on pre-assembled gold nanoparticles on bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated graphene oxide (BSA-GO). While neither BSA-GO nor AuNP-decorated BSA-GO shows any antibacterial ability, the silver-coated GO@Au nanosheets (namely GO@Au@Ag) exhibit an enhanced antibacterial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, superior to unassembled Au@Ag nanoparticles and even ionic Ag. Such an improvement may be attributed to the increased local concentration of silver nanoparticles around a bacterium and a polyvalent interaction with the bacterial surface. In addition, the colloidal stability of this novel nano-antimicrobial against the formation of random nanoparticle aggregates guarantees a minimized activity loss of the Au@Ag nanoparticles. The antibacterial efficacy of GO@Au@Ag is less sensitive to the existence of Cl-, in comparison with silver ions, providing another advantage for wound dressing applications. Our research unambiguously reveals a strong and very specific interaction between the GO@Au@Ag nanoassembly and E. coli, which could be an important clue toward a rational design, synthesis and assembly of innovative and highly active antibacterial nanomaterials.

Exchange bias effect in Au-Fe 3O 4 dumbbell nanoparticles induced by the charge transfer from gold

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feygenson, Mikhail; Bauer, John C; Gai, Zheng

2015-08-10

We have studied the origin of the exchange bias effect in the Au-Fe 3O 4 dumbbell nanoparticles in two samples with different sizes of the Au seed nanoparticles (4.1 and 2.7 nm) and same size of Fe 3O 4 nanoparticles (9.8 nm). The magnetization, small-angle neutron scattering, synchrotron x-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscope measurements determined the antiferromagnetic FeO wüstite phase within Fe 3O 4 nanoparticles, originating at the interface with the Au nanoparticles. The interface between antiferromagnetic FeO and ferrimagnetic Fe 3O 4 is giving rise to the exchange bias effect. The strength of the exchange bias fieldsmore » depends on the interfacial area and lattice mismatch between both phases. We propose that the charge transfer from the Au nanoparticles is responsible for a partial reduction of the Fe 3O 4 into FeO phase at the interface with Au nanoparticles. The Au-O bonds are formed across the interface to accommodate an excess of oxygen released during the reduction of magnetite.« less

Exchange bias effect in Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles induced by the charge transfer from gold

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feygenson, Mikhail; Bauer, John C.; Gai, Zheng

2015-08-10

We have studied the origin of the exchange bias effect in the Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles in two samples with different sizes of the Au seed nanoparticles (4.1 and 2.7 nm) and same size of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (9.8 nm). The magnetization, small-angle neutron-scattering, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and scanning transmission electron microscope measurements determined the antiferromagnetic FeO wustite phase within Fe3O4 nanoparticles, originating at the interface with the Au nanoparticles. The interface between antiferromagnetic FeO and ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 is giving rise to the exchange bias effect. The strength of the exchange bias fields depends on the interfacial area and lattice mismatch betweenmore » both phases. We propose that the charge transfer from the Au nanoparticles is responsible for a partial reduction of the Fe3O4 into the FeO phase at the interface with Au nanoparticles. The Au-O bonds are formed, presumably across the interface to accommodate an excess of oxygen released during the reduction of magnetite« less

Coupling between magnetic and optical properties of stable Au-Fe solid solution nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Julián Fernández, C.; Mattei, G.; Paz, E.; Novak, R. L.; Cavigli, L.; Bogani, L.; Palomares, F. J.; Mazzoldi, P.; Caneschi, A.

2010-04-01

Au-Fe nanoparticles constitute one of the simplest prototypes of a multifunctional nanomaterial that can exhibit both magnetic and optical (plasmonic) properties. This solid solution, not feasible in the bulk phase diagram in thermal equilibrium, can be formed as a nanostructure by out-of-equilibrium processes. Here, the novel magnetic, optical and magneto-optical properties of ion-implanted Au-Fe solid solution nanoparticles dispersed in a SiO2 matrix are investigated and correlated. The surface plasmon resonance of the Au-Fe nanoparticles with almost equicomposition is strongly damped when compared to pure Au and to Au-rich Au-Fe nanoparticles. In all cases, the Au atoms are magnetically polarized, as measured by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and ferromagnetically coupled with Fe atoms. Although the chemical stability of Au-Fe nanoparticles is larger than that of Fe nanoparticles, both the magnetic moment per Fe atom and the order temperature are smaller. These results suggest that electronic and magnetic properties are more influenced by the hybridization of the electronic bands in the Au-Fe solid solution than by size effects. On the other hand, the magneto-optical transitions allowed in the vis-nIR spectral regions are very similar. In addition, we also observe, after studying the properties of thermally treated samples, that the Au-Fe alloy is stabilized, not by surface effects, but by the combination of the out-of-equilibrium nature of the ion implantation technique and by changes in the properties due to size effects.

Coupling between magnetic and optical properties of stable Au-Fe solid solution nanoparticles.

PubMed

de Julián Fernández, C; Mattei, G; Paz, E; Novak, R L; Cavigli, L; Bogani, L; Palomares, F J; Mazzoldi, P; Caneschi, A

2010-04-23

Au-Fe nanoparticles constitute one of the simplest prototypes of a multifunctional nanomaterial that can exhibit both magnetic and optical (plasmonic) properties. This solid solution, not feasible in the bulk phase diagram in thermal equilibrium, can be formed as a nanostructure by out-of-equilibrium processes. Here, the novel magnetic, optical and magneto-optical properties of ion-implanted Au-Fe solid solution nanoparticles dispersed in a SiO(2) matrix are investigated and correlated. The surface plasmon resonance of the Au-Fe nanoparticles with almost equicomposition is strongly damped when compared to pure Au and to Au-rich Au-Fe nanoparticles. In all cases, the Au atoms are magnetically polarized, as measured by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and ferromagnetically coupled with Fe atoms. Although the chemical stability of Au-Fe nanoparticles is larger than that of Fe nanoparticles, both the magnetic moment per Fe atom and the order temperature are smaller. These results suggest that electronic and magnetic properties are more influenced by the hybridization of the electronic bands in the Au-Fe solid solution than by size effects. On the other hand, the magneto-optical transitions allowed in the vis-nIR spectral regions are very similar. In addition, we also observe, after studying the properties of thermally treated samples, that the Au-Fe alloy is stabilized, not by surface effects, but by the combination of the out-of-equilibrium nature of the ion implantation technique and by changes in the properties due to size effects.

Shuttling single metal atom into and out of a metal nanoparticle.

PubMed

Wang, Shuxin; Abroshan, Hadi; Liu, Chong; Luo, Tian-Yi; Zhu, Manzhou; Kim, Hyung J; Rosi, Nathaniel L; Jin, Rongchao

2017-10-10

It has long been a challenge to dope metal nanoparticles with a specific number of heterometal atoms at specific positions. This becomes even more challenging if the heterometal belongs to the same group as the host metal because of the high tendency of forming a distribution of alloy nanoparticles with different numbers of dopants due to the similarities of metals in outmost electron configuration. Herein we report a new strategy for shuttling a single Ag or Cu atom into a centrally hollow, rod-shaped Au 24 nanoparticle, forming AgAu 24 and CuAu 24 nanoparticles in a highly controllable manner. Through a combined approach of experiment and theory, we explain the shuttling pathways of single dopants into and out of the nanoparticles. This study shows that the single dopant is shuttled into the hollow Au 24 nanoparticle either through the apex or side entry, while shuttling a metal atom out of the Au 25 to form the Au 24 nanoparticle occurs mainly through the side entry.Doping a metal nanocluster with heteroatoms dramatically changes its properties, but it remains difficult to dope with single-atom control. Here, the authors devise a strategy to dope single atoms of Ag or Cu into hollow Au nanoclusters, creating precise alloy nanoparticles atom-by-atom.

Catalytic activity of various pepsin reduced Au nanostructures towards reduction of nitroarenes and resazurin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Bhagwati; Mandani, Sonam; Sarma, Tridib K.

2015-01-01

Pepsin, a digestive protease enzyme, could function as a reducing as well as stabilizing agent for the synthesis of Au nanostructures of various size and shape under different reaction conditions. The simple tuning of the pH of the reaction medium led to the formation of spherical Au nanoparticles, anisotropic Au nanostructures such as triangles, hexagons, etc., as well as ultra small fluorescent Au nanoclusters. The activity of the enzyme was significantly inhibited after its participation in the formation of Au nanoparticles due to conformational changes in the native structure of the enzyme which was studied by fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and infra red spectroscopy. However, the Au nanoparticle-enzyme composites served as excellent catalyst for the reduction of p-nitrophenol and resazurin, with the catalytic activity varying with size and shape of the nanoparticles. The presence of pepsin as the surface stabilizer played a crucial role in the activity of the Au nanoparticles as reduction catalysts, as the approach of the reacting molecules to the nanoparticle surface was actively controlled by the stabilizing enzyme.

Mono and bimetallic nanoparticles of gold, silver and palladium-catalyzed NADH oxidation-coupled reduction of Eosin-Y

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santhanalakshmi, J.; Venkatesan, P.

2011-02-01

Mono metallic (Au, Ag, Pd) and bimetallic (Au-Ag, Ag-Pd, Au-Pd) with 1:1 mol stoichiometry, nanoparticles are synthesized using one-pot, temperature controlled chemical method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the capping agent. The particle sizes (Au = 5.6, Ag = 5.0, Pd = 6.0, Au-Ag = 9.2, Ag-Pd = 9.6, Au-Pd = 9.4 nm) are characterized by UV-Vis, HRTEM, and XRD measurements, respectively. CTAB bindings onto mono and bimetallic nanoparticles are analyzed by FTIR spectra. The catalytic activities of mono and bimetallic nanoparticles are tested on the reaction between NADH oxidation and Eosin-Y reduction. The effects of base, pH, ionic strength, nature of mono and bimetallic catalysts are studied and the reaction conditions are optimized. Bimetallic nanoparticles exhibited better catalysis than the mono metallic nanoparticles, which may be due to the electronic effects of the core to shell metal atoms.

Synthesis of Au/TiO2 Core-Shell Nanoparticles from Titanium Isopropoxide and Thermal Resistance Effect of TiO2 Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Hyun-Woo; Lim, Young-Min; Tripathy, Suraj Kumar; Kim, Byoung-Gyu; Lee, Min-Sang; Yu, Yeon-Tae

2007-04-01

On the synthesis of Au/TiO2 core-shell structure nanoparticles, the effect of the concentration of Ti4+ on the morphology and optical property of Au/TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles was examined. A gold colloid was prepared by mixing HAuCl4\\cdot4H2O and C6H5Na3\\cdot2H2O. Titanium stock solution was prepared by mixing solutions of titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) and triethanolamine (TEOA). The concentration of the Ti4+ stock solution was adjusted to 0.01-0.3 mM, and then the gold colloid was added to the Ti4+ stock solution. Au/TiO2 core-shell structure nanoparticles could be prepared by the hydrolysis of the Ti4+ stock solution at 80 °C. The size of the as-prepared Au nanoparticles was 15 nm. The thickness of the TiO2 shell on the surface of gold particles was about 10 nm. The absorption peak of the Au/TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles shifted towards the red end of the spectrum by about 3 nm because of the formation of the TiO2 shell on the surface of the gold particles. The crystal structure of the TiO2 shell showed an anatase phase. The increase in the Au crystallite size of the Au/TiO2 nanoparticles with increasing heat treatment temperature is smaller than that in the pure Au nanoparticles. This may be due to the encapsulation of Au particles with the TiO2 shell that prevents the growth of the nanoparticle nucleation.

Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Magnetic Iron Oxide@SiO₂-Au@C Particles with Core-Shell Nanostructures.

PubMed

Li, Mo; Li, Xiangcun; Qi, Xinhong; Luo, Fan; He, Gaohong

2015-05-12

The preparation of nonspherical magnetic core-shell nanostructures with uniform sizes still remains a challenge. In this study, magnetic iron oxide@SiO2-Au@C particles with different shapes, such as pseduocube, ellipsoid, and peanut, were synthesized using hematite as templates and precursors of magnetic iron oxide. The as-obtained magnetic particles demonstrated uniform sizes, shapes, and well-designed core-shell nanostructures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis showed that the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) of ∼6 nm were uniformly distributed between the silica and carbon layers. The embedding of the metal nanocrystals into the two different layers prevented the aggregation and reduced the loss of the metal nanocrystals during recycling. Catalytic performance of the peanut-like particles kept almost unchanged without a noticeable decrease in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in 8 min even after 7 cycles, indicating excellent reusability of the particles. Moreover, the catalyst could be readily recycled magnetically after each reduction by an external magnetic field.

Green synthesis of Au nanoparticles using potato extract: stability and growth mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo-López, D. N.; Pal, U.

2014-08-01

We report on the synthesis of spherical, well-dispersed colloidal gold nanoparticles of 17.5-23.5 nm average sizes in water using potato extract (PE) both as reducing and stabilizing agent. The effects of PE content and the pH value of the reaction mixture have been studied. Formation and growth dynamics of the Au nanoparticles in the colloids were studied using transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis optical absorption spectroscopy techniques. While the reductor content and, hence, the nucleation and growth rates of the nanoparticles could be controlled by controlling the PE content in the reaction solution, the stability of the nanoparticles depended strongly on the pH of the reaction mixture. The mechanisms of Au ion reduction and stabilization of Au nanoparticles by potato starch have been discussed. The use of common natural solvent like water and biological reductor like PE in our synthesis process opens up the possibility of synthesizing Au nanoparticles in fully green (environmental friendly) way, and the Au nanoparticles produced in such way should have good biocompatibility.

A rapid green strategy for the synthesis of Au "meatball"-like nanoparticles using green tea for SERS applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shichao; Zhou, Xi; Yang, Xiangrui; Hou, Zhenqing; Shi, Yanfeng; Zhong, Lubin; Jiang, Qian; Zhang, Qiqing

2014-09-01

We report a simple and rapid biological approach to synthesize water-soluble and highly roughened "meatball"-like Au nanoparticles using green tea extract under microwave irradiation. The synthesized Au meatball-like nanoparticles possess excellent monodispersity and uniform size (250 nm in diameter). Raman measurements show that these tea-generated meatball-like gold nanostructures with high active surface areas exhibit a high enhancement of surface-enhanced Raman scattering. In addition, the Au meatball-like nanoparticles demonstrate good biocompatibility and remarkable in vitro stability at the biological temperature. Meanwhile, the factors that influence the Au meatball-like nanoparticles morphology are investigated, and the mechanisms behind the nonspherical shape evolution are discussed.

Nanoscale coupling of photons to vibrational excitation of Ag nanoparticle 2D array studied by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Katano, Satoshi; Toma, Koji; Toma, Mana; Tamada, Kaoru; Uehara, Yoichi

2010-11-28

Scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) spectroscopy has been utilized to elucidate the luminescence phenomena of Ag nanoparticles capped with myristate (myristate-capped AgNP) and 2-methyl-1-propanethiolate (C(4)S-capped AgNP) on the dodecanethiol-precovered Au substrate. The STM imaging revealed that myristate-capped AgNPs form an ordered hexagonal array whereas C(4)S-capped AgNPs show imperfect ordering, indicating that a shorter alkyl chain of C(4)S-capped AgNP is not sufficient to form rigid interdigitation. It should be noted that such a nanoparticle ordering affects the luminescence properties of the Ag nanoparticle. We found that the STM-LE is only detected from the Ag nanoparticles forming the two-dimensional superlattice. This indicates that the STM-LE of the Ag nanoparticle is radiated via the collective excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spread over the Ag nanoparticles. Note that the STM-LE spectra of the Ag nanoparticles exhibit spike-like peaks superimposed on the broad light emission peak. Using Raman spectroscopy, we concluded that the spike-like structure appearing in the STM-LE spectra is associated with the vibrational excitation of the molecule embedded between Ag nanoparticles.

Pulse laser ablation of Au, Ag, and Cu metal targets in liquid for nanoparticle production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbani, Y.; Irmaniar; Nasution, R. S.; Mujtahid, F.; Masse, S.

2018-03-01

We have fabricated metal and oxide nanoparticles using pulse laser ablation of Au, Ag, and Cu metal targets immersed in water. While laser ablation of Au and Ag targets in water produced metal nanoparticles which were stable for a month even without any dispersant, we found CuO nanoparticles for Cu target due to rapid oxidation of Cu in water resulted in its poor stability. Au, Ag, and CuO nanoparticles production were barely identified by naked eyes for their distinctive colour of red, yellow, and dark green colloidal suspensions, respectively. It was also verified using UV-Vis spectrometer that Au, Ag, and CuO colloidal nanoparticles have their respective surface plasmon resonance at 520, 400, and 620 nm. TEM observation showed that particle sizes for all the fabricated nanoparticles were in the range of 20 – 40 nm with crystalline structures.

Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles prepared by interfacial etching.

PubMed

Chen, Limei; Deming, Christopher P; Peng, Yi; Hu, Peiguang; Stofan, Jake; Chen, Shaowei

2016-08-14

Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles were prepared by chemical etching of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles at the air/water interface. Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical deposition of a silver shell onto gold seed colloids followed by the self-assembly of 1-dodecanethiol onto the nanoparticle surface. The nanoparticles then formed a monolayer on the water surface of a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, and part of the silver shell was selectively etched away by the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in the water subphase, where the etching was limited to the side of the nanoparticles that was in direct contact with water. The resulting Janus nanoparticles exhibited an asymmetrical distribution of silver on the surface of the gold cores, as manifested in transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Interestingly, the Au@Ag semishell Janus nanoparticles exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reactions, as compared to their Au@Ag and Ag@Au core-shell counterparts, likely due to a synergistic effect between the gold cores and silver semishells that optimized oxygen binding to the nanoparticle surface.

Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles-based localized surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensor for sensitive detection of 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole.

PubMed

Liao, Xue; Chen, Yanhua; Qin, Meihong; Chen, Yang; Yang, Lei; Zhang, Hanqi; Tian, Yuan

2013-12-15

In this paper, Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles were prepared based on the reduction of the metal salts HAuCl4 and AgNO3 at the surface of seed particles. Due to the synergistic effect between Au and Ag, the hybrid nanoparticles are particularly stable and show excellent performances on the detection of 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (methimazole). The binding of target molecule at the surface of Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles was demonstrated based on both localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra. The LSPR intensity is directly proportional to the methimazole concentration in the range of 0.10-3.00×10(-7) mol L(-1). The SERS spectrum can be applied in identification of methimazole molecule. The LSPR coupled with SERS based on the Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles would be very attractive for the quantitative determination and qualitative analysis of the analytes in medicines. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gold surfaces and nanoparticles are protected by Au(0)-thiyl species and are destroyed when Au(I)-thiolates form.

PubMed

Reimers, Jeffrey R; Ford, Michael J; Halder, Arnab; Ulstrup, Jens; Hush, Noel S

2016-03-15

The synthetic chemistry and spectroscopy of sulfur-protected gold surfaces and nanoparticles is analyzed, indicating that the electronic structure of the interface is Au(0)-thiyl, with Au(I)-thiolates identified as high-energy excited surface states. Density-functional theory indicates that it is the noble character of gold and nanoparticle surfaces that destabilizes Au(I)-thiolates. Bonding results from large van der Waals forces, influenced by covalent bonding induced through s-d hybridization and charge polarization effects that perturbatively mix in some Au(I)-thiolate character. A simple method for quantifying these contributions is presented, revealing that a driving force for nanoparticle growth is nobleization, minimizing Au(I)-thiolate involvement. Predictions that Brust-Schiffrin reactions involve thiolate anion intermediates are verified spectroscopically, establishing a key feature needed to understand nanoparticle growth. Mixing of preprepared Au(I) and thiolate reactants always produces Au(I)-thiolate thin films or compounds rather than monolayers. Smooth links to O, Se, Te, C, and N linker chemistry are established.

Gold surfaces and nanoparticles are protected by Au(0)–thiyl species and are destroyed when Au(I)–thiolates form

PubMed Central

Reimers, Jeffrey R.; Ford, Michael J.; Halder, Arnab; Ulstrup, Jens; Hush, Noel S.

2016-01-01

The synthetic chemistry and spectroscopy of sulfur-protected gold surfaces and nanoparticles is analyzed, indicating that the electronic structure of the interface is Au(0)–thiyl, with Au(I)–thiolates identified as high-energy excited surface states. Density-functional theory indicates that it is the noble character of gold and nanoparticle surfaces that destabilizes Au(I)–thiolates. Bonding results from large van der Waals forces, influenced by covalent bonding induced through s–d hybridization and charge polarization effects that perturbatively mix in some Au(I)–thiolate character. A simple method for quantifying these contributions is presented, revealing that a driving force for nanoparticle growth is nobleization, minimizing Au(I)–thiolate involvement. Predictions that Brust–Schiffrin reactions involve thiolate anion intermediates are verified spectroscopically, establishing a key feature needed to understand nanoparticle growth. Mixing of preprepared Au(I) and thiolate reactants always produces Au(I)–thiolate thin films or compounds rather than monolayers. Smooth links to O, Se, Te, C, and N linker chemistry are established. PMID:26929334

Highly Stable Bimetallic AuIr/TiO₂ Catalyst: Physical Origins of the Intrinsic High Stability against Sintering.

PubMed

Han, Chang Wan; Majumdar, Paulami; Marinero, Ernesto E; Aguilar-Tapia, Antonio; Zanella, Rodolfo; Greeley, Jeffrey; Ortalan, Volkan

2015-12-09

It has been a long-lived research topic in the field of heterogeneous catalysts to find a way of stabilizing supported gold catalyst against sintering. Herein, we report highly stable AuIr bimetallic nanoparticles on TiO2 synthesized by sequential deposition-precipitation. To reveal the physical origin of the high stability of AuIr/TiO2, we used aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), STEM-tomography, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Three-dimensional structures of AuIr/TiO2 obtained by STEM-tomography indicate that AuIr nanoparticles on TiO2 have intrinsically lower free energy and less driving force for sintering than Au nanoparticles. DFT calculations on segregation behavior of AuIr slabs on TiO2 showed that the presence of Ir near the TiO2 surface increases the adhesion energy of the bimetallic slabs to the TiO2 and the attractive interactions between Ir and TiO2 lead to higher stability of AuIr nanoparticles as compared to Au nanoparticles.

SU-C-207-06: In Vivo Quantification of Gold Nanoparticles Using K-Edge Imaging Via Spectrum Shaping by Gold Filter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, H; Cormack, R; Bhagwat, M

Purpose: Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are multifunctional platforms ideal for drug delivery, targeted imaging and radiosensitization. We have investigated quantitative imaging of AuNPs using on board imager (OBI) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). To this end, we also present, for the first time, a novel method for k-edge imaging of AuNP by filter-based spectral shaping. Methods: We used a digital 25 cm diameter water phantom, embedded with 3 cm spheres filled with AuNPs of different concentrations (0 mg/ml – 16 mg/ml). A poly-energetic X-ray spectrum of 140 kVp from a conventional X-ray tube is shaped by balanced K-edge filters to createmore » an excess of photons right above the K-edge of gold at 80.7 keV. The filters consist of gold, tin, copper and aluminum foils. The phantom with appropriately assigned attenuation coefficients is forward projected onto a detector for each energy bin and then integrated. FKD reconstruction is performed on the integrated projections. Scatter, detector efficiency and noise are included. Results: We found that subtracting the results of two filter sets (Filter A:127 µm gold foil with 254 µm tin, 330 µm copper and 1 mm aluminum, and Filter B: 635 µm tin with 264 µm copper and 1 mm aluminum), provides substantial image contrast. The resulting filtered spectra match well below 80.7 keV, while maintaining sufficient X-ray quanta just above that. Voxel intensities of AuNP containing spheres increase linearly with AuNP concentration. K-edge imaging provides 18% more sensitivity than the tin filter alone, and 38% more sensitivity than the gold filter alone. Conclusion: We have shown that it is feasible to quantitatively detect AuNP distributions in a patient-sized phantom using clinical CBCT and K-edge spectral shaping.« less

High performance capacitive deionization using modified ZIF-8-derived, N-doped porous carbon with improved conductivity.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Kim, Jeonghun; Wang, Jie; Liu, Nei-Ling; Bando, Yoshio; Alshehri, Abdulmohsen Ali; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Hou, Chia-Hung; Wu, Kevin C-W

2018-06-05

Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) composite-derived carbon exhibiting large surface area and high micropore volume is demonstrated to be a promising electrode material for the capacitive deionization (CDI) application. However, some inherent serious issues (e.g., low electrical conductivity, narrow pore size, relatively low pore volume, etc.) are still observed for nitrogen-doped porous carbon particles, which restrict their CDI performance. To solve the above-mentioned problems, herein, we prepared gold-nanoparticle-embedded ZIF-8-derived nitrogen-doped carbon calcined at 800 °C (Au@NC800) and PEDOT doped-NC-800 (NC800-PEDOT). The newly generated NC800-PEDOT and Au@NC800 electrodes exhibited notably increased conductivity, and they also achieved high electrosorption capacities of 16.18 mg g-1 and 14.31 mg g-1, respectively, which were much higher than that of NC800 (8.36 mg g-1). Au@NC800 and NC800-PEDOT can be promisingly applicable as highly efficient CDI electrode materials.

Rapid ultrasensitive single particle surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using metallic nanopores.

PubMed

Cecchini, Michael P; Wiener, Aeneas; Turek, Vladimir A; Chon, Hyangh; Lee, Sangyeop; Ivanov, Aleksandar P; McComb, David W; Choo, Jaebum; Albrecht, Tim; Maier, Stefan A; Edel, Joshua B

2013-10-09

Nanopore sensors embedded within thin dielectric membranes have been gaining significant interest due to their single molecule sensitivity and compatibility of detecting a large range of analytes, from DNA and proteins, to small molecules and particles. Building on this concept we utilize a metallic Au solid-state membrane to translocate and rapidly detect single Au nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with 589 dye molecules using surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS). We show that, due to the plasmonic coupling between the Au metallic nanopore surface and the NP, signal intensities are enhanced when probing analyte molecules bound to the NP surface. Although not single molecule, this nanopore sensing scheme benefits from the ability of SERRS to provide rich vibrational information on the analyte, improving on current nanopore-based electrical and optical detection techniques. We show that the full vibrational spectrum of the analyte can be detected with ultrahigh spectral sensitivity and a rapid temporal resolution of 880 μs.

Superparamagnetic Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, biofunctionalization and toxicity evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pariti, A.; Desai, P.; Maddirala, S. K. Y.; Ercal, N.; Katti, K. V.; Liang, X.; Nath, M.

2014-09-01

Superparamagnetic Au-Fe3O4 bifunctional nanoparticles have been synthesized using a single step hot-injection precipitation method. The synthesis involved using Fe(CO)5 as iron precursor and HAuCl4 as gold precursor in the presence of oleylamine and oleic acid. Oleylamine helps in reducing Au3+ to Au0 seeds which simultaneously oxidizes Fe(0) to form Au-Fe3O4 bifunctional nanoparticles. Triton® X-100 was employed as a highly viscous solvent to prevent agglomeration of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Detailed characterization of these nanoparticles was performed by using x-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunneling electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, Mössbauer and magnetometry studies. To evaluate these nanoparticles’ applicability in biomedical applications, L-cysteine was attached to the Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles and cytotoxicity of Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles was tested using CHO cells by employing MTS assay. L-cysteine modified Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles were qualitatively characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy; and quantitatively using acid ninhydrin assay. Investigations reveal that that this approach yields Au-Fe3O4 bifunctional nanoparticles with an average particle size of 80 nm. Mössbauer studies indicated the presence of Fe in Fe3+ in A and B sites (tetrahedral and octahedral, respectively) and Fe2+ in B sites (octahedral). Magnetic measurements also indicated that these nanoparticles were superparamagnetic in nature due to Fe3O4 region. The saturation magnetization for the bifunctional nanoparticles was observed to be ˜74 emu g-1, which is significantly higher than the previously reported Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Mössbauer studies indicated that there was no significant Fe(0) impurity that could be responsible for the superparamagnetic nature of these nanoparticles. None of the investigations showed any presence of other impurities such as Fe2O3 and FeOOH. These Au-Fe3O4 bifunctional nanoparticles showed no significant cytotoxicity to the CHO cells up to 48 h even at concentrations of 1 mg ml-1 making them suitable for biomedical applications such as local heat generators (hyperthermia) for cancer treatment and drug delivery vehicles.

Fabrication and optical property of metal nanowire arrays embedded in anodic porous alumina membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takase, Kouichi; Shimizu, Tomohiro; Sugawa, Kosuke; Aono, Takashige; Shirai, Yuma; Nishida, Tomohiko; Shingubara, Shoso

2016-06-01

Nanowires embedded in nanopores are potentially tough against surface scraping and agglomeration. In this study, we have fabricated Au and Ni nanowires embedded into anodic porous alumina (APA) and investigated their reflectance to study the effects of surface plasmon absorption properties and conversion from solar energy to thermal energy. Au nanowires embedded into APA show typical gold surface plasmon absorption at approximately 530 nm. On the other hand, Ni nanowires show quite a low reflectance under 600 nm. In the temperature elevation test, both Au and Ni nanowire samples present the same capability to warm up water. It means that Ni nanowires embedded into APA have almost the same photothermal activity as Au nanowires.

Metal nanoparticles triggered persistent negative photoconductivity in silk protein hydrogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogurla, Narendar; Sinha, Arun K.; Naskar, Deboki; Kundu, Subhas C.; Ray, Samit K.

2016-03-01

Silk protein is a natural biopolymer with intriguing properties, which are attractive for next generation bio-integrated electronic and photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate the negative photoconductive response of Bombyx mori silk protein fibroin hydrogels, triggered by Au nanoparticles. The room temperature electrical conductivity of Au-silk hydrogels is found to be enhanced with the incorporation of Au nanoparticles over the control sample, due to the increased charge transporting networks within the hydrogel. Au-silk lateral photoconductor devices show a unique negative photoconductive response under an illumination of 325 nm, with excitation energy higher than the characteristic metal plasmon resonance band. The enhanced photoconductance yield in the hydrogels over the silk protein is attributed to the photo-oxidation of amino groups in the β-pleated sheets of the silk around the Au nanoparticles followed by the breaking of charge transport networks. The Au-silk nanocomposite does not show any photoresponse under visible illumination because of the localization of excited charges in Au nanoparticles. The negative photoconductive response of hybrid Au-silk under UV illumination may pave the way towards the utilization of silk for future bio-photonic devices using metal nanoparticle platforms.

Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO 2 at Au Nanoparticle Electrodes: Effects of Interfacial Chemistry on Reduction Behavior

DOE PAGES

Andrews, Evan; Katla, Sai; Kumar, Challa; ...

2015-09-12

Nanoscale Au electrocatalysts demonstrate the extraordinary ability to reduce CO 2 at low overpotentials with high selectivity to CO. Here, we investigate the role of surface chemistry on CO 2 reduction behavior using Au 25 and 5 nm Au nanoparticles. Onset potentials for CO 2 reduction at Au 25 nanoparticles in Nafion binders are shifted anodically by 190 mV while the hydrogen evolution reaction is shifted cathodically by 300 mV relative to Au foil. The net effect of this beneficial separation in onset potentials is relatively high Faradayic efficiencies for CO (90% at 0.8 V versus RHE) at high currentmore » densities. Experimental results show Faradayic efficiencies for CO are greatest using electrodes made with Nafion-immobilized Au 25 nanoparticles. Likewise, CO 2 reduction onset potential shifts are greater for smaller nanoparticles and when Nafion binders are used instead of (sulfonate-free) polyvinylidene fluoride. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals Au nanoparticles may react with the sulfonates of Nafion binders. Here, the results suggest sulfonate interfaces may alter the binding energies of key species or lead to favorable reconstructions, either of which ultimately results in remarkable improvements in Faradayic efficiencies relative to Au foil electrodes.« less

Z-scan studies of the nonlinear optical properties of gold nanoparticles prepared by electron beam deposition.

PubMed

Mezher, M H; Nady, A; Penny, R; Chong, W Y; Zakaria, R

2015-11-20

This paper details the fabrication process for placing single-layer gold (Au) nanoparticles on a planar substrate, and investigation of the resulting optical properties that can be exploited for nonlinear optics applications. Preparation of Au nanoparticles on the substrate involved electron beam deposition and subsequent thermal dewetting. The obtained thin films of Au had a variation in thicknesses related to the controllable deposition time during the electron beam deposition process. These samples were then subjected to thermal annealing at 600°C to produce a randomly distributed layer of Au nanoparticles. Observation from field-effect scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images indicated the size of Au nanoparticles ranges from ∼13 to ∼48  nm. Details of the optical properties related to peak absorption of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the nanoparticle were revealed by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Z-scan technique was used to measure the nonlinear effects on the fabricated Au nanoparticle layers where it strongly relates LSPR and nonlinear optical properties.

Improving Efficiency of Multicrystalline Silicon and CIGS Solar Cells by Incorporating Metal Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Jeng, Ming-Jer; Chen, Zih-Yang; Xiao, Yu-Ling; Chang, Liann-Be; Ao, Jianping; Sun, Yun; Popko, Ewa; Jacak, Witold; Chow, Lee

2015-10-08

This work studies the use of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar cells. Au and Ag nanoparticles are deposited by spin-coating method, which is a simple and low cost process. The random distribution of nanoparticles by spin coating broadens the resonance wavelength of the transmittance. This broadening favors solar cell applications. Metal shadowing competes with light scattering in a manner that varies with nanoparticle concentration. Experimental results reveal that the mc-Si solar cells that incorporate Au nanoparticles outperform those with Ag nanoparticles. The incorporation of suitable concentration of Au and Ag nanoparticles into mc-Si solar cells increases their efficiency enhancement by 5.6% and 4.8%, respectively. Incorporating Au and Ag nanoparticles into CIGS solar cells improve their efficiency enhancement by 1.2% and 1.4%, respectively. The enhancement of the photocurrent in mc-Si solar cells is lower than that in CIGS solar cells, owing to their different light scattering behaviors and material absorption coefficients.

Improving Efficiency of Multicrystalline Silicon and CIGS Solar Cells by Incorporating Metal Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Jeng, Ming-Jer; Chen, Zih-Yang; Xiao, Yu-Ling; Chang, Liann-Be; Ao, Jianping; Sun, Yun; Popko, Ewa; Jacak, Witold; Chow, Lee

2015-01-01

This work studies the use of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar cells. Au and Ag nanoparticles are deposited by spin-coating method, which is a simple and low cost process. The random distribution of nanoparticles by spin coating broadens the resonance wavelength of the transmittance. This broadening favors solar cell applications. Metal shadowing competes with light scattering in a manner that varies with nanoparticle concentration. Experimental results reveal that the mc-Si solar cells that incorporate Au nanoparticles outperform those with Ag nanoparticles. The incorporation of suitable concentration of Au and Ag nanoparticles into mc-Si solar cells increases their efficiency enhancement by 5.6% and 4.8%, respectively. Incorporating Au and Ag nanoparticles into CIGS solar cells improve their efficiency enhancement by 1.2% and 1.4%, respectively. The enhancement of the photocurrent in mc-Si solar cells is lower than that in CIGS solar cells, owing to their different light scattering behaviors and material absorption coefficients. PMID:28793599

Cytotoxicity of gold nanoparticles with different structures and surface-anchored chiral polymers.

PubMed

Deng, Jun; Yao, Mengyun; Gao, Changyou

2017-04-15

Nanoparticles (NPs) can have profound effects on cell biology. However, the potential adverse effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with different surface chirality and structures have not been elucidated. In this study, monolayers of poly(acryloyl-l(d)-valine (l(d)-PAV) chiral molecules were anchored on the surfaces of gold nanocubes (AuNCs) and nanooctahedras (AuNOs), respectively. The l-PAV-AuNCs and d-PAV-AuNCs, or the l-PAV-AuNOs and d-PAV-AuNOs, had identical physicochemical properties in terms of size, morphology and ligand density except of the reverse molecular chirality on the particle surfaces, respectively. The l-PAV capped AuNCs and AuNOs exhibited larger cytotoxicity to A549 cells than the D-PAV coated ones, and the PAV-AuNOs had larger cytotoxicity than PAV-AuNCs when being capped with the same type of enantiomers, respectively. The cytotoxicity was positively correlated with the cellular uptake amount, and thereby the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). • Gold nanoparticles with different structure and surface chirality are fabricated. • The structure and surface chirality at the nanoscale can influence cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. • A new perspective on designing nanoparticles for drug delivery, bioimaging and diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined Thermochromic And Plasmonic: Optical Responses In Novel Nanocomposite Au-VO{sub 2} Films Prepared By RF Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kana, J. B. Kana; Department of physics, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box 812 Yaounde; Ndjaka, J. M.

2008-09-23

We prepared gold/Vanadium dioxide nanocomposites thin films by the rf reactive inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering (ICMS) for the first time and report their enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) tunable shift reversibility. ICMS has been attracting much attention for its ability for uniform coating of three-dimensional objects and high-rate deposition of dielectric materials. To investigate the optical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in an active matrix (VO{sub 2}) composite film was synthesized on corning glass substrates for several substrate temperatures ranging from 400 deg. C to 600 deg. C. The X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the Au and VO{sub 2} weremore » well crystallized. The optical transmission properties were measured from 300nm to 1100nm and the absorption peak due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au nanoparticles were observed. Under external temperature stimuli, the tunable reversibility of the SPR shift was observed when the nanocomposites temperature varies from 20 deg. C to 100 deg. C. The enhancement of this shift of SPR was observed as the substrate temperature increases and it was found that the shift of SPR increased rapidly with increasing substrate temperature but then remained constant at {approx}57 nm for substrate temperature higher than 500 deg. C.« less

Comparative catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol by polyacrylamide-gold nanocomposite synthesized by hydrothermal autoclaving and conventional heating routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salaheldin, Hosam I.

2017-12-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in polymeric polyacrylamide (PAAm) matrix were synthesized using conventional heating and autoclaving thermal techniques. The synthesized Au/PAAm nanocomposite was characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The size of the synthesized particles was approximately 6.37 nm and 8.19 nm with the conventional heating and autoclaving thermal techniques, respectively. Electron diffraction x-ray spectroscopy and the Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were used for the composition and elemental studies, which confirmed that the Au metallic atoms were synthesized and embedded within a PAAm matrix via a coordination bond between the carbonyl (-CONH2) group and the metallic NPs. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of the fabricated AuNPs with face centered cubic of nanocrystals. The catalytic activity of the as-prepared Au/PAAm nanocomposite for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol was studied in the presence of sodium borohydrate. The synthesized AuNPs had an effective catalytic activity; the smaller NPs synthesized NPs with the conventional heating technique had a higher reaction kinetic rate in comparation with those synthesized with the autoclaving technique. Therefore, the Au/PAAm nanocomposite can be widely used as an eco-friendly, non-toxic, a fast and cost-effective product to remove versatile organic pollutants such as aromatic nitro compounds.

Tunable optical properties of plasmonic Au/Al2O3 nanocomposite thin films analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry accounting surface characteristics.

PubMed

Jaiswal, Jyoti; Mourya, Satyendra; Malik, Gaurav; Chandra, Ramesh

2018-05-01

In the present work, we have fabricated plasmonic gold/alumina nanocomposite (Au/Al 2 O 3 NC) thin films on a glass substrate at room temperature by RF magnetron co-sputtering. The influence of the film thickness (∼10-40  nm) on the optical and other physical properties of the samples was investigated and correlated with the structural and compositional properties. The X-ray diffractometer measurement revealed the formation of Au nanoparticles with average crystallite size (5-9.2 nm) embedded in an amorphous Al 2 O 3 matrix. The energy-dispersive X ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of Au/Al 2 O 3 NC quantitatively and qualitatively and it was observed that atomic% of Au increased by increasing thickness. The optical constants of the plasmonic Au/Al 2 O 3 NC thin films were examined by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the wide spectral range of 246-1688 nm, accounting the surface characteristics in the optical stack model, and the obtained results are expected to be unique. Additionally, a thickness-dependent blueshift (631-590 nm) of surface plasmon resonance peak was observed in the absorption spectra. These findings of the plasmonic Au/Al 2 O 3 NC films may allow the design and fabrication of small, compact, and efficient devices for optoelectronic and photonic applications.

Nanoscale mapping of plasmon and exciton in ZnO tetrapods coupled with Au nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Bertoni, Giovanni; Fabbri, Filippo; Villani, Marco; ...

2016-01-12

Metallic nanoparticles can be used to enhance optical absorption or emission in semiconductors, thanks to a strong interaction of collective excitations of free charges (plasmons) with electromagnetic fields. Herein we present direct imaging at the nanoscale of plasmon-exciton coupling in Au/ZnO nanostructures by combining scanning transmission electron energy loss and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and mapping. The Au nanoparticles (~30 nm in diameter) are grown in-situ on ZnO nanotetrapods by means of a photochemical process without the need of binding agents or capping molecules, resulting in clean interfaces. Interestingly, the Au plasmon resonance is localized at the Au/vacuum interface, rather than presentingmore » an isotropic distribution around the nanoparticle. Moreover, on the contrary, a localization of the ZnO signal has been observed inside the Au nanoparticle, as also confirmed by numerical simulations.« less

Nanoscale mapping of plasmon and exciton in ZnO tetrapods coupled with Au nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bertoni, Giovanni; Fabbri, Filippo; Villani, Marco

Metallic nanoparticles can be used to enhance optical absorption or emission in semiconductors, thanks to a strong interaction of collective excitations of free charges (plasmons) with electromagnetic fields. Herein we present direct imaging at the nanoscale of plasmon-exciton coupling in Au/ZnO nanostructures by combining scanning transmission electron energy loss and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and mapping. The Au nanoparticles (~30 nm in diameter) are grown in-situ on ZnO nanotetrapods by means of a photochemical process without the need of binding agents or capping molecules, resulting in clean interfaces. Interestingly, the Au plasmon resonance is localized at the Au/vacuum interface, rather than presentingmore » an isotropic distribution around the nanoparticle. Moreover, on the contrary, a localization of the ZnO signal has been observed inside the Au nanoparticle, as also confirmed by numerical simulations.« less

Self-assembly of bacitracin-gold nanoparticles and their toxicity analysis.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoling; Wang, Zi; Li, Yanji; Bian, Kexin; Yin, Tian; Gao, Dawei

2018-01-01

As the widely use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in drug delivery, the precise control on the size and morphology of the AuNPs is urgently required. In this scenario, traditional synthesis methods cannot meet current requirement because of their inherent defects. We have depicted here a novel method for fabricating monodispersed large size gold nanoparticles, based on the self-assembly of bacitracin. The AuNPs could be facilely, low-cost, and green synthesized with repeatability and controllability in this method. The Bac gold nanoparticles (Bac-AuNPs), composed by bacitracin core and gold shell, exhibited a spherical morphology in TEM and a face-centered cubic crystal structure in X-Ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction. The mean diameter of the Bac-AuNPs was 89nm. The nanoparticles were mono-dispersed and the zeta potential of the nanoparticles was 4.1±0.64mV. Notably, in cell viability assay, the Bac-AuNPs showed less toxicity to HepG2 cells and HEK293 cells compared to small size AuNPs. Collectively, the size, rheological characteristic and the biocompatibility supported the use of the gold nanoparticles as intracellular delivery vehicles for drug delivery, especially for tumor therapy. And this study could provide a maneuverable, controllable and green strategy for the synthesis of AuNPs, which would be applied in disease diagnosis and therapy with biosafety. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The anticancer properties of iron core–gold shell nanoparticles in colorectal cancer cells

PubMed Central

Wu, Ya-Na; Wu, Ping-Ching; Yang, Li-Xing; Ratinac, Kyle R; Thordarson, Pall; Jahn, Kristina A; Chen, Dong-Hwang; Shieh, Dar-Bin; Braet, Filip

2013-01-01

Previously, iron core–gold shell nanoparticles (Fe@Au) have been shown to possess cancer-preferential cytotoxicity in oral and colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. However, CRC cell lines are less sensitive to Fe@Au treatment when compared with oral cancer cell lines. In this research, Fe@Au are found to decrease the cell viability of CRC cell lines, including Caco-2, HT-29, and SW480, through growth inhibition rather than the induction of cell death. The cytotoxicity induced by Fe@Au in CRC cells uses different subcellular pathways to the mitochondria-mediated autophagy found in Fe@Au-treated oral cancer cells, OECM1. Interestingly, the Caco-2 cell line shows a similar response to OECM1 cells and is thus more sensitive to Fe@Au treatment than the other CRC cell lines studied. We have investigated the underlying cell resistance mechanisms of Fe@Au-treated CRC cells. The resistance of CRC cells to Fe@Au does not result from the total amount of Fe@Au internalized. Instead, the different amounts of Fe and Au internalized appear to determine the different response to treatment with Fe-only nanoparticles in Fe@Au-resistant CRC cells compared with the Fe@Au-sensitive OECM1 cells. The only moderately cytotoxic effect of Fe@Au nanoparticles on CRC cells, when compared to the highly sensitive OECM1 cells, appears to arise from the CRC cells’ relative insensitivity to Fe, as is demonstrated by our Fe-only treatments. This is a surprising outcome, given that Fe has thus far been considered to be the “active” component of Fe@Au nanoparticles. Instead, we have found that the Au coatings, previously considered only as a passivating coating to protect the Fe cores from oxidation, significantly enhance the cytotoxicity of Fe@Au in certain CRC cells. Therefore, we conclude that both the Fe and Au in these core–shell nanoparticles are essential for the anticancer properties observed in CRC cells. PMID:24039416

Wide-range tuning of the surface plasmon resonance of silver/gold core shell and alloyed nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubenthal, Frank; Ziegler, Torsten; Hendrich, Christian; Träger, Frank

2004-03-01

For many applications like surface enhanced Raman scattering in which the optical field enhancement associated with surface plasmon excitation is exploited, tunability of this collective resonance over a wide range is required. For this purpose we have prepared Ag/Au core shell and Ag/Au alloyed nanoparticles with different shell thicknesses and different percentages of the two metals. The nanoparticles were made by subsequent deposition of Ag and Au atoms on dielectric substrates followed by diffusion and nucleation or heat treatment. Depending on the Au shell thickness the plasmon frequency can be tuned, e.g. from 2.8 eV (442 nm) to 2.1 eV (590 nm). Annealing of the core-shell nanoparticles causes a shift of the resonance frequency to 2.6 eV. Theoretical modelling allows us to attribute this observation to the production of alloyed nanoparticles. Possible application of the Ag/Au nanoparticles will be discussed.

Far-ultraviolet spectral changes of titanium dioxide with gold nanoparticles by ultraviolet and visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanabe, Ichiro; Kurawaki, Yuji

2018-05-01

Attenuated total reflectance spectra including the far-ultraviolet (FUV, ≤ 200 nm) region of titanium dioxide (TiO2) with and without gold (Au) nanoparticles were measured. A newly developed external light-irradiation system enabled to observe spectral changes of TiO2 with Au nanoparticles upon light irradiations. Absorption in the FUV region decreased and increased by the irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, respectively. These spectral changes may reflect photo-induced electron transfer from TiO2 to Au nanoparticles under ultraviolet light and from Au nanoparticles to TiO2 under visible light, respectively.

Oxygen reduction kinetics on Pt monolayer shell highly affected by the structure of bimetallic AuNi cores

DOE PAGES

Chen, Guangyu; Kuttiyiel, Kurian A.; Su, Dong; ...

2016-07-12

Here, we describe pronounced effects of structural changes of the AuNi cores on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of a Pt monolayer shell. The study of alloyed AuNi nanoparticles compared with AuNi core–shell structured nanoparticles revealed configurations having different electronic and electrochemical properties. Controlled alloying of Au with Ni was essential to tune the electronic properties of Au interacting with the Pt monolayer shell to achieve suitable adsorption of O 2 on Pt for expediting the ORR. The alloyed AuNi nanoparticles made the Pt shell more catalytically active for the ORR than the core–shell structured AuNi nanoparticles. The Ptmore » monolayer supported on the alloyed AuNi nanoparticles showed the Pt mass and specific activities as high as 1.52 A mg –1 and 1.18 mA cm –2, respectively, with almost no loss over 5 000 cycles of stability test. This high ORR activity is ascribed to the role of nonspecific steric configuration of Ni atoms changing the electronic properties of the alloy that affect the oxygen and water interaction with the Pt shell and facilitate increased ORR kinetics.« less

Optical characterization of broad plasmon resonances of Pd/Pt nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valizade-Shahmirzadi, N.; Pakizeh, T.

2018-04-01

In this paper, optical properties of nanoparticles (nanodisks and nanospheres) composed of photofunctional metals like palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) over a large dimension range are investigated using the electromagnetic simulation and quasi-static theory. These characteristics are compared with their counterparts in plasmonic gold (Au) nanoparticles. Pd/Pt-nanodisks with larger dimension have higher absorption and lower scattering efficiencies than Au-nanodisks that accompany with lower extinction efficiencies and broader resonances. Although an increment in the dimension (diameter and height) of Au/Pd/Pt-nanoparticles decreases the absorption-to-scattering ratios, these ratios are less sensitive to the height size in Au-nanodisks, which causes their LSPR spectra become much broader. It is noteworthy that the LSPR quality factor of Pd nanoparticles is improved by considering the radiative damping and depolarization in quasi-static method unlike the Au nanoparticles. The importance of the highly absorptive Pd/Pt nanoparticles can be traced in the photo-functionalized and energy applications.

Solvothermal synthesis of Au@Fe3O4 nanoparticles for antibacterial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelgenbaeva, Zhazgul; Abdullaeva, Zhypargul; Murzubraimov, Bektemir

2018-04-01

We present Au@Fe3O4 nanoparticles obtained from Fe nanoparticles and HAuCl4 using a simple solvothermal method. Trisodium citrate (C6H5Na3O7*2H2O) served as a reducing agent for Au. X-ray diffraction analysis, electronic microscopes and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed cubic structure, elemental composition (Au, Fe and O) and spherical shape of nanoparticles. Antibacterial activity of the sample was tested against E. coli bacteria and obtained results were discussed.

Synthesis of a colloid solution of silica-coated gold nanoparticles for X-ray imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Yoshio; Nagasu, Ryoko; Shibuya, Kyosuke; Nakagawa, Tomohiko; Kubota, Yohsuke; Gonda, Kohsuke; Ohuchi, Noriaki

2014-08-01

This work proposes a method for fabricating silica-coated gold (Au) nanoparticles, surface modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (Au/SiO2/PEG), with a particle size of 54.8 nm. X-ray imaging of a mouse is performed with the colloid solution. A colloid solution of 17.9 nm Au nanoparticles was prepared by reducing Au ions (III) with sodium citrate in water at 80 °C. The method used for silica-coating the Au nanoparticles was composed of surface-modification of the Au nanoparticles with (3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (APMS) and a sol-gel process. The sol-gel process was performed in the presence of the surface-modified Au nanoparticles using tetraethylorthosilicate, APMS, water, and sodium hydroxide, in which the formation of silica shells and the introduction of amino groups to the silica-coated particles took place simultaneously (Au/SiO2-NH2). Surface modification of the Au/SiO2-NH2 particles with PEG, or PEGylation of the particle surface, was performed by adding PEG with a functional group that reacted with an amino group in the Au/SiO2-NH2 particle colloid solution. A computed tomography (CT) value of the aqueous colloid solution of Au/SiO2/PEG particles with an actual Au concentration of 0.112 M was as high as 922 ± 12 Hounsfield units, which was higher than that of a commercial X-ray contrast agent with the same iodine concentration. Injecting the aqueous colloid solution of Au/SiO2/PEG particles into a mouse increased the light contrast of tissues. A CT value of the heart rose immediately after the injection, and this rise was confirmed for up to 6 h.

Cooperative plasmonic effect of Ag and Au nanoparticles on enhancing performance of polymer solar cells.

PubMed

Lu, Luyao; Luo, Zhiqiang; Xu, Tao; Yu, Luping

2013-01-09

This article describes a cooperative plasmonic effect on improving the performance of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells. When mixed Ag and Au nanoparticles are incorporated into the anode buffer layer, dual nanoparticles show superior behavior on enhancing light absorption in comparison with single nanoparticles, which led to the realization of a polymer solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 8.67%, accounting for a 20% enhancement. The cooperative plasmonic effect aroused from dual resonance enhancement of two different nanoparticles. The idea was further unraveled by comparing Au nanorods with Au nanoparticles for solar cell application. Detailed studies shed light into the influence of plasmonic nanostructures on exciton generation, dissociation, and charge recombination and transport inside thin film devices.

An evaluation of in vitro intestinal absorption of iron, calcium and potassium in chickens receiving gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Sembratowicz, I; Ognik, K; Stępniowska, A

2016-08-01

This study evaluated the effect of oral administration of colloidal gold nanoparticles on accumulation of gold in the small intestine and intestinal absorption of iron, calcium and potassium under in vitro conditions. The gold nanoparticles are non-ionic, nanocrystalline, chemically pure particles 5 nm in size, produced in a physical process. In total, 126 one day-old Ross 308 chicks were assigned to 7 experimental groups of 18 birds each (3 replications of 6 individuals each). The control group (G-C) did not receive gold nanoparticles. Groups: Au-5(7), Au-10(7) and Au-15(7) received gold nanoparticles in their drinking water in the amounts of 5 mg l(-1) for group Au-5(7), 10 mg l(-1) for group Au-10(7) and 15 mg l(-1) for group Au-15(7) in 8-14, 22-28 and 36-42 d of life. The birds in groups Au-5(3), Au-10(3) and Au-15(3) received gold nanoparticles in the same amounts, but only in 8-10, 22-24 and 36-38 d of life. The study revealed that nanogold supplied via ingestion leads to dose- and time-dependent accumulation of gold in the intestinal walls. Nanogold present in the jejunum has a negative impact on the absorption of calcium, iron and potassium under in vitro conditions.

Oxygen reduction reaction activity and structural stability of Pt-Au nanoparticles prepared by arc-plasma deposition.

PubMed

Takahashi, Shuntaro; Chiba, Hiroshi; Kato, Takashi; Endo, Shota; Hayashi, Takehiro; Todoroki, Naoto; Wadayama, Toshimasa

2015-07-28

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of various Au(x)/Pt100 nanoparticles (where x is the atomic ratio of Au against Pt) are evaluated herein. The samples were fabricated on a highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite substrate at 773 K through sequential arc-plasma depositions of Pt and Au. The electrochemical hydrogen adsorption charges (electrochemical surface area), particularly the characteristic currents caused by the corner and edge sites of the Pt nanoparticles, decrease with increasing Au atomic ratio (x). In contrast, the specific ORR activities of the Au(x)/Pt100 samples were dependent on the atomic ratios of Pt and Au: the Au28/Pt100 sample showed the highest specific activity among all the investigated samples (x = 0-42). As for ORR durability evaluated by applying potential cycles between 0.6 and 1.0 V in oxygen-saturated 0.1 M HClO4, Au28/Pt100 was the most durable sample against the electrochemical potential cycles. The results clearly showed that the Au atoms located at coordinatively-unsaturated sites, e.g. at the corners or edges of the Pt nanoparticles, can improve the ORR durability by suppressing unsaturated-site-induced degradation of the Pt nanoparticles.

Green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles from Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp) and their capacity for biofilm inhibition

PubMed Central

Singh, Priyanka; Pandit, Santosh; Garnæs, Jørgen; Tunjic, Sanja; Mokkapati, Venkata RSS; Sultan, Abida; Thygesen, Anders; Mackevica, Aiga; Mateiu, Ramona Valentina; Daugaard, Anders Egede; Baun, Anders; Mijakovic, Ivan

2018-01-01

Background Cannabis sativa (hemp) is a source of various biologically active compounds, for instance, cannabinoids, terpenes and phenolic compounds, which exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. With the purpose of expanding the auxiliary application of C. sativa in the field of bio-nanotechnology, we explored the plant for green and efficient synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Methods and results The nanoparticles were synthesized by utilizing an aqueous extract of C. sativa stem separated into two different fractions (cortex and core [xylem part]) without any additional reducing, stabilizing and capping agents. In the synthesis of AuNPs using the cortex enriched in bast fibers, fiber-AuNPs (F-AuNPs) were achieved. When using the core part of the stem, which is enriched with phenolic compounds such as alkaloids and cannabinoids, core-AuNPs (C-AuNPs) and core-AgNPs (C-AgNPs) were formed. Synthesized nanoparticles were character-ized by UV–visible analysis, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight. In addition, the stable nature of nanoparticles has been shown by thermogravimetric analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Finally, the AgNPs were explored for the inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli biofilms. Conclusion The synthesized nanoparticles were crystalline with an average diameter between 12 and 18 nm for F-AuNPs and C-AuNPs and in the range of 20–40 nm for C-AgNPs. ICP-MS analysis revealed concentrations of synthesized nanoparticles as 0.7, 4.5 and 3.6 mg/mL for F-AuNPs, C-AuNPs and C-AgNPs, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of flavonoids, cannabinoids, terpenes and phenols on the nanoparticle surface, which could be responsible for reducing the salts to nanoparticles and further stabilizing them. In addition, the stable nature of synthesized nanoparticles has been shown by thermogravimetric analysis and ICP-MS. Finally, the AgNPs were explored for the inhibition of P. aeruginosa and E. coli biofilms. The nanoparticles exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration values of 6.25 and 5 µg/mL and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 12.5 and 25 µg/mL against P. aeruginosa and E. coli, respectively.

Au@Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ rare earth oxide hollow sub-microspheres with encapsulated gold nanoparticles and their optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Yu-Lin; Wan, Yong; Yu, Shu-Hong

2009-01-01

A facile method to synthesize novel Au@Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ hollow sub-microspheres encapsulated with moveable gold nanoparticle core and Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ as shell via two-step coating processes and a succeeding calcination process has been developed. Silica coating on citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles with a size of 25 nm can be obtained through a slightly modified Stöber process. Gold particles coated with double shell silica and Eu doped Y(OH) 3 can be obtained by coating on the Au@SiO 2 spheres through simply adding Y(NO 3) 3, Eu(NO 3) 3 and an appropriate quantity of NH 3·H 2O. Au@Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ hollow sub-microspheres with moveable individual Au nanoparticle as core can be obtained after calcination of Au@Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ particles at 600 °C for 2 h. These new core-shell structures with encapsulated gold nanoparticles have combined optical properties of both the Au nanoparticles and the Y 2O 3:Eu 3+ phosphor materials which might have potential applications.

Evolution from the plasmon to exciton state in ligand-protected atomically precise gold nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Meng; Zeng, Chenjie; Chen, Yuxiang; ...

2016-10-24

The evolution from the metallic (or plasmonic) to molecular state in metal nanoparticles constitutes a central question in nanoscience research because of its importance in revealing the origin of metallic bonding and offering fundamental insights into the birth of surface plasmon resonance. Previous research has not been able to probe the transition due to the unavailability of atomically precise nanoparticles in the 1–3 nm size regime. Herein, we investigate the transition by performing ultrafast spectroscopic studies on atomically precise thiolate-protected Au 25, Au 38, Au 144, Au 333, Au ~520 and Au ~940 nanoparticles. Our results clearly map out threemore » distinct states: metallic (size larger than Au333, that is, larger than 2.3 nm), transition regime (between Au 333 and Au 144, that is, 2.3–1.7 nm) and non-metallic or excitonic state (smaller than Au 144, that is, smaller than 1.7 nm). As a result, the transition also impacts the catalytic properties as demonstrated in both carbon monoxide oxidation and electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohol.« less

BaTiO3-core Au-shell nanoparticles for photothermal therapy and bimodal imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Yanfei; Barhoumi, Aoune; Tong, Rong; Wang, Weiping; Ji, Tianjiao; Deng, Xiaoran; Li, Lele; Lyon, Sophie A; Reznor, Gally; Zurakowski, David; Kohane, Daniel S

2018-05-01

We report sub-100 nm metal-shell (Au) dielectric-core (BaTiO 3 ) nanoparticles with bimodal imaging abilities and enhanced photothermal effects. The nanoparticles efficiently absorb light in the near infrared range of the spectrum and convert it to heat to ablate tumors. Their BaTiO 3 core, a highly ordered non-centrosymmetric material, can be imaged by second harmonic generation, and their Au shell generates two-photon luminescence. The intrinsic dual imaging capability allows investigating the distribution of the nanoparticles in relation to the tumor vasculature morphology during photothermal ablation. Our design enabled in vivo real-time tracking of the BT-Au-NPs and observation of their thermally-induced effect on tumor vessels. Photothermal therapy induced by plasmonic nanoparticles has emerged as a promising approach to treating cancer. However, the study of the role of intratumoral nanoparticle distribution in mediating tumoricidal activity has been hampered by the lack of suitable imaging techniques. This work describes metal-shell (Au) dielectric-core (BaTiO 3 ) nanoparticles (abbreviated as BT-Au-NP) for photothermal therapy and bimodal imaging. We demonstrated that sub-100 nm BT-Au-NP can efficiently absorb near infrared light and convert it to heat to ablate tumors. The intrinsic dual imaging capability allowed us to investigate the distribution of the nanoparticles in relation to the tumor vasculature morphology during photothermal ablation, enabling in vivo real-time tracking of the BT-Au-NPs and observation of their thermally-induced effect on tumor vessels. Copyright © 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment Modules for Probing Gold Nanoparticle Interfacial Phenomena

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karunanayake, Akila G.; Gunatilake, Sameera R.; Ameer, Fathima S.; Gadogbe, Manuel; Smith, Laura; Mlsna, Deb; Zhang, Dongmao

2015-01-01

Three gold-nanoparticle (AuNP) undergraduate experiment modules that are focused on nanoparticles interfacial phenomena have been developed. Modules 1 and 2 explore the synthesis and characterization of AuNPs of different sizes but with the same total gold mass. These experiments enable students to determine how particle size affects the AuNP…

Spontaneous synthesis of gold nanoparticles on gum arabic-modified iron oxide nanoparticles as a magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst.

PubMed

Wu, Chien-Chen; Chen, Dong-Hwang

2012-06-19

A novel magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst was fabricated by spontaneous green synthesis of Au nanoparticles on the surface of gum arabic-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles. A layer of Au nanoparticles with thickness of about 2 nm was deposited on the surface of gum arabic-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles, because gum arabic acted as a reducing agent and a stabilizing agent simultaneously. The resultant magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride. The rate constants evaluated in terms of pseudo-first-order kinetic model increased with increase in the amount of Au nanocatalyst or decrease in the initial concentration of 4-nitrophenol. The kinetic data suggested that this catalytic reaction was diffusion-controlled, owing to the presence of gum arabic layer. In addition, this nanocatalyst exhibited good stability. Its activity had no significant decrease after five recycles. This work is useful for the development and application of magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst on the basis of green chemistry principles.

Tunable UV- and Visible-Light Photoresponse Based on p-ZnO Nanostructures/n-ZnO/Glass Peppered with Au Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Hsu, Cheng-Liang; Lin, Yu-Hong; Wang, Liang-Kai; Hsueh, Ting-Jen; Chang, Sheng-Po; Chang, Shoou-Jinn

2017-05-03

UV- and visible-light photoresponse was achieved via p-type K-doped ZnO nanowires and nanosheets that were hydrothermally synthesized on an n-ZnO/glass substrate and peppered with Au nanoparticles. The K content of the p-ZnO nanostructures was 0.36 atom %. The UV- and visible-light photoresponse of the p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO sample was roughly 2 times higher than that of the ZnO nanowires. The Au nanoparticles of various densities and diameter sizes were deposited on the p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO samples by a simple UV photochemical reaction method yielding a tunable and enhanced UV- and visible-light photoresponse. The maximum UV and visible photoresponse of the Au nanoparticle sample was obtained when the diameter size of the Au nanoparticle was approximately 5-35 nm. On the basis of the localized surface plasmon resonance effect, the UV, blue, and green photocurrent/dark current ratios of Au nanoparticle/p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO are ∼1165, ∼94.6, and ∼9.7, respectively.

Visual detection of organophosphorus pesticides represented by mathamidophos using Au nanoparticles as colorimetric probe.

PubMed

Li, Hongkun; Guo, Jiajia; Ping, Hong; Liu, Lurui; Zhang, Minwei; Guan, Fengrui; Sun, Chunyan; Zhang, Qian

2011-12-15

With citrate-coated Au nanoparticles as colorimetric probe, a novel visual method for rapid assay of organophosphorus pesticides has been developed. The assay principle is based on catalytic hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine into thiocholine by acetylcholinesterase, which induces the aggregation of Au nanoparticles and the color change from claret-red to purple or even grey. The original plasmon absorption of Au nanoparticles at 522 nm decreases, and simultaneously, a new absorption band appears at 675 nm. The irreversible inhibition of organophosphorus pesticides on acetylcholinesterase prevents aggregation of Au nanoparticles. Under optimum conditions, the absorbance at 522 nm of Au nanoparticles is related linearly to the concentration of mathamidophos in the range of 0.02-1.42 μg/mL with a detection limit of 1.40 ng/mL. This colorimetric method has been successfully utilized to detect mathamidophos in vegetables with satisfactory results. The proposed colorimetric assay exhibits good reproducibility and accuracy, providing a simple and rapid method for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous synthesis of gold nanoparticles on gum arabic-modified iron oxide nanoparticles as a magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

A novel magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst was fabricated by spontaneous green synthesis of Au nanoparticles on the surface of gum arabic-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles. A layer of Au nanoparticles with thickness of about 2 nm was deposited on the surface of gum arabic-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles, because gum arabic acted as a reducing agent and a stabilizing agent simultaneously. The resultant magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride. The rate constants evaluated in terms of pseudo-first-order kinetic model increased with increase in the amount of Au nanocatalyst or decrease in the initial concentration of 4-nitrophenol. The kinetic data suggested that this catalytic reaction was diffusion-controlled, owing to the presence of gum arabic layer. In addition, this nanocatalyst exhibited good stability. Its activity had no significant decrease after five recycles. This work is useful for the development and application of magnetically recoverable Au nanocatalyst on the basis of green chemistry principles. PMID:22713480

Far-ultraviolet spectral changes of titanium dioxide with gold nanoparticles by ultraviolet and visible light.

PubMed

Tanabe, Ichiro; Kurawaki, Yuji

2018-05-15

Attenuated total reflectance spectra including the far-ultraviolet (FUV, ≤200nm) region of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) with and without gold (Au) nanoparticles were measured. A newly developed external light-irradiation system enabled to observe spectral changes of TiO 2 with Au nanoparticles upon light irradiations. Absorption in the FUV region decreased and increased by the irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, respectively. These spectral changes may reflect photo-induced electron transfer from TiO 2 to Au nanoparticles under ultraviolet light and from Au nanoparticles to TiO 2 under visible light, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Au plasmonics in a WS{sub 2}-Au-CuInS{sub 2} photocatalyst for significantly enhanced hydrogen generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Zhongzhou; School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083; Wang, Zhenxing, E-mail: wangzx@nanoctr.cn, E-mail: hej@nanoctr.cn

2015-11-30

Promoting the activities of photocatalysts is still the critical challenge in H{sub 2} generation area. Here, a Au plasmon enhanced photocatalyst of WS{sub 2}-Au-CuInS{sub 2} is developed by inserting Au nanoparticles between WS{sub 2} nanotubes and CuInS{sub 2} (CIS) nanoparticles. Due to the localized surface plasmonic resonance properties from Au nanoparticles, WS{sub 2}-Au-CIS shows the best performance as compared to Au-CIS, CIS, WS{sub 2}-CIS, CIS-Au, WS{sub 2}-Au, and WS{sub 2}-CIS-Au. The surface plasmonic resonance effects dramatically intensify the absorption of visible light and help to inject hot electrons into the semiconductors. Our findings open up an efficient method to optimizemore » the type-II structures for photocatalytic water splitting.« less

Chain Conformation near the Buried Interface in Nanoparticle-Stabilized Polymer Thin Films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barkley, Deborah A.; Jiang, Naisheng; Sen, Mani

It is known that when nanoparticles are added to polymer thin films, they often migrate to the film-substrate interface and form an “immobile interfacial layer”, which has been believed as the origin of suppression of dewetting. We here report an alternative mechanism of dewetting suppression from the structural aspect of a polymer. Dodecane thiol-functionalized gold (Au) nanoparticles embedded in PS thin films prepared on Si substrates were used as a model. It was found that thermal annealing promotes irreversible polymer adsorption onto the substrate surface along with the surface migration of the nanoparticles. We also revealed that the surface migrationmore » causes additional nanoconfined space for the adsorbed polymer chains. As a result, the self-organization process of the strongly adsorbed polymer chains on the solid surface was so hindered that the chain conformations were randomized and expanded in the film normal direction. Here, the resultant chain conformation allows the interpenetration between free chains and the adsorbed chains, promoting adhesion and hence stabilizing the thin film.« less

Chain Conformation near the Buried Interface in Nanoparticle-Stabilized Polymer Thin Films

DOE PAGES

Barkley, Deborah A.; Jiang, Naisheng; Sen, Mani; ...

2017-09-26

It is known that when nanoparticles are added to polymer thin films, they often migrate to the film-substrate interface and form an “immobile interfacial layer”, which has been believed as the origin of suppression of dewetting. We here report an alternative mechanism of dewetting suppression from the structural aspect of a polymer. Dodecane thiol-functionalized gold (Au) nanoparticles embedded in PS thin films prepared on Si substrates were used as a model. It was found that thermal annealing promotes irreversible polymer adsorption onto the substrate surface along with the surface migration of the nanoparticles. We also revealed that the surface migrationmore » causes additional nanoconfined space for the adsorbed polymer chains. As a result, the self-organization process of the strongly adsorbed polymer chains on the solid surface was so hindered that the chain conformations were randomized and expanded in the film normal direction. Here, the resultant chain conformation allows the interpenetration between free chains and the adsorbed chains, promoting adhesion and hence stabilizing the thin film.« less

Elucidating the electronic structure of supported gold nanoparticles and its relevance to catalysis by means of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Reinecke, Benjamin N.; Kuhl, Kendra P.; Ogasawara, Hirohito; ...

2015-12-31

We report on the electronic structure of Au (gold) nanoparticles supported onto TiO 2 with a goal of elucidating the most important effects that contribute to their high catalytic activity. We synthesize and characterize with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) 3.4, 5.3, and 9.5 nm diameter TiO 2-supported Au nanoparticles with nearly spherical shape and measure their valence band using Au 5d subshell sensitive hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) conducted at Spring-8. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations of various Au surface structures, we interpret the observed changes in the Au 5d valence band structure as a functionmore » of size in terms of an increasing percentage of Au atoms at corners/edges for decreasing particle size. Finally, this work elucidates how Au coordination number impacts the electronic structure of Au nanoparticles, ultimately giving rise to their well-known catalytic activity.« less

Growth of textured thin Au coatings on iron oxide nanoparticles with near infrared absorbance

PubMed Central

Ma, L L; Borwankar, A U; Willsey, B W; Yoon, K Y; Tam, J O; Sokolov, K V; Feldman, M D; Milner, T E; Johnston, K P

2013-01-01

A homologous series of Au-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, with hydrodynamic diameters smaller than 60 nm was synthesized with very low Auto-iron mass ratios as low as 0.15. The hydrodynamic diameter was determined by dynamic light scattering and the composition by atomic absorption spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Unusually low Au precursor supersaturation levels were utilized to nucleate and grow Au coatings on iron oxide relative to formation of pure Au nanoparticles. This approach produced unusually thin coatings, by lowering autocatalytic growth of Au on Au, as shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nearly all of the nanoparticles were attracted by a magnet indicating a minimal amount of pure Au particles The coatings were sufficiently thin to shift the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to the near infrared (NIR), with large extinction coefficients., despite the small particle hydrodynamic diameters, observed from dynamic light scattering to be less than 60 nm. PMID:23238021

Gold Nanoparticles Doped with (199) Au Atoms and Their Use for Targeted Cancer Imaging by SPECT.

PubMed

Zhao, Yongfeng; Pang, Bo; Luehmann, Hannah; Detering, Lisa; Yang, Xuan; Sultan, Deborah; Harpstrite, Scott; Sharma, Vijay; Cutler, Cathy S; Xia, Younan; Liu, Yongjian

2016-04-20

Gold nanoparticles have been labeled with various radionuclides and extensively explored for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in the context of cancer diagnosis. The stability of most radiolabels, however, still needs to be improved for accurate detection of cancer biomarkers and thereby monitoring of tumor progression and metastasis. Here, the first synthesis of Au nanoparticles doped with (199)Au atoms for targeted SPECT tumor imaging in a mouse triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) model is reported. By directly incorporating (199)Au atoms into the crystal lattice of each Au nanoparticle, the stability of the radiolabel can be ensured. The synthetic procedure also allows for a precise control over both the radiochemistry and particle size. When conjugated with D-Ala1-peptide T-amide, the Au nanoparticles doped with (199)Au atoms can serve as a C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)-targeted nanoprobe for the sensitive and specific detection of both TNBC and its metastasis in a mouse tumor model. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biosynthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Using Extracts of Callus Cultures of Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima).

PubMed

Iyer, R Indira; Panda, Tapobrata

2018-08-01

The potential of callus cultures and field-grown organs of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles of the noble metals gold and silver has been investigated. Biosynthesis of AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) and AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) was obtained with flowers of C. maxima but not with pulp and seeds. With callus cultures established in MS-based medium the biogenesis of both AuNPs and AgNPs could be obtained. At 65 °C the biogenesis of AuNPs and AgNPs by callus extracts was enhanced. The AuNPs and AgNPs have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, TEM, DLS and XRD. Well-dispersed nanoparticles, which exhibited a remarkable diversity in size and shape, could be visualized by TEM. Gold nanoparticles were found to be of various shapes, viz., rods, triangles, star-shaped particles, spheres, hexagons, bipyramids, discoid particles, nanotrapezoids, prisms, cuboids. Silver nanoparticles were also of diverse shapes, viz., discoid, spherical, elliptical, triangle-like, belt-like, rod-shaped forms and cuboids. EDX analysis indicated that the AuNPs and AgNPs had a high degree of purity. The surface charges of the generated AuNPs and AgNPs were highly negative as indicated by zeta potential measurements. The AuNPs and AgNPs exhibited remarkable stability in solution for more than four months. FTIR studies indicated that biomolecules in the callus extracts were associated with the biosynthesis and stabilisation of the nanoparticles. The synthesized AgNPs could catalyse degradation of methylene blue and exhibited anti-bacterial activity against E. coli DH5α. There is no earlier report of the biosynthesis of nanoparticles by this plant species. Callus cultures of Cucurbita maxima are effective alternative resources of biomass for synthesis of nanoparticles.

Selective Catalysis in Nanoparticle Metal-Organic Framework Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, Casey Justin

The design of highly selective catalysts are becoming increasingly important, especially as chemical and pharmaceutical industries seek to improve atom economy and minimize energy intensive separations that are often required to separate side products from the desired product. Enzymes are among the most selective of all catalysts, generally operating through molecular recognition whereby an active site analogous to a lock and the substrate is analogous to a key. The assembly of a porous, crystalline material around a catalytically active metal particle could serve as an artificial enzyme. In this vein, we first synthesized the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated nanoparticles of interest and then encapsulated them within zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 or ZIF-8. 2.8 nm Pt-PVP nanoparticles, which were encapsulated within ZIF-8 to form Pt ZIF-8 composite. Pt ZIF-8 was inactive for the hydrogenation of cyclic olefins such as cis-cyclooctene and cis-cyclohexene while the composite proved to be a highly selective catalyst for the hydrogenation of terminal olefins, hydrogenating trans-1,3-hexadiene to 3-hexene in 95% selectivity after 24 hours under 1 bar H2. We extended our encapsulation method to sub-2 nm Au nanoparticles to form Au ZIF-8. Au ZIF-8 served as a highly chemoselective catalyst for the hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, to crotyl alcohol an alpha,beta-unsaturated alcohol, in 90-95% selectivity. In order to investigate nanoparticle size effects on selectivity, 6-10 nm Au nanoparticles were encapsulated within ZIF-8 to form Au6 ZIF-8. Control catalysts with nanoparticles supported on the surface of ZIF-8 were synthesized as well, Au/ZIF-8 and Au6/ZIF-8. Au6 ZIF-8 hydrogenated crotonaldehyde in 85% selectivity towards the unsaturated alcohol. Catalysts with nanoparticles supported on the exterior of ZIF-8 were far less selective towards the unsaturated alcohol. Post-catalysis transmission electron microscopy analysis of Au ZIF-8 and Au/ZIF-8 shows that the nanoparticles of Au ZIF-8 remain within experimental uncertainty and unchanged, whereas Au nanoparticles of Au/ZIF suffered from server sintering. We performed solvent assisted linker exchange, a single-crystal to single-crystal transformation, on Pt ZIF-8 to exchange the 2-methylimidazole linkers with imidazole to form Pt SALEM-2. Since Pt SALEM-2 should have larger apertures than Pt ZIF-8, we investigated Pt ZIF-8 and Pt SALEM-2 as catalysts for the hydrogenation of substrates with increasingly larger kinetic diameter: 1-octene, cis-cyclohexene, and beta-pinene. Both catalysts were active for the hydrogenation of 1-octene, while only Pt SALEM-2 was active for cis-cyclohexene hydrogenation. Neither catalyst was active for the hydrogenation of beta-pinene, indicating that the Pt nanoparticles remained well encapsulated throughout the SALE process.

Preparation of Multifunctional Fe@Au Core-Shell Nanoparticles with Surface Grafting as a Potential Treatment for Magnetic Hyperthermia.

PubMed

Chung, Ren-Jei; Shih, Hui-Ting

2014-01-24

Iron core gold shell nanoparticles grafted with Methotrexate (MTX) and indocyanine green (ICG) were synthesized for the first time in this study, and preliminarily evaluated for their potential in magnetic hyperthermia treatment. The core-shell Fe@Au nanoparticles were prepared via the microemulsion process and then grafted with MTX and ICG using hydrolyzed poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMA) to obtain core-shell Fe@Au-PSMA-ICG/MTX nanoparticles. MTX is an anti-cancer therapeutic, and ICG is a fluorescent dye. XRD, TEM, FTIR and UV-Vis spectrometry were performed to characterize the nanoparticles. The data indicated that the average size of the nanoparticles was 6.4 ± 09 nm and that the Au coating protected the Fe core from oxidation. MTX and ICG were successfully grafted onto the surface of the nanoparticles. Under exposure to high frequency induction waves, the superparamagnetic nanoparticles elevated the temperature of a solution in a few minutes, which suggested the potential for an application in magnetic hyperthermia treatment. The in vitro studies verified that the nanoparticles were biocompatible; nonetheless, the Fe@Au-PSMA-ICG/MTX nanoparticles killed cancer cells (Hep-G2) via the magnetic hyperthermia mechanism and the release of MTX.

Electron flow in large metallomacromolecules and electronic switch of nanoparticle stabilization: new click ferrocenyl dentromers that reduce Au(III) to Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Astruc, Didier; Wang, Qi; Fu, Fangyu; Martinez-Villacorta, Angel M; Moya, Sergio; Salmon, Lionel; Ruiz, Jaime; Hunel, Julien; Vax, Amélie

2018-06-04

Click ferrocenyl-terminal dentromers, a family of arene-cored dendrimers with triple branching (9-Fc, 27-Fc, 81-Fc and 243-Fc) reduce Au(III) to ferricinium dentromer-stabilized Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Cyclic voltammetry studies in CH2Cl2 show reversible CV waves with some adsorption for the 243-Fc dentromer and a number of redox groups found, 255 ± 25, using the Bard-Anson method, close to the theoretical number of 243. The dentromers reduce aqueous HAuCl4 to water-soluble ferricinium chloride dentromer-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with core sizes between 30 and 47 nm. These triazolylferricinium dentromer-stabilized AuNPs are reduced by cobaltocene to cobalticinium chloride and ferrocene dentromer-weakly stabilized AuNPs together with red shift of the AuNP plasmon. The weakness of the AuNP stabilization is characterized by dentromer extraction with CH2Cl2 along with irreversible AuNP agglomeration for the 9, 27 and 81-ferrocenyl dentromer, only the 243-ferrocenyl dentromer-AuNP withstanding this process. Altogether this demonstrates the electronic switch of the dentromer-mediated AuNP stabilization. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles as High Efficiency Magnetic Resonance Imaging T2 Contrast Agent.

PubMed

Sousa, Fernanda; Sanavio, Barbara; Saccani, Alessandra; Tang, Yun; Zucca, Ileana; Carney, Tamara M; Mastropietro, Alfonso; Jacob Silva, Paulo H; Carney, Randy P; Schenk, Kurt; Omrani, Arash O; Huang, Ping; Yang, Lin; Rønnow, Henrik M; Stellacci, Francesco; Krol, Silke

2017-01-18

Nanoparticle-based magnetic resonance imaging T 2 negative agents are of great interest, and much effort is devoted to increasing cell-loading capability while maintaining low cytotoxicity. Herein, two classes of mixed-ligand protected magnetic-responsive, bimetallic gold/iron nanoparticles (Au/Fe NPs) synthesized by a two-step method are presented. Their structure, surface composition, and magnetic properties are characterized. The two classes of sulfonated Au/Fe NPs, with an average diameter of 4 nm, have an average atomic ratio of Au to Fe equal to 7 or 8, which enables the Au/Fe NPs to be superparamagnetic with a blocking temperature of 56 K and 96 K. Furthermore, preliminary cellular studies reveal that both Au/Fe NPs show very limited toxicity. MRI phantom experiments show that r 2 /r 1 ratio of Au/Fe NPs is as high as 670, leading to a 66% reduction in T 2 relaxation time. These nanoparticles provide great versatility and potential for nanoparticle-based diagnostics and therapeutic applications and as imaging contrast agents.

Au nanoparticle monolayers covered with sol-gel oxide thin films: optical and morphological study.

PubMed

Della Gaspera, Enrico; Karg, Matthias; Baldauf, Julia; Jasieniak, Jacek; Maggioni, Gianluigi; Martucci, Alessandro

2011-11-15

In this work, we provide a detailed study of the influence of thermal annealing on submonolayer Au nanoparticle deposited on functionalized surfaces as standalone films and those that are coated with sol-gel NiO and TiO(2) thin films. The systems are characterized through the use of UV-vis absorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The surface plasmon resonance peak of the Au nanoparticles was found to red-shift and increase in intensity with increasing surface coverage, an observation that is directly correlated to the complex refractive index properties of Au nanoparticle layers. The standalone Au nanoparticles sinter at 200 °C, and a relationship between the optical properties and the annealing temperature is presented. When overcoated with sol-gel metal oxide films (NiO, TiO(2)), the optical properties of the Au nanoparticles are strongly affected by the metal oxide, resulting in an intense red shift and broadening of the plasmon band; moreover, the temperature-driven sintering is strongly limited by the metal oxide layer. Optical sensing tests for ethanol vapor are presented as one possible application, showing reversible sensing dynamics and confirming the effect of Au nanoparticles in increasing the sensitivity and in providing a wavelength dependent response, thus confirming the potential use of such materials as optical probes.

The effect of Au nanoparticles on the strain-dependent electrical properties of CVD graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Jing; Nan, Haiyan; Qi, Han; Bing, Dan; Du, Ruxia

2018-03-01

We conducted an experimental study of the effect of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the strain-dependent electrical properties in chemical vapor deposition grown graphene. We used 5-nm thick Au NPs as an effective cover (and doping) layer for graphene, and found that Au NPs decrease electrical resistance by two orders of magnitude. In addition, the Au NPs suppress the effect of strain on resistance because the intrinsic topological cracks and grain boundaries in graphene are filled with Au nanoparticles. This method has a big potential to advance industrial production of large-area, high-quality electronic devices and graphene-based transparent electrodes.

An investigation of localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gezgin, Serap Yiǧit; Kepceoǧlu, Abdullah; Kılıç, Hamdi Şükür

2017-02-01

Noble metal nano-structures such as Ag, Cu, Au are used commonly to increase power conversion efficiency of the solar cell by using their surface plasmons. The plasmonic metal nanoparticles of Ag among others that have strong LSPR in near UV range. They increase photon absorbance via embedding in the active semiconductor of the solar cell. Thin films of Ag are grown in the desired particle size and interparticle distance easily and at low cost by PLD technique. Ag nanoparticle thin films were grown on micro slide glass at 25-36 mJ laser pulse energies under by PLD using ns-Nd:YAG laser. The result of this work have been presented by carrying out UV-VIS and AFM analysis. It was concluded that a laser energy increases, the density and size of Ag-NPs arriving on the substrate increases, and the interparticle distance was decreases. Therefore, LSPR wavelength shifts towards to longer wavelength region.

Biosynthesis of size-controlled gold nanoparticles using fungus, Penicillium sp.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaorong; He, Xiaoxiao; Wang, Kemin; Wang, Yonghong; Li, Huimin; Tan, Weihong

2009-10-01

The unique optoelectronic and physicochemical properties of gold nanoparticles are significantly dependent on the particle size, shape and structure. In this paper, biosynthesis of size-controlled gold nanoparticles using fungus Penicillium sp. is reported. Fungus Penicillium sp. could successfully bioreduce and nucleate AuCl4(-) ions, and lead to the assembly and formation of intracellular Au nanoparticles with spherical morphology and good monodispersity after exposure to HAuCl4 solution. Reaction temperature, as an important physiological parameter for fungus Penicillium sp. growth, could significantly control the size of the biosynthesized Au nanoparticles. The biological compositions and FTIR spectra analysis of fungus Penicillium sp. exposed to HAuCl4 solution indicated the intracellular reducing sugar played an important role in the occurrence of intracellular reduction of AuCl4(-) ions and the growth of gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, the intracellular gold nanoparticles could be easily separated from the fungal cell lysate by ultrasonication and centrifugation.

Design and Preparation of Supported Au Catalyst with Enhanced Catalytic Activities by Rationally Positioning Au Nanoparticles on Anatase.

PubMed

Wang, Liang; Wang, Hong; Rice, Andrew E; Zhang, Wei; Li, Xiaokun; Chen, Mingshu; Meng, Xiangju; Lewis, James P; Xiao, Feng-Shou

2015-06-18

A synergistic effect between individual components is crucial for increasing the activity of metal/metal oxide catalysts. The greatest challenge is how to control the synergistic effect to obtain enhanced catalytic performance. Through density functional theory calculations of model Au/TiO2 catalysts, it is suggested that there is strong interaction between Au nanoparticles and Ti species at the edge/corner sites of anatase, which is favorable for the formation of stable oxygen vacancies. Motivated by this theoretical analysis, we have rationally prepared Au nanoparticles attached to edge/corner sites of anatase support (Au/TiO2-EC), confirmed by their HR-TEM images. As expected, this strong interaction is well characterized by Raman, UV-visible, and XPS techniques. Very interestingly, compared with conventional Au catalysts, Au/TiO2-EC exhibits superior catalytic activity in the oxidations using O2. Our approach to controlling Au nanoparticle positioning on anatase to obtain enhanced catalytic activity offers an efficient strategy for developing more novel supported metal catalysts.

Multifunctional hybrid Fe 2O 3-Au nanoparticles for efficient plasmonic heating

DOE PAGES

Murph, Simona E. Hunyadi; Larsen, George K.; Lascola, Robert J.

2016-02-20

We describe the synthesis and properties of multifunctional Fe 2O 3-Au nanoparticles produced by a wet chemical approach and investigate their photothermal properties using laser irradiation. Here, the composite Fe 2O 3-Au nanoparticles retain the properties of both materials, creating a multifunctional structure with excellent magnetic and plasmonic properties.

Chemical synthesis and structural characterization of small AuZn nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juárez-Ruiz, E.; Pal, U.; Lombardero-Chartuni, J. A.; Medina, A.; Ascencio, J. A.

2007-03-01

In this paper, we report the aqueous synthesis of bimetallic Au-Zn nanoparticles of different compositions by the simultaneous reduction technique. The stability and atomic configuration of the particles are studied through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and UV-Vis optical absorption techniques. Depending on the composition, small bimetallic nanoparticles of 1 15 nm in size were obtained. The average size and size distribution of the bimetallic nanoparticles are seen to be critically dependent on the atomic ratio of the constituting elements Au and Zn. While a 1:1 atomic proportion of Au and Zn produced most stable nanoparticles of smallest average size, nanoparticles produced with higher content of either of the component elements are unstable, inducing agglomeration and coalescence to form elongated structures with uneven morphologies. Au3Zn1 nanoparticles followed a directional growth pattern, producing bimetallic nanorods with multiple crystalline domains. Interestingly, in these rod-like nanostructures, the domains are in well array of solid solution-like bimetallic and pure mono-metallic regions alternatively. Such nanostructures with uneven morphology and compositions might show distinct catalytic selectivity in chemical reactions.

A Comparative XAFS Study of Gold-thiolate Nanoparticles and Nanoclusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chevrier, D. M.; Chatt, A.; Sham, T. K.; Zhang, P.

2013-04-01

Tiopronin-capped gold nanoparticles and gold nanoclusters of sizes 3.0 and 1.5 nm, respectively, were investigated with XAFS at the gold L3-edge. The specific EXAFS fitting procedure is discussed for obtaining reliable fit parameters for each system. The difficulties and challenges faced when analysing EXAFS data for gold nanoparticles and nanoclusters are also mentioned. Fitting results for gold nanoparticles reveal a small amount of surface Au-thiolate interactions with a large Au-Au metal core. For gold nanoclusters, only a one-shell fit was obtainable. Instead of Au-Au metal core, long-range interactions are expected for gold nanoclusters. Tiopronin-capped gold nanoclusters are proposed to be polymeric in nature, which helps explain the observed red luminescence.

Influence of thermal annealing and radiation enhanced diffusion processes on surface plasmon resonance of gold implanted dielectric matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devi, Ksh. Devarani; Ojha, Sunil; Singh, Fouran

2018-03-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded in fused silica and sapphire dielectric matrices were synthesized by Au ion implantation. Systematic investigations were carried out to study the influence of implantation dose, post annealing temperature, swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation and radiation enhanced diffusion (RED). Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) measurements were carried out to quantify concentration and depth profile of Au present in the host matrices. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to characterize AuNPs formation. As-implanted and post-annealed films were irradiated using 100 MeV Ag ions to investigate the effect of electronic energy deposition on size and shape of NPs, which is estimated indirectly by the peak shape analysis of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The effect of volume fraction of Au and their redistribution is also reported. A strong absorption in near infra red region is also noticed and understood by the formation of percolated NPs in dielectric matrices. It is quite clear from these results that the effect of RED assisted Oswald ripening is much more pronounced than the conventional Oswald ripening for the growth of NPs in the case of silica host matrices. However for sapphire matrices, it seems that growth of NPs already completed during implantation and it may be attributed to the high diffusivity of Au in sapphire matrices during implantation process.

Water-medium and solvent-free organic reactions over a bifunctional catalyst with Au nanoparticles covalently bonded to HS/SO3H functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica.

PubMed

Zhu, Feng-Xia; Wang, Wei; Li, He-Xing

2011-08-03

An operationally simple approach for the preparation of a new class of bifunctional Au nanoparticle-acid catalysts has been developed. In situ reduction of Au(3+) with HS-functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) creates robust, fine Au nanoparticles and concomitantly produces a sulfonic acid moiety strongly bonded to PMOs. Characterizations of the nanostructures reveal that Au nanoparticles are formed with uniformed, narrow size distribution around 1-2 nm, which is very critical for essential catalytic activities. Moreover, the Au nanoparticles are mainly attached onto the pore surface rather than onto the outer surface with ordered mesoporous channels, allowing for maximal exposure to reaction substrates while minimizing Au nanoparticle leaching. Their higher S(BET), V(P), and D(P) than either the Au-HS-PMO(Et) or the Au/SO(3)H-PMO(Et) render the catalyst with comparably even higher catalytic efficiency than its homogeneous counterparts. Furthermore, the unique amphiphilic compartment of the Au-HS/SO(3)H-PMO(Et) nanostructures enables organic reactions to proceed efficiently in a pure aqueous solution without using any organic solvents or even without water. As demonstrated experimentally, remarkably, the unique bifunctional Au-HS/SO(3)H-PMO(Et) catalyst displays higher efficiencies in promoting water-medium alkyne hydration, intramolecular hydroamination, styrene oxidation, and three-component coupling reactions and even the solvent-free alkyne hydration process than its homogeneous catalysts. The robust catalyst can be easily recycled and used repetitively at least 10 times without loss of catalytic efficiency. These features render the catalyst particularly attractive in the practice of organic synthesis in an environmentally friendly manner.

Speciation of nanoscale objects by nanoparticle imprinted matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hitrik, Maria; Pisman, Yamit; Wittstock, Gunther; Mandler, Daniel

2016-07-01

The toxicity of nanoparticles is not only a function of the constituting material but depends largely on their size, shape and stabilizing shell. Hence, the speciation of nanoscale objects, namely, their detection and separation based on the different species, similarly to heavy metals, is of outmost importance. Here we demonstrate the speciation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their electrochemical detection using the concept of ``nanoparticles imprinted matrices'' (NAIM). Negatively charged AuNPs are adsorbed as templates on a conducting surface previously modified with polyethylenimine (PEI). The selective matrix is formed by the adsorption of either oleic acid (OA) or poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) on the non-occupied areas. The AuNPs are removed by electrooxidation to form complementary voids. These voids are able to recognize the AuNPs selectively based on their size. Furthermore, the selectivity could be improved by adsorbing an additional layer of 1-hexadecylamine, which deepened the voids. Interestingly, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were also recognized if their size matched those of the template AuNPs. The steps in assembling the NAIMs and the reuptake of the nanoparticles were characterized carefully. The prospects for the analytical use of NAIMs, which are simple, of small dimension, cost-efficient and portable, are in the sensing and separation of nanoobjects.The toxicity of nanoparticles is not only a function of the constituting material but depends largely on their size, shape and stabilizing shell. Hence, the speciation of nanoscale objects, namely, their detection and separation based on the different species, similarly to heavy metals, is of outmost importance. Here we demonstrate the speciation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their electrochemical detection using the concept of ``nanoparticles imprinted matrices'' (NAIM). Negatively charged AuNPs are adsorbed as templates on a conducting surface previously modified with polyethylenimine (PEI). The selective matrix is formed by the adsorption of either oleic acid (OA) or poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) on the non-occupied areas. The AuNPs are removed by electrooxidation to form complementary voids. These voids are able to recognize the AuNPs selectively based on their size. Furthermore, the selectivity could be improved by adsorbing an additional layer of 1-hexadecylamine, which deepened the voids. Interestingly, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were also recognized if their size matched those of the template AuNPs. The steps in assembling the NAIMs and the reuptake of the nanoparticles were characterized carefully. The prospects for the analytical use of NAIMs, which are simple, of small dimension, cost-efficient and portable, are in the sensing and separation of nanoobjects. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: S1 - instrumentation, S2 - immobilization of AuNPs, S3 - time dependent immobilization, S4 - CVs at matrix-coated substrates, S5 - CVs at AuNP-loaded matrices, S6 - peak potentials for the oxidation of AuNPs of different sizes, S7 - schematics for the change of conductive area of the matrices, S8 - probe CVs before and after AuNPs oxidation, S9 - calculation of adsorbed and reuptaken AuNPs, S10 - CVs of AuNPs adsorbed on non-imprinted matrices, S11 - SEM images of AuNPs adsorbed on non-imprinted matrices, S12 - SEM images after reuptake of AuNPs, S13 - schematic of the effect of thickening the matrix. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01106c

In Vivo Neural Recording and Electrochemical Performance of Microelectrode Arrays Modified by Rough-Surfaced AuPt Alloy Nanoparticles with Nanoporosity

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zongya; Gong, Ruxue; Zheng, Liang; Wang, Jue

2016-01-01

In order to reduce the impedance and improve in vivo neural recording performance of our developed Michigan type silicon electrodes, rough-surfaced AuPt alloy nanoparticles with nanoporosity were deposited on gold microelectrode sites through electro-co-deposition of Au-Pt-Cu alloy nanoparticles, followed by chemical dealloying Cu. The AuPt alloy nanoparticles modified gold microelectrode sites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in vivo neural recording experiment. The SEM images showed that the prepared AuPt alloy nanoparticles exhibited cauliflower-like shapes and possessed very rough surfaces with many different sizes of pores. Average impedance of rough-surfaced AuPt alloy nanoparticles modified sites was 0.23 MΩ at 1 kHz, which was only 4.7% of that of bare gold microelectrode sites (4.9 MΩ), and corresponding in vitro background noise in the range of 1 Hz to 7500 Hz decreased to 7.5 μVrms from 34.1 μVrms at bare gold microelectrode sites. Spontaneous spike signal recording was used to evaluate in vivo neural recording performance of modified microelectrode sites, and results showed that rough-surfaced AuPt alloy nanoparticles modified microelectrode sites exhibited higher average spike signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 4.8 in lateral globus pallidus (GPe) due to lower background noise compared to control microelectrodes. Electro-co-deposition of Au-Pt-Cu alloy nanoparticles combined with chemical dealloying Cu was a convenient way for increasing the effective surface area of microelectrode sites, which could reduce electrode impedance and improve the quality of in vivo spike signal recording. PMID:27827893

No evidence of the genotoxic potential of gold, silver, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the SOS chromotest.

PubMed

Nam, Sun-Hwa; Kim, Shin Woong; An, Youn-Joo

2013-10-01

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are widely used in cosmetic products such as preservatives, colorants and sunscreens. This study investigated the genotoxicity of Au NPs, Ag NPs, ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs using the SOS chromotest with Escherichia coli PQ37. The maximum exposure concentrations for each nanoparticle were 3.23 mg l(-1) for Au NPs, 32.3 mg l(-1) for Ag NPs and 100 mg l(-1) for ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs. Additionally, in order to compare the genotoxicity of nanoparticles and corresponding dissolved ions, the ions were assessed in the same way as nanoparticles. The genotoxicity of the titanium ion was not assessed because of the extremely low solubility of TiO2 NPs. Au NPs, Ag NPs, ZnO NPs, TiO2 NPs and ions of Au, Ag and Zn, in a range of tested concentrations, exerted no effects in the SOS chromotest, evidenced by maximum IF (IFmax) values of below 1.5 for all chemicals. Owing to the results, nanosized Au NPs, Ag NPs, ZnO NPs, TiO2 NPs and ions of Au, Ag and Zn are classified as non-genotoxic on the basis of the SOS chromotest used in this study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the genotoxicity of Au NPs, Ag NPs, ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs using the SOS chromotest. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spin Polarization and Quantum Spins in Au Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Li, Chi-Yen; Karna, Sunil K.; Wang, Chin-Wei; Li, Wen-Hsien

2013-01-01

The present study focuses on investigating the magnetic properties and the critical particle size for developing sizable spontaneous magnetic moment of bare Au nanoparticles. Seven sets of bare Au nanoparticle assemblies, with diameters from 3.5 to 17.5 nm, were fabricated with the gas condensation method. Line profiles of the X-ray diffraction peaks were used to determine the mean particle diameters and size distributions of the nanoparticle assemblies. The magnetization curves M(Ha) reveal Langevin field profiles. Magnetic hysteresis was clearly revealed in the low field regime even at 300 K. Contributions to the magnetization from different size particles in the nanoparticle assemblies were considered when analyzing the M(Ha) curves. The results show that the maximum particle moment will appear in 2.4 nm Au particles. A similar result of the maximum saturation magnetization appearing in 2.3 nm Au particles is also concluded through analysis of the dependency of the saturation magnetization MP on particle size. The MP(d) curve departs significantly from the 1/d dependence, but can be described by a log-normal function. Magnetization can be barely detected for Au particles larger than 27 nm. Magnetic field induced Zeeman magnetization from the quantum confined Kubo gap opening appears in Au nanoparticles smaller than 9.5 nm in diameter. PMID:23989607

Nanoparticle Immobilization for Controllable Experiments in Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Robertson, Alex W; Zhu, Guomin; Mehdi, B Layla; Jacobs, Robert M J; De Yoreo, James; Browning, Nigel D

2018-06-22

We demonstrate that silanization can control the adhesion of nanostructures to the SiN windows compatible with liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM). Formation of an (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) self-assembled monolayer on a SiN window, producing a surface decorated with amino groups, permits strong adhesion of Au nanoparticles to the window. Many of these nanoparticles remain static, undergoing minimal translation or rotation during LC-TEM up to high electron beam current densities due to the strong interaction between the APTES amino group and Au. We then use this technique to perform a direct comparative LC-TEM study on the behavior of ligand and nonligand-coated Au nanoparticles in a Au growth solution. While the ligand coated nanoparticles remain consistent even under high electron beam current densities, the naked nanoparticles acted as sites for secondary Au nucleation. These nucleated particles decorated the parent nanoparticle surface, forming consecutive monolayer assemblies of ∼2 nm diameter nanoparticles, which sinter into the parent particle when the electron beam was shut off. This method for facile immobilization of nanostructures for LC-TEM study will permit more sophisticated and controlled in situ experiments into the properties of solid-liquid interfaces in the future.

Nevirapine Loaded Core Shell Gold Nanoparticles by Double Emulsion Solvent Evaporation: In vitro and In vivo Evaluation.

PubMed

Dalvi, Bhagyashree R; Siddiqui, Ejaz A; Syed, Asad S; Velhal, Shilpa M; Ahmad, Absar; Bandivdekar, Atmaram B; Devarajan, Padma V

2016-01-01

HIV/AIDS is a macrophage resident infection localized in the reticuloendothelial system and remote locations of brain and bone marrow. We present core shell nanoparticles of gold(AuNPs) and nevirapine(NVP) for targeted delivery to the multiple HIV reservoirs. The aim of the study was to design core shell NVP loaded AuNPs with high drug loading and to evaluate biodistribution of the nanoparticles in possible HIV reservoirs in vivo. A specific objective was to assess the possible synergy of AuNPs with NVP on anti-HIV activity in vitro. Core shell nanoparticles were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterized. Glyceryl monostearate-nevirapine-gold nanoparticles(GMS-NVP-AuNPs) revealed high entrapment efficiency (>70%), high loading (~40%), particle size <250 nm and zeta potential -35.9± 1.41mv and exhibited sustained release with good stability. Surface plasmon resonance indicated shell formation while SEM coupled EDAX confirmed the presence of Au. TEM confirmed formation of spherical core shell nanoparticles. GMS-NVP-AuNPs revealed low hemolysis (<10 %) and serum stability upto 6 h. GMS-NVP-AuNPs exhibited rapid, high and sustained accumulation in the possible HIV reservoir organs, including the major organs of liver, spleen, lymph nodes, thymus and also remote locations of brain, ovary and bone marrow. High cell viability and enhanced uptake in PBMC's and TZM-bl cells were observed. While uptake in PBMC's proposed monocytes/macrophages enabled brain delivery. GMS-NVP-AuNPs demonstrated synergistic anti-HIV activity. The superior anti-HIV activity in vitro coupled with extensive localization of the nanoparticles in multiple HIV reservoirs suggests great promise of the core shell GMS-NVP-AuNPs for improved therapy of HIV.

Sun light mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles as carrier for 6-mercaptopurine: Preparation, characterization and toxicity studies in zebrafish embryo model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ganeshkumar, Moorthy; Sastry, Thotapalli Parvathaleswara; Sathish Kumar, Muniram

2012-09-15

Highlights: ► Gold nanoparticles prepared using eco-friendly method with good in vitro stability. ► Can be used as drug delivery system. ► Did not show any toxicity in zebrafish embryo. ► More toxic to cancer cells when compared to N-Au-Mp and Mp. -- Abstract: The objective of this study is to synthesize green chemistry based gold nanoparticles by sun light irradiation method. The prepared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were modified using folic acid and then coupled with 6-mercaptopurine. These modified nanoparticles were used as a tool for targeted drug delivery to treat laryngeal cancer. In the present study, novel bionanocomposites containingmore » nutrient agar coated gold nano particles (N-AuNPs) coupled with 6-mercaptopurine (drug) (N-AuNPs-Mp), folic acid (ligand) (N-AuNPs-Mp-Fa) and rhodamine (dye) (N-AuNPs-Rd), a fluorescent agent, were prepared and characterized by IR, UV, TEM, Particle size analysis and in vitro stability. The toxicity and fluorescence of N-Au was studied using zebrafish embryo model. The in vitro cytotoxicity of free Mp, N-Au-Mp and N-Au-Mp-Fa against HEp-2 cells was compared and found that the amount of Mp required to achieve 50% of growth of inhibition (IC{sub 50}) was much lower in N-Au-Mp-Fa than in free Mp and N-Au-Mp.« less

Synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles using purified URAK.

PubMed

Deepak, Venkataraman; Umamaheshwaran, Paneer Selvam; Guhan, Kandasamy; Nanthini, Raja Amrisa; Krithiga, Bhaskar; Jaithoon, Nagoor Meeran Hasika; Gurunathan, Sangiliyandi

2011-09-01

This study aims at developing a new eco-friendly process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using purified URAK. URAK is a fibrinolytic enzyme produced by Bacillus cereus NK1. The enzyme was purified and used for the synthesis of AuNPs and AgNPs. The enzyme produced AgNPs when incubated with 1 mM AgNO3 for 24 h and AuNPs when incubated with 1 mM HAuCl4 for 60 h. But when NaOH was added, the synthesis was rapid and occurred within 5 min for AgNPs and 12 h for AuNPs. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by a peak at 440 nm and 550 nm in the UV-visible spectrum. TEM analysis showed that AgNPs of the size 60 nm and AuNPs of size 20 nm were synthesized. XRD confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles and AFM showed the morphology of the nanoparticle to be spherical. FT-IR showed that protein was responsible for the synthesis of the nanoparticles. This process is highly simple, versatile and produces AgNPs and AuNPs in environmental friendly manner. Moreover, the synthesized nanoparticles were found to contain immobilized enzyme. Also, URAK was tested on RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line and was found to be non-cytotoxic until 100 μg/ml. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plasmonic gold nanoparticles modified titania nanotubes for antibacterial application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Jinhua; Zhou, Huaijuan; Qian, Shi

Close-packed TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays are prepared on metallic Ti surface by electrochemical anodization. Subsequently, by magnetron sputtering, Au nanoparticles are coated onto the top sidewall and tube inwall. The Au@TiO{sub 2} systems can effectively kill Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in darkness due to the existence of Au nanoparticles. On the basis of classical optical theories, the antibacterial mechanism is proposed from the perspective of localized surface plasmon resonance. Respiratory electrons of bacterial membrane transfer to Au nanoparticles and then to TiO{sub 2}, which makes bacteria steadily lose electrons until death. This work provides insights for the better understandingmore » and designing of noble metal nanoparticles-based plasmonic heterostructures for antibacterial application.« less

Fungus-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles and standardization of parameters for its biosynthesis.

PubMed

Tidke, Pritish R; Gupta, Indarchand; Gade, Aniket K; Rai, Mahendra

2014-12-01

We report the extracellular biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using a fungus Fusarium acuminatum. Mycosynthesis of Au-NPs was carried out by challenging the fungal cells filtrate with HAuCl 4 solution (1 mM), as nanoparticles synthesizing enzyme secrete extracellularly by the fungi. The AuNPs were characterized with the help of UV-Visible spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Zeta Potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We observed absorbance peak in between 520 nm-550 nm corresponding to the surface plasmon absorbance of the gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles synthesized in the present investigation were found to be capped by proteins. XRD results showed that the distinctive formation of crystalline gold nanoparticles in the solution. The spherical and polydispersed AuNPs in the range 8 to 28 nm with average size of 17 nm were observed by TEM analysis. We also standardized the parameters like the effect of pH, temperature and salt concentration on the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles. It was found that acidic pH, 1 mM salt concentration and 37 (°)C temperature were found to be optimum for the synthesis of Au-NPs. Therefore, the present study introduces the easy, better and cheaper method for biosynthesis of AuNPs.

Au Nanomatryoshkas as Efficient Near-Infrared Photothermal Transducers for Cancer Treatment: Benchmarking against Nanoshells

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Au nanoparticles with plasmon resonances in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum efficiently convert light into heat, a property useful for the photothermal ablation of cancerous tumors subsequent to nanoparticle uptake at the tumor site. A critical aspect of this process is nanoparticle size, which influences both tumor uptake and photothermal efficiency. Here, we report a direct comparative study of ∼90 nm diameter Au nanomatryoshkas (Au/SiO2/Au) and ∼150 nm diameter Au nanoshells for photothermal therapeutic efficacy in highly aggressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumors in mice. Au nanomatryoshkas are strong light absorbers with 77% absorption efficiency, while the nanoshells are weaker absorbers with only 15% absorption efficiency. After an intravenous injection of Au nanomatryoshkas followed by a single NIR laser dose of 2 W/cm2 for 5 min, 83% of the TNBC tumor-bearing mice appeared healthy and tumor free >60 days later, while only 33% of mice treated with nanoshells survived the same period. The smaller size and larger absorption cross section of Au nanomatryoshkas combine to make this nanoparticle more effective than Au nanoshells for photothermal cancer therapy. PMID:24889266

Gold nanoparticles prepared by electro-exploding wire technique in aqueous solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Lalit; Kapoor, Akanksha; Meghwal, Mayank; Annapoorni, S.

2016-05-01

This article presents an effective approach for the synthesis of Au nanoparticles via an environmentally benevolent electro-exploding wire (EEW) technique. In this process, Au nanoparticles evolve through the plasma generated from the parent Au metal. Compared to other typical chemical methods, electro-exploding wire technique is a simple and economical technique which normally operates in water or organic liquids under ambient conditions. Efficient size control was achieved using different aqueous medium like (1mM) NaCl, deionized water and aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH, pH 9.5) using identical electro-exploding conditions. The gold nanoparticles exhibited the UV-vis absorption spectrum with a maximum absorption band at 530 nm, similar to that of gold nanoparticles chemically prepared in a solution. The mechanism of size variation of Au nanoparticles is also proposed. The results obtained help to develop methodologies for the control of EEW based nanoparticle growth and the functionalization of nanoparticle surfaces by specific interactions.

Conjugating folate on superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles using click chemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen, Xiaofang, E-mail: xfshen@jiangnan.edu.cn; Ge, Zhaoqiang; Pang, Yuehong

2015-02-15

Gold-coated magnetic core@shell nanoparticles, which exhibit magneto-optical properties, not only enhance the chemical stability of core and biocompatibility of surface, but also provide a combination of multimodal imaging and therapeutics. The conjugation of these tiny nanoparticles with specific biomolecules allows researchers to target the desired location. In this paper, superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles were synthesized and functionalized with the azide group on the surface by formation of self-assembled monolayers. Folate (FA) molecules, non-immunogenic target ligands for cancer cells, are conjugated with alkyne and then immobilized on the azide-terminated Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles through copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click reaction). Myelogenousmore » leukemia K562 cells were used as a folate receptor (FR) model, which can be targeted and extracted by magnetic field after interaction with the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au–FA nanoparticles. - Graphical abstract: Self-assembled azide-terminated group on superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles followed by click reaction with alkyne-functionalized folate, allowing the nanoparticles target folate receptor of cancer cells. - Highlights: • Azidoundecanethiol was coated on the superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles by forming self-assembled monolayers. • Alkyne-terminated folate was synthesized from a reaction between the amine and the carboxylic acid. • Conjugation of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles with folate was made by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry.« less

Morphological effects on the selectivity of intramolecular versus intermolecular catalytic reaction on Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Wang, Dan; Sun, Yuanmiao; Sun, Yinghui; Huang, Jing; Liang, Zhiqiang; Li, Shuzhou; Jiang, Lin

2017-06-14

It is hard for metal nanoparticle catalysts to control the selectivity of a catalytic reaction in a simple process. In this work, we obtain active Au nanoparticle catalysts with high selectivity for the hydrogenation reaction of aromatic nitro compounds, by simply employing spine-like Au nanoparticles. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidate that the morphological effect on thermal selectivity control is an internal key parameter to modulate the nitro hydrogenation process on the surface of Au spines. These results show that controlled morphological effects may play an important role in catalysis reactions of noble metal NPs with high selectivity.

Enhanced photoelectric performance in self-powered UV detectors based on ZnO nanowires with plasmonic Au nanoparticles scattered electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Yiyu; Ye, Zhizhen; Lu, Bin; Dai, Wei; Pan, Xinhua

2016-04-01

Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on a fluorine-doped tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by a hydrothermal method. Au nanoparticles were well dispersed in the mixed solution of ethanol and deionized water. A simple self-powered ultraviolet detector based on solid-liquid heterojunction was fabricated, utilizing ZnO NWs as active photoanode and such prepared mixed solution as electrolyte. The introduction of Au nanoparticles results in considerable improvements in the responsivity and sensitivity of the device compared with the one using deionized water as electrolyte, which is attributed to the enhanced light harvesting by Au nanoparticles.

Surface plasmon resonance induced enhancement of photoluminescence and Raman line intensity in SnS quantum dot-Sn nanoparticle hybrid structure.

PubMed

Warrier, Anita R; Gandhimathi, R

2018-04-27

In this article, we report on enhancement in photoluminescence and Raman line intensity of SnS quantum dots embedded in a mesh of Sn nanostructures. SnS nanoparticles synthesized by homogenous precipitation method show strong quantum confinement with a band gap of ∼2.7 eV (blue shift of ∼1 eV compared to bulk SnS particles). The optical band gap of SnS quantum dots is controlled by varying the pH (∼0 to 2.25), ageing time (24 to 144 h) and molarity (0 to 2 M) of the precursors. These SnS nanoparticles are embedded in a mesh of Sn nanostructures which are synthesized from tin chloride by using sodium borohydride as reducing agent. The Sn nanostructures have a morphology dependent, tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR), ranging from UV (∼295 nm) to visible region (∼400 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the SnS-Sn nanohybrids, the excitons are strongly coupled with plasmons leading to a shift in the excitonic binding energy (∼400 meV). The pure SnS quantum dots have a very weak photoluminescence peak at ∼560 nm and Raman shift of low intensity at 853.08 cm -1 , 1078.17 cm -1 , 1255.60 cm -1 , 1466.91 cm -1 . The coupling of SnS nanoparticles with Sn nanoparticles results in strong exciton-plasmon interactions leading to enhanced photoluminescence and Raman line intensity. The nanohybrids formed using Sn nanosheets whose SPR matches with absorption onset of the SnS nanoparticles shows an enhancement of ∼10 4 times higher than pure SnS nanoparticles. Thus, Sn nanosheet with surface plasmon resonance in visible region (400 nm) like Au and Ag is a promising material for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, plasmon assisted fluorescence imaging and for enhancing the emission intensity of semiconductors with weak emission intensity.

Surface plasmon resonance induced enhancement of photoluminescence and Raman line intensity in SnS quantum dot-Sn nanoparticle hybrid structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warrier, Anita R.; Gandhimathi, R.

2018-07-01

In this article, we report on enhancement in photoluminescence and Raman line intensity of SnS quantum dots embedded in a mesh of Sn nanostructures. SnS nanoparticles synthesized by homogenous precipitation method show strong quantum confinement with a band gap of ∼2.7 eV (blue shift of ∼1 eV compared to bulk SnS particles). The optical band gap of SnS quantum dots is controlled by varying the pH (∼0 to 2.25), ageing time (24 to 144 h) and molarity (0 to 2 M) of the precursors. These SnS nanoparticles are embedded in a mesh of Sn nanostructures which are synthesized from tin chloride by using sodium borohydride as reducing agent. The Sn nanostructures have a morphology dependent, tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR), ranging from UV (∼295 nm) to visible region (∼400 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the SnS-Sn nanohybrids, the excitons are strongly coupled with plasmons leading to a shift in the excitonic binding energy (∼400 meV). The pure SnS quantum dots have a very weak photoluminescence peak at ∼560 nm and Raman shift of low intensity at 853.08 cm‑1, 1078.17 cm‑1, 1255.60 cm‑1, 1466.91 cm‑1. The coupling of SnS nanoparticles with Sn nanoparticles results in strong exciton-plasmon interactions leading to enhanced photoluminescence and Raman line intensity. The nanohybrids formed using Sn nanosheets whose SPR matches with absorption onset of the SnS nanoparticles shows an enhancement of ∼104 times higher than pure SnS nanoparticles. Thus, Sn nanosheet with surface plasmon resonance in visible region (400 nm) like Au and Ag is a promising material for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, plasmon assisted fluorescence imaging and for enhancing the emission intensity of semiconductors with weak emission intensity.

Facile synthesis of "green" gold nanocrystals using cynarin in an aqueous solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katircioğlu, Zeynep; Şakalak, Hüseyin; Ulaşan, Mehmet; Gören, Ahmet Ceyhan; Yavuz, Mustafa Selman

2014-11-01

Herein we describe a water-based protocol that generates Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) by mixing aqueous solutions of HAuCl4 and cynarin (a natural product extract from artichoke leaf). Based on the observations from 1H NMR spectrum of AuNPs, a polyol oxidation mechanism by metal ions which eventually results in AuNPs formation, is proposed. Basically, the aromatic alcohol groups (1,2-benzenediol) of cynarin are oxidized to α-hydroxy ketone intermediate product, and then further oxidized to the vicinal diketone final product while the Au3+ ions are reduced to its atomic form (Au0) which leads the generation of Au nanoparticles. This new protocol has also been employed to prepare multiply twinned Pd nanoparticles and Ag cubical aggregates. Due to exclusion of organic solvent, surfactant, or stabilizer for all these synthesis, this protocol may provide a simple, versatile, and environmentally benign route to fabricate noble-metal nanoparticles having various compositions and morphologies.

In vitro studies on radiosensitization effect of glucose capped gold nanoparticles in photon and ion irradiation of HeLa cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Harminder; Pujari, Geetanjali; Semwal, Manoj K.; Sarma, Asitikantha; Avasthi, Devesh Kumar

2013-04-01

Noble metal nanoparticles are of great interest due to their potential applications in diagnostics and therapeutics. In the present work, we synthesized glucose capped gold nanoparticle (Glu-AuNP) for internalization in the HeLa cell line (human cervix cancer cells). The capping of glucose on Au nanoparticle was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The Glu-AuNP did not show any toxicity to the HeLa cell. The γ-radiation and carbon ion irradiation of HeLa cell with and without Glu-AuNP were performed to evaluate radiosensitization effects. The study revealed a significant reduction in radiation dose for killing the HeLa cells with internalized Glu-AuNPs as compared to the HeLa cells without Glu-AuNP. The Glu-AuNP treatment resulted in enhancement of radiation effect as evident from increase in relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values for carbon ion irradiated HeLa cells.

Programmed Nanoparticle-Loaded Nanoparticles for Deep-Penetrating 3D Cancer Therapy.

PubMed

Kim, Jinhwan; Jo, Changshin; Lim, Won-Gwang; Jung, Sungjin; Lee, Yeong Mi; Lim, Jun; Lee, Haeshin; Lee, Jinwoo; Kim, Won Jong

2018-05-18

Tumors are 3D, composed of cellular agglomerations and blood vessels. Therapies involving nanoparticles utilize specific accumulations due to the leaky vascular structures. However, systemically injected nanoparticles are mostly uptaken by cells located on the surfaces of cancer tissues, lacking deep penetration into the core cancer regions. Herein, an unprecedented strategy, described as injecting "nanoparticle-loaded nanoparticles" to address the long-lasting problem is reported for effective surface-to-core drug delivery in entire 3D tumors. The "nanoparticle-loaded nanoparticle" is a silica nanoparticle (≈150 nm) with well-developed, interconnected channels (diameter of ≈30 nm), in which small gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) (≈15 nm) with programmable DNA are located. The nanoparticle (AuNPs)-loaded nanoparticles (silica): (1) can accumulate in tumors through leaky vascular structures by protecting the inner therapeutic AuNPs during blood circulation, and then (2) allow diffusion of the AuNPs for penetration into the entire surface-to-core tumor tissues, and finally (3) release a drug triggered by cancer-characteristic pH gradients. The hierarchical "nanoparticle-loaded nanoparticle" can be a rational design for cancer therapies because the outer large nanoparticles are effective in blood circulation and in protection of the therapeutic nanoparticles inside, allowing the loaded small nanoparticles to penetrate deeply into 3D tumors with anticancer drugs. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel silica surface charge density mediated control of the optical properties of embedded optically active materials and its application for fiber optic pH sensing at elevated temperatures.

PubMed

Wang, Congjun; Ohodnicki, Paul R; Su, Xin; Keller, Murphy; Brown, Thomas D; Baltrus, John P

2015-02-14

Silica and silica incorporated nanocomposite materials have been extensively studied for a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate an intriguing optical effect of silica that, depending on the solution pH, amplifies or attenuates the optical absorption of a variety of embedded optically active materials with very distinct properties, such as plasmonic Au nanoparticles, non-plasmonic Pt nanoparticles, and the organic dye rhodamine B (not a pH indicator), coated on an optical fiber. Interestingly, the observed optical response to varying pH appears to follow the surface charge density of the silica matrix for all the three different optically active materials. To the best of our knowledge, this optical effect has not been previously reported and it appears universal in that it is likely that any optically active material can be incorporated into the silica matrix to respond to solution pH or surface charge density variations. A direct application of this effect is for optical pH sensing which has very attractive features that can enable minimally invasive, remote, real time and continuous distributed pH monitoring. Particularly, as demonstrated here, using highly stable metal nanoparticles embedded in an inorganic silica matrix can significantly improve the capability of pH sensing in extremely harsh environments which is of increasing importance for applications in unconventional oil and gas resource recovery, carbon sequestration, water quality monitoring, etc. Our approach opens a pathway towards possible future development of robust optical pH sensors for the most demanding environmental conditions. The newly discovered optical effect of silica also offers the potential for control of the optical properties of optically active materials for a range of other potential applications such as electrochromic devices.

Electrochemical and in vitro neuronal recording characteristics of multi-electrode arrays surface-modified with electro-co-deposited gold-platinum nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kim, Yong Hee; Kim, Ah Young; Kim, Gook Hwa; Han, Young Hwan; Chung, Myung-Ae; Jung, Sang-Don

2016-02-01

In order to complement the high impedance electrical property of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) we have performed electro-co-deposition of gold-platinum nanoparticles (Au-Pt NPs) onto the Au multi-electrode array (MEA) and modified the Au-Pt NPs surface with cell adhesive poly-D-lysine via thiol chemistry based covalent binding. The Au-Pt NPs were analyzed to have bimetallic nature not the mixture of Au NPs and Pt NPs by X-ray diffraction analysis and to have impedance value (4.0 × 10(4) Ω (at 1 kHz)) comparable to that of Pt NPs. The performance of Au-Pt NP-modified MEAs was also checked in relation to neuronal signal recording. The noise level in Au-Pt NP-modified MEAs was lower than in that of Au NP-modified MEA.

Synthesis of octahedral gold tip-blobbed nanoparticles and their dielectric sensing properties.

PubMed

Zhang, Liqiu; Jang, Hee-Jeong; Yoo, Sung Jae; Cho, Sanghyun; Won, Ji Hye; Liu, Lichun; Park, Sungho

2018-06-22

Site-selective synthesis of nanostructures is an important topic in the nanoscience community. Normally, the difference between seeds and deposition atoms in terms of crystallinity triggers the deposition atoms to grow initially at the specific site of nucleation. It is more challenging to control the deposition site of atoms that have the same composition as the seeds because the atoms tend to grow epitaxially, covering the whole surface of the seed nanoparticles. Gold (Au) nano-octahedrons used as seeds in this study possess obvious hierarchical surface energies depending on whether they are at vertices, edges, or terraces. Although vertices of Au nano-octahedrons have the highest surface energy, it remains a challenge to selectively deposit Au atoms at the vertices but not at the edges and faces; this selectivity is required to meet the ever-increasing demands of engineered nanomaterial properties. This work demonstrates an easy and robust method to precisely deposit Au nanoparticles at the vertices of Au nano-octahedrons via wet-chemical seed-mediated growth. The successful synthesis of octahedral Au tip-blobbed nanoparticles (Oh Au TBPs) benefited from the cooperative use of thin silver (Ag) layers at the surface of Au nano-octahedron seeds and iodide ions in the Au growth solution. As-synthesized Au nanostructures gave rise to hybrid optical properties, as evidenced from the UV-VIS-NIR extinction spectra, in which a new extinction peak appeared after Au nanoparticles were formed at the vertices of Au nano-octahedrons. A sensitivity evaluation toward dielectric media of a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide and water suggested that Au TBPs were more optically sensitive compared to the original Au nano-octahedrons. The method demonstrated in this work is promising in the synthesis of advanced Au nanostructures with hybrid optical properties for versatile applications by engineering the surface energy of vertex-bearing Au nanostructures to trigger site-selective overgrowth of congener Au atoms. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Effect of Areal Density of Polymer Chains on Gold Nanoparticles on Nanoparticle Location in a Block Copolymer Template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, B. J.; Bang, J.; Hawker, C. J.; Kramer, E. J.

2006-03-01

It is well established that one block of a copolymer can interact preferentially with an inorganic substrate to produce wetting and domain orientation. We take advantage of this preferential interaction to control the location of 2.5 nm diameter Au nanoparticles coated with short thiol-terminated polystyrene (Mn=3.4 kg/mol) chains (PS-SH) in a symmetric poly(styrene-b-2 vinyl-pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) diblock copolymer (Mn=196 kg/mol) by changing the areal density σ of the PS-SH on the Au. If σ >= 1.6 chains/nm^2, the preferential interaction between the P2VP of the PS-b-P2VP and the Au surface is screened and the Au localizes in the center of the PS domains. If σ <= 1.4 chains/nm^2 , the Au particles are localized at the PS-P2VP interface. Au nanoparticles coated with thiol terminated P2VP (Mn=3 kg/mol) localize in the center of the P2VP domain of the PS-P2VP over the entire range of σ, demonstrating the localization of the PS coated Au nanoparticles at the interface at low values of σ is due to the unscreened Au-P2VP interaction.

AuNP-DG: deoxyglucose-labeled gold nanoparticles as X-ray computed tomography contrast agents for cancer imaging.

PubMed

Aydogan, Bulent; Li, Ji; Rajh, Tijana; Chaudhary, Ahmed; Chmura, Steven J; Pelizzari, Charles; Wietholt, Christian; Kurtoglu, Metin; Redmond, Peter

2010-10-01

To study the feasibility of using 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-labeled gold nanoparticle (AuNP-DG) as a computed tomography (CT) contrast agent with tumor targeting capability through in vitro experiments. Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were fabricated and were conjugated with 2-deoxy-D-glucose. The human alveolar epithelial cancer cell line, A-549, was chosen for the in vitro cellular uptake assay. Two groups of cell samples were incubated with the AuNP-DG and the unlabeled AuNP, respectively. Following the incubation, the cells were washed with sterile PBS to remove the excess gold nanoparticles and spun to cell pellets using a centrifuge. The cell pellets were imaged using a microCT scanner immediately after the centrifugation. The reconstructed CT images were analyzed using a commercial software package. Significant contrast enhancement in the cell samples incubated with the AuNP-DG with respect to the cell samples incubated with the unlabeled AuNP was observed in multiple CT slices. Results from this study demonstrate enhanced uptake of 2-DG-labeled gold nanoparticle by cancer cells in vitro and warrant further experiments to study the exact molecular mechanism by which the AuNP-DG is internalized and retained in the tumor cells.

Synthesis of a novel glucose capped gold nanoparticle as a better theranostic candidate

PubMed Central

Suvarna, Saritha; Das, Ujjal; KC, Sunil; Mishra, Snehasis; Sudarshan, Mathummal; Saha, Krishna Das; Dey, Sanjit; Chakraborty, Anindita; Narayana, Y.

2017-01-01

Gold nanoparticles are predominantly used in diagnostics, therapeutics and biomedical applications. The present study has been designed to synthesize differently capped gold nanoparticles (AuNps) by a simple, one-step, room temperature procedure and to evaluate the potential of these AuNps for biomedical applications. The AuNps are capped with glucose, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) and citrate using different reducing agents. This is the first report of synthesis of 2DG-AuNp by the simple room temperature method. The synthesized gold nanoparticles are characterized with UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) study of the synthesized AuNps shows increase in Raman signals up to 50 times using 2DG. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiozol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay has been performed using all the three differently capped AuNps in different cell lines to assess cytotoxcity if any, of the nanoparticles. The study shows that 2DG-AuNps is a better candidate for theranostic application. PMID:28582426

Effect of Size and Surface Charge of Gold Nanoparticles on their Skin Permeability: A Molecular Dynamics Study

PubMed Central

Gupta, Rakesh; Rai, Beena

2017-01-01

Molecular level understanding of permeation of nanoparticles through human skin establishes the basis for development of novel transdermal drug delivery systems and design and formulation of cosmetics. Recent experiments suggest that surface coated nano-sized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can penetrate the rat and human skin. However, the mechanisms by which these AuNPs penetrate are not well understood. In this study, we have carried out coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations to explore the permeation of dodecanethiol coated neutral hydrophobic AuNPs of different sizes (2–5 nm) and surface charges (cationic and anionic) through the model skin lipid membrane. The results indicate that the neutral hydrophobic AuNPs disrupted the bilayer and entered in it with in ~200 ns, while charged AuNPs were adsorbed on the bilayer headgroup. The permeation free energy calculation revealed that at the head group of the bilayer, a very small barrier existed for neutral hydrophobic AuNP while a free energy minimum was observed for charged AuNPs. The permeability was maximum for neutral 2 nm gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and minimum for 3 nm cationic AuNP. The obtained results are aligned with recent experimental findings. This study would be helpful in designing customized nanoparticles for cosmetic and transdermal drug delivery application. PMID:28349970

A comparative study of the adhesion of biosynthesized gold and conjugated gold/prodigiosin nanoparticles to triple negative breast cancer cells.

PubMed

Dozie-Nwachukwu, S O; Obayemi, J D; Danyuo, Y; Anuku, N; Odusanya, O S; Malatesta, K; Soboyejo, W O

2017-08-17

This paper explores the adhesion of biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and gold (Au) nanoparticle/prodigiosin (PG) drug nanoparticles to breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 cells). The AuNPs were synthesized in a record time (less than 30 s) from Nauclea latifolia leaf extracts, while the PG was produced via bacterial synthesis with Serratia marcescens sp. The size distributions and shapes of the resulting AuNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while the resulting hydrodynamic diameters and polydispersity indices were studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to study the adhesion between the synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)/LHRH-conjugated AuNPs and triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 cells), as well as the adhesion between LHRH-conjugated AuNP/PG drug and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The adhesion forces between LHRH-conjugated AuNPs and breast cancer cells are shown to be five times greater than those between AuNPs and normal breast cells. The increase in adhesion is shown to be due to the over-expression of LHRH receptors on the surfaces of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, which was revealed by confocal immuno-fluorescence microscopy. The implications of the results are then discussed for the selective and specific targeting and treatment of triple negative breast cancer.

Core–Shell Au@Metal-Oxide Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution

DOE PAGES

Strickler, Alaina L.; Escudero-Escribano, Marı́a; Jaramillo, Thomas F.

2017-09-25

Enhanced catalysis for electrochemical oxygen evolution is essential for the efficacy of many renewable energy technologies, including water electrolyzers and metal–air batteries. Recently, Au supports have been shown to enhance the activity of many 3d transition metal-oxide thin films for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. In this paper, we translate the beneficial impact of Au supports to high surface area, device-ready core–shell nanoparticles consisting of a Au-core and a metal-oxide shell (Au@M xO y where M = Ni, Co, Fe, and CoFe). Through a systematic evaluation, we establish trends in performance and illustrate the universal activity enhancementmore » when employing the Au-core in the 3d transition metal-oxide nanoparticles. Finally, the highest activity particles, Au@CoFeO x, demonstrate an overpotential of 328 ± 3 mV over a 2 h stability test at 10 mA cm –2, illustrating that strategically coupling Au support and mixed metal-oxide effects in a core–shell nanoparticle morphology is a promising avenue to achieve device-ready, high-performance OER catalysts.« less

UV and visible light photocatalytic activity of Au/TiO2 nanoforests with Anatase/Rutile phase junctions and controlled Au locations.

PubMed

Yu, Yang; Wen, Wei; Qian, Xin-Yue; Liu, Jia-Bin; Wu, Jin-Ming

2017-01-24

To magnify anatase/rutile phase junction effects through appropriate Au decorations, a facile solution-based approach was developed to synthesize Au/TiO 2 nanoforests with controlled Au locations. The nanoforests cons®isted of anatase nanowires surrounded by radially grown rutile branches, on which Au nanoparticles were deposited with preferred locations controlled by simply altering the order of the fabrication step. The Au-decoration increased the photocatalytic activity under the illumination of either UV or visible light, because of the beneficial effects of either electron trapping or localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Gold nanoparticles located preferably at the interface of anatase/rutile led to a further enhanced photocatalytic activity. The appropriate distributions of Au nanoparticles magnify the beneficial effects arising from the anatase/rutile phase junctions when illuminated by UV light. Under the visible light illumination, the LSPR effect followed by the consecutive electron transfer explains the enhanced photocatalysis. This study provides a facile route to control locations of gold nanoparticles in one-dimensional nanostructured arrays of multiple-phases semiconductors for achieving a further increased photocatalytic activity.

Core–Shell Au@Metal-Oxide Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strickler, Alaina L.; Escudero-Escribano, Marı́a; Jaramillo, Thomas F.

Enhanced catalysis for electrochemical oxygen evolution is essential for the efficacy of many renewable energy technologies, including water electrolyzers and metal–air batteries. Recently, Au supports have been shown to enhance the activity of many 3d transition metal-oxide thin films for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. In this paper, we translate the beneficial impact of Au supports to high surface area, device-ready core–shell nanoparticles consisting of a Au-core and a metal-oxide shell (Au@M xO y where M = Ni, Co, Fe, and CoFe). Through a systematic evaluation, we establish trends in performance and illustrate the universal activity enhancementmore » when employing the Au-core in the 3d transition metal-oxide nanoparticles. Finally, the highest activity particles, Au@CoFeO x, demonstrate an overpotential of 328 ± 3 mV over a 2 h stability test at 10 mA cm –2, illustrating that strategically coupling Au support and mixed metal-oxide effects in a core–shell nanoparticle morphology is a promising avenue to achieve device-ready, high-performance OER catalysts.« less

Mulberry leaf extract mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles and its anti-bacterial activity against human pathogens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adavallan, K.; Krishnakumar, N.

2014-06-01

Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were synthesized at room temperature using Morus alba (mulberry) leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agent. The development of plant mediated synthesis of nanoparticles is gaining importance due to its simplicity, low cost, non-toxicity, eco-friendliness, long term stability and reproducible aqueous synthesis method to obtain a self-assembly of nearly monodispersed Au-NPs. The formation and morphology of biosynthesized nanoparticles are investigated with the help of UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Au-NPs formation was screened by UV-Vis spectroscopy through color conversion due to surface plasmon resonance band at 538 nm for Au-NPs. DLS studies revealed that the average size of Au-NPs was 50 nm. TEM studies showed the particles to be nearly spherical with few irregular shapes and particle size ranges 15-53 nm. The AFM image clearly shows the surface morphology of the well-dispersed Au-NPs with less than 50 nm. The high crystallinity of nanoparticles is evident from bright circular spots in the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern. X-ray diffraction pattern showed high purity and face-centered cubic structure of Au-NPs. The FT-IR results indicate the presence of different functional groups present in the biomolecule capping the nanoparticles. Further, biosynthesized Au-NPs show strong zone of inhibition against Vibrio cholera (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) whereas, chemically synthesized Au-NPs and mulberry leaf extract exhibit a fair zone of inhibition.

UV-Visible Spectroscopy-Based Quantification of Unlabeled DNA Bound to Gold Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Baldock, Brandi L; Hutchison, James E

2016-12-20

DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles have been increasingly applied as sensitive and selective analytical probes and biosensors. The DNA ligands bound to a nanoparticle dictate its reactivity, making it essential to know the type and number of DNA strands bound to the nanoparticle surface. Existing methods used to determine the number of DNA strands per gold nanoparticle (AuNP) require that the sequences be fluorophore-labeled, which may affect the DNA surface coverage and reactivity of the nanoparticle and/or require specialized equipment and other fluorophore-containing reagents. We report a UV-visible-based method to conveniently and inexpensively determine the number of DNA strands attached to AuNPs of different core sizes. When this method is used in tandem with a fluorescence dye assay, it is possible to determine the ratio of two unlabeled sequences of different lengths bound to AuNPs. Two sizes of citrate-stabilized AuNPs (5 and 12 nm) were functionalized with mixtures of short (5 base) and long (32 base) disulfide-terminated DNA sequences, and the ratios of sequences bound to the AuNPs were determined using the new method. The long DNA sequence was present as a lower proportion of the ligand shell than in the ligand exchange mixture, suggesting it had a lower propensity to bind the AuNPs than the short DNA sequence. The ratio of DNA sequences bound to the AuNPs was not the same for the large and small AuNPs, which suggests that the radius of curvature had a significant influence on the assembly of DNA strands onto the AuNPs.

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using chlorogenic acid and their enhanced performance for inflammation.

PubMed

Hwang, Su Jung; Jun, Sang Hui; Park, Yohan; Cha, Song-Hyun; Yoon, Minho; Cho, Seonho; Lee, Hyo-Jong; Park, Youmie

2015-10-01

Here we developed a novel green synthesis method for gold nanoparticles (CGA-AuNPs) using chlorogenic acid (CGA) as reductants without the use of other chemicals and validated the anti-inflammatory efficacy of CGA-AuNPs in vitro and in vivo. The resulting CGA-AuNPs appeared predominantly spherical in shape with an average diameter of 22.25±4.78nm. The crystalline nature of the CGA-AuNPs was confirmed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and by selected-area electron diffraction analyses. High-resolution liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed that the caffeic acid moiety of CGA forms quinone structure through a two-electron oxidation causing the reduction of Au(3+) to Au(0). When compared to CGA, CGA-AuNPs exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory effects on NF-κB-mediated inflammatory network, as well as cell adhesion. Collectively, green synthesis of CGA-AuNPs using bioactive reductants and mechanistic studies based on mass spectrometry may open up new directions in nanomedicine and CGA-AuNPs can be an anti-inflammatory nanomedicine for future applications. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have been shown to be very useful in many applications due to their easy functionalization capability. In this article, the authors demonstrated a novel method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using chlorogenic acid (CGA) as reductants. In-vitro experiments also confirmed biological activity of the resultant gold nanoparticles. Further in-vivo studies are awaited. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrodeposition of catalytic and magnetic gold nanoparticles on dendrimer-carbon nanotube layer-by-layer films.

PubMed

Siqueira, José R; Gabriel, Rayla C; Zucolotto, Valtencir; Silva, Anielle C A; Dantas, Noelio O; Gasparotto, Luiz H S

2012-11-07

Magnetic and catalytic gold nanoparticles were electrodeposited through potential pulse on dendrimer-carbon nanotube layer-by-layer (LbL) films. A plasmon absorption band at about 550 nm revealed the presence of nanoscale gold in the film. The location of the Au nanoparticles in the film was clearly observed by selecting the magnetic force microscopy mode. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the electrochemical synthesis of magnetic Au nanoparticles. In addition to the magnetic properties, the Au nanoparticles also exhibited high catalytic activity towards ethanol and glycerol oxidation in alkaline medium.

Development and testing of gold nanoparticles for drug delivery and treatment of heart failure: a theranostic potential for PPP cardiology.

PubMed

Spivak, Mykola Ya; Bubnov, Rostyslav V; Yemets, Ilya M; Lazarenko, Liudmyla M; Tymoshok, Natalia O; Ulberg, Zoia R

2013-07-29

Nanoscale gold particles (AuNPs) have wide perspectives for biomedical applications because of their unique biological properties, as antioxidative activity and potentials for drug delivery. The aim was to test effects of AuNPs using suggested heart failure rat model to compare with proved medication Simdax, to test gold nanoparticle for drug delivery, and to test sonoporation effect to increase nanoparticles delivery into myocardial cells. We performed biosafety and biocompatibility tests for AuNPs and conjugate with Simdax. For in vivo tests, we included Wistar rats weighing 180-200 g (n = 54), received doxorubicin in cumulative dose of 12.0 mg/kg to model advance heart failure, registered by ultrasonography. We formed six groups: the first three groups of animals received, respectively, 0.06 ml Simdax, AuNPs, and conjugate (AuNPs-Simdax), intrapleurally, and the second three received them intravenously. The seventh group was control (saline). We performed dynamic assessment of heart failure regression in vivo measuring hydrothorax. Sonoporation of gold nanoparticles to cardiomyocytes was tested. We designed and constructed colloidal, spherical gold nanoparticles, AuNPs-Simdax conjugate, both founded biosafety (in cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and immunoreactivity). In all animals of the six groups after the third day post-medication injection, no ascites and liver enlargement were registered (P < 0.001 vs controls). Conjugate injection showed significantly higher hydrothorax reduction than Simdax injection only (P < 0.01); gold nanoparticle injection showed significantly higher results than Simdax injection (P < 0.05). AuNPs and conjugate showed no significant difference for rat recovery. Difference in rat life continuity was significant between Simdax vs AuNPs (P < 0.05) and Simdax vs conjugate (P < 0.05). Sonoporation enhances AuNP transfer into the cell and mitochondria that were highly localized, superior to controls (P < 0.01 for both). Gold nanoparticles of 30 nm and its AuNPs-Simdax conjugate gave positive results in biosafety and biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. AuNPs-Simdax and AuNPs have similar significant cardioprotective effects in rats with doxorubicin-induced heart failure, higher than that of Simdax. Intrapleural (local) delivery is preferred over intravenous (systemic) delivery according to all tested parameters. Sonoporation is able to enhance gold nanoparticle delivery to myocardial cells in vivo.

Role of Au-C Interactions on the Catalytic Activity of Au Nanoparticles Supported on TiC(001) Towards Molecular Oxygen Dissociation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez, J.A.; Feria, L.; Jirsak, T.

2010-03-10

High-resolution photoemission and density functional calculations on realistic slab surface models were used to study the interaction and subsequent dissociation of O{sub 2} with Au nanoparticles supported on TiC(001). The photoemission results indicate that at 150 K O{sub 2} adsorbs molecularly on the supported gold nanoparticles, and upon heating to temperatures above 200 K the O{sub 2} {yields} 2O reaction takes place with migration of atomic oxygen to the TiC(001) substrate. The addition of Au to TiC(001) substantially enhances the rate of O{sub 2} dissociation at room temperature. The reactivity of Au nanoparticles supported on TiC(001) toward O{sub 2} dissociationmore » is much larger than that of similar nanoparticles supported either on TiO{sub 2}(110) or MgO(001) surfaces, where the cleavage of O-O bonds is very difficult. Density functional calculations carried out on large supercells show that the contact of Au with TiC(001) is essential for charge polarization and an enhancement in the chemical activity of Au. Small two-dimensional particles which expose Au atoms in contact with TiC(001) are the most reactive. While O{sub 2} prefers binding to Au sites, the O atoms interact more strongly with the TiC(001) surface. The oxygen species active during the low-temperature (<200 K) oxidation of carbon monoxide on Au/TiC(001) is chemisorbed O{sub 2}. Once atomic O binds to TiC(001), the chemisorption bond is so strong that temperatures well above 400 K are necessary to remove the O adatoms from the TiC(001) substrate by direct reaction with CO. The high reactivity of Au/TiC(001) toward O{sub 2} at low-temperature opens the route for the transformation of alcohols and amines on the supported Au nanoparticles.« less

Role of Au-C Interactions on the Catalytic Activity of Au Nanoparticles Supported on TiC(001) toward Molecular Oxygen Dissociation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez, J.; Feria, L; Jirsak, T

2010-01-01

High-resolution photoemission and density functional calculations on realistic slab surface models were used to study the interaction and subsequent dissociation of O{sub 2} with Au nanoparticles supported on TiC(001). The photoemission results indicate that at 150 K O{sub 2} adsorbs molecularly on the supported gold nanoparticles, and upon heating to temperatures above 200 K the O{sub 2} {yields} 2O reaction takes place with migration of atomic oxygen to the TiC(001) substrate. The addition of Au to TiC(001) substantially enhances the rate of O{sub 2} dissociation at room temperature. The reactivity of Au nanoparticles supported on TiC(001) toward O{sub 2} dissociationmore » is much larger than that of similar nanoparticles supported either on TiO{sub 2}(110) or MgO(001) surfaces, where the cleavage of O-O bonds is very difficult. Density functional calculations carried out on large supercells show that the contact of Au with TiC(001) is essential for charge polarization and an enhancement in the chemical activity of Au. Small two-dimensional particles which expose Au atoms in contact with TiC(001) are the most reactive. While O{sub 2} prefers binding to Au sites, the O atoms interact more strongly with the TiC(001) surface. The oxygen species active during the low-temperature (<200 K) oxidation of carbon monoxide on Au/TiC(001) is chemisorbed O{sub 2}. Once atomic O binds to TiC(001), the chemisorption bond is so strong that temperatures well above 400 K are necessary to remove the O adatoms from the TiC(001) substrate by direct reaction with CO. The high reactivity of Au/TiC(001) toward O{sub 2} at low-temperature opens the route for the transformation of alcohols and amines on the supported Au nanoparticles.« less

Core-shell Au-Pd nanoparticles as cathode catalysts for microbial fuel cell applications

PubMed Central

Yang, Gaixiu; Chen, Dong; Lv, Pengmei; Kong, Xiaoying; Sun, Yongming; Wang, Zhongming; Yuan, Zhenhong; Liu, Hui; Yang, Jun

2016-01-01

Bimetallic nanoparticles with core-shell structures usually display enhanced catalytic properties due to the lattice strain created between the core and shell regions. In this study, we demonstrate the application of bimetallic Au-Pd nanoparticles with an Au core and a thin Pd shell as cathode catalysts in microbial fuel cells, which represent a promising technology for wastewater treatment, while directly generating electrical energy. In specific, in comparison with the hollow structured Pt nanoparticles, a benchmark for the electrocatalysis, the bimetallic core-shell Au-Pd nanoparticles are found to have superior activity and stability for oxygen reduction reaction in a neutral condition due to the strong electronic interaction and lattice strain effect between the Au core and the Pd shell domains. The maximum power density generated in a membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cell running on wastewater with core-shell Au-Pd as cathode catalysts is ca. 16.0 W m−3 and remains stable over 150 days, clearly illustrating the potential of core-shell nanostructures in the applications of microbial fuel cells. PMID:27734945

Conductive atomic force microscopy study of the photoexcitation effect on resistive switching in ZrO2(Y) films with Au nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novikov, A. S.; Filatov, D. O.; Antonov, D. A.; Antonov, I. N.; Shenina, M. E.; Gorshkov, O. N.

2018-03-01

We report on the experimental observation of the effect of optical excitation on resistive switching in ultrathin ZrO2(Y) films with single-layered arrays of Au nanoparticles. The samples were prepared by depositing nanometer-thick Au films sandwiched between two ZrO2(Y) layers by magnetron sputtering followed by annealing. Resistive switching was studied by conductive atomic force microscopy by measuring cyclic current-voltage curves of a probe-to-sample contact. The contact area was illuminated by radiation of a semiconductor laser diode with the wavelength corresponding to the plasmon resonance in an Au nanoparticle array. The enhancement of the hysteresis in cyclic current-voltage curves due to bipolar resistive switching under illumination was observed. The effect was attributed to heating of Au nanoparticles due to plasmonic optical absorption and a plasmon resonance, which enhances internal photoemission of electrons from the Fermi level in Au nanoparticles into the conduction band of ZrO2(Y). Both factors promote resistive switching in a ZrO2(Y) matrix.

Synthesis of liquid crystal silane-functionalized gold nanoparticles and their effects on the optical and electro-optic properties of a structurally related nematic liquid crystal.

PubMed

Mirzaei, Javad; Urbanski, Martin; Kitzerow, Heinz-S; Hegmann, Torsten

2014-05-19

Chemically and thermally robust liquid crystal silane-functionalized gold nanoparticles (i.e. AuNP1-AuNP3) were synthesized through silane conjugation. Colloidal dispersions of these particles with mesogenic ligands that are structurally identical (as in AuNP1, AuNP2) or compatible (as in AuNP3) with molecules of the nematic liquid crystal (N-LC) host showed superior colloidal stability and dispersibility. The thermal, optical, and electro-optic behaviors of the N-LC composites at different concentrations of each gold nanoparticle were investigated. All dispersions showed lower values for the rotational viscosity and elastic constant, but only AuNP3 with a dissimilar structure between the nanoparticle ligand and the host displayed the most drastic thermal effects and overall strongest impact on the electro-optic properties of the host. The observed results were explained considering both the structure and the density of the surface ligands of each gold nanoparticle. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stability, cytotoxicity and cell uptake of water-soluble dendron–conjugated gold nanoparticles with 3, 12 and 17 nm cores† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional characterization methods and procedures in addition to the data for the characterization of glutathione-capped gold nanoparticles and dendron-conjugated gold nanoparticles including FT-IR spectra (Fig. S1 and S2), UV-vis spectra (Fig. S3 and S6), TEM images (Fig. S4), MALDI-TOF/TOF spectra (Fig. S5), fluorescence spectra (Fig. S6 and S7), In vitro cytotoxic assay results (Fig. S9) and ICP-MS results (Tables 1 and 2). DOI: 10.1039/c5tb00608b Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Deol, Suprit; Weerasuriya, Nisala

2015-01-01

This article describes the synthesis of water-soluble dendron–conjugated gold nanoparticles (Den–AuNPs) with various average core sizes and the evaluation of stability, cytotoxicity, cell permeability and uptake of these materials. The characterization of Den–AuNPs using various techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), 1H NMR, FT-IR, and UV-vis spectroscopy confirms the dendron conjugation to the glutathione-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The stability of AuNPs and Den–AuNPs in solutions of different pH and salt concentration is determined by monitoring the changes in surface plasmon bands of gold using UV-vis spectroscopy. The stability of Den–AuNPs at different pH remained about the same compared to that of AuNPs. In comparison, the Den–AuNPs are found to be more stable than the precursor AuNPs maintaining their solubility in the aqueous solution with the salt concentration of up to 100 mM. The improved stability of Den–AuNPs suggests that the post-functionalization of thiol-capped gold nanoparticle surfaces with dendrons can further improve the physiological stability and biocompatibility of gold nanoparticle-based materials. Cytotoxicity studies of AuNPs and Den–AuNPs with and without fluorophores are also performed by examining cell viability for 3T3 fibroblasts using a MTT cell proliferation assay. The conjugation of dendrons to the AuNPs with a fluorophore is able to decrease the cytotoxicity brought about by the fluorophore. The successful uptake of Den–AuNPs in mouse fibroblast 3T3 cells shows the physiological viability of the hybrid materials. PMID:26366289

A recyclable Au(I) catalyst for selective homocoupling of arylboronic acids: significant enhancement of nano-surface binding for stability and catalytic activity.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Zhao, Haitao; Wang, Jianhui

2010-08-01

Au nanoparticles stabilized by polystyrene-co-polymethacrylic acid microspheres (PS-co-PMAA) were prepared and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The Au nanoparticles supported on the microspheres showed highly selective catalytic activity for homo-coupling reactions of arylboronic acids in a system of aryl-halides and arylboronic acids. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the catalyst shows large amounts of Au(I) complexes band to the surface of the Au nanoparticles, which contributes to the selective homocoupling of the arylboronic acids. More importantly, this supported Au complex is a highly recyclable catalyst. The supported Au catalyst can be recycled and reused at least 6 times for a phenylboronic acid reactant, whereas the parent complex shows very low catalytic activity for this compound. The high catalytic activity of this material is attributed to: (1) the high surface to volume ratio which leads to more active sites being exposed to reactants; (2) the strong surface binding of the Au nanoparticle to the Au(I) complexes, which enhances both the stability and the catalytic activity of these complexes.

Eco-friendly microwave-assisted green and rapid synthesis of well-stabilized gold and core-shell silver-gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

El-Naggar, Mehrez E; Shaheen, Tharwat I; Fouda, Moustafa M G; Hebeish, Ali A

2016-01-20

Herein, we present a new approach for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) individually and as bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles (AgNPs-AuNPs). The novelty of the approach is further maximized by using curdlan (CRD) biopolymer to perform the dual role of reducing and capping agents and microwave-aided technology for affecting the said nanoparticles with varying concentrations in addition to those affected by precursor concentrations. Thus, for preparation of AuNPs, curdlan was solubilized in alkali solution followed by an addition of tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4). The curdlan solution containing HAuCl4 was then subjected to microwave radiation for up to 10 min. The optimum conditions obtained with the synthesis of AuNPs were employed for preparation of core-shell silver-gold nanoparticles by replacing definite portion of HAuCl4 with an equivalent portion of silver nitrate (AgNO3). The portion of AgNO3 was added initially and allowed to be reduced by virtue of the dual role of curdlan under microwave radiation. The corresponding portion of HAuCl4 was then added and allowed to complete the reaction. Characterization of AuNPs and AgNPs-AuNPs core-shell were made using UV-vis spectra, TEM, FTIR, XRD, zeta potential, and AFM analysis. Accordingly, strong peaks of the colloidal particles show surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at maximum wavelength of 540 nm, proving the formation of well-stabilized gold nanoparticles. TEM investigations reveal that the major size of AuNPs formed at different Au(+3)concentration lie below 20 nm with narrow size distribution. Whilst, the SPR bands of AgNPs-AuNPs core-shell differ than those obtained from original AgNPs (420 nm) and AuNPs (540 nm). Such shifting due to SPR of Au nanoshell deposited onto AgNPs core was significantly affected by the variation of bimetallic ratios applied. TEM micrographs show variation in contrast between dark silver core and the lighter gold shell. Increasing the ratio of silver ions leads to significant decrease in zeta potential of the formed bimetallic core-shell. FT-IR discloses the interaction between CRD and metal nanoparticles, which could be the question of reducing and stabilizing metal and bimetallic nanoparticles. XRD patterns assume insufficient difference for the AuNPs and AgNPs-AuNPs core-shell samples due to close lattice constants of Ag and Au. Based on AFM, AuNPs and AgNPs-AuNPs core-shell exhibited good monodispersity with spherical particles possessing different sizes in the studied samples. The average sizes of both metal and bimetallic core-shell were found to be 52 and 45 nm, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rhombic Coulomb diamonds in a single-electron transistor based on an Au nanoparticle chemically anchored at both ends.

PubMed

Azuma, Yasuo; Onuma, Yuto; Sakamoto, Masanori; Teranishi, Toshiharu; Majima, Yutaka

2016-02-28

Rhombic Coulomb diamonds are clearly observed in a chemically anchored Au nanoparticle single-electron transistor. The stability diagrams show stable Coulomb blockade phenomena and agree with the theoretical curve calculated using the orthodox model. The resistances and capacitances of the double-barrier tunneling junctions between the source electrode and the Au core (R1 and C1, respectively), and those between the Au core and the drain electrode (R2 and C2, respectively), are evaluated as 4.5 MΩ, 1.4 aF, 4.8 MΩ, and 1.3 aF, respectively. This is determined by fitting the theoretical curve against the experimental Coulomb staircases. Two-methylene-group short octanedithiols (C8S2) in a C8S2/hexanethiol (C6S) mixed self-assembled monolayer is concluded to chemically anchor the core of the Au nanoparticle at both ends between the electroless-Au-plated nanogap electrodes even when the Au nanoparticle is protected by decanethiol (C10S). This is because the R1 value is identical to that of R2 and corresponds to the tunneling resistances of the octanedithiol chemically bonded with the Au core and the Au electrodes. The dependence of the Coulomb diamond shapes on the tunneling resistance ratio (R1/R2) is also discussed, especially in the case of the rhombic Coulomb diamonds. Rhombic Coulomb diamonds result from chemical anchoring of the core of the Au nanoparticle at both ends between the electroless-Au-plated nanogap electrodes.

Nonenzymatic free-cholesterol detection via a modified highly sensitive macroporous gold electrode with platinum nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lee, Yi-Jae; Park, Jae-Yeong

2010-12-15

A sensitive macroporous Au electrode with a highly rough surface obtained through the use of with Pt nanoparticles (macroporous Au-/nPts) is reported. It has been designed for nonenzymatic free-cholesterol biosensor applications. A macroporous Au-/nPts electrode was fabricated by electroplating Pt nanoparticles onto a coral-like shaped macroporous Au electrode structure. The macroporous Au-/nPts electrode was physically characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was confirmed that the Pt nanoparticles were well deposited on the surface of the macroporous Au electrode. The porosity and window pore size of the macroporous Au electrode were 50% and 100-300 nm, respectively. The electroplated Pt nanoparticle size was approximately 10-20 nm. Electrochemical experiments showed that the macroporous Au-/nPts exhibited a much larger surface activation area (roughness factor (RF)=2024.7) than the macroporous Au electrode (RF=46.07). The macroporous Au-/nPts also presented a much stronger electrocatalytic activity towards cholesterol oxidation than does the macroporous Au electrode. At 0.2 V, the electrode responded linearly up to a 5 mM cholesterol concentration in a neutral media, with a detection limit of 0.015 mM and detection sensitivity of 226.2 μA mM(-1) cm(-2). Meanwhile, interfering species such as ascorbic acid (AA), acetaminophen (AP), and uric acid (UA), were effectively avoided. This novel nonenzymatic detection electrode has strong applications as an electrochemically based cholesterol biosensor. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plectranthus amboinicus-mediated silver, gold, and silver-gold nanoparticles: phyto-synthetic, catalytic, and antibacterial studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purusottam Reddy, B.; Mallikarjuna, K.; Narasimha, G.; Park, Si-Hyun

2017-08-01

Bio-based green nanotechnology aims to characterize compounds from natural sources and establish efficient routes for the preparation of nontoxic materials that have applicability in biodegradable and biocompatible devices. The present study has investigated the use of Plectranthus amboinicus leaf extracts as reducing and capping materials for the green fabrication of silver, gold, and silver-gold (Ag, Au, and Ag/Au) metal and bimetallic nanoparticles. The catalytic behavior of these phyto-inspired nanoparticles was then assessed in terms of the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the shape, morphology, distribution, and diameter of the phytomolecules capped with Ag, Au, and Ag/Au metal nanoparticles. The nature of the crystallinity of the nanoparticles was studied by small area electron diffraction (SAED) and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the reduction and stabilizing involvement of the phyto-organic moieties in aqueous medium. The phyto-inspired Ag and Ag/Au nanoparticles demonstrated good antibacterial properties toward Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp. and Gram-positive Bacillus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. microorganisms using the well diffusion method. Notably, the Ag nanoparticles were shown to possess effective antibacterial properties.

Thermally Stable Gold Nanoparticles with a Crosslinked Diblock Copolymer Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Se Gyu; Khan, Anzar; Hawker, Craig J.; Kramer, Edward J.

2010-03-01

The use of polymer-coated Au nanoparticles prepared using oligomeric- or polymeric-ligands tethered by Au-S bonds for incorporation into block copolymer templates under thermal processing has been limited due to dissociation of the Au-S bond at T > 100^oC where compromises their colloidal stability. We report a simple route to prepare sub-5nm gold nanoparticles with a thermally stable polymeric shell. An end-functional thiol ligand consisting of poly(styrene-b-1,2&3,4-isoprene-SH) is synthesized by anionic polymerization. After a standard thiol ligand synthesis of Au nanoparticles, the inner PI block is cross-linked through reaction with 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. Gold nanoparticles with the cross-linked shell are stable in organic solvents at 160^oC as well as in block copolymer films of PS-b-P2VP annealed in vacuum at 170^oC for several days. These nanoparticles can be designed to strongly segregate to the PS-P2VP interface resulting in very large Au nanoparticle volume fractions φp without macrophase separation as well as transitions between lamellar and bicontinuous morphologies as φp increases.

Sintering behavior of spin-coated FePt and FePtAu nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Shishou; Jia, Zhiyong; Zoto, I.; Reed, D.; Nikles, David E.; Harrell, J. W.; Thompson, Gregory; Mankey, Gary; Krishnamurthy, Vemuru V.; Porcar, L.

2006-04-01

FePt and [FePt]95Au5 nanoparticles with an average size of about 4 nm were chemically synthesized and spin coated onto silicon substrates. Samples were subsequently thermally annealed at temperatures ranging from 250 to 500 °C for 30 min. Three-dimensional structural characterization was carried out with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle x-ray diffraction (SAXRD) measurements. For both FePt and [FePt]95Au5 particles before annealing, SANS measurements gave an in-plane coherence length parameter a=7.3 nm, while SAXRD measurements gave a perpendicular coherence length parameter c=12.0 nm. The ratio of c/a is about 1.64, indicating the as-made particle array has a hexagonal close-packed superstructure. For both FePt and FePtAu nanoparticles, the diffraction peaks shifted to higher angles and broadened with increasing annealing temperature. This effect corresponds to a shrinking of the nanoparticle array, followed by agglomeration and sintering of the nanoparticles, resulting in the eventual loss of positional order with increasing annealing temperature. The effect is more pronounced for FePtAu than for FePt. Dynamic coercivity measurements show that the FePtAu nanoparticles have both higher intrinsic coercivity and higher switching volume at the same annealing temperature. These results are consistent with previous studies that show that additive Au both lowers the chemical ordering temperature and promotes sintering.

Application of Direct Current Atmospheric Pressure Glow Microdischarge Generated in Contact with a Flowing Liquid Solution for Synthesis of Au-Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Dzimitrowicz, Anna; Jamroz, Piotr; Nyk, Marcin; Pohl, Pawel

2016-04-06

A direct current atmospheric pressure glow microdischarge (dc-μAPGD) generated between an Ar nozzle microjet and a flowing liquid was applied to produce Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Au@AgCSNPs) in a continuous flow system. Firstly, operating dc-μAPGD with the flowing solution of the Au(III) ions as the cathode, the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) core was produced. Next, to produce the core-shell nanostructures, the collected AuNPs solution was immediately mixed with an AgNO₃ solution and passed through the system with the reversed polarity to fabricate the Ag nanoshell on the AuNPs core. The formation of Au@AgCSNPs was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Three localized surface plasmon resonance absorption bands with wavelengths centered at 372, 546, and 675 nm were observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of Au@AgCSNPs, confirming the reduction of both the Au(III) and Ag(I) ions. The right configuration of metals in Au@AgCSNPs was evidenced by TEM. The Au core diameter was 10.2 ± 2.0 nm, while the thickness of the Ag nanoshell was 5.8 ± 1.8 nm. The elemental composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles was also confirmed by EDS. It is possible to obtain 90 mL of a solution containing Au@AgCSNPs per hour using the applied microdischarge system.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Active Plasmonic Nanoparticles with Ultrasmall Interior Nanogap for Multiplex Quantitative Detection and Cancer Cell Imaging.

PubMed

Li, Jiuxing; Zhu, Zhi; Zhu, Bingqing; Ma, Yanli; Lin, Bingqian; Liu, Rudi; Song, Yanling; Lin, Hui; Tu, Song; Yang, Chaoyong

2016-08-02

Due to its large enhancement effect, nanostructure-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology had been widely applied for bioanalysis and cell imaging. However, most SERS nanostructures suffer from poor signal reproducibility, which hinders the application of SERS nanostructures in quantitative detection. We report an etching-assisted approach to synthesize SERS-active plasmonic nanoparticles with 1 nm interior nanogap for multiplex quantitative detection and cancer cell imaging. Raman dyes and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) thiol (mPEG-SH) were attached to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to prepare gold cores. Next, Ag atoms were deposited on gold cores in the presence of Pluronic F127 to form a Ag shell. HAuCl4 was used to etch the Ag shell and form an interior nanogap in Au@AgAuNPs, leading to increased Raman intensity of dyes. SERS intensity distribution of Au@AgAuNPs was found to be more uniform than that of aggregated AuNPs. Finally, Au@AgAuNPs were used for multiplex quantitative detection and cancer cell imaging. With the advantages of simple and rapid preparation of Au@AgAuNPs with highly uniform, stable, and reproducible Raman intensity, the method reported here will widen the applications of SERS-active nanoparticles in diagnostics and imaging.

Assembly, growth, and catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles in hollow carbon nanofibers.

PubMed

La Torre, Alessandro; Giménez-López, Maria del Carmen; Fay, Michael W; Rance, Graham A; Solomonsz, William A; Chamberlain, Thomas W; Brown, Paul D; Khlobystov, Andrei N

2012-03-27

Graphitized carbon nanofibers (GNFs) act as efficient templates for the growth of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) adsorbed on the interior (and exterior) of the tubular nanostructures. Encapsulated AuNPs are stabilized by interactions with the step-edges of the individual graphitic nanocones, of which GNFs are composed, and their size is limited to approximately 6 nm, while AuNPs adsorbed on the atomically flat graphitic surfaces of the GNF exterior continue their growth to 13 nm and beyond under the same heat treatment conditions. The corrugated structure of the GNF interior imposes a significant barrier for the migration of AuNPs, so that their growth mechanism is restricted to Ostwald ripening. Conversely, nanoparticles adsorbed on smooth GNF exterior surfaces are more likely to migrate and coalesce into larger nanoparticles, as revealed by in situ transmission electron microscopy imaging. The presence of alkyl thiol surfactant within the GNF channels changes the dynamics of the AuNP transformations, as surfactant molecules adsorbed on the surface of the AuNPs diminished the stabilization effect of the step-edges, thus allowing nanoparticles to grow until their diameters reach the internal diameter of the host nanofiber. Nanoparticles thermally evolved within the GNF channel exhibit alignment, perpendicular to the GNF axis due to interactions with the step-edges and parallel to the axis because of graphitic facets of the nanocones. Despite their small size, AuNPs in GNF possess high stability and remain unchanged at temperatures up to 300 °C in ambient atmosphere. Nanoparticles immobilized at the step-edges within GNF are shown to act as effective catalysts promoting the transformation of dimethylphenylsilane to bis(dimethylphenyl)disiloxane with a greater than 10-fold enhancement of selectivity as compared to free-standing or surface-adsorbed nanoparticles. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Mixed Phytochemicals Mediated Synthesis of Multifunctional Ag-Au-Pd Nanoparticles for Glucose Oxidation and Antimicrobial Applications.

PubMed

Rao, K Jagajjanani; Paria, Santanu

2015-07-01

The growing awareness toward the environment is increasing commercial demand for nanoparticles by green route syntheses. In this study, alloy-like Ag-Au-Pd trimetallic nanoparticles have been prepared by two plants extracts Aegle marmelos leaf (LE) and Syzygium aromaticum bud extracts (CE). Compositionally different Ag-Au-Pd nanoparticles with an atomic ratio of 5.26:2.16:1.0 (by LE) and 11.36:13.14:1.0 (by LE + CE) of Ag:Au:Pd were easily synthesized within 10 min at ambient conditions by changing the composition of phytochemicals. The average diameters of the nanoparticles by LE and LE + CE are ∼8 and ∼11 nm. The catalytic activity of the trimetallic nanoparticles was studied, and they were found to be efficient catalysts for the glucose oxidation process. The prepared nanoparticles also exhibited efficient antibacterial activity against a model Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. The catalytic and antimicrobial properties of these readymade trimetallic nanoparticles have high possibility to be utilized in diverse fields of applications such as health care to environmental.

Eco-friendly approach for nanoparticles synthesis and mechanism behind antibacterial activity of silver and anticancer activity of gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Patil, Maheshkumar Prakash; Kim, Gun-Do

2017-01-01

This review covers general information about the eco-friendly process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and focuses on mechanism of the antibacterial activity of AgNPs and the anticancer activity of AuNPs. Biomolecules in the plant extract are involved in reduction of metal ions to nanoparticle in a one-step and eco-friendly synthesis process. Natural plant extracts contain wide range of metabolites including carbohydrates, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and enzymes. A variety of plant species and plant parts have been successfully extracted and utilized for AgNP and AuNP syntheses. Green-synthesized nanoparticles eliminate the need for a stabilizing and capping agent and show shape and size-dependent biological activities. Here, we describe some of the plant extracts involved in nanoparticle synthesis, characterization methods, and biological applications. Nanoparticles are important in the field of pharmaceuticals for their strong antibacterial and anticancer activity. Considering the importance and uniqueness of this concept, the synthesis, characterization, and application of AgNPs and AuNPs are discussed in this review.

Facile synthesis of size-tunable gold nanoparticles by pomegranate (Punica granatum) leaf extract: Applications in arsenate sensing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Ashit; Mahajan, Ketakee; Bankar, Ashok

Highlights: ► Pomegranate leaf extracts mediated rapid gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis. ► The phyto-inspired AuNPs were size-tuned and characterized. ► The reducing and capping agents in the extract were identified. ► The nanoparticles reacted specifically with arsenate (V) ions. - Abstract: When pomegranate leaf extracts were incubated with chloroauric acid (HAuCl{sub 4}), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized. These were characterized by a variety of techniques. With an increasing content of the leaf extract, a gradual decrease in size and an increase in monodispersity were observed. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the phyto-fabricated AuNPs were surrounded by an amorphousmore » layer. Gallic acid in the extract mediated the reduction and a natural decapeptide capped the nanostructures. Blocking of thiol groups in the decapeptide cysteine residues caused the nanoparticles to aggregate. On interaction with arsenate (V) ions, the UV–vis spectra of the nanoparticles showed a decrease in intensity and a red-shift. Energy dispersive spectra confirmed the presence of arsenate associated with the AuNPs. Thus, by using these AuNPs, a method for sensing the toxic arsenate ions could be developed.« less

Uniform 2 nm gold nanoparticles supported on iron oxides as active catalysts for CO oxidation reaction: structure-activity relationship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yu; Gu, Dong; Jin, Zhao; Du, Pei-Pei; Si, Rui; Tao, Jing; Xu, Wen-Qian; Huang, Yu-Ying; Senanayake, Sanjaya; Song, Qi-Sheng; Jia, Chun-Jiang; Schüth, Ferdi

2015-03-01

Uniform Au nanoparticles (~2 nm) with narrow size-distribution (standard deviation: 0.5-0.6 nm) supported on both hydroxylated (Fe_OH) and dehydrated iron oxide (Fe_O) have been prepared by either deposition-precipitation (DP) or colloidal-deposition (CD) methods. Different structural and textural characterizations were applied to the dried, calcined and used gold-iron oxide samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) showed high homogeneity in the supported Au nanoparticles. The ex situ and in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) characterization monitored the electronic and short-range local structure of active gold species. The synchrotron-based in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), together with the corresponding temperature-programmed reduction by hydrogen (H2-TPR), indicated a structural evolution of the iron-oxide supports, correlating to their reducibility. An inverse order of catalytic activity between DP (Au/Fe_OH < Au/Fe_O) and CD (Au/Fe_OH > Au/Fe_O) was observed. Effective gold-support interaction results in a high activity for gold nanoparticles, locally generated by the sintering of dispersed Au atoms on the oxide support in the DP synthesis, while a hydroxylated surface favors the reactivity of externally introduced Au nanoparticles on Fe_OH support for the CD approach. This work reveals why differences in the synthetic protocol translate to differences in the catalytic performance of Au/FeOx catalysts with very similar structural characteristics in CO oxidation.

Uniform 2 nm gold nanoparticles supported on iron oxides as active catalysts for CO oxidation reaction: Structure-activity relationship

DOE PAGES

Guo, Yu; Senanayake, Sanjaya; Gu, Dong; ...

2015-01-12

Uniform Au nanoparticles (~2 nm) with narrow size-distribution (standard deviation: 0.5–0.6 nm) supported on both hydroxylated (Fe_OH) and dehydrated iron oxide (Fe_O) have been prepared by either deposition-precipitation (DP) or colloidal-deposition (CD) methods. Different structural and textural characterizations were applied to the dried, calcined and used gold-iron oxide samples. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) described the high homogeneity in the supported Au nanoparticles. The ex-situ and in-situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) characterization monitored the electronic and short-range local structure of active gold species. The synchrotron-based in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), together with the corresponding temperature-programmed reductionmore » by hydrogen (H₂-TPR), indicated a structural evolution of the iron-oxide supports, correlating to their reducibility. An inverse order of catalytic activity between DP (Au/Fe_OH < Au/Fe_O) and CD (Au/Fe_OH > Au/Fe_O) was observed. Effective gold-support interaction results in a high activity for gold nanoparticles, locally generated by the sintering of dispersed Au atoms on the oxide support in the DP synthesis, while a hydroxylated surface favors the reactivity of externally introduced Au nanoparticles on Fe_OH support for the CD approach. This work reveals why differences in the synthetic protocol translate to differences in the catalytic performance of Au/FeO x catalysts with very similar structural characteristics in CO oxidation.« less

Tyrosine- and tryptophan-coated gold nanoparticles inhibit amyloid aggregation of insulin.

PubMed

Dubey, Kriti; Anand, Bibin G; Badhwar, Rahul; Bagler, Ganesh; Navya, P N; Daima, Hemant Kumar; Kar, Karunakar

2015-12-01

Here, we have strategically synthesized stable gold (AuNPs(Tyr), AuNPs(Trp)) and silver (AgNPs(Tyr)) nanoparticles which are surface functionalized with either tyrosine or tryptophan residues and have examined their potential to inhibit amyloid aggregation of insulin. Inhibition of both spontaneous and seed-induced aggregation of insulin was observed in the presence of AuNPs(Tyr), AgNPs(Tyr), and AuNPs(Trp) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles also triggered the disassembly of insulin amyloid fibrils. Surface functionalization of amino acids appears to be important for the inhibition effect since isolated tryptophan and tyrosine molecules did not prevent insulin aggregation. Bioinformatics analysis predicts involvement of tyrosine in H-bonding interactions mediated by its C=O, -NH2, and aromatic moiety. These results offer significant opportunities for developing nanoparticle-based therapeutics against diseases related to protein aggregation.

Interfacial surfactant competition and its impact on poly(ethylene oxide)/Au and poly(ethylene oxide)/Ag nanocomposite properties

PubMed Central

Seyhan, Merve; Kucharczyk, William; Yarar, U Ecem; Rickard, Katherine; Rende, Deniz; Baysal, Nihat; Bucak, Seyda; Ozisik, Rahmi

2017-01-01

The structure and properties of nanocomposites of poly(ethylene oxide), with Ag and Au nanoparticles, surface modified with a 1:1 (by volume) oleylamine/oleic acid mixture, were investigated via transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, and static mechanical testing. Results indicated that there was more oleylamine on Ag nanoparticles but more oleic acid on Au nanoparticles. This difference in surfactant populations on each nanoparticle led to different interfacial interactions with poly(ethylene oxide) and drastically influenced the glass transition temperature of these two nanocomposite systems. Almost all other properties were found to correlate strongly with dispersion and distribution state of Au and Ag nanoparticles, such that the property in question changed direction at the onset of agglomeration. PMID:28461744

Nanoscale dose deposition in cell structures under X-ray irradiation treatment assisted with nanoparticles: An analytical approach to the relative biological effectiveness.

PubMed

Melo-Bernal, W; Chernov, V; Chernov, G; Barboza-Flores, M

2018-08-01

In this study, an analytical model for the assessment of the modification of cell culture survival under ionizing radiation assisted with nanoparticles (NPs) is presented. The model starts from the radial dose deposition around a single NP, which is used to describe the dose deposition in a cell structure with embedded NPs and, in turn, to evaluate the number of lesions formed by ionizing radiation. The model is applied to the calculation of relative biological effectiveness values for cells exposed to 0.5mg/g of uniformly dispersed NPs with a radius of 10nm made of Fe, I, Gd, Hf, Pt and Au and irradiated with X-rays of energies 20keV higher than the element K-shell binding energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

T cells enhance gold nanoparticle delivery to tumors in vivo.

PubMed

Kennedy, Laura C; Bear, Adham S; Young, Joseph K; Lewinski, Nastassja A; Kim, Jean; Foster, Aaron E; Drezek, Rebekah A

2011-04-04

Gold nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown great potential for the treatment of cancer in mouse studies and is now being evaluated in clinical trials. For this therapy, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are injected intravenously and are allowed to accumulate within the tumor via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The tumor is then irradiated with a near infrared laser, whose energy is absorbed by the AuNPs and translated into heat. While reliance on the EPR effect for tumor targeting has proven adequate for vascularized tumors in small animal models, the efficiency and specificity of tumor delivery in vivo, particularly in tumors with poor blood supply, has proven challenging. In this study, we examine whether human T cells can be used as cellular delivery vehicles for AuNP transport into tumors. We first demonstrate that T cells can be efficiently loaded with 45 nm gold colloid nanoparticles without affecting viability or function (e.g. migration and cytokine production). Using a human tumor xenograft mouse model, we next demonstrate that AuNP-loaded T cells retain their capacity to migrate to tumor sites in vivo. In addition, the efficiency of AuNP delivery to tumors in vivo is increased by more than four-fold compared to injection of free PEGylated AuNPs and the use of the T cell delivery system also dramatically alters the overall nanoparticle biodistribution. Thus, the use of T cell chaperones for AuNP delivery could enhance the efficacy of nanoparticle-based therapies and imaging applications by increasing AuNP tumor accumulation.

T cells enhance gold nanoparticle delivery to tumors in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Laura C.; Bear, Adham S.; Young, Joseph K.; Lewinski, Nastassja A.; Kim, Jean; Foster, Aaron E.; Drezek, Rebekah A.

2011-12-01

Gold nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown great potential for the treatment of cancer in mouse studies and is now being evaluated in clinical trials. For this therapy, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are injected intravenously and are allowed to accumulate within the tumor via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The tumor is then irradiated with a near infrared laser, whose energy is absorbed by the AuNPs and translated into heat. While reliance on the EPR effect for tumor targeting has proven adequate for vascularized tumors in small animal models, the efficiency and specificity of tumor delivery in vivo, particularly in tumors with poor blood supply, has proven challenging. In this study, we examine whether human T cells can be used as cellular delivery vehicles for AuNP transport into tumors. We first demonstrate that T cells can be efficiently loaded with 45 nm gold colloid nanoparticles without affecting viability or function (e.g. migration and cytokine production). Using a human tumor xenograft mouse model, we next demonstrate that AuNP-loaded T cells retain their capacity to migrate to tumor sites in vivo. In addition, the efficiency of AuNP delivery to tumors in vivo is increased by more than four-fold compared to injection of free PEGylated AuNPs and the use of the T cell delivery system also dramatically alters the overall nanoparticle biodistribution. Thus, the use of T cell chaperones for AuNP delivery could enhance the efficacy of nanoparticle-based therapies and imaging applications by increasing AuNP tumor accumulation.

Synergistic effect in an Au-Ag alloy nanocatalyst: CO oxidation.

PubMed

Liu, Jun-Hong; Wang, Ai-Qin; Chi, Yu-Shan; Lin, Hong-Ping; Mou, Chung-Yuan

2005-01-13

Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles supported on mesoporous aluminosilicate have been prepared by one-pot synthesis using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) both as a stabilizing agent for nanoparticles and as a template for the formation of mesoporous structure. The formation of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Although the Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles have a larger particle size than the monometallic gold particles, they exhibited exceptionally high activity in catalysis for low-temperature CO oxidation. Even at a low temperature of 250 K, the reaction rate can reach 8.7 x 10(-6) mol.g(cat.)(-1).s(-1) at an Au/Ag molar ratio of 3/1. While neither monometallic Au@MCM-41 nor Ag@MCM-41 shows activity at this temperature, the Au-Ag alloy system shows a strongly synergistic effect in high catalytic activity. In this alloy system, the size effect is no longer a critical factor, whereas Ag is believed to play a key role in the activation of oxygen.

A nonviral transfection approach in vitro: the design of a gold nanoparticle vector joint with microelectromechanical systems.

PubMed

Jen, Chun-Ping; Chen, Yu-Hung; Fan, Chun-sheng; Yeh, Chen-Sheng; Lin, Yu-Cheng; Shieh, Dar-Bin; Wu, Chao-Ling; Chen, Dong-Hwang; Chou, Chen-Hsi

2004-02-17

Au nanoparticles modified with 21-base thiolated-oligonucleotides have been evaluated as delivery vehicles for the development of a nonviral transfection platform. The electromigration combined with electroporation for DNA delivery in an osteoblast like cell was employed to test on microchips. Electroporation introduces foreign materials into cells by applying impulses of electric field to induce multiple transient pores on the cell membrane through dielectric breakdown of the cell membrane. On the basis of the characteristic surface plasmon of the Au particles, UV-vis absorption was utilized to qualitatively judge the efficiency of delivery. Transmission electron microscopy images and atomic absorption measurements (quantitative analysis) provided evidence of the bare Au and Au/oligonucleotide nanoparticles before and after electroporation and electromigration function. The experiments demonstrated that electrophoretic migration followed by electroporation significantly enhanced the transportation efficiency of the nanoparticle-oligonucleotide complexes as compared with electroporation alone. Most interestingly, Au capped with oligonucleotides led to optimal performance. On the other hand, the bare Au colloidal suspensions resulted in aggregation, which might be an obstacle to the internalization process. In addition, analytical results demonstrated an increase in the local particle concentrations on the cell surface that provided additional support for the mechanism underlying the improved Au nanoparticle transportation into cells in the presence of electromigration function.

The stability of self-organized 1-nonanethiol-capped gold nanoparticle monolayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Peng; Xie, Si-shen; Yao, Jian-nian; Pang, Shi-jin; Gao, Hong-jun

2001-08-01

1-Nonanethiol-protected gold nanoparticles with the size of about 2 nm have been prepared by a wet chemical method through choosing a suitable ratio of Au:S (2.5:1). Size selective precipitation of nanoparticles has been used to narrow their size distribution, which facilitates the formation of an ordered nanoparticle close-packed structure. A Fourier transform infrared investigation provides the evidence of the encapsulation of Au nanoparticles by 1-nonanethiol while an ultraviolet-visible spectrum shows a broad absorption around 520 nm, corresponding to surface plasmon band of Au nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the samples demonstrates the metallic state of the gold (Au0) and the existence of sulfur (S). The data from x-ray powder diffraction measurements confirm that the gold nanoparticles have the same face-centred cubic crystalline structure as the bulk gold phase. Finally, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization indicates that the size of the monodisperse colloidal gold nanoparticles is about 2 nm and they can self-organize to form a two-dimensional hexagonal close-packed structure after evaporating a concentrated drop of nanoparticles-toluene solution on a carbon-coated TEM copper grid.

Oligonucleoside assisted one pot synthesis and self-assembly of gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nimrodh Ananth, A.; Ghosh, Goutam; Umapathy, S.; Jothi Rajan, M. A.

2013-12-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using two different mono-deoxynucleosides, namely, deoxycytidine (dC) and deoxyadenosine (dA) and the size of the nanoparticles in aqueous dispersions was measured to be approximately 10 and 23 nm, respectively. It was also observed that the AuNPs, synthesized using deoxycytidine (dC), self-assembled to a stable cauliflower-type structure of size approximately 230 nm over a long period of ageing, during which the solution colour was seen continuously changing from pale yellow to deep green. The self-assembly of dC-Au nanoparticles (dC-AuNPs) with time was investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. We have also observed that the self-assembly of dC-AuNPs was dependent on the solution pH; i.e. the aggregates could be dissociated and re-associated upon varying the solution pH which we assumed to be due to breaking and forming of hydrogen bonds between --OH and ==O groups of dC among the neighbouring dC-AuNPs. In contrast, AuNPs synthesized using deoxyadenosine (dA-AuNPs) were quite stable in aqueous medium.

Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Behavior of Au nanoparticles-hybridized Pb (II) metal-organic framework and its application in selective sensing hexavalent chromium.

PubMed

Ma, Hongmin; Li, Xiaojian; Yan, Tao; Li, Yan; Liu, Haiyang; Zhang, Yong; Wu, Dan; Du, Bin; Wei, Qin

2016-02-23

In this work, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Au nanoparticles-hybridized Pb (II)-β-cyclodextrin (Pb-β-CD) metal-organic framework for detecting hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) was developed. Pb-β-CD shows excellent ECL behavior and unexpected reducing ability towards Au ions. Au nanoparticles could massively form on the surface of Pb-β-CD (Au@Pb-β-CD) without use of any additional reducing agent. In the presence of coreactant K2S2O8, the ECL emission of Pb-β-CD was enhanced by the formation of Au nanoparticles. Cr(VI) can collisionally quench the ECL behavior of Au@Pb-β-CD/S2O8(2-) system and the detection mechanism was investigated. This ECL sensor is found to have a linear response in the range of 0.01-100 μM and a low detection limit of 3.43 nM (S/N = 3) under the optimal conditions. These results suggest that metal-organic framework Au@Pb-β-CD has great potential in extending the application in the ECL field as an efficient luminophore.

Formation of oligonucleotide-gated silica shell-coated Fe₃O₄-Au core-shell nanotrisoctahedra for magnetically targeted and near-infrared light-responsive theranostic platform.

PubMed

Li, Wei-Peng; Liao, Pei-Yi; Su, Chia-Hao; Yeh, Chen-Sheng

2014-07-16

A new multifunctional nanoparticle to perform a near-infrared (NIR)-responsive remote control drug release behavior was designed for applications in the biomedical field. Different from the previous studies in formation of Fe3O4-Au core-shell nanoparticles resulting in a spherical morphology, the heterostructure with polyhedral core and shell was presented with the truncated octahedral Fe3O4 nanoparticle as the core over a layer of trisoctahedral Au shell. The strategy of Fe3O4@polymer@Au was adopted using poly-l-lysine as the mediate layer, followed by the subsequent seeded growth of Au nanoparticles to form a Au trisoctahedral shell. Fe3O4@Au trisoctahedra possess high-index facets of {441}. To combine photothermal and chemotherapy in a remote-control manner, the trisoctahedral core-shell Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles were further covered with a mesoporous silica shell, yielding Fe3O4@Au@mSiO2. The bondable oligonucleotides (referred as dsDNA) were used as pore blockers of the mesoporous silica shell that allowed the controlled release, resulting in a NIR-responsive DNA-gated Fe3O4@Au@mSiO2 nanocarrier. Taking advantage of the magnetism, remotely triggered drug release was facilitated by magnetic attraction accompanied by the introduction of NIR radiation. DNA-gated Fe3O4@Au@mSiO2 serves as a drug control and release carrier that features functions of magnetic target, MRI diagnosis, and combination therapy through the manipulation of a magnet and a NIR laser. The results verified the significant therapeutic effects on tumors with the assistance of combination therapy consisting of magnetic guidance and remote NIR control.

Structure and optical properties of silica-supported Ag-Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Barreca, Davide; Gasparotto, Alberto; Maragno, Cinzia; Tondello, Eugenio; Gialanella, Stefano

2007-07-01

Bimetallic Ag-Au nanoparticles are synthesized by sequential deposition of Au and Ag on amorphous silica by Radio Frequency (RF)-sputtering under mild conditions. Specimens are thoroughly characterized by a multi-technique approach, aimed at investigating the system properties as a function of the Ag/Au content, as well as the evolution induced by ex-situ annealing under inert (N2) or reducing (4% H2/N2) atmospheres. The obtained results demonstrate the possibility to obtain Ag-Au alloyed nanoparticles with controllable size, shape, structure, and dispersion under mild conditions, so that the optical properties can be finely tuned as a function of the synthesis and thermal treatment conditions.

Application of Direct Current Atmospheric Pressure Glow Microdischarge Generated in Contact with a Flowing Liquid Solution for Synthesis of Au-Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Dzimitrowicz, Anna; Jamroz, Piotr; Nyk, Marcin; Pohl, Pawel

2016-01-01

A direct current atmospheric pressure glow microdischarge (dc-μAPGD) generated between an Ar nozzle microjet and a flowing liquid was applied to produce Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Au@AgCSNPs) in a continuous flow system. Firstly, operating dc-μAPGD with the flowing solution of the Au(III) ions as the cathode, the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) core was produced. Next, to produce the core-shell nanostructures, the collected AuNPs solution was immediately mixed with an AgNO3 solution and passed through the system with the reversed polarity to fabricate the Ag nanoshell on the AuNPs core. The formation of Au@AgCSNPs was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Three localized surface plasmon resonance absorption bands with wavelengths centered at 372, 546, and 675 nm were observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of Au@AgCSNPs, confirming the reduction of both the Au(III) and Ag(I) ions. The right configuration of metals in Au@AgCSNPs was evidenced by TEM. The Au core diameter was 10.2 ± 2.0 nm, while the thickness of the Ag nanoshell was 5.8 ± 1.8 nm. The elemental composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles was also confirmed by EDS. It is possible to obtain 90 mL of a solution containing Au@AgCSNPs per hour using the applied microdischarge system. PMID:28773393

DNA hydrogel as a template for synthesis of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles for catalytic applications.

PubMed

Zinchenko, Anatoly; Miwa, Yasuyuki; Lopatina, Larisa I; Sergeyev, Vladimir G; Murata, Shizuaki

2014-03-12

DNA cross-linked hydrogel was used as a matrix for synthesis of gold nanoparticles. DNA possesses a strong affinity to transition metals such as gold, which allows for the concentration of Au precursor inside a hydrogel. Further reduction of HAuCl4 inside DNA hydrogel yields well dispersed, non-aggregated spherical Au nanoparticles of 2-3 nm size. The average size of these Au nanoparticles synthesized in DNA hydrogel is the smallest reported so far for in-gel metal nanoparticles synthesis. DNA hybrid hydrogel containing gold nanoparticles showed high catalytic activity in the hydrogenation reaction of nitrophenol to aminophenol. The proposed soft hybrid material is promising as environmentally friendly and sustainable material for catalytic applications.

Extracellular facile biosynthesis, characterization and stability of gold nanoparticles by Bacillus licheniformis.

PubMed

Singh, Sneha; Vidyarthi, Ambarish Sharan; Nigam, Vinod Kumar; Dev, Abhimanyu

2014-02-01

The development of a reliable, eco-friendly process for synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has gained impetus in recent years to counter the drawbacks of chemical and physical methods. This study illustrates simple, green synthesis of AuNPs in vitro using cell lysate supernatant (CLS) of non-pathogenic bacteria and to investigate its potential antimicrobial activity. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized by the reduction of precursor AuCl4- ions using the CLS of Bacillus licheniformis at 37°C upon 24 h of incubation. The nanoparticles were characterized for their morphology, particle size, optical absorption, zeta potential, and stability. Further the antimicrobial activity was assayed using cup-plate method. The process of biosynthesis was extracellular and the gold ions were reduced to stable nanogold of average size 38 nm. However, upon storage of AuNPs for longer duration at room temperature stability was influenced in terms of increase in particle size and decrease in zeta potential with respect to as synthesized nanoparticles. SEM micrographs revealed the spherical shape of AuNPs and EDX analysis confirmed the presence of gold in the sample. Also clear zone of inhibition was observed against Bacilllus subtilis MTCC 8364, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7925, and Escherichia coli MTCC 1698 confirming the antimicrobial activity of AuNPs. The bioprocess under study was simple and less time consuming as compared to other methods as the need for harvesting AuNPs from within the microbial cells via downstream process will be eliminated. Nanoparticles exhibited good stability even in absence of external stabilizing agents. AuNPs showed good antimicrobial activity against several Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. The extracellular biosynthesis from CLS may serve as a suitable alternative for large scale synthesis of gold nanoparticles in vitro. The synthesis from lysed bacterial cell strongly suggests that exposure of microbial whole cells to the gold solution for nanoparticle formation is not necessary and that microorganism even in lysed state retained its bioreduction potential. Further the potential of biologically synthesized AuNPs as antimicrobial agents will be of great commercial importance.

Carbon nanotube-supported Au-Pd alloy with cooperative effect of metal nanoparticles and organic ketone/quinone groups as a highly efficient catalyst for aerobic oxidation of amines.

PubMed

Deng, Weiping; Chen, Jiashu; Kang, Jincan; Zhang, Qinghong; Wang, Ye

2016-05-21

Functionalised carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported Au-Pd alloy nanoparticles were highly efficient catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of amines. We achieved the highest turnover frequencies (>1000 h(-1)) for the oxidative homocoupling of benzylamine and the oxidative dehydrogenation of dibenzylamine. We discovered a cooperative effect between Au-Pd nanoparticles and ketone/quinone groups on CNTs.

Dewetting process of Au films on SiO2 nanowires: Activation energy evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruffino, F.; Grimaldi, M. G.

2015-05-01

SiO2 nanowires gain scientific and technological interest in application fields ranging from nano-electronics, optics and photonics to bio-sensing. Furthermore, the SiO2 nanowires chemical and physical properties, and so their performances in devices, can be enhanced if decorated by metal nanoparticles (such Au) due to local plasmonic effects. In the present paper, we propose a simple, low-cost and high-throughput three-steps methodology for the mass-production of Au nanoparticles coated SiO2 nanowires. It is based on (1) production of the SiO2 nanowires on Si surface by solid state reaction of an Au film with the Si substrate at high temperature; (2) sputtering deposition of Au on the SiO2 nanowires to obtain the nanowires coated by an Au film; and (3) furnace annealing processes to induce the Au film dewetting on the SiO2 nanowires surface. Using scanning electron microscopy analyses, we followed the change of the Au nanoparticles mean versus the annealing time extracting values for the characteristic activation energy of the dewetting process of the Au film on the SiO2 nanowires surface. Such a study can allow the tuning of the nanowires/nanoparticles sizes for desired technological applications.

Novel synthesis of core-shell Au-Pt dendritic nanoparticles supported on carbon black for enhanced methanol electro-oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Ribing; Xia, Tiantian; Zhu, Ruizhi; Liu, Zhihua; Guo, Jinming; Chang, Gang; Zhang, Zaoli; Liu, Xiong; He, Yunbin

2018-03-01

Core-shell Au-Pt dendritic nanoparticles (Au-Pt NPs) has been synthesized via a facile seed-mediated growth method, in which dendritic Pt nanoparticles as shell grow on the surface of gold nanocores by using ascorbic acid (AA) as "green" reducing reagents. The morphologies and compositions of the as-prepared nanocomposites with core-shell structure are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrochemical experiments, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) are performed to investigate the electrocatalytic properties of the Au-Pt NPs loaded carbon black composites (Au-Pt NPs/V) towards methanol oxidation in an alkaline solution. It is found that the reduction time of AA could regulate the thickness and amount of Pt on the Au nanocores, which significantly affect catalytic activity of the Au-Pt NPs/V toward methanol oxidation. Au-Pt NPs/V with optimum reduction time 4 h exhibit 2.3-times higher electrocatalytic activity than that of a commercial catalyst (Pt/carbon black) and an excellent CO tolerance toward methanol oxidation. This behavior is attributed to large active electrochemical area of the bimetallic nanocomposites and the change in the electronic structure of Pt when Au surface modified with fewer Pt nanoparticles.

Resistive-Pulse Measurements with Nanopipettes: Detection of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) Using Antibody-Decorated Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Cai, Huijing; Wang, Yixian; Yu, Yun; Mirkin, Michael V; Bhakta, Snehasis; Bishop, Gregory W; Joshi, Amit A; Rusling, James F

2015-06-16

Quartz nanopipettes have recently been employed for resistive-pulse sensing of Au nanoparticles (AuNP) and nanoparticles with bound antibodies. The analytical signal in such experiments is the change in ionic current caused by the nanoparticle translocation through the pipette orifice. This paper describes resistive-pulse detection of cancer biomarker (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C, VEGF-C) through the use of antibody-modified AuNPs and nanopipettes. The main challenge was to differentiate between AuNPs with attached antibodies for VEGF-C and antigen-conjugated particles. The zeta-potentials of these types of particles are not very different, and, therefore, carefully chosen pipettes with well-characterized geometry were necessary for selective detection of VEGF-C.

Resistive-Pulse Measurements with Nanopipettes: Detection of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) Using Antibody-Decorated Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Cai, Huijing; Wang, Yixian; Yu, Yun; Mirkin, Michael V.; Bhakta, Snehasis; Bishop, Gregory W.; Joshi, Amit A.; Rusling, James F.

2015-01-01

Quartz nanopipettes have recently been employed for resistive-pulse sensing of Au nanoparticles (AuNP) and nanoparticles with bound antibodies. The analytical signal in such experiments is the change in ionic current caused by the nanoparticle translocation through the pipette orifice. This paper describes resistive-pulse detection of cancer biomarker (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C, VEGF-C) through the use of antibody-modified AuNPs and nanopipettes. The main challenge was to differentiate between AuNPs with attached antibodies for VEGF-C and antigen-conjugated particles. The zeta-potentials of these types of particles are not very different, and, therefore, carefully chosen pipettes with well-characterized geometry were necessary for selective detection of VEGF-C. PMID:26040997

Synthesis and cytotoxicity study of magnesium ferrite-gold core-shell nanoparticles.

PubMed

Nonkumwong, Jeeranan; Pakawanit, Phakkhananan; Wipatanawin, Angkana; Jantaratana, Pongsakorn; Ananta, Supon; Srisombat, Laongnuan

2016-04-01

In this work, the core-magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4) nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal technique. Completed gold (Au) shell coating on the surfaces of MgFe2O4 nanoparticles was obtained by varying core/shell ratios via a reduction method. Phase identification, morphological evolution, optical properties, magnetic properties and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells of these MgFe2O4 core coated with Au nanoparticles were examined by using a combination of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), vibrating sample magnetometry and resazurin microplate assay techniques. In general, TEM images revealed different sizes of the core-shell nanoparticles generated from various core/shell ratios and confirmed the completed Au shell coating on MgFe2O4 core nanoparticles via suitable core/shell ratio with particle size less than 100 nm. The core-shell nanoparticle size and the quality of coating influence the optical properties of the products. The UV-vis spectra of complete coated MgFe2O4-Au core-shell nanoparticles exhibit the absorption bands in the near-Infrared (NIR) region indicating high potential for therapeutic applications. Based on the magnetic property measurement, it was found that the obtained MgFe2O4-Au core-shell nanoparticles still exhibit superparamagnetism with lower saturation magnetization value, compared with MgFe2O4 core. Both of MgFe2O4 and MgFe2O4-Au core-shell also showed in vitro non-cytotoxicity to mouse areola fibroblast (L-929) cell line. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abd El-Aziz, M.; Badr, Y.; Mahmoud, M. A.

2007-02-14

Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used for extracellular biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Consequently, Au NPs were formed due to reduction of gold ion by bacterial cell supernatant of P. aeruginos ATCC 90271, P. aeruginos (2) and P. aeruginos (1). The UV-Vis. and fluorescence spectra of the bacterial as well as chemical prepared Au NPs were recorded. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrograph showed the formation of well-dispersed gold nanoparticles in the range of 15-30 nm. The process of reduction being extracellular and may lead to the development of an easy bioprocess for synthesis of Au NPs.

Photochemical Fabrication of Transition Metal Nanoparticles Using CdS Template and Their Co-Catalysis Effects for TiO2 Photocatalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badhwar, Nidhi; Gupta, Nidhi; Pal, Bonamali

2013-09-01

Transition metal nanoparticles were prepared by chemical dissolution of CdS template from metal photodeposited CdS nanorod (length = 70-85 nm and width = 5-6 nm) heterocomposites. Size (9-10 nm) of metal nanoparticles obtained after CdS removal was larger than the size (4-6 nm) of metal nanodeposits over CdS template. The obtained Au nanoparticles displayed a broad red shifted absorption band at 660 nm, whereas Pt, Pd and Rh nanoparticles exhibit featureless absorption spectra. Elemental analysis confirms the complete removal of CdS template from Au-CdS (Au — 2.65 at.%) and Ag-CdS (Ag — 2.06 at.%) composites showing no Cd peak. These metal nanoparticles imparted dissimilar co-catalytic activity of TiO2 for photocatalytic degradation of salicylic acid in the order Au > Pt > Pd > Ag > Rh as a function of their nature, electronegativity, redox potential and work function.

Hybrid nanocatalysts containing enzymes and metallic nanoparticles for ethanol/O2 biofuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aquino Neto, S.; Almeida, T. S.; Palma, L. M.; Minteer, S. D.; de Andrade, A. R.

2014-08-01

We report the preparation of hybrid nanostructured bioanodes containing the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) with either Au, Pt, or Pt0.75Sn0.25 nanoparticles for use in ethanol/O2 hybrid biofuel cells. We describe two different methodologies for the preparation of the bioanodes: in a first case, multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were employed as a support for the metallic nanoparticles and TBAB-modified Nafion® aided enzyme immobilization. In the second case, we immobilized the enzymes using dendrimers-encapsulated nanoparticles as the agent for enzyme anchoring. The biofuel cell tests showed that the addition of metallic nanoparticles to the bioanode structure enhanced the overall biofuel cell performance. The bioelectrode containing Au nanoparticles displaying the best performance, with an open circuit potential of 0.61 ± 0.05 V and a maximum power density of 155 ± 11 μW cm-2. NADH cyclic voltammetric experiments indicated that Au nanoparticles behaved as a catalyst toward NADH oxidation. Comparing the two protocols we used to synthetized nanoparticles, the sample containing the Au nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs furnished fourfold higher values. Therefore, from the satisfactory results obtained, it can be inferred that the combination of small amounts of metallic nanoparticles with enzymes improve bioanode performance.

Resistive-pulse measurements with nanopipettes: detection of Au nanoparticles and nanoparticle-bound anti-peanut IgY.

PubMed

Wang, Yixian; Kececi, Kaan; Mirkin, Michael V; Mani, Vigneshwaran; Sardesai, Naimish; Rusling, James F

2013-02-01

Solid-state nanopores have been widely employed in sensing applications from Coulter counters to DNA sequencing devices. The analytical signal in such experiments is the change in ionic current flowing through the orifice caused by the large molecule or nanoparticle translocation through the pore. Conceptually similar nanopipette-based sensors can offer several advantages including the ease of fabrication and small physical size essential for local measurements and experiments in small spaces. This paper describes the first evaluation of nanopipettes with well characterized geometry for resistive-pulse sensing of Au nanoparticles (AuNP), nanoparticles coated with an allergen epitope peptide layer, and AuNP-peptide particles with bound antipeanut antibodies (IgY) on the peptide layer. The label-free signal produced by IgY-conjugated particles was strikingly different from those obtained with other analytes, thus suggesting the possibility of selective and sensitive resistive-pulse sensing of antibodies.

Resistive-pulse measurements with nanopipettes: detection of Au nanoparticles and nanoparticle-bound anti-peanut IgY†

PubMed Central

Wang, Yixian; Kececi, Kaan; Mani, Vigneshwaran; Sardesai, Naimish

2013-01-01

Solid-state nanopores have been widely employed in sensing applications from Coulter counters to DNA sequencing devices. The analytical signal in such experiments is the change in ionic current flowing through the orifice caused by the large molecule or nanoparticle translocation through the pore. Conceptually similar nanopipette-based sensors can offer several advantages including the ease of fabrication and small physical size essential for local measurements and experiments in small spaces. This paper describes the first evaluation of nanopipettes with well characterized geometry for resistive-pulse sensing of Au nanoparticles (AuNP), nanoparticles coated with an allergen epitope peptide layer, and AuNP–peptide particles with bound antipeanut antibodies (IgY) on the peptide layer. The label-free signal produced by IgY-conjugated particles was strikingly different from those obtained with other analytes, thus suggesting the possibility of selective and sensitive resistive-pulse sensing of antibodies. PMID:23991282

Quantitative Transmission Electron Microscopy of Nanoparticles and Thin-Film Formation in Electroless Metallization of Polymeric Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Aniruddha; Heinrich, Helge; Kuebler, Stephen; Grabill, Chris; Bhattacharya, Aniket

2011-03-01

Gold nanoparticles(Au-NPs) act as nucleation sites for electroless deposition of silver on functionalized SU8 polymeric surfaces. Here we report the nanoscale morphology of Au and Ag nanoparticles as studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Scanning TEM with a high-angle annular dark-field detector is used to obtain atomic number contrast. From the intensity-calibrated plan-view scanning TEM images we determine the mean thickness and the volume distribution of the Au-NPs on the surface of the functionalized polymer. We also report the height and the radius distribution of the gold nanoparticles obtained from STEM images taking into consideration the experimental errors. The cross sectional TEM images yield the density and the average distance of the Au and Ag nanoparticles on the surface of the polymer. Supported by grant NSF, Chemistry Division.

Structure evolution of self-catalyzed grown Au, Ag and their alloy nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhu; Chen, Feng; Xu, Chunxiang; Yang, Guangcan; Zhu, Ye; Luo, Zhaoxu

2017-12-01

Monitoring the nucleation and growth of nanomaterials is a key technique for material synthesis design and control. An efficient fabrication method can be realized deeply understanding the growth mechanisms. Here, noble metal nanostructures, gold (Au) nanoparticles, silver nanostructures (Ag nanoparticles/Ag nanowires) and gold-silver alloy nanoparticles were prepared in a facile method at room temperature. The growth processes of the Au nanoparticles, Ag nanowires and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles can be monitored real-timely through the ultraviolet visible absorption (UV-vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that the whole formation involved Digestive ripening and Ostwald ripening cooperative mechanism. Furthermore, the self-assembly growth is noticed in the oriented attachment of precursor Ag monomers into nanowires under the same synthetic conditions without external templates or rigorous conditions. This result can provide a platform to discover the underlying growth mechanism of wet-chemistry methods for metal nanostructure fabrication.

Enhanced Electroluminescence from Silicon Quantum Dots Embedded in Silicon Nitride Thin Films Coupled with Gold Nanoparticles in Light Emitting Devices

PubMed Central

Muñoz-Rosas, Ana Luz; Alonso-Huitrón, Juan Carlos

2018-01-01

Nowadays, the use of plasmonic metal layers to improve the photonic emission characteristics of several semiconductor quantum dots is a booming tool. In this work, we report the use of silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) embedded in a silicon nitride thin film coupled with an ultra-thin gold film (AuNPs) to fabricate light emitting devices. We used the remote plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (RPECVD) in order to grow two types of silicon nitride thin films. One with an almost stoichiometric composition, acting as non-radiative spacer; the other one, with a silicon excess in its chemical composition, which causes the formation of silicon quantum dots imbibed in the silicon nitride thin film. The ultra-thin gold film was deposited by the direct current (DC)-sputtering technique, and an aluminum doped zinc oxide thin film (AZO) which was deposited by means of ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, plays the role of the ohmic metal-like electrode. We found that there is a maximum electroluminescence (EL) enhancement when the appropriate AuNPs-spacer-SiQDs configuration is used. This EL is achieved at a moderate turn-on voltage of 11 V, and the EL enhancement is around four times bigger than the photoluminescence (PL) enhancement of the same AuNPs-spacer-SiQDs configuration. From our experimental results, we surmise that EL enhancement may indeed be due to a plasmonic coupling. This kind of silicon-based LEDs has the potential for technology transfer. PMID:29565267

Fabrication, characterisation and voltammetric studies of gold amalgam nanoparticle modified electrodes.

PubMed

Welch, Christine M; Nekrassova, Olga; Dai, Xuan; Hyde, Michael E; Compton, Richard G

2004-09-20

The tabrication, characterisation, and electroanalytical application of gold and gold amalgam nanoparticles on glassy carbon electrodes is examined. Once the deposition parameters for gold nanoparticle electrodes were optimised, the analytical utility of the electrodes was examined in CrIII electroanalysis. It was found that gold nanoparticle modified (Au-NM) electrodes possess higher sensitivity than gold macroelectrodes. In addition, gold amalgam nanoparticle modified (AuHg-NM) electrodes were fabricated and characterised. The response of those electrodes was recorded in the presence of important environmental analytes (heavy metal cations). It was found AuHg-NM electrodes demonstrate a unique voltammetric behaviour and can be applied for electroanalysis when enhanced sensitivity is crucial.

New method for MBE growth of GaAs nanowires on silicon using colloidal Au nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouravleuv, A.; Ilkiv, I.; Reznik, R.; Kotlyar, K.; Soshnikov, I.; Cirlin, G.; Brunkov, P.; Kirilenko, D.; Bondarenko, L.; Nepomnyaschiy, A.; Gruznev, D.; Zotov, A.; Saranin, A.; Dhaka, V.; Lipsanen, H.

2018-01-01

We present a new method for the deposition of colloidal Au nanoparticles on the surface of silicon substrates based on short-time Ar plasma treatment without the use of any polymeric layers. The elaborated method is compatible with molecular beam epitaxy, which allowed us to carry out the detailed study of GaAs nanowire synthesis on Si(111) substrates using colloidal Au nanoparticles as seeds for their growth. The results obtained elucidated the causes of the difference between the initial nanoparticle sizes and the diameters of the grown nanowires.

Long Distance Enhancement of Nonlinear Optical Properties Using Low Concentration of Plasmonic Nanostructures in Dye Doped Monolithic SolGel Materials (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-31

www.MaterialsViews.com Synthesis of the Gold Nanoparticles : The Au nanospheres were prepared according to previously reported procedure using the...Au Nanoparticles Using Specifi c Silicone : The synthesis of the functional silicone was previously reported as well as the surface modifi cation of...types of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are prepared and polished to high optical quality. Their photophysical properties are investigated. The glass

Synthesis and characterization of poly(propylene imine)-dendrimer-grafted gold nanoparticles as nanocarriers of doxorubicin.

PubMed

Golshan, Marzieh; Salami-Kalajahi, Mehdi; Mirshekarpour, Mina; Roghani-Mamaqani, Hossein; Mohammadi, Maryam

2017-07-01

The aim of current work is synthesis 4th-generation-poly(propylene imine) (PPI)-dendrimer modified gold nanoparticles (Au-G4A) as nanocarriers for doxorubicin (DOX) and studying in vitro drug release kinetics from nanocarriers into different media. Accordingly, AuNPs were synthesized by reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4 ) aqueous solution with trisodium citrate and modified with cysteamine to obtain amine-functionalized (Au-NH 2 ) nanoparticles. Au-NH 2 nanoparticles were used as multifunctional cores and participated in Michael addition of acrylonitrile and reduction process by lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) to synthesize Au-G4A nanoparticles. Also, peripheral primary amine groups of Au-G4A were conjugated with folic acid (FA) (Au-G4F) to study the bioconjugation effect on drug release behavior of nanostructures. Ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV-vis), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to approve the synthesis of different nanostructures. Finally, Au-G4A and Au-G4F samples were loaded with DOX and exposed to environments with different pH values to examine the release properties of nanostructures. Also, drug release kinetics was investigated by fitting of experimental data with different release models. As a result, synthesized dendritic structures showed Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models release behavior due to better solubility of drug in release media with respect to dendrimer cavities and drug release through polymeric matrix respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potential of Chilopsis Linearis for Gold Phytomining: Using XAS to Determine Gold Reduction And Nanoparticle Formation Within Plant Tissues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

E, Rodriguez; Parsons, J.G.; Peralta-Videa, J.R.

This study reports on the capability of the desert plant Chilopsis linearis (Cav.) Sweet (desert willow) to uptake gold (Au) from gold-enriched media at different plant-growth stages. Plants were exposed to 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 mg Au L{sup -1} in agar-based growing media for 13, 18, 23, and 35 d. The Au content and oxidation state of Au in the plants were determined using an inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometer (ICP/OES) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), respectively. Gold concentrations ranging from 20 to 80 mg Au L{sup -1} did not significantly affect Chilopsis linearis plant growth. The concentrationmore » of gold in the plants increased as the age of the plant increased. The Au concentrations in leaves for the 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg Au L{sup -1} treatments were 32, 60, 62, and 179 mg Au kg{sup -1} dry weight mass, respectively, demonstrating the gold uptake capability of desert willow. The XAS data indicated that desert willow produced gold nanoparticles within plant tissues. Plants exposed to 160 mg Au L{sup -1} formed nanoparticles that averaged approximately 8, 35, and 18 in root, stem, and leaves, respectively. It was observed that the average size of the Au nanoparticles formed by the plants is related to the total Au concentration in tissues and their location in the plant.« less

Quantitative characterization of gold nanoparticles by field-flow fractionation coupled online with light scattering detection and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Schmidt, Bjørn; Loeschner, Katrin; Hadrup, Niels; Mortensen, Alicja; Sloth, Jens J; Koch, Christian Bender; Larsen, Erik H

2011-04-01

An analytical platform coupling asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF(4)) with multiangle light scattering (MALS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) was established and used for separation and quantitative determination of size and mass concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous suspension. Mixtures of three polystyrene (PS) NPs between 20 and 100 nm in diameter and mixtures of three gold (Au) NPs between 10 and 60 nm in diameter were separated by AF(4). The geometric diameters of the separated PS NPs and the hydrodynamic diameters of the Au and PS NPs were determined online by MALS and DLS, respectively. The three separated Au NPs were quantified by ICPMS and recovered at 50-95% of the injected masses, which ranged between approximately 8-80 ng of each nanoparticle size. Au NPs adhering to the membrane in the separation channel was found to be a major cause for incomplete recoveries. The lower limit of detection (LOD) ranged between 0.02 ng Au and 0.4 ng Au, with increasing LOD by increasing nanoparticle diameter. The analytical platform was applied to characterization of Au NPs in livers of rats, which were dosed with 10 nm, 60 nm, or a mixture of 10 and 60 nm nanoparticles by intravenous injection. The homogenized livers were solubilized in tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), and the recovery of Au NPs from the livers amounted to 86-123% of their total Au content. In spite of successful stabilization with bovine serum albumin even in alkaline medium, separation of the Au NPs by AF(4) was not possible due to association with undissolved remains of the alkali-treated liver tissues as demonstrated by electron microscopy images.

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters: stable sizes and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Rongchao

2015-01-01

Controlling nanoparticles with atomic precision has long been a major dream of nanochemists. Breakthroughs have been made in the case of gold nanoparticles, at least for nanoparticles smaller than ~3 nm in diameter. Such ultrasmall gold nanoparticles indeed exhibit fundamentally different properties from those of the plasmonic counterparts owing to the quantum size effects as well as the extremely high surface-to-volume ratio. These unique nanoparticles are often called nanoclusters to distinguish them from conventional plasmonic nanoparticles. Intense work carried out in the last few years has generated a library of stable sizes (or stable stoichiometries) of atomically precise gold nanoclusters, which are opening up new exciting opportunities for both fundamental research and technological applications. In this review, we have summarized the recent progress in the research of thiolate (SR)-protected gold nanoclusters with a focus on the reported stable sizes and their optical absorption spectra. The crystallization of nanoclusters still remains challenging; nevertheless, a few more structures have been achieved since the earlier successes in Au102(SR)44, Au25(SR)18 and Au38(SR)24 nanoclusters, and the newly reported structures include Au20(SR)16, Au24(SR)20, Au28(SR)20, Au30S(SR)18, and Au36(SR)24. Phosphine-protected gold and thiolate-protected silver nanoclusters are also briefly discussed in this review. The reported gold nanocluster sizes serve as the basis for investigating their size dependent properties as well as the development of applications in catalysis, sensing, biological labelling, optics, etc. Future efforts will continue to address what stable sizes are existent, and more importantly, what factors determine their stability. Structural determination and theoretical simulations will help to gain deep insight into the structure-property relationships.

Construction of Au@Pt core—satellite nanoparticles based on in-situ reduction of polymeric ionic liquid protected gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wenlan; Li, Junbo; Zou, Sheng; Guo, Jinwu; Zhou, Huiyun

2017-03-01

A method of in-situ reduction to prepare Au@Pt core-satellite nanoparticles (NPs) is described by using Au NPs coating poly[1-methyl 3-(2-methacryloyloxy propylimidazolium bromine)] (PMMPImB-@-Au NPs) as the template. After electrostatic complex chloroplatinic acid with PMMPImB shell, the composite NP was directly reduced with N2H4 to produce Au@Pt core-satellite NPs. The characterization of composite and core-satellite NPs under different amounts of chloroplatinic acid were studied by DLS, UV-vis absorption spectrum and TEM. The satellite Pt NPs with a small size ( 2 nm) dotted around Au core, and the resulting Au@Pt core-satellite NPs showed a red-shift surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and a good dispersion due to effectively electrostatic repulsion providing by the polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) shell. Finally, Au@Pt core-satellite NPs exhibit an enhanced catalytic activity and cycled catalytic capability for the reduction of p-nitrophenol with NaBH4.

Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical behavior of Au@Pd core shell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicaksono, W. P.; Ivandini, T. A.

2017-04-01

Au@Pd core shell nanoparticles (Au@Pd CSNPs) were successfully synthesized using a seed-mediated growth method. Firstly, a pale pink gold seed solution was used to produce a pale purple gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) core solution. Then, three series of Pd shell thickness using 20μ, 100 μL, and 500 μL of PdCl2 produced purple, brown, and deep brown of Au@Pd CSNPs respectively. A strong absorbance UV-Visible spectrum with peaks at 285 nm and 535 nm was identified for AuNPs formation. The disappearance of the peak at 535 nm was indicated the Au@Pd CSNPs formation. The electrochemical properties were examined in phosphate buffer pH 7 using cyclic voltammetry technique with boron-doped diamond (BDD) as working electrode showed a couple oxidation and reduction peak of gold at 0.67 V and at 0.33 V, respectively. The Au@Pd CNPs will be used for modification of BDD electrodes.

Bio-prospective of Polyscias fruticosa leaf extract as redactor and stabilizer of gold nanoparticles formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulizar, Y.; Ayun, Q.

2017-03-01

Metal nanoparticle is a great interest to researches due to its applications toward catalysis, sensors, and drug delivery. Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using aqueous leaf extract of Polycias fruticosa (PFE) is reported in this article. PFE plays a role as reductor and stabilizer of AuNPs. The formation of PFE-AuNPs under radiation of natrium lamp for 15 min was monitored by UV - Vis spectrophotometer. The growth process and stability of PFE-AuNPs was observed from the colour and absorbance change in the wavelength range of 529-533 nm. The optimum synthesis condition of PFE-AuNPs was obtained at 0.06% (w/v) of PFE concentration. Size and its distribution of PFE-AuNPs were identified by particle size analyzer (PSA) as 35.02 nm and stable up until 21 days. The stable PFE-AuNPs was further characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to identify the functional group in phenolic compound of PFE interact with AuNps.

Effect of ablation time on femtosecond laser synthesis of Au- Ag colloidal nanoalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayah, A. N.; Triyono, D.; Herbani, Y.; Isnaeni; Suliyanti, M. M.

2018-03-01

Au-Ag nanoalloys have been synthesized by laser irradiation technique. First, Au and Ag nanoparticles were prepared from Au and Ag pure metal (99.9%) ablated using an 800 nm femtosecond laser in distilled water. Using the same laser, Au and Ag nanoparticle with 1:1 ratio were subsequently mixed and irradiated with various irradiation time, i.e. 0, 5, 20, and 35 minutes. We varied the ablation time for each metal nanoparticles, i.e. 25 minutes and 1 hour to see its effect on the production of nanoalloys in the subsequent irradiation. Au-Ag nanoalloys were characterized and analyzed using transmission electron microscope and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The result shows that Au-Ag nanoalloys were already formed in 20 minutes irradiation, either for the sample ablated for 25 minutes or 1 hour. The result of TEM shows that the size of Au-Ag nanoalloys prepared from 1 hour ablation was around 15.03 nm.

Novel morphology change of Au-Methotrexate conjugates: From nanochains to discrete nanoparticles.

PubMed

Wang, Wei-Yuan; Zhao, Xiu-Fen; Ju, Xiao-Han; Wang, Yu; Wang, Lin; Li, Shu-Ping; Li, Xiao-Dong

2016-12-30

A novel morphology change of Au-methotrexate (Au-MTX) conjugates that could transform from nanochains to discrete nanoparticles was achieved by a simple, one-pot, and hydrothermal growth method. Herein, MTX was used efficiently as a complex-forming agent, reducing agent, capping agent, and importantly a targeting anticancer drug. The formation mechanism suggested a similarity with the molecular imprinting technology. The Au-MTX complex induced the MTX molecules to selectively adsorb on different crystal facets of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and then formed gold nanospheres. Moreover, the abundantly binding MTX molecules promoted directional alignment of these gold nanospheres to further form nanochains. More interestingly, the linear structures gradually changed into discrete nanoparticles by adding different amount of ethylene diamine tetra (methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMPA) into the initial reaction solution, which likely arose from the strong electrostatic effect of the negatively charged phosphonic acid groups. Compared with the as-prepared nanochains, the resultant discrete nanoparticles showed almost equal drug loading capacity but with higher drug release control, colloidal stability, and in vitro anticancer activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cytotoxicity of various types of gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles in human breast cancer cells

PubMed Central

Liu, Guomu; Li, Qiongshu; Ni, Weihua; Zhang, Nannan; Zheng, Xiao; Wang, Yingshuai; Shao, Dan; Tai, Guixiang

2015-01-01

Recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have shown promising biological applications due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, the potential toxicity of AuNPs remains a major hurdle that impedes their use in clinical settings. Mesoporous silica is very suitable for the use as a coating material for AuNPs and might not only reduce the cytotoxicity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-coated AuNPs but might also facilitate the loading and delivery of drugs. Herein, three types of rod-like gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (termed bare AuNPs, core–shell Au@mSiO2NPs, and Janus Au@mSiO2NPs) were specially designed, and the effects of these AuNPs on cellular uptake, toxic behavior, and mechanism were then systematically studied. Our results indicate that bare AuNPs exerted higher toxicity than the Au@mSiO2NPs and that Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibited the lowest toxicity in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, consistent with the endocytosis capacity of the nanoparticles, which followed the order, bare AuNPs > core–shell Au@mSiO2NPs > Janus Au@mSiO2NPs. More importantly, the AuNPs-induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells exhibited features that were characteristic of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, an enhanced Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio, and loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Simultaneously, cytochrome c was released from mitochondria, and the caspase-3/9 cascade was activated. Moreover, both ROS scavenger (N-acetylcysteine) and JNK inhibitor (SP600125) partly blocked the induction of apoptosis in all AuNPs-treated cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that all AuNPs induce apoptosis through the ROS-/JNK-mediated mitochondrial pathway. Thus, Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibit the potential for applications in biomedicine, thus aiding the clinical translation of AuNPs. PMID:26491285

Calculation extinction cross sections and molar attenuation coefficient of small gold nanoparticles and experimental observation of their UV-vis spectral properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Junqi; Gao, Kunpeng; Ou, Quanhong; Fu, Xuewen; Man, Shi-Qing; Guo, Jie; Liu, Yingkai

2018-02-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been researched extensively, such as applied in various biosensors, biomedical imaging and diagnosis, catalysis and physico-chemical analysis. These applications usually required to know the nanoparticle size or concentration. Researchers have been studying a simply and quick way to estimate the concentration or size of nanoparticles from their optical spectra and SPR feature for several years. The extinction cross-sections and the molar attenuation coefficient were one of the key parameters. In this study, we calculated the extinction cross-sections and molar attenuation coefficient (decadic molar extinction coefficient) of small gold nanoparticles by dipole approximation method and modified Beer-Lambert law. The theoretical result showed that the surface plasmon resonance peak of small gold nanoparticles was blueshift with an increase size. Moreover, small AuNPs (sub-10 nm) were prepared by using of dextran or trisodium citrate as reducing agent and capping agent. The experimental synthesized AuNPs was also shows a blueshift as increasing particle size in a certain range. And the concentration of AuNPs was calculated based on the obtained molar attenuation coefficient. For small nanoparticles, the size of nanoparticles and surface plasmon resonance property was not showed a positive correlation compared to larger nanoparticles. These results suggested that SPR peak depended not only on the nanoparticle size and shape but also on the nanoparticles environment.

Ethylene glycol monolayer protected nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and interactions with biological molecules.

PubMed

Zheng, Ming; Li, Zhigang; Huang, Xueying

2004-05-11

The usefulness of the hybrid materials of nanoparticles and biological molecules on many occasions depends on how well one can achieve a rational design based on specific binding and programmable assembly. Nonspecific binding between nanoparticles and biomolecules is one of the major barriers for achieving their utilities in a biological system. In this paper, we demonstrate a new approach to eliminate nonspecific interactions between nanoparticles and biological molecules by shielding the nanoparticle with a monolayer of ethylene glycol. A direct synthesis of di-, tri-, and tetra(ethylene glycol)-protected gold nanoparticles (Au-S-EGn, n = 2, 3, and 4) was achieved under the condition that the water content was optimized in the range of 9-18% in the reaction mixture. With controlled ratio of [HAuCl4]/[EGn-SH] at 2, the synthesized particles have an average diameter of 3.5 nm and a surface plasma resonance band around 510 nm. Their surface structures were confirmed by 1H NMR spectra. These gold nanoparticles are bonded with a uniform monolayer with defined lengths of 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 nm for Au-S-EG2, Au-S-EG3, and Au-S-EG4, respectively. They have great stabilities in aqueous solutions with a high concentration of electrolytes as well as in organic solvents. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the ethylene glycol monolayer coating is ca. 14% of the total nanoparticle weight. Biological binding tests by using ion-exchange chromatography and gel electrophoresis demonstrated that these Au-S-EGn (n = 2, 3, or 4) nanoparticles are free of any nonspecific bindings with various proteins, DNA, and RNA. These types of nanoparticles provide a fundamental starting material for designing hybrid materials composed of metallic nanoparticles and biomolecules.

N-Heterocyclic molecule-capped gold nanoparticles as effective antibiotics against multi-drug resistant bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yan; Chen, Wenwen; Jia, Yuexiao; Tian, Yue; Zhao, Yuyun; Long, Fei; Rui, Yukui; Jiang, Xingyu

2016-07-01

We demonstrate that N-heterocyclic molecule-capped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Optimized antibacterial activity can be achieved by using different initial molar ratios (1 : 1 and 10 : 1) of N-heterocyclic prodrugs and the precursor of Au NPs (HAuCl4). This work opens up new avenues for antibiotics based on Au NPs.We demonstrate that N-heterocyclic molecule-capped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Optimized antibacterial activity can be achieved by using different initial molar ratios (1 : 1 and 10 : 1) of N-heterocyclic prodrugs and the precursor of Au NPs (HAuCl4). This work opens up new avenues for antibiotics based on Au NPs. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr03317b

Enzymatic formation of gold nanoparticles by submerged culture of the basidiomycete Lentinus edodes.

PubMed

Vetchinkina, Elena P; Loshchinina, Ekaterina A; Burov, Andrey M; Dykman, Lev A; Nikitina, Valentina E

2014-07-20

We report for the first time that the medicinal basidiomycete Lentinus edodes can reduce Au(III) from chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) to elemental Au [Au(0)], forming nanoparticles. Several methods, including transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and dynamic light scattering, were used to show that when the fungus was grown submerged, colloidal gold accumulated on the surface of and inside the mycelial hyphae as electron-dense particles mostly spherical in shape, with sizes ranging from 5 to 50nm. Homogeneous proteins (the fungal enzymes laccase, tyrosinase, and Mn-peroxidase) were found for the first time to be involved in the reduction of Au(III) to Au(0) from HAuCl4. A possible mechanism forming Au nanoparticles is discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of gold and bimetallic gold/silver nanoparticles in soda-lime-silicate glasses formed by means of excimer laser irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinz, M.; Dubiel, M.; Meinertz, J.; Ihlemann, J.; Hoell, A.

2017-02-01

In this study, plasmonic Au and Au/Ag nanostructures in soda-lime-silicate glasses have been generated by means of ArF-excimer laser irradiation (193 nm) below the ablation threshold of the glass. For this purpose pure and silver/sodium ion-exchanged float glasses have been coated by gold and then irradiated by the laser. The formation of Au and Au/Ag nanoparticles could be verified by the surface plasmon resonances between 420 and 620 nm, which were obtained by optical spectroscopy. Both, pure Au and Ag particles as well as bimetallic Au/Ag nanoparticles, could be observed by means of small angle X-ray scattering experiments. These results demonstrate that such procedures enable the spaceselected generation of plasmonic nanostructures in glass surfaces by excimer laser irradiation.

Catalytic Gas-Phase Glycerol Processing over SiO2-, Cu-, Ni- and Fe- Supported Au Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Kapkowski, Maciej; Siudyga, Tomasz; Sitko, Rafal; Lelątko, Józef; Szade, Jacek; Balin, Katarzyna; Klimontko, Joanna; Bartczak, Piotr; Polanski, Jaroslaw

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated different metal pairings of Au nanoparticles (NPs) as potential catalysts for glycerol dehydration for the first time. All of the systems preferred the formation of hydroxyacetone (HYNE). Although the bimetallics that were tested, i.e., Au NPs supported on Ni, Fe and Cu appeared to be more active than the Au/SiO2 system, only Cu supported Au NPs gave high conversion (ca. 63%) and selectivity (ca. 70%) to HYNE. PMID:26580400

Plasma based formation and deposition of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles using a gas aggregation source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polonskyi, Oleksandr; Ahadi, Amir Mohammad; Peter, Tilo; Fujioka, Kenji; Abraham, Jan Willem; Vasiliauskaite, Egle; Hinz, Alexander; Strunskus, Thomas; Wolf, Sebastian; Bonitz, Michael; Kersten, Holger; Faupel, Franz

2018-05-01

Metal clusters and nanoparticles (NPs) have been studied intensively due to their unique chemical, physical, electrical, and optical properties, resulting from their dimensions, which provided host of applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Formation of new materials by embedding NPs into various matrices (i.e. formation of nanocomposites) further expands the horizon of possible application of such nanomaterials. In the last few decades, the focus was put on the formation of metallic and metal oxide NPs via a so-called gas aggregation nanoparticle source employing magnetron sputtering (i.e. Haberland concept). In this paper, an overview is given of the recent progress in formation and deposition of NPs by the gas aggregation method. Examples range from noble metals (Ag, Au) through reactive metals (Al, Ti) to Si and the respective oxides. Emphasis is placed on the mechanism of nanoparticle growth and the resulting properties. Moreover, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations were developed to explain the growth mechanism and dynamics of nanoparticle formation depending on the experimental conditions. In addition, the role of trace amounts of reactive gases and of pulsed operation of the plasma on the nucleation process is addressed. Finally, the treatment of the NPs in the plasma environment resulting in nanoparticle charging, morphological and chemical modifications is discussed. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Fundamentals of Complex Plasmas", edited by Jürgen Meichsner, Michael Bonitz, Holger Fehske, Alexander Piel.

A quantitative x-ray detection system for gold nanoparticle tumour biomarkers.

PubMed

Ricketts, K; Castoldi, A; Guazzoni, C; Ozkan, C; Christodoulou, C; Gibson, A P; Royle, G J

2012-09-07

X-ray fluorescence techniques have proven beneficial for identifying and quantifying trace elements in biological tissues. A novel approach is being developed that employs x-ray fluorescence with an aim to locate heavy nanoparticles, such as gold, which are embedded into tissues. Such nanoparticles can be functionalized to act as markers for tumour characteristics to map the disease state, with the future aim of imaging them to inform cancer therapy regimes. The uptake of functionalized nanoparticles by cancer cells will also enable detection of small clusters of infiltrating cancer cells which are currently missed by commonly used imaging modalities. The novel system, consisting of an energy-resolving silicon drift detector with high spectral resolution, shows potential in both quantification of and sensitivity to nanoparticle concentrations typically found in tumours. A series of synchrotron measurements are presented; a linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and gold nanoparticle (GNP) concentration was found down to 0.005 mgAu ml(-1), the detection limit of the system. Successful use of a bench-top source, suitable for possible future clinical use, is also demonstrated, and found not to degrade the detection limit or accuracy of the GNP concentration measurement. The achieved system sensitivity suggests possible future clinical usefulness in measuring tumour uptake in vivo, particularly in shallow tumour sites and small animals, in ex vivo tissue and in 3D in vitro research samples.

Time-dependent growth of crystalline Au0-nanoparticles in cyanobacteria as self-reproducing bioreactors: 1. Anabaena sp.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rösken, Liz M.; Körsten, Susanne; Fischer, Christian B.; Schönleber, Andreas; van Smaalen, Sander; Geimer, Stefan; Wehner, Stefan

2014-04-01

Customized metal nanoparticles are highly relevant in industrial processes, where they are used as catalysts and therefore needed on a large scale. An extremely economically and environmentally friendly way to produce metal nanoparticles is microbial biosynthesis, meaning the biosorption and bioreduction of diluted metal ions to zero valent (metal) nanoparticles. To maintain the key advantage of biosynthesis, including eco friendliness, a bioreactor (e.g., bacteria) has to be harmless by itself. Here, the ability of the cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. (SAG 12.82) is shown to fulfill both needs: bioreduction of Au3+ ions to Au0 and the subsequent formation of crystalline Au0-nanoparticles as well as absence of the release of toxic substances (e.g., anatoxin-a). The time-dependent growth of the nanoparticles is recorded by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) over a range of several days. Formation of nanoparticles starts within the first minutes at the heterocyst polysaccharide layer (HEP). After 4 h, the dominating amount of nanoparticles is found in the vegetative cells. The bioproduced nanoparticles are found in both cell types, mainly located along the thylakoid membranes of the vegetative cells and have a final average size of 9 nm within the examined timescale of a few days.

Aspheric Solute Ions Modulate Gold Nanoparticle Interactions in an Aqueous Solution: An Optimal Way to Reversibly Concentrate Functionalized Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Villarreal, Oscar D; Chen, Liao Y; Whetten, Robert L; Demeler, Borries

2015-01-01

Nanometer-sized gold particles (AuNPs) are of peculiar interest because their behaviors in an aqueous solution are sensitive to changes in environmental factors including the size and shape of the solute ions. In order to determine these important characteristics, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations on the icosahedral Au144 nanoparticles each coated with a homogeneous set of 60 thiolates (4-mercapto-benzoate, pMBA) in eight aqueous solutions having ions of varying sizes and shapes (Na+, K+, tetramethylamonium cation TMA+, trisamonium cation TRS+, Cl−, and OH−). For each solution, we computed the reversible work (potential of mean of force) to bring two nanoparticles together as a function of their separation distance. We found that the behavior of pMBA protected Au144 nanoparticles can be readily modulated by tuning their aqueous environmental factors (pH and solute ion combinations). We examined the atomistic details on how the sizes and shapes of solute ions quantitatively factor in the definitive characteristics of nanoparticle-environment and nanoparticle-nanoparticle interactions. We predict that tuning the concentrations of non-spherical composite ions such as TRS+ in an aqueous solution of AuNPs be an effective means to modulate the aggregation propensity desired in biomedical and other applications of small charged nanoparticles. PMID:26581232

Aspheric Solute Ions Modulate Gold Nanoparticle Interactions in an Aqueous Solution: An Optimal Way To Reversibly Concentrate Functionalized Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Villarreal, Oscar D; Chen, Liao Y; Whetten, Robert L; Demeler, Borries

2015-12-17

Nanometer-sized gold particles (AuNPs) are of peculiar interest because their behaviors in an aqueous solution are sensitive to changes in environmental factors including the size and shape of the solute ions. In order to determine these important characteristics, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations on the icosahedral Au144 nanoparticles each coated with a homogeneous set of 60 thiolates (4-mercaptobenzoate, pMBA) in eight aqueous solutions having ions of varying sizes and shapes (Na(+), K(+), tetramethylamonium cation TMA(+), tris-ammonium cation TRS(+), Cl(-), and OH(-)). For each solution, we computed the reversible work (potential of mean of force) to bring two nanoparticles together as a function of their separation distance. We found that the behavior of pMBA protected Au144 nanoparticles can be readily modulated by tuning their aqueous environmental factors (pH and solute ion combinations). We examined the atomistic details on how the sizes and shapes of solute ions quantitatively factor in the definitive characteristics of nanoparticle-environment and nanoparticle-nanoparticle interactions. We predict that tuning the concentrations of nonspherical composite ions such as TRS(+) in an aqueous solution of AuNPs be an effective means to modulate the aggregation propensity desired in biomedical and other applications of small charged nanoparticles.

Concentration Dependence of Gold Nanoparticles for Fluorescence Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, Joel; Wittmershaus, Bruce

Noble metal nanoparticles possess a unique property known as surface plasmon resonance in which the conduction electrons oscillate due to incoming light, dramatically increasing their absorption and scattering of light. The oscillating electrons create a varying electric field that can affect nearby molecules. The fluorescence and photostability of fluorophores can be enhanced significantly when they are near plasmonic nanoparticles. This effect is called metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF). MEF from two fluorescence organic dyes, Lucifer Yellow CH and Riboflavin, was measured with different concentrations of 50-nm colloidal gold nanoparticles (Au-NP). The concentration range of Au-NP was varied from 2.5 to 250 pM. To maximize the interaction, the dyes were chosen so their emission spectra had considerable overlap with the absorption spectra of the Au-NP, which is common in MEF studies. If the dye molecules are too close to the surface of Au-NP, fluorescence quenching can occur instead of MEF. To try to observe this difference, silica-coated Au-NP were compared to citrate-based Au-NP; however, fluorescence quenching was observed with both Au-NP. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number NSF-ECCS-1306157.

Fabrication of Au- and Ag–SiO{sub 2} inverse opals having both localized surface plasmon resonance and Bragg diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erola, Markus O.A.; Philip, Anish; Ahmed, Tanzir

The inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} containing metal nanoparticles can have both the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metal nanoparticles and the Bragg diffraction of inverse opal crystals of SiO{sub 2}, which are very useful properties for applications, such as tunable photonic structures, catalysts and sensors. However, effective processes for fabrication of these films from colloidal particles have rarely been reported. In our study, two methods for preparation of inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} with three different crystal sizes and containing gold or silver nanoparticles (NPs) via self-assembly using electrostatic interactions and capillary forces are reported. Themore » Bragg diffraction of inverse opal films of SiO{sub 2} in the presence and absence of the template was measured and predicted on the basis of with UV–vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The preparation methods used provided good-quality inverse opal SiO{sub 2} films containing highly dispersed, plasmonic AuNPs or AgNPs and having both Bragg diffractions and LSPRs. - Graphical abstract: For syntheses of SiO{sub 2} inverse opals containing Au/Ag nanoparticles two approaches and three template sizes were employed. Self-assembly of template molecules and metal nanoparticles occurred using electrostatic interactions and capillary forces. Both the Bragg diffraction of the photonic crystal and the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au/Ag nanoparticles were detected. - Highlights: • Fabrication methods of silica inverse opals containing metal nanoparticles studied. • Three template sizes used to produce SiO{sub 2} inverse opals with Au/Ag nanoparticles. • PS templates with Au nanoparticles adsorbed used in formation of inverse opals. • Ag particles infiltrated in inverse opals with capillary and electrostatic forces. • Bragg diffractions of IOs and surface plasmon resonances of nanoparticles observed.« less

Cytotoxicity, intracellular localization and exocytosis of citrate capped and PEG functionalized gold nanoparticles in human hepatocyte and kidney cells.

PubMed

Tlotleng, Nonhlanhla; Vetten, Melissa A; Keter, Frankline K; Skepu, Amanda; Tshikhudo, Robert; Gulumian, Mary

2016-08-01

Surface-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are nanomaterials that hold promise in drug delivery applications. In this study, the cytotoxicity, uptake, intracellular localization, and the exocytosis of citrate-stabilized (Cit-AuNP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified gold nanoparticles with the carboxyl (COOH) terminal functional group were assessed in human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) and the human caucasian hepatocytes carcinoma (Hep G2) cell systems, representing two major accumulation sites for AuNPs. The zeta (ζ)-potential measurements confirmed the negative surface charge of the AuNPs in water and in cell growth medium. The transmission electron microscopy confirmed the size and morphology of the AuNPs. Both types of AuNPs were shown to induce cytotoxic effects in cells. The Hep G2 cells were more sensitive cell type, with the COOH-PEG-AuNPs inducing the highest toxicity at higher concentrations. Dark field microscopy and TEM images revealed that the AuNPs were internalized in cells, mostly as agglomerates. TEM micrographs further revealed that the AuNPs were confined as agglomerates inside vesicle-like compartments, likely to be endosomal and lysosomal structures as well as in the cytosol, mostly as individual particles. The AuNPs were shown to remain in cellular compartments for up to 3 weeks, but thereafter, clearance of the gold nanoparticles from the cells by exocytosis was evident. The results presented in this study may therefore give an indication on the fate of AuNPs on long-term exposure to cells and may also assist in safety evaluation of AuNPs.

Dual structural transition in small nanoparticles of Cu-Au alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gafner, Yuri; Gafner, Svetlana; Redel, Larisa; Zamulin, Ivan

2018-02-01

Cu-Au alloy nanoparticles are known to be widely used in the catalysis of various chemical reactions as it was experimentally defined that in many cases the partial substitution of copper with gold increases catalytic activity. However, providing the reaction capacity of alloy nanoparticles the surface electronic structure strongly depends on their atomic ordering. Therefore, to theoretically determine catalytic properties, one needs to use a most real structural model complying with Cu-Au nanoparticles under various external influences. So, thermal stability limits were studied for the initial L12 phase in Cu3Au nanoalloy clusters up to 8.0 nm and Cu-Au clusters up to 3.0 nm at various degrees of Au atom concentration, with molecular dynamics method using a modified tight-binding TB-SMA potential. Dual structural transition L12 → FCC and further FCC → Ih is shown to be possible under the thermal factor in Cu3Au and Cu-Au clusters with the diameter up to 3.0 nm. The temperature of the structural transition FCC → Ih is established to decrease for small particles of Cu-Au alloy under the increase of Au atom concentration. For clusters with this structural transition, the melting point is found to be a linear increasing function of concentration, and for clusters without FCC → Ih structural transition, the melting point is a linear decreasing function of Au content. Thus, the article shows that doping Cu nanoclusters with Au atoms allows to control the forming structure as well as the melting point.

Towards better light harvesting capability for DSSC (dye sensitized solar cells) through addition of Au@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadhilah, Nur; Alhadi, Emha Riyadhul Jinan; Risanti, Doty Dewi

2018-04-01

The Au nanoparticles as core can increase the light harvesting due to the strong near-field effect LSPR (Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance), effectively minimized the electron recombination process and also can improve the optical absorption of the dye sensitized. Au@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles were prepared using SiO2 extracted from Sidoarjo mud volcano. In this work investigated the influence of pH solution and silica shell volume fraction in Au@SiO2 nanoparticles core-shell structure on DSSC loaded with Ru-based dye. From XRD characterization it was found that core-shell contains SiO2, Au, γAl2O3 and traces NaCl. UV-Vis absorption spectra of core-shell showed the position of the surface plasmon AuNP band in the range of 500-600 nm. The Au@SiO2 core-shell with volume fraction of 30ml silica has the highest peak absorbance. The enhanced light absorption is primarily attributed to the LSPR effect of the Au core. Our results on incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency indicates that the presence of SiO2 depending on its volume fraction tends to shift to longer wavelength.

Dynamic imaging of a single gold nanoparticle in liquid irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond laser.

PubMed

Boutopoulos, Christos; Hatef, Ali; Fortin-Deschênes, Matthieu; Meunier, Michel

2015-07-21

Plasmonic nanoparticles can lead to extreme confinement of the light in the near field. This unique ability of plasmonic nanoparticles can be used to generate nanobubbles in liquid. In this work, we demonstrate with single-particle monitoring that 100 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond (fs) laser in the tissue therapeutic optical window (λ = 800 nm), can act as a durable nanolenses in liquid and provoke nanocavitation while remaining intact. We have employed combined ultrafast shadowgraphic imaging, in situ dark field imaging and dynamic tracking of AuNP Brownian motion to ensure the study of individual AuNPs/nanolenses under multiple fs laser pulses. We demonstrate that 100 nm AuNPs can generate multiple, highly confined (radius down to 550 nm) and transient (life time < 50 ns) nanobubbles. The latter is of significant importance for future development of in vivo AuNP-assisted laser nanosurgery and theranostic applications, where AuNP fragmentation should be avoided to prevent side effects, such as cytotoxicity and immune system's response. The experimental results have been correlated with theoretical modeling to provide an insight to the AuNP-safe cavitation mechanism as well as to investigate the deformation mechanism of the AuNPs at high laser fluences.

Sharp Transition from Nonmetallic Au246 to Metallic Au279 with Nascent Surface Plasmon Resonance.

PubMed

Higaki, Tatsuya; Zhou, Meng; Lambright, Kelly J; Kirschbaum, Kristin; Sfeir, Matthew Y; Jin, Rongchao

2018-05-02

The optical properties of metal nanoparticles have attracted wide interest. Recent progress in controlling nanoparticles with atomic precision (often called nanoclusters) provide new opportunities for investigating many fundamental questions, such as the transition from excitonic to plasmonic state, which is a central question in metal nanoparticle research because it provides insights into the origin of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as well as the formation of metallic bond. However, this question still remains elusive because of the extreme difficulty in preparing atomically precise nanoparticles larger than 2 nm. Here we report the synthesis and optical properties of an atomically precise Au 279 (SR) 84 nanocluster. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic analysis reveals that the Au 279 nanocluster shows a laser power dependence in its excited state lifetime, indicating metallic state of the particle, in contrast with the nonmetallic electronic structure of the Au 246 (SR) 80 nanocluster. Steady-state absorption spectra reveal that the nascent plasmon band of Au 279 at 506 nm shows no peak shift even down to 60 K, consistent with plasmon behavior. The sharp transition from nonmetallic Au 246 to metallic Au 279 is surprising and will stimulate future theoretical work on the transition and many other relevant issues.

Size-induced chemical and magnetic ordering in individual Fe-Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Pinaki; Manchanda, Priyanka; Kumar, Pankaj; Zhou, Lin; Kramer, Matthew J; Kashyap, Arti; Skomski, Ralph; Sellmyer, David; Shield, Jeffrey E

2014-08-26

Formation of chemically ordered compounds of Fe and Au is inhibited in bulk materials due to their limited mutual solubility. However, here we report the formation of chemically ordered L12-type Fe3Au and FeAu3 compounds in Fe-Au sub-10 nm nanoparticles, suggesting that they are equilibrium structures in size-constrained systems. The stability of these L12-ordered Fe3Au and FeAu3 compounds along with a previously discovered L10-ordered FeAu has been explained by a size-dependent equilibrium thermodynamic model. Furthermore, the spin ordering of these three compounds has been computed using ab initio first-principle calculations. All ordered compounds exhibit a substantial magnetization at room temperature. The Fe3Au had a high saturation magnetization of about 143.6 emu/g with a ferromagnetic spin structure. The FeAu3 nanoparticles displayed a low saturation magnetization of about 11 emu/g. This suggests a antiferromagnetic spin structure, with the net magnetization arising from uncompensated surface spins. First-principle calculations using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) indicate that ferromagnetic ordering is energetically most stable in Fe3Au, while antiferromagnetic order is predicted in FeAu and FeAu3, consistent with the experimental results.

Bi-functional Au/FeS (Au/Co3O4) composite for in situ SERS monitoring and degradation of organic pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Shuzhen; Cai, Qian; Lu, Kailing; Liao, Fan; Shao, Mingwang

2016-01-01

The bi-functional Au/FeS (Au/Co3O4) composite was fabricated by in situ reducing Au nanoparticles onto the surface of FeS (Co3O4). The as-prepared FeS possessed a multi-structure composed of plenty of nanoplates, which were coated by Au nanoparticles with an average size of 47.5 nm. While the Co3O4 showed a thin hexagonal sheet containing Au nanoparticles on its surface with an average size of 79.0 nm. Both the as-prepared Au/FeS and Au/Co3O4 composites exhibited excellent SERS performance, capable of enhancing the Raman signals of R6G molecules with the enhancement factor up to 1.81 × 106 and 7.60 × 104, respectively. Moreover, Au/FeS (Au/Co3O4) composite also has been verified to have intrinsic peroxidase-like activity, which could decompose H2O2 into hydroxyl radicals and then degrade organic pollutants into small molecules. Therefore, SERS can be used to real-time and in situ monitoring the degradation process of R6G molecules, employing the Au/FeS (Au/Co3O4) composite both as SERS substrate and catalyst.

Room-temperature cold-welding of gold nanoparticles for enhancing the electrooxidation of carbon monoxide.

PubMed

Liu, Cai; Li, Yong-Jun; Sun, Shi-Gang; Yeung, Edward S

2011-04-21

A cold-welding strategy is proposed to rapidly join together Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) into two-dimensional continuous structures for enhancing the electrooxidation of carbon monoxide by injecting a mixture of ethanol and tolulene into the bottom of a AuNP solution. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Multimetallic nanoparticle catalysts with enhanced electrooxidation

DOEpatents

Sun, Shouheng; Zhang, Sen; Zhu, Huiyuan; Guo, Shaojun

2015-07-28

A new structure-control strategy to optimize nanoparticle catalysis is provided. The presence of Au in FePtAu facilitates FePt structure transformation from chemically disordered face centered cubic (fcc) structure to chemically ordered face centered tetragonal (fct) structure, and further promotes formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR). The fct-FePtAu nanoparticles show high CO poisoning resistance, achieve mass activity as high as about 2810 mA/mg Pt, and retain greater than 90% activity after a 13 hour stability test.

LABEL-FREE DETECTION OF Pb2+ USING SPECIFIC DNAZYME AND UNMODIFIED Au NANOPARTICLE PROBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chengyong; Zhao, Zike; Liu, Yaoqian; Lv, Lulu; Qi, Bing; Lin, Haixia; He, Lei; Sun, Shengli

A simple and sensitive Pb2+ sensor is developed based on label-free 17E DNAzyme and unmodified Au nanoparticles. On this basis, Pb2+ concentration can be judged according to the color variation of Au nanoparticles. The detection limit is 100nM and linear range is 100nM-16μM. It can serve as a measurement tool for Pb2+ rapid detection, which provides reference for the development of sensors in environmental monitoring and food safety.

Photo-controlled aptamers delivery by dual surface gold-magnetic nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy.

PubMed

Zhao, Jian; Tu, Keyao; Liu, Yanlei; Qin, Yulei; Wang, Xiwei; Qi, Lifeng; Shi, Donglu

2017-11-01

Dual surfaced dumbbell-like gold magnetic nanoparticles (Au-Fe 3 O 4 ) were synthesized for targeted aptamers delivery. Their unique biological properties were characterized as a smart photo-controlled drug carrier. DNA aptamers targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assembled onto the surface of Au-Fe 3 O 4 by electrostatic absorption. The binding capacity of the nanoparticles with VEGF aptamers was confirmed by gel electrophoresis. The targeted recognization of ovarian cancer cells by the aptamers-functionalized Au-Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (Apt-Au-Fe 3 O 4 NPs) was observed by confocal microscopy. Apt-Au-Fe 3 O 4 was found to bind with SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells specifically, leading to marked intracellular release of aptamers upon plasmon-resonant light (605nm) radiation, and to enhance the in vitro inhibition against tumor cell proliferation. The results show high potential of Apt-Au-Fe 3 O 4 as a targeted cancer hyperthermia carrier by remote control with high spatial/temporal resolution. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using a cheap Sphaeranthus indicus extract: Impact on plant cells and the aquatic crustacean Artemia nauplii.

PubMed

Balalakshmi, Chinnasamy; Gopinath, Kasi; Govindarajan, Marimuthu; Lokesh, Ravi; Arumugam, Ayyakannu; Alharbi, Naiyf S; Kadaikunnan, Shine; Khaled, Jamal M; Benelli, Giovanni

2017-08-01

The impact of green-fabricated gold nanoparticles on plant cells and non-target aquatic species is scarcely studied. In this research, we reported an environment friendly technique for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using the Sphaeranthus indicus leaf extract. The formation of the metal NPs was characterized by UV-Visible and FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM and TEM analyses. The UV-Visible spectra of Au NPs showed a surface plasmon resonance peak at 531nm. FT-IR analysis indicated functional bio-molecules associated with Au NPs formation. The crystalline nature of Au nanoparticles was confirmed by their XRD diffraction pattern. TEM revealed the spherical shape with a mean particle size of 25nm. Au NPs was tested at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10% doses in mitotic cell division assays, pollen germination experiments, and in vivo toxicity trials against the aquatic crustacean Artemia nauplii. Au NPs did not show any toxic effects on plant cells and aquatic invertebrates. Notably, Au NPs promoted mitotic cell division in Allium cepa root tip cells and germination of Gloriosa superba pollen grains. Au NPs showed no mortality on A. nauplii, all the tested animals showed 100% survivability. Therefore, these Au NPs have potential applications in the development of pollen germination media and plant tissue culture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic circular dichroism of thiolate-protected plasmonic gold nanoparticles: separating the effects of interband transitions and surface magnetoplasmon resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiratsu, Taisuke; Yao, Hiroshi

2016-10-01

Magneto-optical activity is demonstrated in thiolate-protected Au nanoparticles with magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy. The samples examined are decanethiolate-protected Au nanoparticles with the mean diameters ranging from 2.0 to 4.7 nm. The nanoparticles larger than 2.4 nm in diameter exhibit a derivative-like MCD signal, indicating the presence of two circular modes of surface magnetoplasmon, but the spectral shape is so asymmetric that its identification is rather difficult. This is due to the contribution of interband transitions occurring at around the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) frequency. We then develop an efficient method to phenomenologically separate the effects of magnetoplasmonic intraband (= Drude) and interband transitions in the measured MCD spectra using an approximation that the optical response of the Au nanoparticle with a critical size (˜2.0 nm) for the disappearance of LSPR, which is also experimentally obtainable, is substantially dominated by the interband transitions. The consistency of the method is ensured for tiopronin-protected Au nanoparticles, and a very small bisignate magnetoplasmonic response hidden in the total MCD spectrum can be extracted. The practical advantage of the proposed method is that we can intuitively and effectively evaluate the characteristic features of the surface magnetoplasmon of thiolate-protected Au nanoparticles without performing complicated Mie or quasielectrostatic calculations.

X-ray computed tomography imaging of a tumor with high sensitivity using gold nanoparticles conjugated to a cancer-specific antibody via polyethylene glycol chains on their surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakagawa, Tomohiko; Gonda, Kohsuke; Kamei, Takashi; Cong, Liman; Hamada, Yoh; Kitamura, Narufumi; Tada, Hiroshi; Ishida, Takanori; Aimiya, Takuji; Furusawa, Naoko; Nakano, Yasushi; Ohuchi, Noriaki

2016-01-01

Contrast agents are often used to enhance the contrast of X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging of tumors to improve diagnostic accuracy. However, because the iodine-based contrast agents currently used in hospitals are of low molecular weight, the agent is rapidly excreted from the kidney or moves to extravascular tissues through the capillary vessels, depending on its concentration gradient. This leads to nonspecific enhancement of contrast images for tissues. Here, we created gold (Au) nanoparticles as a new contrast agent to specifically image tumors with CT using an enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Au has a higher X-ray absorption coefficient than does iodine. Au nanoparticles were supported with polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains on their surface to increase the blood retention and were conjugated with a cancer-specific antibody via terminal PEG chains. The developed Au nanoparticles were injected into tumor-bearing mice, and the distribution of Au was examined with CT imaging, transmission electron microscopy, and elemental analysis using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The results show that specific localization of the developed Au nanoparticles in the tumor is affected by a slight difference in particle size and enhanced by the conjugation of a specific antibody against the tumor.

WE-G-BRE-07: Proton Therapy Enhanced by Tumor-Targeting Gold Nanoparticles: A Pilot in Vivo Experiment at The Proton Therapy Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wolfe, T; Grant, J; Wolfe, A

Purpose: Assess tumor-growth delay and survival in a mouse model of prostate cancer treated with tumor-targeting gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and proton therapy. Methods: We first examined the accumulation of targeting nanoparticles within prostate tumors by imaging AuNPs with ultrasound-guided photoacoustics at 24h after the intravenous administration of goserelin-conjugated AuNPs (gAuNP) in three mice. Nanoparticles were also imaged at the cellular level with TEM in PC3 cells incubated with gAuNP for 24h. Pegylated AuNPs (pAuNP) were also imaged in vivo and in vitro for comparison. PC3 cells were then implanted subcutaneously in nude mice; 51mice with 8–10mm tumors were included. AuNPsmore » were injected intravenously at 0.2%w/w final gold concentration 24h before irradiation. A special jig was designed to facilitate tumor irradiation perpendicular to the proton beam. Proton energy was set to 180MeV, the radiation field was 18×18cm{sup 2}, and 9cm or 13.5cm thick solid-water compensators were used to position the tumors at either the beam entrance (BE) or the SOBP. Physical doses of 5Gy were delivered to all tumors on a patient beam line at MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center. Results: The photoacoustic experiment reveled that our nanoparticles leak from the tumor-feeding vasculature and accumulate within the tumor volume over time. Additionally, TEM images showed gAuNP are internalized in cancer cells, accumulating within the cytoplasm, whereas pAuNP are not. Tumor-growth was delayed by 11 or 32days in mice receiving gAuNP irradiated at the BE or the SOBP, relative to proton radiation alone. Survival curves (ongoing experiment) reveal that gAuNPs improved survival by 36% or 74% for tumors irradiated at the BE or SOBP. Conclusion: These important, albeit preliminary, in vivo findings reveal nanoparticles to be potent sensitizers to proton therapy. Further, conjugation of AuNPs to tumor-specific antigens that promote enhanced cellular internalization improved both tumor-growth delay and survival of mice after proton therapy.« less

Comprehensive investigation of core-shell dimer nanoparticles size, distance and thicknesses on performance of a hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarzadeh, Hamid

2018-03-01

Significant performance enhancement in an ultrathin perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) solar cell is done using plasmonic embedded core–shell dimer nanoparticles. Three-dimensional finite difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used. A perovskite absorber with a volume of 400 × 400 × 200 nm3 is considered. At first, a cell with one embedded nanoparticle is simulated. Absorptance of CH3NH3PbI3 absorber and gold nanoparticle are obtained. An optimization is done. Then a cell with embedded dimer nanoparticles is evaluated. The results show higher photocurrent enhancement for that in compared to a cell with one embedded nanoparticle. To further photocurrent enhancement, gold-SiO2 core–shell nanoparticles are used. Photocurrents of 23.37 mA cm‑2, 23.3 mA cm‑2, 22.5 mA cm‑2 and 21.47 mA cm‑2 are obtained for a cell with two embedded core–shell nanoparticles with core radius of 60 nm and shell thickness of 2 nm, 5 nm, 10 nm and 20 nm, respectively. It is important to mention that the photocurrent is 17.9 mA cm‑2 for reference cell and 19.8 mA cm‑2 for a cell with one embedded nanoparticle. Higher photocurrent is due to the near-field plasmonic effect.

Dual stimuli-sensitive dendrimers: Photothermogenic gold nanoparticle-loaded thermo-responsive elastin-mimetic dendrimers.

PubMed

Fukushima, Daichi; Sk, Ugir Hossain; Sakamoto, Yasuhiro; Nakase, Ikuhiko; Kojima, Chie

2015-08-01

Dendrimers are synthetic macromolecules with unique structures that can work as nanoplatforms for both photothermogenic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and thermosensitive elastin-like peptides (ELPs) with valine-proline-glycine-valine-glycine (VPGVG) repeats. In this study, photothermogenic AuNPs were loaded into thermo-responsive elastin-mimetic dendrimers (dendrimers conjugating ELPs at their periphery) to produce dual stimuli-sensitive nanoparticles. Polyamidoamine G4 dendrimers were modified with acetylated VPGVG and (VPGVG)2, and the resulting materials were named ELP1-den and ELP2-den, respectively. The AuNPs were prepared by the reduction of Au ions using a dendrimer-nanotemplated method. The AuNP-loaded elastin-mimetic dendrimers exhibited photothermal properties. ELP1-den and ELP2-den showed similar temperature-dependent changes in their conformations. Phase transitions were observed at around 55°C and 35°C for the AuNP-loaded ELP1-den and AuNP-loaded ELP2-den, respectively, but not for the corresponding PEGylated dendrimer. In contrast to the AuNP-loaded PEGylated dendrimer, AuNP-loaded ELP2-den readily associated with cells and induced efficient photocytotoxicity at 37°C. The cell association and the photocytotoxicity properties of AuNP-loaded ELP2-den could be controlled by temperature. These results therefore suggest that dual stimuli-sensitive dendrimer nanoparticles of this type could be used for photothermal therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-temperature and highly enhanced NO2 sensing performance of Au-functionalized WO3 microspheres with a hierarchical nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yanbai; Bi, Hongshan; Li, Tingting; Zhong, Xiangxi; Chen, Xiangxiang; Fan, Anfeng; Wei, Dezhou

2018-03-01

Hierarchically nanostructured WO3 microspheres that had two types of Au functionalization modes (i.e., Au-loaded mode and Au-doped mode) were characterized in terms of their microstructure and NO2 sensing performance. Pure, Au-loaded, and Au-doped WO3 microspheres were synthesized using a hydrothermal method, followed by a dipping method for Au-loaded WO3 microspheres. Microstructure characterization indicated that uniform microspheres with 3-6 μm in diameter were assembled from numerous well-defined individual WO3 nanorods with a single crystal hexagonal structure. The morphology and size of the WO3 microspheres were not affected by the functionalization of the Au nanoparticles, and the W, O, and Au elements were well-distributed in the WO3 microspheres. The NO2 sensing properties indicated that the Au nanoparticles not only improved the sensor response and reproducibility but also decreased the operating temperature at which the sensor response reached a maximum. Gas sensors based on pure, Au-loaded, and Au-doped WO3 microspheres exhibited a linear relationship between the sensor response and NO2 concentration. The sensing performance was significantly enhanced in the following order: pure, Au-loaded, and Au-doped WO3 microspheres. This result is due to the modulation of the depletion layer via oxygen adsorption as well as chemical and electronic sensitization of Au nanoparticles.

Phototodynamic activity of zinc monocarboxyphenoxy phthalocyane (ZnMCPPc) conjugated to gold silver (AuAg) nanoparticles in melanoma cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoto, Sello L.; Oluwole, David O.; Malabi, Rudzani; Maphanga, Charles; Ombinda-Lemboumba, Saturnin; Nyokong, Tebello; Mthunzi-Kufa, Patience

2017-02-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive therapeutic modality for the treatment of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. In PDT of cancer, irradiation with light of a specific wavelength leads to activation of a photosensitizer which results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which induces cell death. Many phthalocyanine photosensitizers are hydrophobic and insoluble in water, which limits their therapeutic efficiency. Consequently, advanced delivery systems and strategies are needed to improve the effectiveness of these photosensitizers. Nanoparticles have shown promising results in increasing aqueous solubility, bioavailability, stability and delivery of photosensitizers to their target. This study investigated the photodynamic activity of zinc monocarboxyphenoxy phthalocyanine (ZnMCPPc) conjugated to gold silver (AuAg) nanoparticles in melanoma cancer cells. The photodynamic activity of ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles were evaluated using cellular morphology, viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity. Untreated cells showed no changes in cellular morphology, proliferation and cytotoxicity. However, photoactivated ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles showed changes in cell morphology and a dose dependent decrease in cellular viability, proliferation and an increase in cell membrane damage. The ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles used in this study was highly effective in inducing cell death of melanoma cancer cells.

Protein Viability on Au Nanoparticles during an Electrospray and Electrostatic-Force-Directed Assembly Process

DOE PAGES

Mao, Shun; Lu, Ganhua; Yu, Kehan; ...

2010-01-01

We study the protein viability on Au nanoparticles during an electrospray and electrostatic-force-directed assembly process, through which Au nanoparticle-antibody conjugates are assembled onto the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to fabricate carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNTFET) biosensors. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and field-effect transistor (FET) measurements have been used to investigate the antibody activity after the nanoparticle assembly. Upon the introduction of matching antigens, the colored reaction from the ELISA and the change in the electrical characteristic of the CNTFET device confirm that the antibody activity is preserved during the assembly process.

Antimicrobial and anticancer efficacy of antineoplastic agent capped gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Selvaraj, V; Grace, A Nirmala; Alagar, M; Hamerton, I

2010-04-01

Synthesis of thioguanine (TG)-capped Au nanoparticles (Au@TG) and their enhanced in vitro antimicrobial and anticancer efficacy against Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger and Hep2 cancer cell (Human epidermiod cell) have been reported. The nature of binding between 6-TG and the gold nanoparticles via complexation is investigated using ultraviolet-visible spectrum, cyclic voltammetry, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The present experimental studies suggests that Au@TG are more potential than TG towards antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Hence, gold nanoparticles have the potential to be used as effective carriers for anticancer drug.

Formation and Stability of Pb-Sn Embedded Multiphase Alloy Nanoparticles via Mechanical Alloying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Patan Yousaf; Devi, M. Manolata; Biswas, Krishanu

2015-08-01

The present paper describes the preparation, characterization, and stability of Pb-Sn multiphase alloy nanoparticles embedded in Al matrix via mechanical alloying (MA). MA is a solid-state processing route, which can produce nanocrystalline phases by severely deforming the materials at high strain rate. Therefore, in order to understand the effect of the increasing interface as well as defects on the phase transformation behavior of Pb-Sn nanoparticles, Pb-Sn multiphase nanoparticles have been embedded in Al by MA. The nanoparticles have extensively been characterized using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. The characterization reveals the formation of biphasic as well as single-phase solid solution nanoparticles embedded in the matrix. The detailed microstructural and differential scanning calorimetry studies indicate that the formation of biphasic nanoparticles is due to size effect, mechanical attrition, and ballistic diffusion of Pb and Sn nanoparticles embedded in Al grains. Thermal characterization data reveal that the heating event consists of the melting peaks due to the multiphase nanoparticles and the peak positions shift to lower temperature with the increase in milling time. The role of interface structure is believed to play a prominent role in determining the phase stability of the nanoparticle. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature.

Simple size-controlled synthesis of Au nanoparticles and their size-dependent catalytic activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suchomel, Petr; Kvitek, Libor; Prucek, Robert

The controlled preparation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) in the size range of 6 to 22 nm is explored in this study. The Au NPs were prepared by the reduction of tetrachloroauric acid using maltose in the presence of nonionic surfactant Tween 80 at various concentrations to control the size of the resulting Au NPs. With increasing concentration of Tween 80 a decrease in the size of produced Au NPs was observed, along with a significant decrease in their size distribution. The size-dependent catalytic activity of the synthesized Au NPs was tested in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride, resultingmore » in increasing catalytic activity with decreasing size of the prepared nanoparticles. Eley-Rideal catalytic mechanism emerges as the more probable, in contrary to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism reported for other noble metal nanocatalysts.« less

Enantiomeric separations of chiral pharmaceuticals using chirally modified tetrahexahedral Au nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, N.; Yang, D.; Gellman, A. J.

2016-06-01

Tetrahexahedral (THH, 24-sided) Au nanoparticles modified with D- or L-cysteine (Cys) have been used as enantioselective separators of the chiral pharmaceutical propranolol (PLL) in solution phase. Polarimetry has been used to measure the rotation of linearly polarized light by solutions containing mixtures of PLL and Cys/THH-Au NPs with varying enantiomeric excesses of each. Polarimetry yields clear evidence of enantiospecific adsorption of PLL onto the Cys/THH-Au NPs. This extends prior work using propylene oxide as a test chiral probe, by using the crystalline THH Au NPs with well-defined facets to separate a real pharmaceutical. This work suggests that chiral nanoparticles, coupled with a density separation method such as centrifugation, could be used for enantiomeric purification of real pharmaceuticals. A simple robust model developed earlier has also been used to extract the enantiospecific equilibrium constants for R- and S-PLL adsorption onto the D- and L-Cys/THH-Au NPs.

Simple size-controlled synthesis of Au nanoparticles and their size-dependent catalytic activity

DOE PAGES

Suchomel, Petr; Kvitek, Libor; Prucek, Robert; ...

2018-03-15

The controlled preparation of Au nanoparticles (NPs) in the size range of 6 to 22 nm is explored in this study. The Au NPs were prepared by the reduction of tetrachloroauric acid using maltose in the presence of nonionic surfactant Tween 80 at various concentrations to control the size of the resulting Au NPs. With increasing concentration of Tween 80 a decrease in the size of produced Au NPs was observed, along with a significant decrease in their size distribution. The size-dependent catalytic activity of the synthesized Au NPs was tested in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride, resultingmore » in increasing catalytic activity with decreasing size of the prepared nanoparticles. Eley-Rideal catalytic mechanism emerges as the more probable, in contrary to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism reported for other noble metal nanocatalysts.« less

Tuning the nonlinear optical absorption in Au/BaTiO3 nanocomposites with gold nanoparticle concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bijeesh, M. M.; Shakhi, P. K.; Varier, Geetha K.; Nandakumar, P.

2018-06-01

We report on the nonlinear optical absorption coefficient of Au/BaTiO3 nanocomposite films and its dependence on gold nanoparticle concentration. Au/BaTiO3 nanocomposite films with different molar ratio of Au/Ba are prepared by sol-gel technique and characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV Visible absorption spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. An open aperture Z-scan technique is employed to study the third order nonlinear optical properties of Au/BaTiO3 thin films. An Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm wavelength having a pulse width of 5 ns is used for the measurements. The two-photon absorption coefficient of the films increases linearly with gold nanoparticle concentration and significant enhancement of nonlinear optical absorption is observed. This ability to fine tune the nonlinear optical coefficients of Au/BaTiO3 films would be handy in optical device applications.

Au/ZnO nanoarchitectures with Au as both supporter and antenna of visible-light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tianyu; Chen, Wei; Hua, Yuxiang; Liu, Xiaoheng

2017-01-01

In this paper, we fabricate Au/ZnO nanostructure with smaller ZnO nanoparticles loaded onto bigger gold nanoparticles via combining seed-mediated method and sol-gel method. The obtained Au/ZnO nanocomposites exhibit excellent properties in photocatalysis process like methyl orange (MO) degradation and oxidative conversion of methanol into formaldehyde under visible light irradiation. The enhanced properties were ascribed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Au nanoparticles, which could contribute to the separation of photo-excited electrons and holes and facilitate the process of absorbing visible light. This paper contributes to the emergence of multi-functional nanocomposites with possible applications in visible-light driven photocatalysts and makes the Au/ZnO photocatalyst an exceptional choice for practical applications such as environmental purification of organic pollutants in aqueous solution and the synthesis of fine chemicals and intermediates.

Preparation of gold nanoparticles using Salicornia brachiata plant extract and evaluation of catalytic and antibacterial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayaz Ahmed, Khan Behlol; Subramanian, Swetha; Sivasubramanian, Aravind; Veerappan, Ganapathy; Veerappan, Anbazhagan

2014-09-01

The current study deals with the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Salicornia brachiata (Sb) and evaluation of their antibacterial and catalytic activity. The SbAuNPs showed purple color with a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 532 nm. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed polydispersed AuNPs with the size range from 22 to 35 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray and thin layer X-ray diffraction analysis clearly shows that SbAuNPs was pure and crystalline in nature. As prepared gold nanoparticles was used as a catalyst for the sodium borohydride reduction of 4-nitro phenol to 4-amino phenol and methylene blue to leucomethylene blue. The green synthesized nanoparticles exhibited potent antibacterial activity against the pathogenic bacteria, as evidenced by their zone of inhibition. In addition, we showed that the SbAuNPs in combination with the regular antibiotic, ofloxacin, exhibit superior antibacterial activity than the individual.

Controlling the Nanoscale Patterning of AuNPs on Silicon Surfaces

PubMed Central

Williams, Sophie E.; Davies, Philip R.; Bowen, Jenna L.; Allender, Chris J.

2013-01-01

This study evaluates the effectiveness of vapour-phase deposition for creating sub-monolayer coverage of aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) on silicon in order to exert control over subsequent gold nanoparticle deposition. Surface coverage was evaluated indirectly by observing the extent to which gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) deposited onto the modified silicon surface. By varying the distance of the silicon wafer from the APTES source and concentration of APTES in the evaporating media, control over subsequent gold nanoparticle deposition was achievable to an extent. Fine control over AuNP deposition (AuNPs/μm2) however, was best achieved by adjusting the ionic concentration of the AuNP-depositing solution. Furthermore it was demonstrated that although APTES was fully removed from the silicon surface following four hours incubation in water, the gold nanoparticle-amino surface complex was stable under the same conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study these affects. PMID:28348330

Single plasmonic nanoparticles for ultrasensitive DNA sensing: From invisible to visible.

PubMed

Guo, Longhua; Chen, Lichan; Hong, Seungpyo; Kim, Dong-Hwan

2016-05-15

The background signal is a major factor that restricts the limit of detection of biosensors. Herein, we present a zero-background DNA-sensing approach that utilizes enzyme-guided gold nanoparticle (AuNP) enlargement. This sensing strategy is based on the finding that small nanoparticles are invisible under a darkfield optical microscope, thus completely eliminating the background signal. In the event of target binding, Ag deposition is triggered and enlarges the AuNP beyond its optical diffraction limit, thereby making the invisible AuNP visible. Because the plasmon scattering of Ag is stronger than that of Au, only a thin layer of Ag is required to greatly enhance the scattering intensity of the AuNPs. Our investigation revealed that a target DNA concentration as low as 5.0×10(-21)M can transform the darkfield image of the nanoparticle from completely dark (invisible) to a blue dot (visible). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A dewetting route to grow heterostructured nanoparticles based on thin film heterojunctions.

PubMed

Li, Junjie; Yin, Deqiang; Li, Qiang; Chen, Chunlin; Huang, Sumei; Wang, Zhongchang

2015-12-21

Heterostructured nanoparticles have received considerable attention for their various applications due to their unique and tunable functionalities with respect to their individual bulk constituents. However, the current wet chemical synthesis of multicomponent heterostructured nanoparticles is rather complicated. Here, we report a simple and quick method to fabricate Co-Au dumbbell arrays by dewetting Co/Au heterojunctions on a Si substrate and demonstrate that the Co-Au dumbbells vary in size from 2 to 28 nm. We further show by chemical mapping that Co bells are covered by a pseudomorphic Au wetting layer of ∼4 Å, preventing the bells from oxidation. By controlling the thickness of metal heterojunctions and the annealing time, the morphology of the Co-Au nanoparticle is found to be transformed from the dumbbell to the core shell. This facile route is demonstrated to be useful for fabricating other metal-metal and metal-oxide heterostructures and hence holds technological promise for functional applications.

Preparation and catalytic activities for H{sub 2}O{sub 2} decomposition of Rh/Au bimetallic nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Haijun, E-mail: zhanghaijun@wust.edu.cn; The State Key Laboratory of Refractory and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081; Deng, Xiangong

2016-07-15

Graphical abstract: PVP-protected Rh/Au bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) were prepared by using hydrogen sacrificial reduction method, the activity of Rh80Au20 BNPs were about 3.6 times higher than that of Rh NPs. - Highlights: • Rh/Au bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) of 3∼5 nm in diameter were prepared. • Activity for H{sub 2}O{sub 2} decomposition of BNPs is 3.6 times higher than that of Rh NPs. • The high activity of BNPs was caused by the existence of charged Rh atoms. • The apparent activation energy for H{sub 2}O{sub 2} decomposition over the BNPs was calculated. - Abstract: PVP-protected Rh/Au bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) weremore » prepared by using hydrogen sacrificial reduction method and characterized by UV–vis, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, TEM, HR-TEM and DF-STEM, the effects of composition on their particle sizes and catalytic activities for H{sub 2}O{sub 2} decomposition were also studied. The as-prepared Rh/Au BNPs possessed a high catalytic activity for the H{sub 2}O{sub 2} decomposition, and the activity of the Rh{sub 80}Au{sub 20} BNPs with average size of 2.7 nm were about 3.6 times higher than that of Rh monometallic nanoparticles (MNPs) even the Rh MNPs possess a smaller particle size of 1.7 nm. In contrast, Au MNPs with size of 2.7 nm show no any activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation as well as XPS results showed that charged Rh and Au atoms formed via electronic charge transfer effects could be responsible for the high catalytic activity of the BNPs.« less

Beet juice utilization: Expeditious green synthesis of nobel metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd) using microwaves

EPA Science Inventory

Metal nanoparticles of Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd were prepared in aqueous solutions via a rapid microwave-assisted green method using beet juice, an abundant sugar-rich agricultural produce, served as both a reducing and a capping reagent. The Ag nanoparticles with capping prepared by b...

Prediction of a low-temperature N2 dissociation catalyst exploiting near-IR–to–visible light nanoplasmonics

PubMed Central

Martirez, John Mark P.; Carter, Emily A.

2017-01-01

Despite more than a century of advances in catalyst and production plant design, the Haber-Bosch process for industrial ammonia (NH3) synthesis still requires energy-intensive high temperatures and pressures. We propose taking advantage of sunlight conversion into surface plasmon resonances in Au nanoparticles to enhance the rate of the N2 dissociation reaction, which is the bottleneck in NH3 production. We predict that this can be achieved through Mo doping of the Au surface based on embedded multireference correlated wave function calculations. The Au component serves as a light-harvesting antenna funneling energy onto the Mo active site, whereby excited-state channels (requiring 1.4 to 1.45 eV, near-infrared–to–visible plasmon resonances) may be accessed. This effectively lowers the energy barriers to 0.44 to 0.77 eV/N2 (43 to 74 kJ/mol N2) from 3.5 eV/N2 (335 kJ/mol N2) in the ground state. The overall process requires three successive surface excitation events, which could be facilitated by amplified resonance energy transfer due to plasmon local field enhancement. PMID:29291247

Gold nanoparticles: sonocatalytic synthesis using ethanolic extract of Andrographis paniculata and functionalization with polycaprolactone-gelatin composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, Punuri Jayasekhar; Saranya, Sibyala; Sharma, Pragya; Tamuli, Ranjan; Bora, Utpal

2012-09-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized by sonication using ethanolic leaf extract of Andrographis paniculata. We investigated the optimum parameters for AuNP synthesis and functionalization with polycaprolactone-gelatin (PCL-GL) composites. The AuNPs were characterized with various biophysical techniques such as TEM, XRD, FT-IR and EDX spectroscopy. TEM images showed that nanoparticles were spherical in shape with a size range from 5 to 75 nm. EDX analysis revealed the presence of molecular oxygen and carbon on the surface of AuNPs. The synthesized AuNPs were tested for their effect on HeLa (human cervical cancer) and MCF-7 (human breast cancer) cell lines and found to be nontoxic and biocompatible, which are potential carriers for hydrophobic drugs.

Gold decorated NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4/silica (core/shell/shell) upconversion nanoparticles for photothermal destruction of BE(2)-C neuroblastoma cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Li Peng; Zhou, Li Han; Too, Heng-Phon; Chow, Gan-Moog

2011-02-01

Gold decorated NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4/silica (core/shell/shell) upconversion (UC) nanoparticles ( 70-80 nm) were synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate and chloroauric acid in a one-step reverse microemulsion method. Gold nanoparticles ( 6 nm) were deposited on the surface of silica shell of these core/shell/shell nanoparticles. The total upconversion emission intensity (green, red, and blue) of the core/shell/shell nanoparticles decreased by 31% after Au was deposited on the surface of silica shell. The upconverted green light was coupled with the surface plasmon of Au leading to rapid heat conversion. These UC/silica/Au nanoparticles were very efficient to destroy BE(2)-C cancer cells and showed strong potential in photothermal therapy.

Highly sensitive and rapid bacteria detection using molecular beacon-Au nanoparticles hybrid nanoprobes.

PubMed

Cao, Jing; Feng, Chao; Liu, Yan; Wang, Shouyu; Liu, Fei

2014-07-15

Since many diseases are caused by pathogenic bacterial infections, accurate and rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria is in urgent need to timely apply appropriate treatments and to reduce economic costs. To end this, we designed molecular beacon-Au nanoparticle hybrid nanoprobes to improve the bacterial detection efficiency and sensitivity. Here, we show that the designed molecular beacon modified Au nanoparticles could specifically recognize synthetic DNAs targets and can readily detect targets in clinical samples. Moreover, the hybrid nanoprobes can recognize Escherichia coli within an hour at a concentration of 10(2) cfu/ml, which is 1000-folds sensitive than using molecular beacon directly. Our results show that the molecular beacon-Au nanoparticle hybrid nanoprobes have great potential in medical and biological applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Noble metal nanostructures for double plasmon resonance with tunable properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petr, M.; Kylián, O.; Kuzminova, A.; Kratochvíl, J.; Khalakhan, I.; Hanuš, J.; Biederman, H.

2017-02-01

We report and compare two vacuum-based strategies to produce Ag/Au materials characterized by double plasmon resonance peaks: magnetron sputtering and method based on the use of gas aggregation sources (GAS) of nanoparticles. It was observed that the double plasmon resonance peaks may be achieved by both of these methods and that the intensities of individual localized surface plasmon resonance peaks may be tuned by deposition conditions. However, in the case of sputter deposition it was necessary to introduce a separation dielectric interlayer in between individual Ag and Au nanoparticle films which was not the case of films prepared by GAS systems. The differences in the optical properties of sputter deposited bimetallic Ag/Au films and coatings consisted of individual Ag and Au nanoparticles produced by GAS is ascribed to the divers mechanisms of nanoparticles formation.

Interfacial Self-Assembly of Polyelectrolyte-Capped Gold Nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Honghu; Nayak, Srikanth; Wang, Wenjie

Here, we report on pH- and salt-responsive assembly of nanoparticles capped with polyelectrolytes at vapor–liquid interfaces. Two types of alkylthiol-terminated poly(acrylic acid) (PAAs, varying in length) are synthesized and used to functionalize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to mimic similar assembly effects of single-stranded DNA-capped AuNPs using synthetic polyelectrolytes. Using surface-sensitive X-ray scattering techniques, including grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR), we demonstrate that PAA-AuNPs spontaneously migrate to the vapor–liquid interfaces and form Gibbs monolayers by decreasing the pH of the suspension. The Gibbs monoalyers show chainlike structures of monoparticle thickness. The pH-induced self-assembly is attributed to themore » protonation of carboxyl groups and to hydrogen bonding between the neighboring PAA-AuNPs. In addition, we show that adding MgCl 2 to PAA-AuNP suspensions also induces adsorption at the interface and that the high affinity between magnesium ions and carboxyl groups leads to two- and three-dimensional clusters that yield partial surface coverage and poorer ordering of NPs at the interface. We also examine the assembly of PAA-AuNPs in the presence of a positively charged Langmuir monolayer that promotes the attraction of the negatively charged capped NPs by electrostatic forces. Our results show that synthetic polyelectrolyte-functionalized nanoparticles exhibit interfacial self-assembly behavior similar to that of DNA-functionalized nanoparticles, providing a pathway for nanoparticle assembly in general.« less

Interfacial Self-Assembly of Polyelectrolyte-Capped Gold Nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Honghu; Nayak, Srikanth; Wang, Wenjie; ...

2017-10-06

Here, we report on pH- and salt-responsive assembly of nanoparticles capped with polyelectrolytes at vapor–liquid interfaces. Two types of alkylthiol-terminated poly(acrylic acid) (PAAs, varying in length) are synthesized and used to functionalize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to mimic similar assembly effects of single-stranded DNA-capped AuNPs using synthetic polyelectrolytes. Using surface-sensitive X-ray scattering techniques, including grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR), we demonstrate that PAA-AuNPs spontaneously migrate to the vapor–liquid interfaces and form Gibbs monolayers by decreasing the pH of the suspension. The Gibbs monoalyers show chainlike structures of monoparticle thickness. The pH-induced self-assembly is attributed to themore » protonation of carboxyl groups and to hydrogen bonding between the neighboring PAA-AuNPs. In addition, we show that adding MgCl 2 to PAA-AuNP suspensions also induces adsorption at the interface and that the high affinity between magnesium ions and carboxyl groups leads to two- and three-dimensional clusters that yield partial surface coverage and poorer ordering of NPs at the interface. We also examine the assembly of PAA-AuNPs in the presence of a positively charged Langmuir monolayer that promotes the attraction of the negatively charged capped NPs by electrostatic forces. Our results show that synthetic polyelectrolyte-functionalized nanoparticles exhibit interfacial self-assembly behavior similar to that of DNA-functionalized nanoparticles, providing a pathway for nanoparticle assembly in general.« less

A nanoparticle-based epigenetic modulator for efficient gene modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongkulapa, Thanapat

Modulation of gene expression through chromatin remodeling involves epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone acetylation. Acetylation is tightly regulated by two classes of enzymes, histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Molecules that can regulate these enzymes by altering (activating or inhibiting) their functions have become a valuable tool for understanding cell development and diseases. HAT activators, i.e. N-(4-Chloro-(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2-ethoxybenzamide (CTB), have shown a therapeutic potential for many diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. However, these compounds encounter a solubility and a membrane permeability issue, which restricts their full potential for practical usage, especially for in vivo applications. To address this issue, in this work, we developed a nanoparticle-based HAT activator CTB, named Au-CTB, by incorporating a new CTB analogue onto gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) along with a poly(ethylene glycol) moiety and a nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide to assist with solubility and membrane permeability. We found that our new CTB analogue and Au-CTB could activate HAT activity. Significantly, an increase in potency to activate HAT activity by Au-CTB proved the effectiveness of using the nanoparticle delivery platform. In addition, the versatility of Au-CTB platform permits the attachment of multiple ligands with tunable ratios on the nanoparticle surface via facile surface functionalization of gold nanoparticles. Due to its high delivery efficiency and versatility, Au-CTB can be a powerful platform for applications in epigenetic regulation of gene expression.

Unconventional route to encapsulated ultrasmall gold nanoparticles for high-temperature catalysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Tingting; Zhao, Hongyu; He, Shengnan; Liu, Kai; Liu, Hongyang; Yin, Yadong; Gao, Chuanbo

2014-07-22

Ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (us-AuNPs, <3 nm) have been recently recognized as surprisingly active and extraordinarily effective green catalysts. Their stability against sintering during reactions, however, remains a serious issue for practical applications. Encapsulating such small nanoparticles in a layer of porous silica can dramatically enhance the stability, but it has been extremely difficult to achieve using conventional sol-gel coating methods due to the weak metal/oxide affinity. In this work, we address this challenge by developing an effective protocol for the synthesis of us-AuNP@SiO2 single-core/shell nanospheres. More specifically, we take an alternative route by starting with ultrasmall gold hydroxide nanoparticles, which have excellent affinity to silica, then carrying out controllable silica coating in reverse micelles, and finally converting gold hydroxide particles into well-protected us-AuNPs. With a single-core/shell configuration that prevents sintering of nearby us-AuNPs and amino group modification of the Au/SiO2 interface that provides additional coordinating interactions, the resulting us-AuNP@SiO2 nanospheres are highly stable at high temperatures and show high activity in catalytic CO oxidation reactions. A dramatic and continuous increase in the catalytic activity has been observed when the size of the us-AuNPs decreases from 2.3 to 1.5 nm, which reflects the intrinsic size effect of the Au nanoparticles on an inert support. The synthesis scheme described in this work is believed to be extendable to many other ultrasmall metal@oxide nanostructures for much broader catalytic applications.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of double-shell hollow nanoparticles: electromagnetic and chemical enhancements.

PubMed

Mahmoud, Mahmoud A

2013-05-28

Enhancements of the Raman signal by the newly prepared gold-palladium and gold-platinum double-shell hollow nanoparticles were examined and compared with those using gold nanocages (AuNCs). The surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) of thiophenol adsorbed on the surface of AuNCs assembled into a Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer were 10-fold stronger than AuNCs with an inner Pt or Pd shell. The chemical and electromagnetic enhancement mechanisms for these hollow nanoparticles were further proved by comparing the Raman enhancement of nitrothiophenol and nitrotoulene. Nitrothiophenol binds to the surface of the nanoparticles by covalent interaction, and Raman enhancement by both the two mechanisms is possible, while nitrotoulene does not form any chemical bond with the surface of the nanoparticles and hence no chemical enhancement is expected. Based on discrete dipole approximation (DDA) calculations and the experimental SERS results, AuNCs introduced a high electromagnetic enhancement, while the nanocages with inner Pt or Pd shell have a strong chemical enhancement. The optical measurements of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the nanocages with an outer Au shell and an inner Pt or Pd shell were found, experimentally and theoretically, to be broad compared with AuNCs. The possible reason could be due to the decrease of the coherence time of Au oscillated free electrons and fast damping of the plasmon energy. This agreed well with the fact that a Pt or Pd inner nanoshell decreases the electromagnetic field of the outer Au nanoshell while increasing the SERS chemical enhancement.

An evidence on G2/M arrest, DNA damage and caspase mediated apoptotic effect of biosynthesized gold nanoparticles on human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jeyaraj, M.; Arun, R.; Sathishkumar, G.

2014-04-01

Highlights: • Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been synthesized using Podophyllum hexandrum L. • AuNPs induces the oxidative stress to cell death in human cervical carcinoma cells. • It activates the caspase-cascade to cellular death. • It is actively blocks G2/M phase of cell cycle. - Abstract: Current prospect of nanobiotechnology involves in the greener synthesis of nanostructured materials particularly noble metal nanoparticles for various biomedical applications. In this study, biologically (Podophyllum hexandrum L.) synthesized crystalline gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with the size range between 5 and 35 nm were screened for its anticancereous potential against human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa). Stoichiometricmore » proportion of the reaction mixture and conditions were optimized to attain stable nanoparticles with narrow size range. Different high throughput techniques like transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV–vis spectroscopy were adopted for the physio-chemical characterization of AuNPs. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study revealed that the water soluble fractions present in the plant extract solely influences the reduction of AuNPs. Sublimely, synthesized AuNPs exhibits an effective in vitro anticancer activity against HeLa cells via induction of cell cycle arrest and DNA damage. Furthermore, it was evidenced that AuNPs treated cells are undergone apoptosis through the activation of caspase cascade which subsequently leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. Thereby, this study proves that biogenic colloidal AuNPs can be developed as a promising drug candidature for human cervical cancer therapy.« less

Iodide-induced organothiol desorption and photochemical reaction, gold nanoparticle (AuNP) fusion, and SERS signal reduction in organothiol-containing AuNP aggregates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used extensively as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) substrates for their large SERS enhancements and widely believed chemical stability. Presented is the finding that iodide can rapidly reduce the SERS intensity of the ligands, including organothiols ...

Calculation extinction cross sections and molar attenuation coefficient of small gold nanoparticles and experimental observation of their UV-vis spectral properties.

PubMed

Tang, Junqi; Gao, Kunpeng; Ou, Quanhong; Fu, Xuewen; Man, Shi-Qing; Guo, Jie; Liu, Yingkai

2018-02-15

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been researched extensively, such as applied in various biosensors, biomedical imaging and diagnosis, catalysis and physico-chemical analysis. These applications usually required to know the nanoparticle size or concentration. Researchers have been studying a simply and quick way to estimate the concentration or size of nanoparticles from their optical spectra and SPR feature for several years. The extinction cross-sections and the molar attenuation coefficient were one of the key parameters. In this study, we calculated the extinction cross-sections and molar attenuation coefficient (decadic molar extinction coefficient) of small gold nanoparticles by dipole approximation method and modified Beer-Lambert law. The theoretical result showed that the surface plasmon resonance peak of small gold nanoparticles was blueshift with an increase size. Moreover, small AuNPs (sub-10nm) were prepared by using of dextran or trisodium citrate as reducing agent and capping agent. The experimental synthesized AuNPs was also shows a blueshift as increasing particle size in a certain range. And the concentration of AuNPs was calculated based on the obtained molar attenuation coefficient. For small nanoparticles, the size of nanoparticles and surface plasmon resonance property was not showed a positive correlation compared to larger nanoparticles. These results suggested that SPR peak depended not only on the nanoparticle size and shape but also on the nanoparticles environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Au-induced structurally ordered AuPdCo intermetallic core-shell nanoparticles and their use as oxygen reduction catalysts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuttiyiel, Kurian A.; Sasaki, Kotaro; Adzic, Radoslav R.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to intermetallic nanoparticles. Embodiments include nanoparticles having an intermetallic core including a first metal and a second metal. The first metal may be palladium and the second metal may be at least one of cobalt, iron, nickel, or a combination thereof. The nanoparticles may further have a shell that includes palladium and gold.

Understanding nanoparticle-mediated nucleation pathways of anisotropic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laramy, Christine R.; Fong, Lam-Kiu; Jones, Matthew R.; O'Brien, Matthew N.; Schatz, George C.; Mirkin, Chad A.

2017-09-01

Several seed-mediated syntheses of low symmetry anisotropic nanoparticles yield broad product distributions with multiple defect structures. This observation challenges the role of the nanoparticle precursor as a seed for certain syntheses and suggests the possibility of alternate nucleation pathways. Herein, we report a method to probe the role of the nanoparticle precursor in anisotropic nanoparticle nucleation with compositional and structural 'labels' to track their fate. We use the synthesis of gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TPs) as a model system. We propose a mechanism in which, rather than acting as a template, the nanoparticle precursor catalyzes homogenous nucleation of Au TPs.

Multifunctional gold nanoparticles for diagnosis and therapy of disease

PubMed Central

Mieszawska, Aneta J.; Mulder, Willem J. M.; Fayad, Zahi A.

2013-01-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have a number of physical properties that make them appealing for medical applications. For example, the attenuation of X-rays by gold nanoparticles has led to their use in computed tomography imaging and as adjuvants for radiotherapy. AuNPs have numerous other applications in imaging, therapy and diagnostic systems. The advanced state of synthetic chemistry of gold nanoparticles offers precise control over physicochemical and optical properties. Furthermore gold cores are inert and are considered to be biocompatible and non-toxic. The surface of gold nanoparticles can easily be modified for a specific application and ligands for targeting, drugs or biocompatible coatings can be introduced. AuNPs can be incorporated into larger structures such as polymeric nanoparticles or liposomes that deliver large payloads for enhanced diagnostic applications, efficiently encapsulate drugs for concurrent therapy or add additional imaging labels. This array of features has led to the afore-mentioned applications in biomedical fields, but more recently in approaches where multifunctional gold nanoparticles are used for multiple methods, such as concurrent diagnosis and therapy, so called theranostics. The following review covers basic principles and recent findings in gold nanoparticle applications for imaging, therapy and diagnostics, with a focus on reports of multifunctional AuNPs. PMID:23360440

Development of magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles for multimodal image-guided therapy to the brain.

PubMed

Tomitaka, Asahi; Arami, Hamed; Raymond, Andrea; Yndart, Adriana; Kaushik, Ajeet; Jayant, Rahul Dev; Takemura, Yasushi; Cai, Yong; Toborek, Michal; Nair, Madhavan

2017-01-05

Magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles are one of the emerging multi-functional materials in the field of nanomedicine. Their potential for targeting and multi-modal imaging is highly attractive. In this study, magnetic core/gold shell (MNP@Au) magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles were synthesized by citrate reduction of Au ions on magnetic nanoparticle seeds. Hydrodynamic size and optical properties of magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles synthesized with the variation of Au ions and reducing agent concentrations were evaluated. The synthesized magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic properties, and their magnetic properties contributed to the concentration-dependent contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The imaging contrast from the gold shell part of the magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles was also confirmed by X-ray computed tomography (CT). The transmigration study of the magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles using an in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) model proved enhanced transmigration efficiency without disrupting the integrity of the BBB, and showed potential to be used for brain diseases and neurological disorders.

Enhancement of the thermal transport in a culture medium with Au nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez-Pérez, J. L.; Fuentes, R. Gutierrez; Alvarado, E. Maldonado; Ramón-Gallegos, E.; Cruz-Orea, A.; Tánori-Cordova, J.; Mendoza-Alvarez, J. G.

2008-11-01

In this work, it is reported the gold nanoparticles synthesis, their characterization, and their application to the enhancement of the thermal transport in a cellular culture medium. The Au nanoparticles (NPs), with average size of 10 nm, contained into a culture medium (DMEM (1)/F12(1)) (CM) increased considerably the heat transfer in the medium. Thermal lens spectrometry (TLS) was used to measure the thermal diffusivity of the nanofluids. The characteristic time constant of the transient thermal lens was obtained by fitting the theoretical expression, for transient thermal lens, to the experimental data. Our results show that the thermal diffusivity of the culture medium is highly sensitive to the Au nanoparticle concentration and size. The ability to modify the thermal properties to nanometer scale becomes very important in medical applications as in the case of cancer treatment by using photodynamic therapy (PDT). A complementary study with UV-vis and TEM techniques was performed to characterize the Au nanoparticles.

Protein Corona Influences Cellular Uptake of Gold Nanoparticles by Phagocytic and Nonphagocytic Cells in a Size-Dependent Manner.

PubMed

Cheng, Xiaju; Tian, Xin; Wu, Anqing; Li, Jianxiang; Tian, Jian; Chong, Yu; Chai, Zhifang; Zhao, Yuliang; Chen, Chunying; Ge, Cuicui

2015-09-23

The interaction at nanobio is a critical issue in designing safe nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Recent studies have reported that it is nanoparticle-protein corona rather than bare nanoparticle that determines the nanoparticle-cell interactions, including endocytic pathway and biological responses. Here, we demonstrate the effects of protein corona on cellular uptake of different sized gold nanoparticles in different cell lines. The experimental results show that protein corona significantly decreases the internalization of Au NPs in a particle size- and cell type-dependent manner. Protein corona exhibits much more significant inhibition on the uptake of large-sized Au NPs by phagocytic cell than that of small-sized Au NPs by nonphagocytic cell. The endocytosis experiment indicates that different endocytic pathways might be responsible for the differential roles of protein corona in the interaction of different sized Au NPs with different cell lines. Our findings can provide useful information for rational design of nanomaterials in biomedical application.

Embedded atom method potential for studying mechanical properties of binary Cu–Au alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gola, Adrien; Pastewka, Lars

2018-07-01

We present an embedded atom method (EAM) potential for the binary Cu–Au system. The unary phases are described by two well-tested unary EAM potentials for Cu and Au. We fitted the interaction between Cu and Au to experimental properties of the binary intermetallic phases Cu3Au, CuAu and CuAu3. Particular attention has been paid to reproducing stacking fault energies in order to obtain a potential suitable for studying deformation in this binary system. The resulting energies, lattice constant, elastic properties and melting points are in good agreement with available experimental data. We use nested sampling to show that our potential reproduces the phase boundaries between intermetallic phases and the disordered face-centered cubic solid solution. We benchmark our potential against four popular Cu–Au EAM parameterizations and density-functional theory calculations.

Selective determination of dopamine using quantum-sized gold nanoparticles protected with charge selective ligands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwak, Kyuju; Kumar, S. Senthil; Lee, Dongil

2012-06-01

We report here the selective determination of dopamine (DA) using quantum-sized gold nanoparticles coated with charge selective ligands. Glutathione protected gold nanoparticles (GS-Au25) were synthesized and immobilized into a sol-gel matrix via thiol linkers. The GS-Au25 modified sol-gel electrode was found to show excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of DA but no activity towards the oxidation of ascorbic acid. The role of electrostatic charge in the selective electrocatalytic activity of GS-Au25 was verified by voltammetry of redox markers carrying opposite charges. The pH dependent sensitivity for the determination of DA further confirmed the charge screening effect of GS-Au25. Mechanistic investigation revealed that the selectivity is attained by the selective formation of an electrostatic complex between the negatively charged GS-Au25 and DA cation. The GS-Au25 modified sol-gel electrode also showed excellent selectivity for DA in the presence of an interferent, ascorbic acid.We report here the selective determination of dopamine (DA) using quantum-sized gold nanoparticles coated with charge selective ligands. Glutathione protected gold nanoparticles (GS-Au25) were synthesized and immobilized into a sol-gel matrix via thiol linkers. The GS-Au25 modified sol-gel electrode was found to show excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of DA but no activity towards the oxidation of ascorbic acid. The role of electrostatic charge in the selective electrocatalytic activity of GS-Au25 was verified by voltammetry of redox markers carrying opposite charges. The pH dependent sensitivity for the determination of DA further confirmed the charge screening effect of GS-Au25. Mechanistic investigation revealed that the selectivity is attained by the selective formation of an electrostatic complex between the negatively charged GS-Au25 and DA cation. The GS-Au25 modified sol-gel electrode also showed excellent selectivity for DA in the presence of an interferent, ascorbic acid. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM image of GS-Au25, SWV of GS-Au25 in solution, effect of scan rate on the CV of GS-Au25ME, CVs of DA and AA at the bare GCE and CVs of GS-Au25ME at different pHs. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr30481c

Dynamic imaging of a single gold nanoparticle in liquid irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutopoulos, Christos; Hatef, Ali; Fortin-Deschênes, Matthieu; Meunier, Michel

2015-07-01

Plasmonic nanoparticles can lead to extreme confinement of the light in the near field. This unique ability of plasmonic nanoparticles can be used to generate nanobubbles in liquid. In this work, we demonstrate with single-particle monitoring that 100 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond (fs) laser in the tissue therapeutic optical window (λ = 800 nm), can act as a durable nanolenses in liquid and provoke nanocavitation while remaining intact. We have employed combined ultrafast shadowgraphic imaging, in situ dark field imaging and dynamic tracking of AuNP Brownian motion to ensure the study of individual AuNPs/nanolenses under multiple fs laser pulses. We demonstrate that 100 nm AuNPs can generate multiple, highly confined (radius down to 550 nm) and transient (life time < 50 ns) nanobubbles. The latter is of significant importance for future development of in vivo AuNP-assisted laser nanosurgery and theranostic applications, where AuNP fragmentation should be avoided to prevent side effects, such as cytotoxicity and immune system's response. The experimental results have been correlated with theoretical modeling to provide an insight to the AuNP-safe cavitation mechanism as well as to investigate the deformation mechanism of the AuNPs at high laser fluences.Plasmonic nanoparticles can lead to extreme confinement of the light in the near field. This unique ability of plasmonic nanoparticles can be used to generate nanobubbles in liquid. In this work, we demonstrate with single-particle monitoring that 100 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond (fs) laser in the tissue therapeutic optical window (λ = 800 nm), can act as a durable nanolenses in liquid and provoke nanocavitation while remaining intact. We have employed combined ultrafast shadowgraphic imaging, in situ dark field imaging and dynamic tracking of AuNP Brownian motion to ensure the study of individual AuNPs/nanolenses under multiple fs laser pulses. We demonstrate that 100 nm AuNPs can generate multiple, highly confined (radius down to 550 nm) and transient (life time < 50 ns) nanobubbles. The latter is of significant importance for future development of in vivo AuNP-assisted laser nanosurgery and theranostic applications, where AuNP fragmentation should be avoided to prevent side effects, such as cytotoxicity and immune system's response. The experimental results have been correlated with theoretical modeling to provide an insight to the AuNP-safe cavitation mechanism as well as to investigate the deformation mechanism of the AuNPs at high laser fluences. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The ESI video 1 shows successive transient bubbles generated by fs laser excitation of a dynamic pair of AuNP at Fpeak = 200 mJ cm-2. Both the camera frame rate and the fs laser repetition rate where synchronized at 10 Hz. The pump-prop delay was set to 10 ns. The ESI video 2 shows the complete dynamic evolution of a transient nanobubble generated around a single AuNP/nanolens, following fs laser excitation at Fpeak = 200 mJ cm-2. See DOI: 10.1039/C5NR02721G

Penetration of gold nanoparticles across the stratum corneum layer of thick-Skin.

PubMed

Raju, Gayathri; Katiyar, Neeraj; Vadukumpully, Sajini; Shankarappa, Sahadev A

2018-02-01

Transdermal particulate penetration across thick-skin, such as that of palms and sole, is particularly important for drug delivery for disorders such as small fiber neuropathies. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery across skin is believed to have much translational applications, but their penetration especially through thick-skin, is not clear. This study specifically investigates the effectiveness of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for thick-skin penetration, especially across the stratum corneum (SC) as a function of particle size. The thick-skinned hind-paw of rat was used to characterize depth and distribution of AuNPs of varying sizes, namely, 22±3, 105±11, and 186±20nm. Epidermal penetration of AuNPs was characterized both, in harvested skin from the hind-paw using a diffusion chamber, as well as in vivo. Harvested skin segments exposed to 22nm AuNPs for only 3h demonstrated higher penetration (p<0.05) as compared to the 105 and 186nm particles. In animal studies, hind-paw skin of adult rats exposed to AuNPs solution for the same time, demonstrated nanoparticles in blood on the 4th day, and histological analysis revealed AuNPs in epidermal layers just below the SC, with no apparent tissue response. We conclude that the thick-skin allows nanoparticle penetration and acts as a depot for release of AuNPs into circulation long after the initial exposure has ceased. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deposition of gold nano-particles and nano-layers on polyethylene modified by plasma discharge and chemical treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Švorčík, V.; Chaloupka, A.; Záruba, K.; Král, V.; Bláhová, O.; Macková, A.; Hnatowicz, V.

2009-08-01

Polyethylene (PE) was treated in Ar plasma discharge and then grafted from methanol solution of 1,2-ethanedithiol to enhance adhesion of gold nano-particles or sputtered gold layers. The modified PE samples were either immersed into freshly prepared colloid solution of Au nano-particles or covered by sputtered, 50 nm thick gold nano-layer. Properties of the plasma modified, dithiol grafted and gold coated PE were studied using XPS, UV-VIS, AFM, EPR, RBS methods and nanoindentation. It was shown that the plasma treatment results in degradation of polymer chain, creation of excessive free radicals and conjugated double bonds. After grafting with 1,2-ethanedithiol the concentration of free radicals declined but the concentration of double bonds remained unchanged. Plasma treatment changes PE surface morphology and increases surface roughness too. Another significant change in the surface morphology and roughness was observed after deposition of Au nano-particles. The presence of Au on the sample surface after the coating with Au nano-particles was proved by XPS and RBS methods. Nanoindentation measurements shown that the grafting of plasma activated PE surface with dithiol increases significantly adhesion of sputtered Au nano-layer.

Noble metal nanoparticle-decorated TiO2 nanobelts for enhanced photocatalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Haiyan; Yang, Ping; Jia, Changchao; Miao, Yanping; Zhao, Jie; Du, Yingying

2014-07-01

TiO2 nanobelts have been fabricated through a hydrothermal method and subsequently sulfuric-acid-corrosion-treated for a rough surface. Noble metal nanoparticles such as Ag and Au were deposited on the coarse surface of TiO2 nanobelts via a coprecipitation procedure. Ag-TiO2 nanobelts were prepared in ethanolic solution contained silver nitrate (AgNO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Au-TiO2 nanobelts were obtained in chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reductant. It is confirmed by the results of XRD patterns together with the SEM images that the composite of noble metal and TiO2 nanobelts were obtained successfully and the Ag or Au nanoparticles were well-dispersed on the TiO2 nanobelts. Moreover, the as-prepared Ag and Au nanoparticle-decorated TiO2 nanobelts represent an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure TiO2 nanobelts, which is due to the fact that the Ag and Au nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2 nanobelts act as sinks for the photogenerated electrons and promote the separation of the electrons and holes.

Ultraviolet light and laser irradiation enhances the antibacterial activity of glucosamine-functionalized gold nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Govindaraju, Saravanan; Ramasamy, Mohankandhasamy; Baskaran, Rengarajan; Ahn, Sang Jung; Yun, Kyusik

2015-01-01

Here we report a novel method for the synthesis of glucosamine-functionalized gold nanoparticles (GlcN-AuNPs) using biocompatible and biodegradable glucosamine for antibacterial activity. GlcN-AuNPs were prepared using different concentrations of glucosamine. The synthesized AuNPs were characterized for surface plasmon resonance, surface morphology, fluorescence spectroscopy, and antibacterial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the AuNPs, GlcN-AuNPs, and GlcN-AuNPs when irradiated by ultraviolet light and laser were investigated and compared with the MIC of standard kanamycin using Escherichia coli by the microdilution method. Laser-irradiated GlcN-AuNPs exhibited significant bactericidal activity against E. coli. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopic analysis supported the cell death mechanism in the presence of GlcN-AuNP-treated bacteria. Further, morphological changes in E. coli after laser treatment were investigated using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The overall results of this study suggest that the prepared nanoparticles have potential as a potent antibacterial agent for the treatment of a wide range of disease-causing bacteria. PMID:26345521

A facile construction of Au nanoparticles stabilized by thermo-responsive polymer-tethered carbon dots for enhanced catalytic performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Li; Zhang, Tianyi; Lü, Jianhua; Lü, Changli

2018-10-01

Carbon dots (CDs), the youngest member in the carbon nanomaterial family, have drawn considerable attention due to their interesting optical, physicochemical and electronic properties as well as broad promising applications. Here, we developed a facile and effective strategy for the preparation of Au nanoparticles stabilized by thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) functionalized carbon dots (Au@CD@P) under the gentle water media. The as-designed dopamine(DA)-terminated PNIPAM can be easily anchored to CDs via mussel-inspired chemistry route. Both CD@P and CDs could well stabilize the Au nanoparticles with interesting assembled structure. The as-prepared Au@CD and Au@CD@P nanohybrids with good dispersibility and stability exhibited the intriguing catalytic activity for reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP). Especially, Au@CD@P as catalyst also played a switching role in regulating the catalytic rate by temperature. In addition, Au@CD@P exhibited excellent recyclability which may have potential in green chemical industry for developing high-activity catalysts and easy production methods.

Gum tragacanth stabilized green gold nanoparticles as cargos for Naringin loading: A morphological investigation through AFM.

PubMed

Rao, Komal; Imran, Muhammad; Jabri, Tooba; Ali, Imdad; Perveen, Samina; Shafiullah; Ahmed, Shakil; Shah, Muhammad Raza

2017-10-15

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted greater scientific interests for the construction of drugs loading cargos due to their biocompatibility, safety and facile surface modifications. This study deals with the fabrication of gum tragacanth (GT) green AuNPs as carrier for Naringin, a less water soluble therapeutic molecule. The optimized AuNPs were characterized through UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR and atomic force microscope (AFM). Naringin loaded nanoparticles were investigated for their bactericidal potentials using Tetrazolium Microplate assay. Morphological studies conducted via AFM revealed spherical shape for AuNPs with nano-range size and stabilized by GT multi-functional groups. The AuNPs acted as carrier for increased amount of Naringin. Upon loading in AuNPs, Naringin An increased in the bactericidal potentials of Naringin was observed after loading on AuNPs against various tested bacterial strains. This was further authenticated by the surface morphological analysis, showing enhanced membrane destabilizing effects of loaded Naringin. The results suggest that GT stabilized green AuNPs can act as effective delivery vehicles for enhancing bactericidal potentials of Naringin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomolecular Specificity Regulated Synthesis of Nanocatalysts and Heterointegration of Photosynthesis Nanodevices

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

TiO2-Au/Pd nanocomposite composed of P25 TiO2 nanoparticles and Au/Pd nanowheels is applied in benzimidazole synthesis as plasmon-enhanced...activity and selectivity. In this work, TiO2-Au/Pd nanocomposite composed of P25 TiO2 nanoparticles and Au/Pd nanowheels is applied in benzimidazole ...Pd Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for Tandem Synthesis of Benzimidazole 2.1 Approaches: Wet-chemical synthetic routes are explored to create

On the activation of molecular hydrogen by gold: a theoretical approximation to the nature of potential active sites.

PubMed

Corma, Avelino; Boronat, Mercedes; González, Silvia; Illas, Francesc

2007-08-28

The study of adsorption and dissociation of molecular hydrogen on single crystal Au(111) and Au(001) surfaces, monoatomic rows in an extended line defect and different Au nanoparticles by means of DF calculations allows us to firmly conclude that the necessary and sufficient condition for H2 dissociation is the existence of low coordinated Au atoms, regardless if they are in nanoparticles or at extended line defects.

Rationalization of Au concentration and distribution in AuNi@Pt core-shell nanoparticles for oxygen reduction reaction

DOE PAGES

An, Wei; Liu, Ping

2015-09-18

Improving the activity and stability of Pt-based core–shell nanocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells while lowering Pt loading has been one of the big challenges in electrocatalysis. Here, using density functional theory, we report the effect of adding Au as the third element to enhance the durability and activity of Ni@Pt core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our results show that the durability and activity of a Ni@Pt NP can be finely tuned by controlling Au concentration and distribution. For a NiAu@Pt NP, the durability can be greatly promoted by thermodynamically favorable segregation of Au tomore » replace the Pt atoms at vertex, edge, and (100) facets on the shell, while still keeping the ORR activity on the active Pt(111) shell as high as that of Ni@Pt nanoparticles. Such behavior strongly depends on a direct interaction with the Ni interlayer. The results not only highlight the importance of interplay between surface strain on the shell and the interlayer–shell interaction in determining the durability and activity but also provide guidance on how to maximize the usage of Au to optimize the performance of core–shell (Pt) nanoparticles. As a result, such understanding has allowed us to discover a novel NiAu@Pt nanocatalyst for the ORR.« less

Thin films of Ag–Au nanoparticles dispersed in TiO2: influence of composition and microstructure on the LSPR and SERS responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borges, Joel; Ferreira, Catarina G.; Fernandes, João P. C.; Rodrigues, Marco S.; Proença, Manuela; Apreutesei, Mihai; Alves, Eduardo; Barradas, Nuno P.; Moura, Cacilda; Vaz, Filipe

2018-05-01

Thin films containing monometallic (Ag,Au) and bimetallic (Ag–Au) noble nanoparticles were dispersed in TiO2, using reactive magnetron sputtering and post-deposition thermal annealing. The influence of metal concentration and thermal annealing in the (micro)structural evolution of the films was studied, and its correlation with the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) behaviours was evaluated. The Ag/TiO2 films presented columnar to granular microstructures, developing Ag clusters at the surface for higher annealing temperatures. In some cases, the films presented dendrite-type fractal geometry, which led to an almost flat broadband optical response. The Au/TiO2 system revealed denser microstructures, with Au nanoparticles dispersed in the matrix, whose size increased with annealing temperature. This microstructure led to the appearance of LSPR bands, although some Au segregation to the surface hindered this effect for higher concentrations. The structural results of the Ag–Au/TiO2 system suggested the formation of bimetallic Ag–Au nanoparticles, which presence was supported by the appearance of a single narrow LSPR band. In addition, the Raman spectra of Rhodamine-6G demonstrated the viability of these systems for SERS applications, with some indication that the Ag/TiO2 system might be preferential, contrasting to the notorious behaviour of the bimetallic system in terms of LSPR response.

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and benzyl alcohol oxidation using Au-Pd catalysts prepared by sol immobilization.

PubMed

Pritchard, James; Kesavan, Lokesh; Piccinini, Marco; He, Qian; Tiruvalam, Ramchandra; Dimitratos, Nikolaos; Lopez-Sanchez, Jose A; Carley, Albert F; Edwards, Jennifer K; Kiely, Christopher J; Hutchings, Graham J

2010-11-02

We report the preparation of Au-Pd nanocrystalline catalysts supported on activated carbon prepared via a sol-immobilization technique and explore their use for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. In particular, we examine the synthesis of a systematic set of Au-Pd colloidal nanoparticles having a range of Au/Pd ratios. The catalysts have been structurally characterized using a combination of UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, STEM HAADF/XEDS, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Au-Pd nanoparticles are found in the majority of cases to be homogeneous alloys, although some variation is observed in the AuPd composition at high Pd/Au ratios. The optimum performance for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide is observed for a catalyst having a Au/Pd 1:2 molar ratio. However, the competing hydrogenation reaction of hydrogen peroxide increases with increasing Pd content, although Pd alone is less effective than when Au is also present. Investigation of the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using these materials also shows that the optimum selective oxidation to the aldehyde occurs for the Au/Pd 1:2 molar ratio catalyst. These measured activity trends are discussed in terms of the structure and composition of the supported Au-Pd nanoparticles.

Gold nanoparticles: From nanomedicine to nanosensing

PubMed Central

Chen, Po C; Mwakwari, Sandra C; Oyelere, Adegboyega K

2008-01-01

Because of their photo-optical distinctiveness and biocompatibility, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have proven to be powerful tools in various nanomedicinal and nanomedical applications. In this review article, we discuss recent advances in the application of AuNPs in diagnostic imaging, biosensing and binary cancer therapeutic techniques. We also provide an eclectic collection of AuNPs delivery strategies, including assorted classes of delivery vehicles, which are showing great promise in specific targeting of AuNPs to diseased tissues. However, successful clinical implementations of the promised applications of AuNPs are still hampered by many barriers. In particular, more still needs to be done regarding our understanding of the pharmacokinetics and toxicological profiles of AuNPs and AuNPs-conjugates. PMID:24198460

How Do the Size, Charge and Shape of Nanoparticles Affect Amyloid β Aggregation on Brain Lipid Bilayer?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yuna; Park, Ji-Hyun; Lee, Hyojin; Nam, Jwa-Min

2016-01-01

Here, we studied the effect of the size, shape, and surface charge of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation on a total brain lipid-based supported lipid bilayer (brain SLB), a fluid platform that facilitates Aβ-AuNP aggregation process. We found that larger AuNPs induce large and amorphous aggregates on the brain SLB, whereas smaller AuNPs induce protofibrillar Aβ structures. Positively charged AuNPs were more strongly attracted to Aβ than negatively charged AuNPs, and the stronger interactions between AuNPs and Aβ resulted in fewer β-sheets and more random coil structures. We also compared spherical AuNPs, gold nanorods (AuNRs), and gold nanocubes (AuNCs) to study the effect of nanoparticle shape on Aβ aggregation on the brain SLB. Aβ was preferentially bound to the long axis of AuNRs and fewer fibrils were formed whereas all the facets of AuNCs interacted with Aβ to produce the fibril networks. Finally, it was revealed that different nanostructures induce different cytotoxicity on neuroblastoma cells, and, overall, smaller Aβ aggregates induce higher cytotoxicity. The results offer insight into the roles of NPs and brain SLB in Aβ aggregation on the cell membrane and can facilitate the understanding of Aβ-nanostructure co-aggregation mechanism and tuning Aβ aggregate structures.

Cytotoxicity of Ultrasmall Gold Nanoparticles on Planktonic and Biofilm Encapsulated Gram-Positive Staphylococci.

PubMed

Boda, Sunil Kumar; Broda, Janine; Schiefer, Frank; Weber-Heynemann, Josefine; Hoss, Mareike; Simon, Ulrich; Basu, Bikramjit; Jahnen-Dechent, Willi

2015-07-01

The emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria, especially biofilm-associated Staphylococci, urgently requires novel antimicrobial agents. The antibacterial activity of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is tested against two gram positive: S. aureus and S. epidermidis and two gram negative: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Ultrasmall AuNPs with core diameters of 0.8 and 1.4 nm and a triphenylphosphine-monosulfonate shell (Au0.8MS and Au1.4MS) both have minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration of 25 × 10(-6) m [Au]. Disc agar diffusion test demonstrates greater bactericidal activity of the Au0.8MS nanoparticles over Au1.4MS. In contrast, thiol-stabilized AuNPs with a diameter of 1.9 nm (AuroVist) cause no significant toxicity in any of the bacterial strains. Ultrasmall AuNPs cause a near 5 log bacterial growth reduction in the first 5 h of exposure, and incomplete recovery after 21 h. Bacteria show marked membrane blebbing and lysis in biofilm-associated bacteria treated with ultrasmall AuNP. Importantly, a twofold MIC dosage of Au0.8MS and Au1.4MS each cause around 80%-90% reduction in the viability of Staphylococci enveloped in biofilms. Altogether, this study demonstrates potential therapeutic activity of ultrasmall AuNPs as an effective treatment option against staphylococcal infections. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Equilibrium Gold Nanoclusters Quenched with Biodegradable Polymers

PubMed Central

Murthy, Avinash K.; Stover, Robert J.; Borwankar, Ameya U.; Nie, Golay D.; Gourisankar, Sai; Truskett, Thomas M.; Sokolov, Konstantin V.; Johnston, Keith P.

2013-01-01

Although sub-100 nm nanoclusters of metal nanoparticles are of interest in many fields including biomedical imaging, sensors and catalysis, it has been challenging to control their morphologies and chemical properties. Herein, a new concept is presented to assemble equilibrium Au nanoclusters of controlled size by tuning the colloidal interactions with a polymeric stabilizer, PLA(1k)-b-PEG(10k)-b-PLA(1k). The nanoclusters form upon mixing a dispersion of ~5 nm Au nanospheres with a polymer solution followed by partial solvent evaporation. A weakly adsorbed polymer quenches the equilibrium nanocluster size and provides steric stabilization. Nanocluster size is tuned from ~20 nm to ~40 nm by experimentally varying the final Au nanoparticle concentration and the polymer/Au ratio, along with the charge on the initial Au nanoparticle surface. Upon biodegradation of the quencher, the nanoclusters reversibly and fully dissociate to individual ~5 nm primary particles. Equilibrium cluster size is predicted semi-quantitatively with a free energy model that balances short-ranged depletion and van der Waals attractions with longer-ranged electrostatic repulsion, as a function of the Au and polymer concentrations. The close spacings of the Au nanoparticles in the clusters produce strong NIR extinction over a broad range of wavelengths from 650 to 900 nm, which is of practical interest in biomedical imaging. PMID:23230905

Implantation of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles in Shells of Au@m-SiO2 Yolk@Shell Nanocatalysts with Both Improved Recyclability and Catalytic Activity.

PubMed

Li, Yanan; Jin, Chenjing; Yuan, Ganyin; Han, Jie; Wang, Minggui; Guo, Rong

2017-08-01

Multifunctional nanocatalysts of Au@Fe 3 O 4 /m-SiO 2 yolk@shell hybrids had been developed through a template-assisted synthesis, where Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (∼12 nm) and m-SiO 2 shells were sequentially assembled on surfaces of Au/SiO 2 core/shell templates, followed by selective etching of the inner SiO 2 cores, leading to the formation of Au@Fe 3 O 4 /m-SiO 2 yolk@shell hybrids. The Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were implanted in the inner surfaces of m-SiO 2 shells with partially exposed surfaces to the inner cavity. The novel design not only ensures a high surface area (540.0 m 2 /g) and saturation magnetization (48.6 emu/g) of the hybrids but also enables interaction between Au and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Catalytic tests toward the reduction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH 4 indicated that Au@Fe 3 O 4 /m-SiO 2 yolk@shell nanocatalysts not only showed high stability and recyclability but also maintained improved catalytic activity as a result of the synergetic effect resulting from Au and Fe 3 O 4 interactions.

Synthesis of double-shelled sea urchin-like yolk-shell Fe3O4/TiO2/Au microspheres and their catalytic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jie; Tan, Li; Wang, Ge; Yang, Mu

2015-03-01

Double-shelled sea urchin-like yolk-shell Fe3O4/TiO2/Au microspheres were successfully synthesized through loading Au nanoparticles on the Fe3O4/TiO2 support by a in situ reduction of HAuCl4 with NaBH4 aqueous solution. These microspheres possess tunable cavity size, adjustable shell layers, high structural stability and large specific surface area. The Au nanoparticles of approximately 5 nm in diameter were loaded both on the TiO2 nanofibers and inside the cavities of sea urchin-like yolk-shell Fe3O4/TiO2 microspheres. The sea urchin-like structure composed of TiO2 nanofibers ensure the good distribution of the Au nanoparticles, while the novel double-shelled yolk-shell structure guarantees the high stability of the Au nanoparticles. Furthermore, the Fe3O4 magnetic core facilitates the convenient recovery of the catalyst by applying an external magnetic field. The Fe3O4/TiO2/Au microspheres display excellent activities and recycling properties in the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP): the rate constant is 1.84 min-1 and turnover frequency is 5457 h-1.

Polyethylenimine-assisted seed-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philip, Anish; Ankudze, Bright; Pakkanen, Tuula T.

2018-06-01

Large-sized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized with a new polyethylenimine - assisted seed - mediated method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies. The size and polydispersity of gold nanoparticles are controlled in the growth step with the amounts of polyethylenimine (PEI) and seeds. Influence of three silicon oxide supports having different surface morphologies, namely halloysite (Hal) nanotubes, glass plates and inverse opal films of SiO2, on the performance of gold nanoparticles in Raman scattering of a 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) analyte was investigated. Electrostatic interaction between positively charged polyethylenimine-capped AuNPs and negatively charged surfaces of silicon oxide supports was utilized in fabrication of the SERS substrates using deposition and infiltration methods. The Au-photonic crystal of the three SERS substrate groups is the most active one as it showed the highest analytical enhancement factor (AEF) and the lowest detection limit of 1x10-8 M for 4-ATP. Coupling of the optical properties of photonic crystals with the plasmonic properties of AuNPs provided Au-photonic crystals with the high SERS activity. The AuNPs clusters formed both in the photonic crystal and on the glass plate are capable of forming more hot spots as compared to sparsely distributed AuNPs on Hal nanotubes and thereby increasing the SERS enhancement.

Effect of tautomerism on Au-6-mercaptopurine nanocluster stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashidpour, Neda; Kashid, Vikas; Shah, Vaishali

2013-02-01

We have investigated the stability of conjugated nanoparticles of Au-6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) using ab initio density functional theory. We have studied the conjugation of the 6 tautomers of 6-MP via the different atomic sites with the gold nanoparticles. Our results show that the least stable tautomer has the strongest adsorption with the Au nanoparticles whereas the most stable tautomer has the weakest adsorption. We will discuss our results to explain the experimentally observed increased plasma half life time of the conjugated drug in vitro.

Interstitial diffuse radiance spectroscopy of gold nanocages and nanorods in bulk muscle tissues

PubMed Central

Grabtchak, Serge; Montgomery, Logan G; Pang, Bo; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Chao; Li, Zhiyuan; Xia, Younan; Whelan, William M

2015-01-01

Radiance spectroscopy was applied to the interstitial detection of localized inclusions containing Au nanocages or nanorods with various concentrations embedded in porcine muscle phantoms. The radiance was quantified using a perturbation approach, which enabled the separation of contributions from the porcine phantom and the localized inclusion, with the inclusion serving as a perturbation probe of photon distributions in the turbid medium. Positioning the inclusion at various places in the phantom allowed for tracking of photons that originated from a light source, passed through the inclusion’s location, and reached a detector. The inclusions with high extinction coefficients were able to absorb nearly all photons in the range of 650–900 nm, leading to a spectrally flat radiance signal. This signal could be converted to the relative density of photons incident on the inclusion. Finally, the experimentally measured quantities were expressed via the relative perturbation and arranged into the classical Beer–Lambert law that allowed one to extract the extinction coefficients of various types of Au nanoparticles in both the transmission and back reflection geometries. It was shown that the spatial variation of perturbation could be described as 1/r dependence, where r is the distance between the inclusion and the detector. Due to a larger absorption cross section, Au nanocages produced greater perturbations than Au nanorods of equal particle concentration, indicating a better suitability of Au nanocages as contrast agents for optical measurements in turbid media. Individual measurements from different inclusions were combined into detectability maps. PMID:25709450

Interstitial diffuse radiance spectroscopy of gold nanocages and nanorods in bulk muscle tissues.

PubMed

Grabtchak, Serge; Montgomery, Logan G; Pang, Bo; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Chao; Li, Zhiyuan; Xia, Younan; Whelan, William M

2015-01-01

Radiance spectroscopy was applied to the interstitial detection of localized inclusions containing Au nanocages or nanorods with various concentrations embedded in porcine muscle phantoms. The radiance was quantified using a perturbation approach, which enabled the separation of contributions from the porcine phantom and the localized inclusion, with the inclusion serving as a perturbation probe of photon distributions in the turbid medium. Positioning the inclusion at various places in the phantom allowed for tracking of photons that originated from a light source, passed through the inclusion's location, and reached a detector. The inclusions with high extinction coefficients were able to absorb nearly all photons in the range of 650-900 nm, leading to a spectrally flat radiance signal. This signal could be converted to the relative density of photons incident on the inclusion. Finally, the experimentally measured quantities were expressed via the relative perturbation and arranged into the classical Beer-Lambert law that allowed one to extract the extinction coefficients of various types of Au nanoparticles in both the transmission and back reflection geometries. It was shown that the spatial variation of perturbation could be described as 1/r dependence, where r is the distance between the inclusion and the detector. Due to a larger absorption cross section, Au nanocages produced greater perturbations than Au nanorods of equal particle concentration, indicating a better suitability of Au nanocages as contrast agents for optical measurements in turbid media. Individual measurements from different inclusions were combined into detectability maps.

In-vitro free radical scavenging activity of biosynthesized gold and silver nanoparticles using Prunus armeniaca (apricot) fruit extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dauthal, Preeti; Mukhopadhyay, Mausumi

2013-01-01

In-vitro free radical scavenging activity of biosynthesized gold (Au-NPs) and silver (Ag-NPs) nanoparticles was investigated in the present study. Natural precursor Prunus armeniaca (apricot) fruit extract was used as a reducing agent for the nanoparticle synthesis. The free radical scavenging activity of the nanoparticles were observed by modified 1,1'-diphynyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), ABTS assay. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Appearance of optical absorption peak at 537 nm (2.20 keV) and 435 nm (3 keV) within 0.08 and 0.5 h of reaction time was confirmed the presence of metallic Au and Ag nanoclusters, respectively. Nearly spherical nanoparticles with majority of particle below 20 nm (TEM) for both Au-NPs and Ag-NPs were synthesized. XRD pattern confirmed the existence of pure nanocrystalline Au-NPs while few additional peaks in the vicinity of fcc silver-speculated crystallization of metalloproteins of fruit extract on the surface of the Ag-NPs and vice versa. FTIR spectra was supported the role of amino acids of protein/enzymes of fruit extract for synthesis and stabilization of nanoparticles. Dose-dependent scavenging activity was observed for Au-NPs and Ag-NPs in both DPPH and ABTS in-vitro assay. 50 % scavenging activity for DPPH were 11.27 and 16.18 mg and for ABTS 3.40 and 7.12 mg with Au-NPs and Ag-NPs, respectively.

Labeling mesenchymal cells with DMSA-coated gold and iron oxide nanoparticles: assessment of biocompatibility and potential applications.

PubMed

Silva, Luisa H A; da Silva, Jaqueline R; Ferreira, Guilherme A; Silva, Renata C; Lima, Emilia C D; Azevedo, Ricardo B; Oliveira, Daniela M

2016-07-18

Nanoparticles' unique features have been highly explored in cellular therapies. However, nanoparticles can be cytotoxic. The cytotoxicity can be overcome by coating the nanoparticles with an appropriated surface modification. Nanoparticle coating influences biocompatibility between nanoparticles and cells and may affect some cell properties. Here, we evaluated the biocompatibility of gold and maghemite nanoparticles functionalized with 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), Au-DMSA and γ-Fe2O3-DMSA respectively, with human mesenchymal stem cells. Also, we tested these nanoparticles as tracers for mesenchymal stem cells in vivo tracking by computed tomography and as agents for mesenchymal stem cells magnetic targeting. Significant cell death was not observed in MTT, Trypan Blue and light microscopy analyses. However, ultra-structural alterations as swollen and degenerated mitochondria, high amounts of myelin figures and structures similar to apoptotic bodies were detected in some mesenchymal stem cells. Au-DMSA and γ-Fe2O3-DMSA labeling did not affect mesenchymal stem cells adipogenesis and osteogenesis differentiation, proliferation rates or lymphocyte suppression capability. The uptake measurements indicated that both inorganic nanoparticles were well uptaken by mesenchymal stem cells. However, Au-DMSA could not be detected in microtomograph after being incorporated by mesenchymal stem cells. γ-Fe2O3-DMSA labeled cells were magnetically responsive in vitro and after infused in vivo in an experimental model of lung silicosis. In terms of biocompatibility, the use of γ-Fe2O3-DMSA and Au-DMSA as tracers for mesenchymal stem cells was assured. However, Au-DMSA shown to be not suitable for visualization and tracking of these cells in vivo by standard computed microtomography. Otherwise, γ-Fe2O3-DMSA shows to be a promising agent for mesenchymal stem cells magnetic targeting.

Controlled supramolecular assembly of micelle-like gold nanoparticles in PS-b-P2VP diblock copolymers via hydrogen bonding.

PubMed

Jang, Se Gyu; Kramer, Edward J; Hawker, Craig J

2011-10-26

We report a facile strategy to synthesize amphiphilic gold (Au) nanoparticles functionalized with a multilayer, micelle-like structure consisting of a Au core, an inner hydroxylated polyisoprene (PIOH) layer, and an outer polystyrene shell (PS). Careful control of enthalpic interactions via a systematic variation of structural parameters, such as number of hydroxyl groups per ligand (N(OH)) and styrene repeating units (N(PS)) as well as areal chain density of ligands on the Au-core surface (Σ), enables precise control of the spatial distribution of these nanoparticles. This control was demonstrated in a lamellae-forming poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) diblock copolymer matrix, where the favorable hydrogen-bonding interaction between hydroxyl groups in the PIOH inner shell and P2VP chains in the PS-b-P2VP diblock copolymer matrix, driving the nanoparticles to be segregated in P2VP domains, could be counter balanced by the enthalphic penalty of mixing of the PS outer brush with the P2VP domains. By varying N(OH), N(PS), and Σ, the nanoparticles could be positioned in the PS or P2VP domains or at the PS/P2VP interface. In addition, the effect of additives interfering with the hydrogen-bond formation between hydroxyl groups on Au nanoparticles and P2VP chains in a diblock copolymer matrix was investigated, and an interesting pea-pod-like segregation of Au nanoparticles in PS domains was observed.

Use of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for size profiling of gold and silver nanoparticles.

PubMed

Panyabut, Teerawat; Sirirat, Natnicha; Siripinyanond, Atitaya

2018-02-13

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) was applied to investigate the atomization behaviors of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in order to relate with particle size information. At various atomization temperatures from 1400 °C to 2200 °C, the time-dependent atomic absorption peak profiles of AuNPs and AgNPs with varying sizes from 5 nm to 100 nm were examined. With increasing particle size, the maximum absorbance was observed at the longer time. The time at maximum absorbance was found to linearly increase with increasing particle size, suggesting that ETAAS can be applied to provide the size information of nanoparticles. With the atomization temperature of 1600 °C, the mixtures of nanoparticles containing two particle sizes, i.e., 5 nm tannic stabilized AuNPs with 60, 80, 100 nm citrate stabilized AuNPs, were investigated and bimodal peaks were observed. The particle size dependent atomization behaviors of nanoparticles show potential application of ETAAS for providing size information of nanoparticles. The calibration plot between the time at maximum absorbance and the particle size was applied to estimate the particle size of in-house synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs and the results obtained were in good agreement with those from flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Furthermore, the linear relationship between the activation energy and the particle size was observed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-color two-laser fabrication of gold nanoparticles in a PVA film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Masanori; Tachikawa, Takashi; Fujitsuka, Mamoru; Majima, Tetsuro

2006-03-01

We developed a new method for the fabrication of gold nanoparticles (AuNps) in a poly(vinyl alcohol) film using a two-color two-laser irradiation. The benzophenone ketyl radical (BPH rad ) in the excited state (BPH rad (D 1)) was used as a reducing agent. Although BPH rad in the ground state also reduced AuCl4- to produce AuNps, the formation of AuNp was significantly enhanced by the BPH rad (D 1) generated by the two-color two-laser irradiation. Because the electron transfer from the BPH rad (D 1) to AuCl4- enhanced the formation of AuNps.

Production of gold nanoparticles by electrode-respiring Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms

PubMed Central

Tanzil, Abid H.; Sultana, Sujala T.; Saunders, Steven R.; Dohnalkova, Alice C.; Shi, Liang; Davenport, Emily; Ha, Phuc; Beyenal, Haluk

2017-01-01

The goal of this work was to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using electrode-respiring Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms. We found that AuNPs are generated in the extracellular matrix of Geobacter biofilms and have an average particle size of 20 nm. The formation of AuNPs was verified using TEM, FTIR and EDX. We also found that the extracellular substances extracted from electrode-respiring G. sulfurreducens biofilms reduce Au3+ to AuNPs. From FTIR spectra, it appears that reduced sugars were involved in the bioreduction and synthesis of AuNPs and that amine groups acted as the major biomolecules involved in binding. PMID:27866628

Gold nanoparticle should understand protein corona for being a clinical nanomaterial.

PubMed

Charbgoo, Fahimeh; Nejabat, Mojgan; Abnous, Khalil; Soltani, Fatemeh; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad; Alibolandi, Mona; Thomas Shier, W; Steele, Terry W J; Ramezani, Mohammad

2018-02-28

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted great attention in biomedical fields due to their unique properties. However, there are few reports on clinical trial of these nanoparticles. In vivo, AuNPs face complex biological fluids containing abundant proteins, which challenge the prediction of their fate that is known as "bio-identity". These proteins attach onto the AuNPs surface forming protein corona that makes the first step of nano-bio interface and dictates the subsequent AuNPs fate. Protein corona formation even stealth active targeting effect of AuNPs. Manipulating the protein corona identity based on the researcher goal is the way to employ corona to achieve maximum effect in therapy or other applications. In this review, we provide details on the biological identity of AuNPs under various environmental- and/or physiological conditions. We also highlight how the particular corona can direct the biodistribution of AuNPs. We further discuss the strategies available for controlling or reducing corona formation on AuNPs surface and achieving desired effects using AuNPs in vivo by engineering protein corona on their surface. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phase stability, ordering tendencies, and magnetism in single-phase fcc Au-Fe nanoalloys

DOE PAGES

Zhuravlev, I. A.; Barabash, S. V.; An, J. M.; ...

2017-10-01

Bulk Au-Fe alloys separate into Au-based fcc and Fe-based bcc phases, but L1 0 and L1 2 orderings were reported in single-phase Au-Fe nanoparticles. Motivated by these observations, we study the structural and ordering energetics in this alloy by combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations with effective Hamiltonian techniques: a cluster expansion with structural filters, and the configuration-dependent lattice deformation model. The phase separation tendency in Au-Fe persists even if the fcc-bcc decomposition is suppressed. The relative stability of disordered bcc and fcc phases observed in nanoparticles is reproduced, but the fully ordered L1 0 AuFe, L1 2 Au 3Fe,more » and L1 2 AuFe 3 structures are unstable in DFT. But, a tendency to form concentration waves at the corresponding [001] ordering vector is revealed in nearly-random alloys in a certain range of concentrations. Furthermore, this incipient ordering requires enrichment by Fe relative to the equiatomic composition, which may occur in the core of a nanoparticle due to the segregation of Au to the surface. Effects of magnetism on the chemical ordering are also discussed.« less

Crystal-face-selective adsorption of Au nanoparticles onto polycrystalline diamond surfaces.

PubMed

Kondo, Takeshi; Aoshima, Shinsuke; Hirata, Kousuke; Honda, Kensuke; Einaga, Yasuaki; Fujishima, Akira; Kawai, Takeshi

2008-07-15

Crystal-face-selective adsorption of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) was achieved on polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) surface via the self-assembly method combined with a UV/ozone treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of crystal-face-selective adsorption on an inorganic solid surface. Hydrogen-plasma-treated BDD samples and those followed by UV/ozone treatment for 2 min or longer showed almost no adsorption of AuNP after immersion in the AuNP solution prepared by the citrate reduction method. However, the samples treated by UV/ozone for 10 s showed AuNP adsorption on their (111) facets selectively after the immersion. Moreover, the sample treated with UV/ozone for 40-60 s showed AuNP adsorption on the whole surface. These results indicate that the AuNP adsorption behavior can be controlled by UV/ozone treatment time. This phenomenon was highly reproducible and was applied to a two-step adsorption method, where AuNPs from different batches were adsorbed on the (111) and (100) surface in this order. Our findings may be of great value for the fabrication of advanced nanoparticle-based functional materials via bottom-up approaches with simple macroscale procedures.

Phase stability, ordering tendencies, and magnetism in single-phase fcc Au-Fe nanoalloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuravlev, I. A.; Barabash, S. V.; An, J. M.

Bulk Au-Fe alloys separate into Au-based fcc and Fe-based bcc phases, but L1 0 and L1 2 orderings were reported in single-phase Au-Fe nanoparticles. Motivated by these observations, we study the structural and ordering energetics in this alloy by combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations with effective Hamiltonian techniques: a cluster expansion with structural filters, and the configuration-dependent lattice deformation model. The phase separation tendency in Au-Fe persists even if the fcc-bcc decomposition is suppressed. The relative stability of disordered bcc and fcc phases observed in nanoparticles is reproduced, but the fully ordered L1 0 AuFe, L1 2 Au 3Fe,more » and L1 2 AuFe 3 structures are unstable in DFT. But, a tendency to form concentration waves at the corresponding [001] ordering vector is revealed in nearly-random alloys in a certain range of concentrations. Furthermore, this incipient ordering requires enrichment by Fe relative to the equiatomic composition, which may occur in the core of a nanoparticle due to the segregation of Au to the surface. Effects of magnetism on the chemical ordering are also discussed.« less

Collision-spike sputtering of Au nanoparticles

DOE PAGES

Sandoval, Luis; Urbassek, Herbert M.

2015-08-06

Ion irradiation of nanoparticles leads to enhanced sputter yields if the nanoparticle size is of the order of the ion penetration depth. While this feature is reasonably well understood for collision-cascade sputtering, we explore it in the regime of collision-spike sputtering using molecular-dynamics simulation. For the particular case of 200-keV Xe bombardment of Au particles, we show that collision spikes lead to abundant sputtering with an average yield of 397 ± 121 atoms compared to only 116 ± 48 atoms for a bulk Au target. Only around 31 % of the impact energy remains in the nanoparticles after impact; themore » remainder is transported away by the transmitted projectile and the ejecta. As a result, the sputter yield of supported nanoparticles is estimated to be around 80 % of that of free nanoparticles due to the suppression of forward sputtering.« less

Analyzing Carbohydrate-Protein Interaction Based on Single Plasmonic Nanoparticle by Conventional Dark Field Microscopy.

PubMed

Jin, Hong-Ying; Li, Da-Wei; Zhang, Na; Gu, Zhen; Long, Yi-Tao

2015-06-10

We demonstrated a practical method to analyze carbohydrate-protein interaction based on single plasmonic nanoparticles by conventional dark field microscopy (DFM). Protein concanavalin A (ConA) was modified on large sized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and dextran was conjugated on small sized AuNPs. As the interaction between ConA and dextran resulted in two kinds of gold nanoparticles coupled together, which caused coupling of plasmonic oscillations, apparent color changes (from green to yellow) of the single AuNPs were observed through DFM. Then, the color information was instantly transformed into a statistic peak wavelength distribution in less than 1 min by a self-developed statistical program (nanoparticleAnalysis). In addition, the interaction between ConA and dextran was proved with biospecific recognition. This approach is high-throughput and real-time, and is a convenient method to analyze carbohydrate-protein interaction at the single nanoparticle level efficiently.

Inverse-Micelle-Encapsulated Water-Enabled Bond Breaking of Dialkyl Diselenide/Disulfide: A Critical Step for Synthesizing High- Quality Gold Nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaluzhna, Oksana; Li, Ying; Allison, Thomas C.

2012-10-09

Inverse-micelle-encapsulated water formed in the two-phase Brust-Schiffrin method (BSM) synthesis of Au nanoparticles (NPs) is identified as essential for dialkyl diselenide/disulfide to react with the Au(III) complex in which the Se-Se/S-S bond is broken, leading to formation of higher-quality Au NPs.

Electron transport in gold colloidal nanoparticle-based strain gauges.

PubMed

Moreira, Helena; Grisolia, Jérémie; Sangeetha, Neralagatta M; Decorde, Nicolas; Farcau, Cosmin; Viallet, Benoit; Chen, Ke; Viau, Guillaume; Ressier, Laurence

2013-03-08

A systematic approach for understanding the electron transport mechanisms in resistive strain gauges based on assemblies of gold colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) protected by organic ligands is described. The strain gauges were fabricated from parallel micrometer wide wires made of 14 nm gold (Au) colloidal NPs on polyethylene terephthalate substrates, elaborated by convective self-assembly. Electron transport in such devices occurs by inter-particle electron tunneling through the tunnel barrier imposed by the organic ligands protecting the NPs. This tunnel barrier was varied by changing the nature of organic ligands coating the nanoparticles: citrate (CIT), phosphines (BSPP, TDSP) and thiols (MPA, MUDA). Electro-mechanical tests indicate that only the gold NPs protected by phosphine and thiol ligands yield high gauge sensitivity. Temperature-dependent resistance measurements are explained using the 'regular island array model' that extracts transport parameters, i.e., the tunneling decay constant β and the Coulomb charging energy E(C). This reveals that the Au@CIT nanoparticle assemblies exhibit a behavior characteristic of a strong-coupling regime, whereas those of Au@BSPP, Au@TDSP, Au@MPA and Au@MUDA nanoparticles manifest a weak-coupling regime. A comparison of the parameters extracted from the two methods indicates that the most sensitive gauges in the weak-coupling regime feature the highest β. Moreover, the E(C) values of these 14 nm NPs cannot be neglected in determining the β values.

Electron transport in gold colloidal nanoparticle-based strain gauges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreira, Helena; Grisolia, Jérémie; Sangeetha, Neralagatta M.; Decorde, Nicolas; Farcau, Cosmin; Viallet, Benoit; Chen, Ke; Viau, Guillaume; Ressier, Laurence

2013-03-01

A systematic approach for understanding the electron transport mechanisms in resistive strain gauges based on assemblies of gold colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) protected by organic ligands is described. The strain gauges were fabricated from parallel micrometer wide wires made of 14 nm gold (Au) colloidal NPs on polyethylene terephthalate substrates, elaborated by convective self-assembly. Electron transport in such devices occurs by inter-particle electron tunneling through the tunnel barrier imposed by the organic ligands protecting the NPs. This tunnel barrier was varied by changing the nature of organic ligands coating the nanoparticles: citrate (CIT), phosphines (BSPP, TDSP) and thiols (MPA, MUDA). Electro-mechanical tests indicate that only the gold NPs protected by phosphine and thiol ligands yield high gauge sensitivity. Temperature-dependent resistance measurements are explained using the ‘regular island array model’ that extracts transport parameters, i.e., the tunneling decay constant β and the Coulomb charging energy EC. This reveals that the Au@CIT nanoparticle assemblies exhibit a behavior characteristic of a strong-coupling regime, whereas those of Au@BSPP, Au@TDSP, Au@MPA and Au@MUDA nanoparticles manifest a weak-coupling regime. A comparison of the parameters extracted from the two methods indicates that the most sensitive gauges in the weak-coupling regime feature the highest β. Moreover, the EC values of these 14 nm NPs cannot be neglected in determining the β values.

Green synthesis and characterization of size tunable silica-capped gold core-shell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wangoo, Nishima; Shekhawat, Gajendra; Wu, Jin-Song; Bhasin, Aman K. K.; Suri, C. R.; Bhasin, K. K.; Dravid, Vinayak

2012-08-01

Silica-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@SiO2) with controlled silica-shell thickness were prepared by a modified Stober's method using 10-nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as seeds. The AuNPs were silica-coated with a sol-gel reaction using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica source and ammonia as a catalyst. An increase in TEOS concentration resulted in an increase in shell thickness. The NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning near-field ultrasound holography and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The method required no surface modification and the synthesized core shell nanoparticles can be used for various types of biological applications.

Effect of spherical Au nanoparticles on nanofriction and wear reduction in dry and liquid environments

PubMed Central

Maharaj, Dave

2012-01-01

Summary Nano-object additives are used in tribological applications as well as in various applications in liquids requiring controlled manipulation and targeting. On the macroscale, nanoparticles in solids and liquids have been shown to reduce friction and wear. On the nanoscale, atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies have been performed in single- and multiple-nanoparticle contact, in dry environments, to characterize friction forces and wear. However, limited studies in submerged liquid environments have been performed and further studies are needed. In this paper, spherical Au nanoparticles were studied for their effect on friction and wear under dry conditions and submerged in water. In single-nanoparticle contact, individual nanoparticles, deposited on silicon, were manipulated with a sharp tip and the friction force was determined. Multiple-nanoparticle contact sliding experiments were performed on nanoparticle-coated silicon with a glass sphere. Wear tests were performed on the nanoscale with AFM as well as on the macroscale by using a ball-on-flat tribometer to relate friction and wear reduction on the nanoscale and macroscale. Results indicate that the addition of Au nanoparticles reduces friction and wear. PMID:23213639

Green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles using Hibiscus rosa sinensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philip, Daizy

2010-03-01

Biological synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles of various shapes using the leaf extract of Hibiscus rosa sinensis is reported. This is a simple, cost-effective, stable for long time and reproducible aqueous room temperature synthesis method to obtain a self-assembly of Au and Ag nanoparticles. The size and shape of Au nanoparticles are modulated by varying the ratio of metal salt and extract in the reaction medium. Variation of pH of the reaction medium gives silver nanoparticles of different shapes. The nanoparticles obtained are characterized by UV-vis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy. Crystalline nature of the nanoparticles in the fcc structure are confirmed by the peaks in the XRD pattern corresponding to (1 1 1), (2 0 0), (2 2 0) and (3 1 1) planes, bright circular spots in the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and clear lattice fringes in the high-resolution TEM image. From FTIR spectra it is found that the Au nanoparticles are bound to amine groups and the Ag nanoparticles to carboxylate ion groups.

Silica sacrificial layer-assisted in-plane incorporation of Au nanoparticles into mesoporous titania thin films through different reduction methods.

PubMed

Liang, Chih-Peng; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Liu, Chia-Hung; Wu, Kevin C-W

2013-06-28

This study focuses on the incorporation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) into our previously synthesized mesoporous titania thin films consisting of titania nanopillars and inverse mesospace (C. W. Wu, T. Ohsuna, M. Kuwabara and K. Kuroda, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 4544-4545, denoted as MTTFs). Recently, mesoporous titania materials doped with noble metals such as gold have attracted considerable attention because noble metals can enhance the efficiency of mesoporous titania-based devices. In this research, we attempted to use four different reduction methods (i.e., thermal treatment, photo irradiation, liquid immersion, and vapor contacting) to introduce gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) into MTTFs. The synthesized Au@MTTFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We further systematically investigated the formation mechanism of gold nanoparticles on the external and internal surfaces of the MTTFs. With the assistance of a silica sacrificial layer, well-dispersed Au NPs with sizes of 4.1 nm were obtained inside the MTTF by photo irradiation. The synthesized Au@MTTF materials show great potential in various photo-electronic and photo-catalytic applications.

Encapsulation of Au Nanoparticles on a Silicon Wafer During Thermal Oxidation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We report the behavior of Au nanoparticles anchored onto a Si(111) substrate and the evolution of the combined structure with annealing and oxidation. Au nanoparticles, formed by annealing a Au film, appear to “float” upon a growing layer of SiO2 during oxidation at high temperature, yet they also tend to become partially encapsulated by the growing silica layers. It is proposed that this occurs largely because of the differential growth rates of the silica layer on the silicon substrate between the particles and below the particles due to limited access of oxygen to the latter. This in turn is due to a combination of blockage of oxygen adsorption by the Au and limited oxygen diffusion under the gold. We think that such behavior is likely to be seen for other metal–semiconductor systems. PMID:24163715

Preparation of plasmonic porous Au@AgVO3 belt-like nanocomposites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity.

PubMed

Fu, Haitao; Yang, Xiaohong; Zhang, Zhikui; Wang, Wenwen; An, Xizhong; Dong, Yu; Li, Xue

2018-07-20

This study reports a visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalyst of Au deposited AgVO 3 nanocomposites prepared by a hydrothermal method, and further in situ modification of Au nanoparticles by a reducing agent of NaHSO 3 in an aqueous solution at room temperature. Various characterization techniques, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, were used to reveal the morphology, composition, and related properties. The results show that belt-like AgVO 3 nanoparticles with a width of ∼100 nm were successfully synthesized, and Au nanoparticles with controlled sizes (5-20 nm) were well distributed on the surface of the nanobelts. The UV-vis absorption spectra indicate that the decoration of Au nanoparticles can modulate the optical properties of the nanocomposites, namely, red shift occurs with the increase of Au content. The photocatalytic activities were measured by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) with the presence of photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation results show that AgVO 3 nanobelts exhibit good visible light photocatalytic activities with a degradation efficiency of 98% in 50 min and a reaction rate constant of 0.025 min -1 towards 30 ppm RhB. With the modification of Au nanoparticles, photocatalytic activity basically increases with the molar ratio of Au to V. Among the Au@AgVO 3 nanocomposites, the 3% (molar ratio) Au decorated AgVO 3 nanobelts showed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the k (0.064 min -1 ) was almost two times higher than that of the pure AgVO 3 nanobelts. This can be attributed to several factors including specific surface areas, optical properties, and the energy band structure of the composites under visible light illumination. These findings may be useful for the practical use of visible light-driven photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies for environmental remediation.

Preparation of plasmonic porous Au@AgVO3 belt-like nanocomposites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Haitao; Yang, Xiaohong; Zhang, Zhikui; Wang, Wenwen; An, Xizhong; Dong, Yu; Li, Xue

2018-07-01

This study reports a visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalyst of Au deposited AgVO3 nanocomposites prepared by a hydrothermal method, and further in situ modification of Au nanoparticles by a reducing agent of NaHSO3 in an aqueous solution at room temperature. Various characterization techniques, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, were used to reveal the morphology, composition, and related properties. The results show that belt-like AgVO3 nanoparticles with a width of ∼100 nm were successfully synthesized, and Au nanoparticles with controlled sizes (5–20 nm) were well distributed on the surface of the nanobelts. The UV–vis absorption spectra indicate that the decoration of Au nanoparticles can modulate the optical properties of the nanocomposites, namely, red shift occurs with the increase of Au content. The photocatalytic activities were measured by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) with the presence of photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation results show that AgVO3 nanobelts exhibit good visible light photocatalytic activities with a degradation efficiency of 98% in 50 min and a reaction rate constant of 0.025 min‑1 towards 30 ppm RhB. With the modification of Au nanoparticles, photocatalytic activity basically increases with the molar ratio of Au to V. Among the Au@AgVO3 nanocomposites, the 3% (molar ratio) Au decorated AgVO3 nanobelts showed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the k (0.064 min‑1) was almost two times higher than that of the pure AgVO3 nanobelts. This can be attributed to several factors including specific surface areas, optical properties, and the energy band structure of the composites under visible light illumination. These findings may be useful for the practical use of visible light-driven photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies for environmental remediation.

Improved efficiency of organic solar cells using Au NPs incorporated into PEDOT:PSS buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otieno, Francis; Shumbula, Ndivhuwo P.; Airo, Mildred; Mbuso, Mlambo; Moloto, Nosipho; Erasmus, Rudolph M.; Quandt, Alexander; Wamwangi, Daniel

2017-08-01

Au based plasmonic phenomenon inside the hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) of an organic solar cell based on blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6:6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid (PCBM) is investigated. The concentration of the Au nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical reduction is one of the key factors to strong light trapping when the spherical gold nanoparticles are blended into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Studies of the influence of the concentration of nanoparticles distribution in the PEDOT:PSS were carried out using UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Electrical characteristics of the pristine device and of device with metallic nanostructures were analyzed from J -V characteristics to observe the plasmonic effects on the performance in the P3HT:PCBM organic solar cells. The origin of the photocurrent enhancements with varying Au nanoparticles concentrations on PEDOT:PSS are discussed.

Rational Design of Plasmonic Nanoparticles for Enhanced Cavitation and Cell Perforation.

PubMed

Lachaine, Rémi; Boutopoulos, Christos; Lajoie, Pierre-Yves; Boulais, Étienne; Meunier, Michel

2016-05-11

Metallic nanoparticles are routinely used as nanoscale antenna capable of absorbing and converting photon energy with subwavelength resolution. Many applications, notably in nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology, benefit from the enhanced optical properties of these materials, which can be exploited to image, damage, or destroy targeted cells and subcellular structures with unprecedented precision. Modern inorganic chemistry enables the synthesis of a large library of nanoparticles with an increasing variety of shapes, composition, and optical characteristic. However, identifying and tailoring nanoparticles morphology to specific applications remains challenging and limits the development of efficient nanoplasmonic technologies. In this work, we report a strategy for the rational design of gold plasmonic nanoshells (AuNS) for the efficient ultrafast laser-based nanoscale bubble generation and cell membrane perforation, which constitute one of the most crucial challenges toward the development of effective gene therapy treatments. We design an in silico rational design framework that we use to tune AuNS morphology to simultaneously optimize for the reduction of the cavitation threshold while preserving the particle structural integrity. Our optimization procedure yields optimal AuNS that are slightly detuned compared to their plasmonic resonance conditions with an optical breakdown threshold 30% lower than randomly selected AuNS and 13% lower compared to similarly optimized gold nanoparticles (AuNP). This design strategy is validated using time-resolved bubble spectroscopy, shadowgraphy imaging and electron microscopy that confirm the particle structural integrity and a reduction of 51% of the cavitation threshold relative to optimal AuNP. Rationally designed AuNS are finally used to perforate cancer cells with an efficiency of 61%, using 33% less energy compared to AuNP, which demonstrate that our rational design framework is readily transferable to a cell environment. The methodology developed here thus provides a general strategy for the systematic design of nanoparticles for nanomedical applications and should be broadly applicable to bioimaging and cell nanosurgery.

Direct Deposition of Gas Phase Generated Aerosol Gold Nanoparticles into Biological Fluids - Corona Formation and Particle Size Shifts

PubMed Central

Svensson, Christian R.; Messing, Maria E.; Lundqvist, Martin; Schollin, Alexander; Deppert, Knut; Pagels, Joakim H.; Rissler, Jenny; Cedervall, Tommy

2013-01-01

An ongoing discussion whether traditional toxicological methods are sufficient to evaluate the risks associated with nanoparticle inhalation has led to the emergence of Air-Liquid interface toxicology. As a step in this process, this study explores the evolution of particle characteristics as they move from the airborne state into physiological solution. Airborne gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are generated using an evaporation-condensation technique. Spherical and agglomerate AuNPs are deposited into physiological solutions of increasing biological complexity. The AuNP size is characterized in air as mobility diameter and in liquid as hydrodynamic diameter. AuNP:Protein aggregation in physiological solutions is determined using dynamic light scattering, particle tracking analysis, and UV absorption spectroscopy. AuNPs deposited into homocysteine buffer form large gold-aggregates. Spherical AuNPs deposited in solutions of albumin were trapped at the Air-Liquid interface but was readily suspended in the solutions with a size close to that of the airborne particles, indicating that AuNP:Protein complex formation is promoted. Deposition into serum and lung fluid resulted in larger complexes, reflecting the formation of a more complex protein corona. UV absorption spectroscopy indicated no further aggregation of the AuNPs after deposition in solution. The corona of the deposited AuNPs shows differences compared to AuNPs generated in suspension. Deposition of AuNPs from the aerosol phase into biological fluids offers a method to study the protein corona formed, upon inhalation and deposition in the lungs in a more realistic way compared to particle liquid suspensions. This is important since the protein corona together with key particle properties (e.g. size, shape and surface reactivity) to a large extent may determine the nanoparticle effects and possible translocation to other organs. PMID:24086363

Sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS nanorod arrays with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytical performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Shoutian; Wang, Yingying; Fan, Guanghua; Gao, Renxi; Liu, Wenjun

2017-11-01

The development of high-performance photocatalysts is central to efforts focused on taking advantage of solar energy to overcome environmental and energy crises. Integrating different functional materials artfully into nanostructures can deliver more efficient photocatalytic activity. Here, sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS nanorod films were synthesized via successive ZnO nanorod electrodeposition, Au sputtering and CdS electrodeposition. The as-synthesized composites were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, x-ray diffractometer, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Their photocatalytic activity was assessed by degrading Rhodamine B solution under visible light irradiation. ZnO@Au@CdS exhibited better photocatalytic performance than ZnO@CdS throughout the visible light region, and the corresponding enhancement factor of Au nanoparticles was measured as a function of CdS loading amount, and it could reach 190% with CdS deposition for 1 min. The normalized rate constant could reach 0.387 h-1 for ZnO@Au@CdS-1min, which was equivalent to or better than results in reference photocatalysts. The enhancement mechanism of Au nanoparticles was estimated by comparing the monochromatic photocatalytic action spectra with the absorption spectrum of ZnO@Au@CdS, and it was mainly determined by incident photon energy. With selective excitation of Au nanoparticles by incident photons, the excited hot electrons in Au NPs are transferred to the conduction band of ZnO to boost photocatalytic reaction. With selective excitation of CdS, the enhanced interband absorption of CdS and relay station effect of Au nanoparticles should be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. Our work not only opens the door to the design of efficient supported photocatalysts, but also helps to understand the enhancement mechanism of LSPR effect on the photoelectric conversion of semiconductors.

Surface plasmon resonance-induced photocatalysis by Au nanoparticles decorated mesoporous g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets under direct sunlight irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tonda, Surendar; Kumar, Santosh; Shanker, Vishnu, E-mail: vishnu@nitw.ac.in

Highlights: • The Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} was synthesized via a template-free and green in situ strategy. • Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets possesses high surface area and porous structure. • Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} showed dramatic photocurrent response and photocatalytic activity. • The high performance is due to SPR of Au and mesoporous structure. • Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets exhibited high photostability. - Abstract: In recent years, surface plasmon-induced photocatalytic materials with tunable mesoporous framework have attracted considerable attention in energy conversion and environmental remediation. Herein we report a novel Au nanoparticles decorated mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}) nanosheets viamore » a template-free and green in situ photo-reduction method. The synthesized Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets exhibit a strong absorption edge in visible and near-IR region owing to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Au nanoparticles. More attractively, Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than that of pure mesoporous and bulk g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} for the degradation of rhodamine B under sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, the photocurrent and photoluminescence studies demonstrated that the deposition of Au nanoparticles on the surface of mesoporous g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} could effectively inhibit the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers leading to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. More importantly, the synthesized Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets possess high reusability. Hence, Au/mp-g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} could be promising photoactive material for energy and environmental applications.« less

Synthesis and catalytic activity of the metastable phase of gold phosphide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernando, Deshani; Nigro, Toni A.E.; Dyer, I.D.

Recently, transition metal phosphides have found new applications as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction that has generated an impetus to synthesize these materials at the nanoscale. In this work, Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} was synthesized utilizing the high temperature decomposition of tri-n-octylphosphine as a source of elemental phosphorous. Gold nanorods were used as morphological templates with the aim of controlling the shape and size of the resulting gold phosphide particles. We demonstrate that the surface capping ligand of the gold nanoparticle precursors can influence the purity and extent to which the gold phosphide phase will form. Gold nanorods functionalized withmore » 1-dodecanethiol undergo digestive ripening to produce discrete spherical particles that exhibit reduced reactivity towards phosphorous, resulting in low yields of the gold phosphide. In contrast, gold phosphide was obtained as a phase pure product when cetyltrimethylammonium bromide functionalized gold nanorods are used instead. The Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} nanoparticles exhibited higher activity than polycrystalline gold towards the hydrogen evolution reaction. - Graphical abstract: Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} was synthesized utilizing the high temperature decomposition of tri-n-octylphosphine as a source of elemental phosphorous and gold nanoparticles as reactants. We demonstrate that the surface capping ligand of the gold nanoparticle precursors influence the purity and extent to which the Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} phase will form. Gold nanorods functionalized with 1-dodecanethiol undergo digestive ripening to produce discrete spherical particles that exhibit reduced reactivity towards phosphorous, resulting in low yields of the gold phosphide. In contrast, gold phosphide was obtained as a phase pure product when cetyltrimethylammonium bromide functionalized gold nanoparticles are used instead. The Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} nanoparticles exhibited higher activity than polycrystalline gold towards the hydrogen evolution reaction. - Highlights: • The surface chemistry of gold affects the synthetic yields of Au{sub 2}P{sub 3}. • Imaging of Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} with transmission electron microscopy results in decomposition. • Au{sub 2}P{sub 3} nanoparticles exhibit activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction.« less

Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticle-coated fabric and leather against odor and skin infection causing bacteria.

PubMed

Velmurugan, Palanivel; Lee, Sang-Myeong; Cho, Min; Park, Jung-Hee; Seo, Sang-Ki; Myung, Hyun; Bang, Keuk-Soo; Oh, Byung-Taek

2014-10-01

We present a simple, eco-friendly synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles using a natural polymer pine gum solution as the reducing and capping agent. The pine gum solution was combined with silver nitrate (AgNO3) or a chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) solution to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), respectively. The reaction process was simple; formation of the nanoparticles was achieved by autoclaving the silver and gold ions with the pine gum. UV-Vis spectra showed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for silver and gold nanoparticles at 432 and 539 nm, respectively. The elemental forms of AgNPs and AuNPs were confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed the biomolecules present in the pine gum, AgNPs, and AuNPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the shape and size of AgNPs and AuNPs. The crystalline nature of synthesized AgNPs and AuNPs was confirmed by X-ray crystallography [X-ray diffraction (XRD)]. Application of synthesized AgNPs onto cotton fabrics and leather, in order to evaluate their antibacterial properties against odor- or skin infection-causing bacteria, is also discussed. Among the four tested bacteria, AgNP-coated cotton fabric and leather samples displayed excellent antibacterial activity against Brevibacterium linens.

In vitro dosimetry of agglomerates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, V.; Kinnear, C.; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, L.; Monnier, C. A.; Rothen-Rutishauser, B.; Balog, S.; Petri-Fink, A.

2014-06-01

Agglomeration of nanoparticles in biological fluids is a pervasive phenomenon that leads to difficulty in the interpretation of results from in vitro exposure, primarily due to differing particokinetics of agglomerates to nanoparticles. Therefore, well-defined small agglomerates were designed that possessed different particokinetic profiles, and their cellular uptake was compared to a computational model of dosimetry. The approach used here paves the way for a better understanding of the impact of agglomeration on the nanoparticle-cell interaction.Agglomeration of nanoparticles in biological fluids is a pervasive phenomenon that leads to difficulty in the interpretation of results from in vitro exposure, primarily due to differing particokinetics of agglomerates to nanoparticles. Therefore, well-defined small agglomerates were designed that possessed different particokinetic profiles, and their cellular uptake was compared to a computational model of dosimetry. The approach used here paves the way for a better understanding of the impact of agglomeration on the nanoparticle-cell interaction. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: ITC data for tiopronin/Au-NP interactions, agglomeration kinetics at different pHs for tiopronin-coated Au-NPs, UV-Vis spectra in water, PBS and DMEM and temporal correlation functions for single Au-NPs and corresponding agglomerates, calculation of diffusion and sedimentation parameters, modelling of relative cell uptake based on the ISDD model and cytotoxicity of single Au-NPs and their agglomerates, and synthesis and cell uptake of large spherical Au-NPs. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00460d

Synthesis of Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles with concave Au nanocuboids as seeds and their enhanced electrocatalytic properties in the ethanol oxidation reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Lingyu; Li, Lidong; Peng, Yi; Guo, Lin

2015-12-01

Herein, a new type of uniform and well-structured Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) with highly active concave Au nanocuboids (NCs) as seeds was successfully synthesized by using the classic seed-mediated method. Electrochemical measurements were conducted to demonstrate their greatly enhanced catalytic performance in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). It was found that the electrochemical performance for Au@Pt BNPs with the concave Au NCs as seeds, which were enclosed by {611} high-index facets, could be seven times higher than that of the Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles with regular spherical Au NPs as seeds. Furthermore, our findings show that the morphology and electrocatalytic activity of the Au@Pt BNPs can be tuned simply by changing the compositional ratios of the growth solution. The lower the amount of H2PtCl6 used in the growth solution, the thinner the Pt shell grew, and the more high-index facets of concave Au NCs seeds were exposed in Au@Pt BNPs, leading to higher electrochemical activity. These as-prepared concave Au@Pt BNPs will open up new strategies for improving catalytic efficiency and reducing the use of the expensive and scarce resource of platinum in the ethanol oxidation reaction, and are potentially applicable as electrochemical catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells.

Synthesis of Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles with concave Au nanocuboids as seeds and their enhanced electrocatalytic properties in the ethanol oxidation reaction.

PubMed

Tan, Lingyu; Li, Lidong; Peng, Yi; Guo, Lin

2015-12-18

Herein, a new type of uniform and well-structured Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) with highly active concave Au nanocuboids (NCs) as seeds was successfully synthesized by using the classic seed-mediated method. Electrochemical measurements were conducted to demonstrate their greatly enhanced catalytic performance in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). It was found that the electrochemical performance for Au@Pt BNPs with the concave Au NCs as seeds, which were enclosed by {611} high-index facets, could be seven times higher than that of the Au@Pt bimetallic nanoparticles with regular spherical Au NPs as seeds. Furthermore, our findings show that the morphology and electrocatalytic activity of the Au@Pt BNPs can be tuned simply by changing the compositional ratios of the growth solution. The lower the amount of H2PtCl6 used in the growth solution, the thinner the Pt shell grew, and the more high-index facets of concave Au NCs seeds were exposed in Au@Pt BNPs, leading to higher electrochemical activity. These as-prepared concave Au@Pt BNPs will open up new strategies for improving catalytic efficiency and reducing the use of the expensive and scarce resource of platinum in the ethanol oxidation reaction, and are potentially applicable as electrochemical catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells.

Dual-Function Au@Y2O3:Eu3+ Smart Film for Enhanced Power Conversion Efficiency and Long-Term Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kim, Chang Woo; Eom, Tae Young; Yang, In Seok; Kim, Byung Su; Lee, Wan In; Kang, Yong Soo; Kang, Young Soo

2017-07-28

In the present study, a dual-functional smart film combining the effects of wavelength conversion and amplification of the converted wave by the localized surface plasmon resonance has been investigated for a perovskite solar cell. This dual-functional film, composed of Au nanoparticles coated on the surface of Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ phosphor (Au@Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ ) nanoparticle monolayer, enhances the solar energy conversion efficiency to electrical energy and long-term stability of photovoltaic cells. Coupling between the Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ phosphor monolayer and ultraviolet solar light induces the latter to be converted into visible light with a quantum yield above 80%. Concurrently, the Au nanoparticle monolayer on the phosphor nanoparticle monolayer amplifies the converted visible light by up to 170%. This synergy leads to an increased solar light energy conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Simultaneously, the dual-function film suppresses the photodegradation of perovskite by UV light, resulting in long-term stability. Introducing the hybrid smart Au@Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ film in perovskite solar cells increases their overall solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency to 16.1% and enhances long-term stability, as compared to the value of 15.2% for standard perovskite solar cells. The synergism between the wavelength conversion effect of the phosphor nanoparticle monolayer and the wave amplification by the localized surface plasmon resonance of the Au nanoparticle monolayer in a perovskite solar cell is comparatively investigated, providing a viable strategy of broadening the solar spectrum utilization.

Nanoscale semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell heterostructures: facile synthesis and light emission.

PubMed

Li, Gong Ping; Chen, Rui; Guo, Dong Lai; Wong, Lai Mun; Wang, Shi Jie; Sun, Han Dong; Wu, Tom

2011-08-01

Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO(2) and In(2)O(3) are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Foldable Thermoelectric Materials: Improvement of the Thermoelectric Performance of Directly Spun CNT Webs by Individual Control of Electrical and Thermal Conductivity.

PubMed

An, Cheng Jin; Kang, Young Hun; Lee, A-Young; Jang, Kwang-Suk; Jeong, Youngjin; Cho, Song Yun

2016-08-31

We suggest the fabrication of foldable thermoelectric (TE) materials by embedding conducting polymers into Au-doped CNT webs. The CNT bundles, which are interconnected by a direct spinning method to form 3D networks without interfacial contact resistance, provide both high electrical conductivity and high carrier mobility. The ZT value of the spun CNT web is significantly enhanced through two simple processes. Decorating the porous CNT webs with Au nanoparticles increases the electrical conductivity, resulting in an optimal ZT of 0.163, which represents a more than 2-fold improvement compared to the ZT of pristine CNT webs (0.079). After decoration, polyaniline (PANI) is integrated into the Au-doped CNT webs both to improve the Seebeck coefficient by an energy-filtering effect and to decrease the thermal conductivity by the phonon-scattering effect. This leads to a ZT of 0.203, which is one of the highest ZT values reported for organic TE materials. Moreover, Au-doped CNT/PANI web is ultralightweight, free-standing, thermally stable, and mechanically robust, which makes it a viable candidate for a hybrid TE conversion device for wearable electronics. When a 20 K temperature gradient is applied to the TE module consisting of seven p-n couples, 1.74 μW of power is generated.

Determination of trichloroethylene by using self-referenced SERS and gold-core/silver-shell nanoparticles.

PubMed

Yu, Zhao; Smith, Michael E; Zhang, Jinnan; Zhou, Yan; Zhang, Peng

2018-06-18

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) method has been developed to determine the concentration of trichloroethylene (TCE) in environmental water. Au-core/Ag-shell nanoparticles containing 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA) between the core and shell are used as the SERS substrate. 4-MPBA serves as an internal reference with a Raman shift at 534 cm -1 . TCE reacts with 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MPy) in a so-called Fujiwara reaction. With the presence of TCE in water, the consumption of 4-MPy results in a change in the intensity of its Raman signal at 1220 cm -1 . The ratio of the Raman shift at 1220 cm -1 and 534 cm -1 decreases linearly in the 0.2 to 1.0 μM TCE concentration range, and the detection limit of TCE is as low as 8 ppb (60 nM). The method has been successfully applied to the determination of TCE in spiked lake water. Graphical abstract Gold-core/silver-shell nanoparticles with internal reference embedded have been fabracated to improve the quantitative measurement of SERS. These nanoparticles as SERS substrates, are used to indirectly quantify the concentration of trichloroethylene (a typical halogenated organic compound) by the consumption of 4-mercaptopyridine through the Fujiwara reaction.

Hollow Au-Ag Nanoparticles Labeled Immunochromatography Strip for Highly Sensitive Detection of Clenbuterol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingyun; Zhang, Lei; Huang, Youju; Dandapat, Anirban; Dai, Liwei; Zhang, Ganggang; Lu, Xuefei; Zhang, Jiawei; Lai, Weihua; Chen, Tao

2017-01-01

The probe materials play a significant role in improving the detection efficiency and sensitivity of lateral-flow immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS). Unlike conventional ICTS assay usually uses single-component, solid gold nanoparticles as labeled probes, in our present study, a bimetallic, hollow Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) labeled ICTS was successfully developed for the detection of clenbuterol (CLE). The hollow Au-Ag NPs with different Au/Ag mole ratio and tunable size were synthesized by varying the volume ratio of [HAuCl4]:[Ag NPs] via the galvanic replacement reaction. The surface of hollow Ag-Au NPs was functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) for further covalently bonded with anti-CLE monoclonal antibody. Overall size of the Au-Ag NPs, size of the holes within individual NPs and also Au/Ag mole ratio have been systematically optimized to amplify both the visual inspection signals and the quantitative data. The sensitivity of optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs probes has been achieved even as low as 2 ppb in a short time (within 15 min), which is superior over the detection performance of conventional test strip using Au NPs. The optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs labeled test strip can be used as an ideal candidate for the rapid screening of CLE in food samples.

Confined Pattern-Directed Assembly of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles in a Phase Separating Blend with a Homopolymer Matrix.

PubMed

Zhang, Ren; Lee, Bongjoon; Bockstaller, Michael R; Douglas, Jack F; Stafford, Christopher M; Kumar, Sanat K; Raghavan, Dharmaraj; Karim, Alamgir

The controlled organization of nanoparticle (NP) constituents into superstructures of well-defined shape, composition and connectivity represents a continuing challenge in the development of novel hybrid materials for many technological applications. We show that the phase separation of polymer-tethered nanoparticles immersed in a chemically different polymer matrix provides an effective and scalable method for fabricating defined submicron-sized amorphous NP domains in melt polymer thin films. We investigate this phenomenon with a view towards understanding and controlling the phase separation process through directed nanoparticle assembly. In particular, we consider isothermally annealed thin films of polystyrene-grafted gold nanoparticles (AuPS) dispersed in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix. Classic binary polymer blend phase separation related morphology transitions, from discrete AuPS domains to bicontinuous to inverse domain structure with increasing nanoparticle composition is observed, yet the kinetics of the AuPS/PMMA polymer blends system exhibit unique features compared to the parent PS/PMMA homopolymer blend. We further illustrate how to pattern-align the phase-separated AuPS nanoparticle domain shape, size and location through the imposition of a simple and novel external symmetry-breaking perturbation via soft-lithography. Specifically, submicron-sized topographically patterned elastomer confinement is introduced to direct the nanoparticles into kinetically controlled long-range ordered domains, having a dense yet well-dispersed distribution of non-crystallizing nanoparticles. The simplicity, versatility and roll-to-roll adaptability of this novel method for controlled nanoparticle assembly should make it useful in creating desirable patterned nanoparticle domains for a variety of functional materials and applications.

Nonlinear absorption enhancement of AuNPs based polymer nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulina, Natalia A.; Baranov, Mikhail A.; Kniazev, Kirill I.; Kaliabin, Viacheslav O.; Denisyuk, Igor Yu.; Achor, Susan U.; Sitnikova, Vera E.

2018-07-01

Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) based polymer nanocomposites with high nonlinear absorption coefficient were synthesized by UV-photocuring. AuNPs were synthesized by laser ablation method in liquid monomer isodecyl acrylate (IDA). In this research, two colloids with 70 nm and 20 nm nanoparticles average sizes were studied. Size control was performed with SEM and STEM. Prepared nanomaterials exhibit strong third-order nonlinear optical responses under CW laser irradiation at 532 nm, which was estimated by using z-scan technique performed with open aperture. It was found experimentally that nonlinear absorption β is almost twice higher for nanocomposites with smaller AuNPs.

The characteristics and mechanisms of Au nanoparticles processed by functional centrifugal procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiau, Bo-Wen; Lin, Chien-Hung; Liao, Ying-Yen; Lee, Ya-Rong; Liu, Shih-Hao; Ding, Wei-Cheng; Lee, Jia-Ren

2018-05-01

In this work, the optical properties of Au nanoparticles processed by centrifugation techniques are studied. Most of the literature related to the control of nanoparticle size has focused on different preparation parameters; however, the wide size distribution is commonly an issue for follow-up investigations and further applications. Therefore, we developed a method in which specific-diameter particles can be effectively separated using different centrifugal procedures. The initial nanoparticle solution with a primary absorption peak at 534 nm is separated into discernible resonance wavelengths from 526 to 537 nm, with corresponding particle sizes from 30 to 55 nm. For the atomic force microscopy analysis of nanoparticle size, a dry cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) film often covers the particles and interferes with the measurement; thus, CTAB has to be removed. However, if too much CTAB is removed, the surface of the Au nanoparticle becomes unstable, and the particles aggregate. Accordingly, we used UV spectroscopy to monitor the CTAB content; properly adjust the rotational speed and the number of centrifugation stages; and design a method that can effectively remove impurities, avoid clustering, and enable particle size measurement. The usually complicated procedures and high cost of preparation of specific-size Au nanoparticles are greatly simplified and reduced by the convenient extraction process proposed in this work, which would benefit related research and applications.

Computer simulation of formation and decomposition of Au13 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stishenko, P.; Svalova, A.

2017-08-01

To study the Ostwald ripening process of Au13 nanoparticles a two-scale model is constructed: analytical approximation of average nanoparticle energy as function of nanoparticle size and structural motive, and the Monte Carlo model of 1000 particles ensemble. Simulation results show different behavior of particles of different structural motives. The change of the distributions of atom coordination numbers during the Ostwald ripening process was observed. The nanoparticles of the equal size and shape with the face-centered cubic structure of the largest sizes appeared to be the most stable.

Enhanced targeting of invasive glioblastoma cells by peptide-functionalized gold nanorods in hydrogel-based 3D cultures.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Diana P N; Rodriguez, Raul D; Kurth, Thomas; Bray, Laura J; Binner, Marcus; Jungnickel, Christiane; Gür, Fatih N; Poser, Steve W; Schmidt, Thorsten L; Zahn, Dietrich R T; Androutsellis-Theotokis, Andreas; Schlierf, Michael; Werner, Carsten

2017-08-01

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for drug resistance, tumor recurrence, and metastasis in several cancer types, making their eradication a primary objective in cancer therapy. Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) tumors are usually composed of a highly infiltrating CSC subpopulation, which has Nestin as a putative marker. Since the majority of these infiltrating cells are able to elude conventional therapies, we have developed gold nanorods (AuNRs) functionalized with an engineered peptide capable of specific recognition and selective eradication of Nestin positive infiltrating GBM-CSCs. These AuNRs generate heat when irradiated by a near-infrared laser, and cause localized cell damage. Nanoparticle internalization assays performed with GBM-CSCs or Nestin negative cells cultured as two-dimensional (2D) monolayers or embedded in three-dimensional (3D) biodegradable-hydrogels of tunable mechanical properties, revealed that the AuNRs were mainly internalized by GBM-CSCs, and not by Nestin negative cells. The AuNRs were taken up via energy-dependent and caveolae-mediated endocytic mechanisms, and were localized inside endosomes. Photothermal treatments resulted in the selective elimination of GBM-CSCs through cell apoptosis, while Nestin negative cells remained viable. Results also indicated that GBM-CSCs embedded in hydrogels were more resistant to AuNR photothermal treatments than when cultured as 2D monolayers. In summary, the combination of our engineered AuNRs with our tunable hydrogel system has shown the potential to provide an in vitro platform for the evaluation and screening of AuNR-based cancer therapeutics, leading to a substantial advancement in the application of AuNRs for targeted GBM-CSC therapy. There is an urgent need for reliable and efficient therapies for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which is currently an untreatable brain tumor form with a very poor patient survival rate. GBM tumors are mostly comprised of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are responsible for tumor reoccurrence and therapy resistance. We have developed gold nanorods functionalized with an engineered peptide capable of selective recognition and eradication of GBM-CSCs via heat generation by nanorods upon NIR irradiation. An in vitro evaluation of nanorod therapeutic activities was performed in 3D synthetic-biodegradable hydrogel models with distinct biomechanical cues, and compared to 2D cultures. Results indicated that cells cultured in 3D were more resistant to photothermolysis than in 2D systems. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peptide-coated gold nanoparticles for modulation of angiogenesis in vivo.

PubMed

Roma-Rodrigues, Catarina; Heuer-Jungemann, Amelie; Fernandes, Alexandra R; Kanaras, Antonios G; Baptista, Pedro V

2016-01-01

In this work, peptides designed to selectively interact with cellular receptors involved in the regulation of angiogenesis were anchored to oligo-ethylene glycol-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and used to evaluate the modulation of vascular development using an ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. These nanoparticles alter the balance between naturally secreted pro- and antiangiogenic factors, under various biological conditions, without causing toxicity. Exposure of chorioallantoic membranes to AuNP-peptide activators of angiogenesis accelerated the formation of new arterioles when compared to scrambled peptide-coated nanoparticles. On the other hand, antiangiogenic AuNP-peptide conjugates were able to selectively inhibit angiogenesis in vivo. We demonstrated that AuNP vectorization is crucial for enhancing the effect of active peptides. Our data showed for the first time the effective control of activation or inhibition of blood vessel formation in chick embryo via AuNP-based formulations suitable for the selective modulation of angiogenesis, which is of paramount importance in applications where promotion of vascular growth is desirable (eg, wound healing) or ought to be contravened, as in cancer development.

Highly conductive ribbons prepared by stick-slip assembly of organosoluble gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lawrence, Jimmy; Pham, Jonathan T; Lee, Dong Yun; Liu, Yujie; Crosby, Alfred J; Emrick, Todd

2014-02-25

Precisely positioning and assembling nanoparticles (NPs) into hierarchical nanostructures is opening opportunities in a wide variety of applications. Many techniques employed to produce hierarchical micrometer and nanoscale structures are limited by complex fabrication of templates and difficulties with scalability. Here we describe the fabrication and characterization of conductive nanoparticle ribbons prepared from surfactant-free organosoluble gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). We used a flow-coating technique in a controlled, stick-slip assembly to regulate the deposition of Au NPs into densely packed, multilayered structures. This affords centimeter-scale long, high-resolution Au NP ribbons with precise periodic spacing in a rapid manner, up to 2 orders-of-magnitude finer and faster than previously reported methods. These Au NP ribbons exhibit linear ohmic response, with conductivity that varies by changing the binding headgroup of the ligands. Controlling NP percolation during sintering (e.g., by adding polymer to retard rapid NP coalescence) enables the formation of highly conductive ribbons, similar to thermally sintered conductive adhesives. Hierarchical, conductive Au NP ribbons represent a promising platform to enable opportunities in sensing, optoelectronics, and electromechanical devices.

Rapid and selective lead (II) colorimetric sensor based on azacrown ether-functionalized gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizadeh, A.; Khodaei, M. M.; Karami, Ch; Workentin, M. S.; Shamsipur, M.; Sadeghi, M.

2010-08-01

A gold nanoparticle (AuNPs)-based simple and fast colorimetric sensor for selective detecting of Pb(II) in aqueous solution has been developed. Monodisperse AuNPs (approx. 2.0 nm diameter) has been prepared facilely and further modified with an alkanethiol-bearing monoazacrown ether terminus. These AuNPs are shown to selectively sense Pb2 + through color change, which is visually discernible by an appearance of the surface plasmon band (SPB) at 520 nm. The recognition mechanism is attributed to the unique structure of the monoazacrown ether attached to AuNPs and metal sandwich coordination between two azacrown ether moieties that are attached to separate nanoparticles. This inter-particle cross-linking results in an aggregation and apparent color change from brown to purple. Additionally, TEM experiments support the optical absorption data proving the aggregation between azacrown ether-capped gold nanoparticles. This AuNP-based colorimetric assay is a facile and robust method and allows fast detection of Pb2 + at ambient temperatures. More importantly, the developed technique does not utilize enzymatic reactions, light-sensitive dye molecules, lengthy protocols or sophisticated instrumentation.

Photocatalytic Applications of Electrospun TiO2 Nanofibres Embedded with Bimodal Sized and Prismatic Gold Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Gopika, G; Asha, A M; Sivakumar, N; Balakrishnan, A; Nair, S V; Subramanian, K R V

2015-09-01

In this paper, we have synthesized electrospun TiO2 nanofibers embedded with bimodal sized and prismatic gold nanoparticles. The surface plasmons generated in the gold nanoparticles were used to enhance the performance of photocatalysis. The photocatalytic conversion efficiencies of these bimodal sized/prismatic gold nanoparticles when embedded in electrospun TiO2 fibres showed an enhancement of upto 60% over bare fiber systems and also show higher efficiencies than electrospun fibrous systems embedded with unimodal sized gold nanoparticles. Anisotropic bimodal gold nanoparticles show the highest degree of photocatalytic activity. This may be attributed to greater density/concentration of nanoparticles with higher effective surface area and formation of a junction between the smaller and larger nanoparticles. Such a bimodally distributed range of nanoparticles could also lead to greater trapping of charge carriers at the TiO2 conduction band edge and promoting catalytic reactions on account of these trapped charges. This enhanced photocatalytic activity is explained by invoking different operating mechanisms such as improved surface area, greater trapping, coarse plasmon resonance and band effects. Thus, a useful applicability of the gold nanoparticles is shown in the area of photocatalysis.

Size-controlled synthesis of transition metal nanoparticles through chemical and photo-chemical routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tangeysh, Behzad

The central objective of this work is developing convenient general procedures for controlling the formation and stabilization of nanoscale transition metal particles. Contemporary interest in developing alternative synthetic approaches for producing nanoparticles arises in large part from expanding applications of the nanomaterials in areas such as catalysis, electronics and medicine. This research focuses on advancing the existing nanoparticle synthetic routes by using a new class of polymer colloid materials as a chemical approach, and the laser irradiation of metal salt solution as a photo-chemical method to attain size and shape selectivity. Controlled synthesis of small metal nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 1 to 5nm is still a continuing challenge in nanomaterial synthesis. This research utilizes a new class of polymer colloid materials as nano-reactors and protective agents for controlling the formation of small transition metal nanoparticles. The polymer colloid particles were formed from cross-linking of dinegatively charged metal precursors with partially protonated poly dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate (PDMAEMA). Incorporation of [PtCl6]2- species into the colloidal particles prior to the chemical reduction was effectively employed as a new strategy for synthesis of unusually small platinum nanoparticles with narrow size distributions (1.12 +/-0.25nm). To explore the generality of this approach, in a series of proof-of-concept studies, this method was successfully employed for the synthesis of small palladium (1.4 +/-0.2nm) and copper nanoparticles (1.5 +/-0.6nm). The polymer colloid materials developed in this research are pH responsive, and are designed to self-assemble and/or disassemble by varying the levels of protonation of the polymer chains. This unique feature was used to tune the size of palladium nanoparticles in a small range from 1nm to 5nm. The procedure presented in this work is a new convenient room temperature route for synthesis of small nanoparticles, and its application can be extended to the formation of other transition metals and alloy nanoparticles. This research also focuses on developing new photo-chemical routes for controlling the size and shape of the nanoparticles through high-intensity ultra-fast laser irradiation of metal salt solution. One of the core objectives of this work is to explore the special capabilities of shaped laser pulses in formation of metal nanoparticles through irradiation of the solutions by using simultaneous spatial and temporal focusing (SSTF). Femtosecond laser irradiation has not yet been widely applied for nanoparticle synthesis, and offers new regimes of energy deposition for synthesis of nanomaterials. Photo-reduction of aqueous [AuCl4]- solution to the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has been applied as a model process for optimizing the experimental procedures, and evaluating the potential of shaped laser pulses in the synthesis of AuNPs. Systematic manipulation of the laser parameters and experimental conditions provided effective strategies to control the size of Au nanoparticles in strong laser fields. Varying the concentration of polyethylene glycol (PEG45) as a surfactant effectively tuned the size of AuNPs from 3.9 +/-0.7nm to 11.0 +/-2.4nm, and significantly increased the rate of Au(III) reduction during irradiation. Comparative studies revealed the capability of shaped laser pulses in the generation of smaller and more uniform AuNPs (5.8 +/-1.1nm) relative to the other conventional laser irradiation methods (7.2 +/-2.9nm). Furthermore, a new laser-assisted approach has been developed for selective formation of triangular Au nanoplates in the absence of any surfactant molecule. This method relies on rapid energy deposition by using shaped, ultra-intense laser pulses to generate Au seeds in aqueous [AuCl4]- solution, and the slow post-irradiation reduction of un-reacted [AuCl4]- species by using H2O2 as a mild reducing agent. Variation of the laser irradiation-time was found as an effective strategy to tune the morphology of Au nanomaterials from nanospheres to triangular nanoplates. The surfactant-free Au nanoplates produced in this research can be readily functionalized with a variety of target molecules or surfactants for desirable applications such as biomedicine. The concept of rapid laser processing followed by in situ chemical reduction can be expanded as a general methodology for high-yield production of nanomaterials, and provides a series of new laser dependent parameters for controlling the nanoparticle formation.

Au functionalized ZnO rose-like hierarchical structures and their enhanced NO2 sensing performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shingange, K.; Swart, H. C.; Mhlongo, G. H.

2018-04-01

Herein, we present ZnO rose-like hierarchical nanostructures employed as support to Au nanoparticles to produce Au functionalized three dimensional (3D) ZnO hierarchical nanostructures (Au/ZnO) for NO2 detection using a microwave-assisted method. Comparative analysis of NO2 sensing performance between the pristine ZnO and Au/ZnO rose-like structures at 300 °C revealed improved NO2 response and rapid response-recovery times with Au incorporation owing to a combination of high surface accessibility induced by hierarchical nanostructure design and catalytic activity of the small Au nanoparticles. Structural and optical analyses acquired from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and photoluminescence spectroscopy were also performed.

Gold nanoparticle plasmon resonance in near-field coupled Au NPs layer/Al film nanostructure: Dependence on metal film thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeshchenko, Oleg A.; Kozachenko, Viktor V.; Naumenko, Antonina P.; Berezovska, Nataliya I.; Kutsevol, Nataliya V.; Chumachenko, Vasyl A.; Haftel, Michael; Pinchuk, Anatoliy O.

2018-05-01

We study the effects of coupling between plasmonic metal nanoparticles and a thin metal film by using light extinction spectroscopy. A planar monolayer of gold nanoparticles located near an aluminum thin film (thicknesses within the range of 0-62 nm) was used to analyze the coupling between the monolayer and the thin metal film. SPR peak area increase for polymer coated Au NPs, non-monotonical behavior of the peak area for bare Au NPs, as well as red shift and broadening of SPR at the increase of the Al film thickness have been observed. These effects are rationalized as a result of coupling of the layer of Au NPs with Al film through the field of localized surface plasmons in Au NPs that causes the excitation of collective plasmonic gap mode in the nanostructure. An additional mechanism for bare Au NPs is the non-radiative damping of SPR that is caused by the electrical contact between metal NPs and film.

Nanoparticle-density-dependent field emission of surface-decorated SiC nanowires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Qizheng; School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo City 315016; State Key Lab of New Fine Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing City 100084

2016-08-22

Increasing the electron emission site density of nanostructured emitters with limited field screening effects is one of the key issues for improving the field emission (FE) properties. In this work, we reported the Au-nanoparticles-density-dependent field emission behaviors of surface-decorated SiC nanowires. The Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated around the surface of the SiC nanowires were achieved via an ion sputtering technique, by which the densities of the isolated AuNPs could be adjusted by controlling the fixed sputtering times. The measured FE characteristics demonstrated that the turn-on fields of the SiC nanowires were tuned to be of 2.06, 1.14, and 3.35 V/μm withmore » the increase of the decorated AuNPs densities, suggesting that a suitable decorated AuNPs density could render the SiC nanowires with totally excellent FE performances by increasing the emission sites and limiting the field screening effects.« less

Exploring the Stability of Gold Nanoparticles by Experimenting with Adsorption Interactions of Nanomaterials in an Undergraduate Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Chi-Feng; You, Pei-Yun; Lin, Ying-Chiao; Hsu, Tsai-Ling; Cheng, Pi-Yun; Wu, Yu-Xuan; Tseng, Chi-Shun; Chen, Sheng-Wen; Chang, Huey-Por; Lin, Yang-Wei

2015-01-01

The proposed experiment can help students to understand the factors involved in the stability of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) by exploring the adsorption interaction between Au NPs and various substances. The students in this study found that the surface plasmon resonance band of Au NP solutions underwent a red shift (i.e., from 520 to 650 nm)…

A novel green one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles using crocin and their anti-cancer activities.

PubMed

Hoshyar, Reyhane; Khayati, Gholam Reza; Poorgholami, Maliheh; Kaykhaii, Massoud

2016-06-01

Functionalized nanoparticles are specifically designed to deliver drugs at tumor cells and can potentially enhance anticancer activity of drugs such as crocin. In the present study, we have applied antioxidant crocin as a reducing agent for one pot green synthesis of controlled size gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Spherical, stable and uniform AuNPs were synthesized using crocin. These AuNPs are characterized by UV-Vis, TEM and XRD techniques. The prepared AuNPs showed surface plasm on resonance centered at 520nm with the average particle size of about 4-10nm. The anti-cancer effect of AuNPs was determined using MTT and LDH tests. The cellular data showed that these AuNPs significantly decreased cancerous cells' growth after 24 and 48hours in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The results suggest that such AuNPs can be synthesized simply and quickly with invaluable clinical as well as pharmaceutical activities which can help to treat human breast cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gold Nanoparticles Stabilized with MPEG-Grafted Poly(l-lysine): in Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of a Potential Theranostic Agent

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

As the number of diagnostic and therapeutic applications utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) increases, so does the need for AuNPs that are stable in vivo, biocompatible, and suitable for bioconjugation. We investigated a strategy for AuNP stabilization that uses methoxypolyethylene glycol-graft-poly(l-lysine) copolymer (MPEG-gPLL) bearing free amino groups as a stabilizing molecule. MPEG-gPLL injected into water solutions of HAuCl4 with or without trisodium citrate resulted in spherical (Zav = 36 nm), monodisperse (PDI = 0.27), weakly positively charged nanoparticles (AuNP3) with electron-dense cores (diameter: 10.4 ± 2.5 nm) and surface amino groups that were amenable to covalent modification. The AuNP3 were stable against aggregation in the presence of phosphate and serum proteins and remained dispersed after their uptake into endosomes. MPEG-gPLL-stabilized AuNP3 exhibited high uptake and very low toxicity in human endothelial cells, but showed a high dose-dependent toxicity in epithelioid cancer cells. Highly stable radioactive labeling of AuNP3 with 99mTc allowed imaging of AuNP3 biodistribution and revealed dose-dependent long circulation in the blood. The minor fraction of AuGNP3 was found in major organs and at sites of experimentally induced inflammation. Gold analysis showed evidence of a partial degradation of the MPEG-gPLL layer in AuNP3 particles accumulated in major organs. Radiofrequency-mediated heating of AuNP3 solutions showed that AuNP3 exhibited heating behavior consistent with 10 nm core nanoparticles. We conclude that PEG-pPLL coating of AuNPs confers “stealth” properties that enable these particles to exist in vivo in a nonaggregating, biocompatible state making them suitable for potential use in biomedical applications such as noninvasive radiofrequency cancer therapy. PMID:25496453

Polymer nanocomposite membranes with hierarchically structured catalysts for high throughput dehalogenation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crock, Christopher A.

Halogenated organics are categorized as primary pollutants by the Environmental Protection Agency. Trichloroethylene (TCE), which had broad industrial use in the past, shows persistence in the environment because of its chemical stability. The large scale use and poor control of TCE resulted in its prolonged release into the environment before the carcinogenic risk associated with TCE was fully understood. TCE pollution stemmed from industrial effluents and improper disposal of solvent waste. Membrane reactors are promising technology for treating TCE polluted groundwater because of the high throughput, relatively low cost of membrane fabrication and facile retrofitting of existing membrane based water treatment facilities with catalytic membrane reactors. Compared to catalytic fluidized or fixed bed reactors, catalytic membrane reactors feature minimal diffusional limitation. Additionally, embedding catalyst within the membrane avoids the need for catalyst recovery and can prevent aggregation of catalytic nanoparticles. In this work, Pd/xGnP, Pd-Au/xGnP, and commercial Pd/Al2O3 nanoparticles were employed in batch and flow-through membrane reactors to catalyze the dehalogenation of TCE in the presence of dissolved H2. Bimetallic Pd-Au/xGnP catalysts were shown to be more active than monometallic Pd/xGnP or commercial Pd/Al 2O3 catalysts. In addition to synthesizing nanocomposite membranes for high-throughput TCE dehalogenation, the membrane based dehalogenation process was designed to minimize the detrimental impact of common catalyst poisons (S2-, HS-, and H2S -) by concurrent oxidation of sulfide species to gypsum in the presence of Ca2+ and removal of gypsum through membrane filtration. The engineered membrane dehalogenation process demonstrated that bimetallic Pd-Au/xGnP catalysts resisted deactivation by residual sulfide species after oxidation, and showed complete removal of gypsum during membrane filtration.

Green synthesis of bacterial mediated anti-proliferative gold nanoparticles: inducing mitotic arrest (G2/M phase) and apoptosis (intrinsic pathway)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh Kumar, C.; Poornachandra, Y.; Chandrasekhar, Cheemalamarri

2015-11-01

The physiochemical and biological properties of microbial derived gold nanoparticles have potential applications in various biomedical domains as well as in cancer therapy. We have fabricated anti-proliferative bacterial mediated gold nanoparticles (b-Au NPs) using a culture supernatant of Streptomyces clavuligerus and later characterized them by UV-visible, TEM, DLS, XRD and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. The capping agent responsible for the nanoparticle formation was characterized based on SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses. They were tested for anticancer activity in A549, HeLa and DU145 cell lines. The biocompatibility and non-toxic nature of the nanoparticles were tested on normal human lung cell line (MRC-5). The b-Au NPs induced the cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and also inhibited the microtubule assembly in DU145 cells. Mechanistic studies, such as ROS, MMP, Cyt-c, GSH, caspases 9, 8 and 3 activation and the Annexin V-FITC staining, along with the above parameters tested provided sufficient evidence that the b-Au NPs induced apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway. The results supported the use of b-Au NPs for future therapeutic application in cancer therapy and other biomedical applications.The physiochemical and biological properties of microbial derived gold nanoparticles have potential applications in various biomedical domains as well as in cancer therapy. We have fabricated anti-proliferative bacterial mediated gold nanoparticles (b-Au NPs) using a culture supernatant of Streptomyces clavuligerus and later characterized them by UV-visible, TEM, DLS, XRD and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. The capping agent responsible for the nanoparticle formation was characterized based on SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses. They were tested for anticancer activity in A549, HeLa and DU145 cell lines. The biocompatibility and non-toxic nature of the nanoparticles were tested on normal human lung cell line (MRC-5). The b-Au NPs induced the cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and also inhibited the microtubule assembly in DU145 cells. Mechanistic studies, such as ROS, MMP, Cyt-c, GSH, caspases 9, 8 and 3 activation and the Annexin V-FITC staining, along with the above parameters tested provided sufficient evidence that the b-Au NPs induced apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway. The results supported the use of b-Au NPs for future therapeutic application in cancer therapy and other biomedical applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04577k

Facile synthesis of Au-ZnO plasmonic nanohybrids for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuriakose, Sini; Sahu, Kavita; Khan, Saif A.; Tripathi, A.; Avasthi, D. K.; Mohapatra, Satyabrata

2017-02-01

Au-ZnO plasmonic nanohybrids were synthesized by a facile two step process. In the first step, nanostructured ZnO thin films were prepared by carbothermal evaporation followed by thermal annealing in oxygen atmosphere. Deposition of ultrathin Au films onto the nanostructured ZnO thin films by sputtering combined with thermal annealing resulted in the formation of Au-ZnO plasmonic nanohybrid thin films. The structural, optical, plasmonic and photocatalytic properties of the Au-ZnO nanohybrid thin films were studied. XRD studies on the Au-ZnO hybrid thin films revealed the presence of Au and ZnO nanostructures. UV-visible absorption studies showed two peaks corresponding to the excitonic absorption of ZnO nanostructures in the UV region and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption of Au nanoparticles in the visible region. The Au-ZnO nanohybrid thin films annealed at 400 °C showed enhanced photocatalytic activity as compared to nanostructrured ZnO thin films towards sun light driven photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in water. The observed enhanced photocatalytic activity of Au-ZnO plasmonic nanohybrids is attributed to the efficient suppression of the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in ZnO due to the strong electron scavenging action of Au nanoparticles combined with the improved sun light utilization capability of Au-ZnO nanohybrids coming from the plasmonic response of Au nanoparticles decorating ZnO nanostructures.

Optical spectroscopy of arrays of Ag-Au nanoparticles obtained by vacuum-thermal evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromov, D. G.; Mel'nikov, I. V.; Savitskii, A. I.; Trifonov, A. Yu.; Redichev, E. N.; Astapenko, V. A.

2017-03-01

The possibility of creating irregular arrays of bimetallic Ag-Au nanoparticles is investigated. The ability to manipulate their optical properties based on the simple engineering processes of thermal spraying followed by low-temperature annealing is demonstrated.

The Formation and Binding of Gold Nanoparticles onto Wool Fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, James H.; Burridge, Kerstin A.; Kelly, Fern M.

2009-07-01

This paper presents the novel use of nanosize gold with different plasmon resonance colours, as stable colourfast colourants on wool fibres for use in high quality fabrics and textiles. The gold nanoparticles are synthesised by the controlled reduction of Au3+ in the AuCl4- complex to Au0 onto the surface of the wool where they attach to the S in the cystine amino acids in wool keratin proteins. Scanning electronmicroscopy shows the nanoparticles are present on the cuticles of the fibre surface and are concentrated at the edges of these cuticles. EDS analysis shows a strong correlation of Au with S and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests Au-S bond formation. Hence the nanogold colourants are chemically bound to the wool fibre surface and do not fade as traditional organic dyes do. A range of coloured fibres have been produced.

Characterization of spatial manipulation on ZnO nanocomposites consisting of Au nanoparticles, a graphene layer, and ZnO nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shen-Che; Lu, Chien-Cheng; Su, Wei-Ming; Weng, Chen-Yuan; Chen, Yi-Cian; Wang, Shing-Chung; Lu, Tien-Chang; Chen, Ching-Pang; Chen, Hsiang

2018-01-01

Three types of ZnO-based nanocomposites were fabricated consisting of 80-nm Au nanoparticles (NPs), a graphene layer, and ZnO nanorods (NRs). To investigate interactions between the ZnO NRs and Au nanoparticle, multiple material analysis techniques including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), surface contact angle measurements, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopic characterizations were performed. Results indicate that incorporating a graphene layer could block the interaction between the ZnO NRs and the Au NPs. Furthermore, the Raman signal of the Au NPs could be enhanced by inserting a graphene layer on top of the ZnO NRs. Investigation of these graphene-incorporated nanocomposites would be helpful to future studies of the physical properties and Raman analysis of the ZnO-based nanostructure design.

The Formation and Binding of Gold Nanoparticles onto Wool Fibres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnston, James H.; Burridge, Kerstin A.; Kelly, Fern M.

2009-07-23

This paper presents the novel use of nanosize gold with different plasmon resonance colours, as stable colourfast colourants on wool fibres for use in high quality fabrics and textiles. The gold nanoparticles are synthesised by the controlled reduction of Au{sup 3+} in the AuCl{sub 4}{sup -} complex to Au{sup 0} onto the surface of the wool where they attach to the S in the cystine amino acids in wool keratin proteins. Scanning electronmicroscopy shows the nanoparticles are present on the cuticles of the fibre surface and are concentrated at the edges of these cuticles. EDS analysis shows a strong correlationmore » of Au with S and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests Au-S bond formation. Hence the nanogold colourants are chemically bound to the wool fibre surface and do not fade as traditional organic dyes do. A range of coloured fibres have been produced.« less

Controllable biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles from a Eucommia ulmoides bark aqueous extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Mingxia; Li, Wei; Yang, Feng; Liu, Huihong

2015-05-01

The present work reports the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by water extract of Eucommia ulmoides (E. ulmoides) bark. The effects of various parameters such as the concentration of reactants, pH of the reaction mixture, temperature and the time of incubation were explored to the controlled formation of gold nanoparticles. The characterization through high resolution-transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) infer that the as-synthesized AuNPs were spherical in shape with a face cubic crystal (FCC) structure. The results from zeta potential and dynamic light scattering (DLS) suggest the good stability and narrow size distribution of the AuNPs. This method for synthesis of AuNPs is simple, economic, nontoxic and efficient. The as-synthesized AuNPs show excellent catalytic activity for the catalytic reducing decoloration of model compounds of azo-dye: reactive yellow 179 and Congo red.

Studies on plasmon characteristics and the local density of states of Au and Ag based nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinod, M.; Biju, V.; Gopchandran, K. G.

2016-01-01

Knowledge about the conductive properties and the local density of states of chemically pure Au, Ag, Ag@Au core-shell and Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles is technologically important. Herein, the I-V characteristics and the density of states derived from scanning tunneling microscopy measurements made under atmospheric conditions is reported. The nanoparticles in thin film form used in this study were prepared by laser ablation in water followed by drop and evaporation. The morphology of the surface of the nanostructures was observed from optimizing tunneling current in each case. The monometallic Au and Ag particles shows almost similar current characteristics as well as discrete energy states but the slope of I-V characteristics was different for bimetallic structures. An attempt has also been made to compare the current measurements done in the nanoscale with the surface plasmon characteristics.

Extremely high efficient nanoreactor with Au@ZnO catalyst for photocatalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Chung-Yi; Yang, Tung-Han; Gurylev, Vitaly; Huang, Sheng-Hsin; Wu, Jenn-Ming; Perng, Tsong-Pyng

2015-10-01

We fabricated a photocatalytic Au@ZnO@PC (polycarbonate) nanoreactor composed of monolayered Au nanoparticles chemisorbed on conformal ZnO nanochannel arrays within the PC membrane. A commercial PC membrane was used as the template for deposition of a ZnO shell into the pores by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Thioctic acid (TA) with sufficient steric stabilization was used as a molecular linker for functionalization of Au nanoparticles in a diameter of 10 nm. High coverage of Au nanoparticles anchored on the inner wall of ZnO nanochannels greatly improved the photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B. The membrane nanoreactor achieved 63% degradation of Rhodamine B within only 26.88 ms of effective reaction time owing to its superior mass transfer efficiency based on Damköhler number analysis. Mass transfer limitation can be eliminated in the present study due to extremely large surface-to-volume ratio of the membrane nanoreactor.

Investigation of optical transmission loss by using a plasmonic Au nanoparticle assembly on a tapered fiber region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Ji-Haeng

2015-11-01

The optical transmission loss in a tapered fiber fabricated by using plasmonic Au nanoparticle deposition was investigated in the tapered region of the fiber. The amount of Au nanoparticle deposition was determined as a function of time, and the transmission loss was then compared with the losses of several spatial modes. The higher-order mode was found to affect the rate of increase in the transmission loss during the initial period of deposition, and a lower-order mode was found to contribute to the process during the latter period of deposition.

Piper betle-mediated green synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punuri, Jayasekhar Babu; Sharma, Pragya; Sibyala, Saranya; Tamuli, Ranjan; Bora, Utpal

2012-08-01

Here, we report the novel use of the ethonolic leaf extract of Piper betle for gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis. The successful formation of AuNPs was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, and different parameters such as leaf extract concentration (2%), gold salt concentration (0.5 mM), and time (18 s) were optimized. The synthesized AuNPs were characterized with different biophysical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). TEM experiments showed that nanoparticles were of various shapes and sizes ranging from 10 to 35 nm. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that AuNPs were functionalized with biomolecules that have primary amine group -NH2, carbonyl group, -OH groups, and other stabilizing functional groups. EDX showed the presence of the elements on the surface of the AuNPs. FT-IR and EDX together confirmed the presence of biomolecules bounded on the AuNPs. Cytotoxicity of the AuNPs was tested on HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, and they were found to be nontoxic, indicating their biocompatibility. Thus, synthesized AuNPs have potential for use in various biomedical applications.

Gold Nanoparticles Cytotoxicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mironava, Tatsiana

Over the last two decades gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used for many scientific applications and have attracted attention due to the specific chemical, electronic and optical size dependent properties that make them very promising agents in many fields such as medicine, imagine techniques and electronics. More specifically, biocompatible gold nanoparticles have a huge potential for use as the contrast augmentation agent in X-ray Computed Tomography and Photo Acoustic Tomography for early tumor diagnostic as well these nanoparticles are extensively researched for enhancing the targeted cancer treatment effectiveness such as photo-thermal and radiotherapy. In most biomedical applications biocompatible gold nanoparticles are labeled with specific tumor or other pathology targeting antibodies and used for site specific drug delivery. However, even though gold nanoparticles poses very high level of anti cancer properties, the question of their cytotoxicity ones they are released in normal tissue has to be researched. Moreover, the huge amount of industrially produced gold nanoparticles raises the question of these particles being a health hazard, since the penetration is fairly easy for the "nano" size substances. This study focuses on the effect of AuNPs on a human skin tissue, since it is fall in both categories -- the side effects for biomedical applications and industrial workers and users' exposure during production and handling. Therefore, in the present project, gold nanoparticles stabilized with the biocompatible agent citric acid were generated and characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The cytotoxic effect of AuNPs release to healthy skin tissue was modeled on 3 different cell types: human keratinocytes, human dermal fibroblasts, and human adipose derived stromal (ADS) cells. The AuNPs localization inside the cell was found to be cell type dependent. Overall cytotoxicity was found to be dependent on time, concentration and nanoparticle size. Additionally, the question of cell recovery once the source of AuNPs is removed was investigated in the present work. It was found that full cell functions recovery is possible after removing the source of nanoparticles.

Interaction of hybrid nanowire-nanoparticle structures with carbon monoxide.

PubMed

Dobrokhotov, V V; McIlroy, D N; Norton, M Grant; Abdelrahaman, R; Safir, A; Berven, C A

2009-04-01

A gas-phase sensor based on a GaN nanowire mat decorated with Au nanoparticles was studied both experimentally and theoretically. The sensor is responsive to CO and H(2) and could be used to study the water-gas-shift reaction, which involves combining CO and H(2)O to produce H(2). It was shown that for catalyzing this reaction using support Au nanoparticles, the sequence in which the reactants are exposed to the catalyst surface is critical. To quantitatively evaluate the sensor response to gas exposure a depletion model was developed that considered the Au nanoparticle-semiconductor interface as a nano-Schottky barrier where variation in the depletion region caused changes in the electrical conductivity of the nanowires.

Antibacterial, antibiofilm and cytotoxic effects of Nigella sativa essential oil coated gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Manju, Sivalingam; Malaikozhundan, Balasubramanian; Vijayakumar, Sekar; Shanthi, Sathappan; Jaishabanu, Ameeramja; Ekambaram, Perumal; Vaseeharan, Baskaralingam

2016-02-01

This study reports the biological synthesis of gold nanoparticles using essential oil of Nigella sativa (NsEO-AuNPs). The synthesized NsEO-AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-vis spectra of NsEO-AuNPs showed strong absorption peak at 540 nm. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed crystalline nature of nanoparticle with distinctive facets (111, 200, 220 and 311 planes) of NsEO-AuNPs. The FTIR spectra recorded peaks at 3388, 2842, 1685, 1607, 1391 and 1018 cm(-1). TEM studies showed the spherical shape of nanoparticles and the particle size ranges between 15.6 and 28.4 nm. The antibacterial activity of NsEO-AuNPs was greater against Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 9542 (16 mm) than Gram negative Vibrio harveyi MTCC 7771 (5 mm) at the concentration of 10 μg ml(-1). NsEO-AuNPs effectively inhibited the biofilm formation of S. aureus and V. harveyi by decreasing the hydrophobicity index (78% and 46% respectively). The in-vitro anti-lung cancer activity confirmed by MTT assay on the cell line of A549 carcinoma cells showed IC50 values of bulk Au at 87.2 μg ml(-1), N. sativa essential oil at 64.15 μg ml(-1) and NsEO-AuNPs at 28.37 μg ml(-1). The IC50 value showed that NsEO-AuNPs was highly effective in inhibiting the A549 lung cancer cells compared to bulk Au and N. sativa essential oil. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gold nanoparticles synthesized by Brassica oleracea (Broccoli) acting as antimicrobial agents against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piruthiviraj, Prakash; Margret, Anita; Krishnamurthy, Poornima Priyadharsani

2016-04-01

Production of antimicrobial agents through the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using green technology has been extensively made consistent by various researchers; yet, this study uses the flower bud's aqueous extracts of Brassica oleracea (Broccoli) as a reducing agent for chloroauric acid (1 mM). After 30 min of incubation, synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNps) was observed by a change in extract color from pale yellow to purple color. Synthesis of AuNps was confirmed in UV-visible spectroscopy at the range of approximately 560 nm. The SEM analysis showed the average nanoparticles size of 12-22 nm. The antimicrobial activity of AuNps was analyzed by subjecting it to human pathogenic bacteria (Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumonia) and fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans) using disc diffusion method. The broccoli-synthesized AuNps showed the efficient antibacterial and antifungal activity of above-mentioned microbes. It was confirmed that AuNps have the best antimicrobial agent compared to the standard antibiotics (Gentamicin and Fluconazole). When the concentrations of AuNps were increased (10, 25, and 50 µg/ml), the sensitivity zone also increased for all the tested microbes. The synthesized AuNps are capable of rendering high antimicrobial efficacy and, hence, have a great potential in the preparation of drugs used against major bacterial and fungal diseases in humans.

Radiosensitizing effect of gold nanoparticles in carbon ion irradiation of human cervical cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Harminder; Avasthi, D. K.; Pujari, Geetanjali; Sarma, Asitikantha

2013-07-01

Noble metal nanoparticles have received considerable attention in biotechnology for their role in bio sensing due to surface plasmon resonance, medical diagnostics due to better imaging contrast and therapy. The radiosensitization effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) has been gaining popularity in radiation therapy of cancer cells. The better depth dose profile of energetic ion beam proves its superiority over gamma radiation for fighting against cancer. In the present work, the glucose capped gold nanoparticles (Glu-AuNP) were synthesised and internalized in the HeLa cells. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of ultrathin sections of Glu-AuNP treated HeLa cells confirmed the internalization of Glu-AuNPs. Control HeLa cells and Glu-AuNp treated HeLa cells were irradiated at different doses of 62 MeV 12C ion beam (LET - 290keV/μm) at BIO beam line of using 15UD Pelletron accelerator at Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi, India. The survival fraction was assessed by colony forming assay which revealed that the dose of carbon ion for 90% cell killing in Glu-AuNP treated HeLa cells and control HeLa cells are 2.3 and 3.2 Gy respectively. This observation shows ˜ 28% reduction of 12C6+ ion dose for Glu-AuNP treated HeLa cells as compared to control HeLa cells.

Absorption properties of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanoparticles.

PubMed

Shaviv, Ehud; Schubert, Olaf; Alves-Santos, Marcelo; Goldoni, Guido; Di Felice, Rosa; Vallée, Fabrice; Del Fatti, Natalia; Banin, Uri; Sönnichsen, Carsten

2011-06-28

The optical response of hybrid metal-semiconductor nanoparticles exhibits different behaviors due to the proximity between the disparate materials. For some hybrid systems, such as CdS-Au matchstick-shaped hybrids, the particles essentially retain the optical properties of their original components, with minor changes. Other systems, such as CdSe-Au dumbbell-shaped nanoparticles, exhibit significant change in the optical properties due to strong coupling between the two materials. Here, we study the absorption of these hybrids by comparing experimental results with simulations using the discrete dipole approximation method (DDA) employing dielectric functions of the bare components as inputs. For CdS-Au nanoparticles, the DDA simulation provides insights on the gold tip shape and its interface with the semiconductor, information that is difficult to acquire by experimental means alone. Furthermore, the qualitative agreement between DDA simulations and experimental data for CdS-Au implies that most effects influencing the absorption of this hybrid system are well described by local dielectric functions obtained separately for bare gold and CdS nanoparticles. For dumbbell shaped CdSe-Au, we find a shortcoming of the electrodynamic model, as it does not predict the "washing out" of the optical features of the semiconductor and the metal observed experimentally. The difference between experiment and theory is ascribed to strong interaction of the metal and semiconductor excitations, which spectrally overlap in the CdSe case. The present study exemplifies the employment of theoretical approaches used to describe the optical properties of semiconductors and metal nanoparticles, to achieve better understanding of the behavior of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanoparticles.

Fabrication and characterization of copper oxide (CuO)–gold (Au)–titania (TiO{sub 2}) and copper oxide (CuO)–gold (Au)–indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowire heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chopra, Nitin, E-mail: nchopra@eng.ua.edu; Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487; Shi, Wenwu

2014-10-15

Nanoscale heterostructures composed of standing copper oxide nanowires decorated with Au nanoparticles and shells of titania and indium tin oxide were fabricated. The fabrication process involved surfactant-free and wet-chemical nucleation of gold nanoparticles on copper oxide nanowires followed by a line-of-sight sputtering of titania or indium tin oxide. The heterostructures were characterized using high resolution electron microscopy, diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The interfaces, morphologies, crystallinity, phases, and chemical compositions were analyzed. The process of direct nucleation of gold nanoparticles on copper oxide nanoparticles resulted in low energy interface with aligned lattice for both the components. Coatings of polycrystalline titaniamore » or amorphous indium tin oxide were deposited on standing copper oxide nanowire–gold nanoparticle heterostructures. Self-shadowing effect due to standing nanowire heterostructures was observed for line-of-sight sputter deposition of titania or indium tin oxide coatings. Finally, the heterostructures were studied using Raman spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, including band gap energy analysis. Tailing in the band gap energy at longer wavelengths (or lower energies) was observed for the nanowire heterostructures. - Highlights: • Heterostructures comprised of CuO nanowires coated with Au nanoparticles. • Au nanoparticles exhibited nearly flat and low energy interface with nanowire. • Heterostructures were further sputter-coated with oxide shell of TiO{sub 2} or ITO. • The process resulted in coating of polycrystalline TiO{sub 2} and amorphous ITO shell.« less

Self-Assembled Upconversion Nanoparticle Clusters for NIR-controlled Drug Release and Synergistic Therapy after Conjugation with Gold Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Cai, Huijuan; Shen, Tingting; Kirillov, Alexander M; Zhang, Yu; Shan, Changfu; Li, Xiang; Liu, Weisheng; Tang, Yu

2017-05-01

Fabricated three-dimensional (3D) upconversion nanoclusters (abbreviated as EBSUCNPs) are obtained via an emulsion-based bottom-up self-assembly of NaGdF 4 :Yb/Er@NaGdF 4 nanoparticles (abbreviated as UCNPs), which comprise a NaGdF 4 :Yb/Er core and a NaGdF 4 shell. The EBSUCNPs were then coated with a thin mesoporous amino-functionalized SiO 2 shell (resulting in EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 precursor) and further conjugated with gold nanoparticles to give the novel EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 @Au material. Finally, EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 @Au was applied as a biocompatible and efficient drug carrier for doxorubicin (DOX), thus giving rise to a multifunctional EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 -DOX@Au nanocomposite. This final material, EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 -DOX@Au, and the precursor nanoparticles, EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 @Au, were both fully characterized and their luminescence was investigated in detail. In addition, the drug release properties and photothermal effects of EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 -DOX@Au were also discussed. Interestingly, when under NIR irradiation, an increasing DOX release was achieved owing to the thermal effect of the Au NPs after absorbing the green light from the upconversion nanoclusters based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect. Thus, a near-infrared (NIR)-controlled "on-off" pattern of drug release behavior can be achieved. Moreover, compared with a single therapy method, the assembled nanocomposites exhibit a good synergistic therapy against cancer cells that combines chemotherapy with photothermal therapy. In addition, the in vitro fluorescence microscopy images of EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 -DOX@Au show a higher enhancement in the red region due to the loading of DOX molecules with respect to EBSUCNPs@SiO 2 @Au. Therefore, this novel multifunctional 3D cluster architecture can be used in the biomedical field after modification and may pave a new way in other application areas of UCNPs clusters.

Plasmonic enhancement of visible-light water splitting with Au-TiO2 composite aerogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desario, Paul A.; Pietron, Jeremy J.; Devantier, Devyn E.; Brintlinger, Todd H.; Stroud, Rhonda M.; Rolison, Debra R.

2013-08-01

We demonstrate plasmonic enhancement of visible-light-driven splitting of water at three-dimensionally (3D) networked gold-titania (Au-TiO2) aerogels. The sol-gel-derived ultraporous composite nanoarchitecture, which contains 1 to 8.5 wt% Au nanoparticles and titania in the anatase form, retains the high surface area and mesoporosity of unmodified TiO2 aerogels and maintains stable dispersion of the ~5 nm Au guests. A broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) feature centered at ~550 nm is present for the Au-TiO2 aerogels, but not Au-free TiO2 aerogels, and spans a wide range of the visible spectrum. Gold-derived SPR in Au-TiO2 aerogels cast as films on transparent electrodes drives photoelectrochemical oxidation of aqueous hydroxide and extends the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 from the ultraviolet region to visible wavelengths exceeding 700 nm. Films of Au-TiO2 aerogels in which Au nanoparticles are deposited on pre-formed TiO2 aerogels by a deposition-precipitation method (DP Au/TiO2) also photoelectrochemically oxidize aqueous hydroxide, but less efficiently than 3D Au-TiO2, despite having an essentially identical Au nanoparticle weight fraction and size distribution. For example, 3D Au-TiO2 containing 1 wt% Au is as active as DP Au/TiO2 with 4 wt% Au. The higher photocatalytic activity of 3D Au-TiO2 derives only in part from its ability to retain the surface area and porosity of unmodified TiO2 aerogel. The magnitude of improvement indicates that in the 3D arrangement either a more accessible photoelectrochemical reaction interphase (three-phase boundary) exists or more efficient conversion of excited surface plasmons into charge carriers occurs, thereby amplifying reactivity over DP Au/TiO2. The difference in photocatalytic efficiency between the two forms of Au-TiO2 demonstrates the importance of defining the structure of Au||TiO2 interfaces within catalytic Au-TiO2 nanoarchitectures.We demonstrate plasmonic enhancement of visible-light-driven splitting of water at three-dimensionally (3D) networked gold-titania (Au-TiO2) aerogels. The sol-gel-derived ultraporous composite nanoarchitecture, which contains 1 to 8.5 wt% Au nanoparticles and titania in the anatase form, retains the high surface area and mesoporosity of unmodified TiO2 aerogels and maintains stable dispersion of the ~5 nm Au guests. A broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) feature centered at ~550 nm is present for the Au-TiO2 aerogels, but not Au-free TiO2 aerogels, and spans a wide range of the visible spectrum. Gold-derived SPR in Au-TiO2 aerogels cast as films on transparent electrodes drives photoelectrochemical oxidation of aqueous hydroxide and extends the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 from the ultraviolet region to visible wavelengths exceeding 700 nm. Films of Au-TiO2 aerogels in which Au nanoparticles are deposited on pre-formed TiO2 aerogels by a deposition-precipitation method (DP Au/TiO2) also photoelectrochemically oxidize aqueous hydroxide, but less efficiently than 3D Au-TiO2, despite having an essentially identical Au nanoparticle weight fraction and size distribution. For example, 3D Au-TiO2 containing 1 wt% Au is as active as DP Au/TiO2 with 4 wt% Au. The higher photocatalytic activity of 3D Au-TiO2 derives only in part from its ability to retain the surface area and porosity of unmodified TiO2 aerogel. The magnitude of improvement indicates that in the 3D arrangement either a more accessible photoelectrochemical reaction interphase (three-phase boundary) exists or more efficient conversion of excited surface plasmons into charge carriers occurs, thereby amplifying reactivity over DP Au/TiO2. The difference in photocatalytic efficiency between the two forms of Au-TiO2 demonstrates the importance of defining the structure of Au||TiO2 interfaces within catalytic Au-TiO2 nanoarchitectures. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Nitrogen physisorption isotherms; Au4f X-ray photoelectron spectra; TEM-derived distributions of Au size and aspect ratio; relative IPCE enhancement ratio. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01429k

Relative humidity sensor based on surface plasmon resonance of D-shaped fiber with polyvinyl alcohol embedding Au grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Haitao; Han, Daofu; Li, Ming; Lin, Bo

2017-01-01

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a D-shaped fiber coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) embedding an Au grating-based relative humidity (RH) sensor. The Au grating is fabricated on a D-shaped fiber to match the wave-vector and excite the surface plasmon, and the PVA is embedded in the Au grating as a sensitive cladding film. The refractive index of PVA changes with the ambient humidity. Measurements in a controlled environment show that the RH sensor can achieve a sensitivity of 5.4 nm per relative humidity unit in the RH range from 0% to 70% RH. Moreover, the surface plasmon resonance can be realized and used for RH sensing at the C band of optical fiber communication instead of the visible light band due to the metallic grating microstructure on the D-shaped fiber.

Multidentate zwitterionic chitosan oligosaccharide modified gold nanoparticles: stability, biocompatibility and cell interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiangsheng; Huang, Haoyuan; Liu, Gongyan; Zhou, Wenbo; Chen, Yangjun; Jin, Qiao; Ji, Jian

2013-04-01

Surface engineering of nanoparticles plays an essential role in their colloidal stability, biocompatibility and interaction with biosystems. In this study, a novel multidentate zwitterionic biopolymer derivative is obtained from conjugating dithiolane lipoic acid and zwitterionic acryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine to the chitosan oligosaccharide backbone. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified by this polymer exhibit remarkable colloidal stabilities under extreme conditions including high salt conditions, wide pH range and serum or plasma containing media. The AuNPs also show strong resistance to competition from dithiothreitol (as high as 1.5 M). Moreover, the modified AuNPs demonstrate low cytotoxicity investigated by both MTT and LDH assays, and good hemocompatibility evaluated by hemolysis of human red blood cells. In addition, the intracellular fate of AuNPs was investigated by ICP-MS and TEM. It showed that the AuNPs are uptaken by cells in a concentration dependent manner, and they can escape from endosomes/lysosomes to cytosol and tend to accumulate around the nucleus after 24 h incubation but few of them are excreted out of the cells. Gold nanorods are also stabilized by this ligand, which demonstrates robust dispersion stability and excellent hemocompatibility. This kind of multidentate zwitterionic chitosan derivative could be widely used for stabilizing other inorganic nanoparticles, which will greatly improve their performance in a variety of bio-related applications.Surface engineering of nanoparticles plays an essential role in their colloidal stability, biocompatibility and interaction with biosystems. In this study, a novel multidentate zwitterionic biopolymer derivative is obtained from conjugating dithiolane lipoic acid and zwitterionic acryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine to the chitosan oligosaccharide backbone. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified by this polymer exhibit remarkable colloidal stabilities under extreme conditions including high salt conditions, wide pH range and serum or plasma containing media. The AuNPs also show strong resistance to competition from dithiothreitol (as high as 1.5 M). Moreover, the modified AuNPs demonstrate low cytotoxicity investigated by both MTT and LDH assays, and good hemocompatibility evaluated by hemolysis of human red blood cells. In addition, the intracellular fate of AuNPs was investigated by ICP-MS and TEM. It showed that the AuNPs are uptaken by cells in a concentration dependent manner, and they can escape from endosomes/lysosomes to cytosol and tend to accumulate around the nucleus after 24 h incubation but few of them are excreted out of the cells. Gold nanorods are also stabilized by this ligand, which demonstrates robust dispersion stability and excellent hemocompatibility. This kind of multidentate zwitterionic chitosan derivative could be widely used for stabilizing other inorganic nanoparticles, which will greatly improve their performance in a variety of bio-related applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: More experimental details for the synthesis of AuNPs and AuNRs. Fig. S1, 1H NMR spectrum of LA-CSO-PC and Fig. S2, FT-IR spectrum of AuNP-LA-CSO-PC. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00284e

Biosynthesized gold and silver nanoparticles by aqueous fruit extract of Chaenomeles sinensis and screening of their biomedical activities.

PubMed

Oh, Keun Hyun; Soshnikova, Veronika; Markus, Josua; Kim, Yeon Ju; Lee, Sang Chul; Singh, Priyanka; Castro-Aceituno, Verónica; Ahn, Sungeun; Kim, Dong Hyun; Shim, Yeon Jae; Kim, Yu Jin; Yang, Deok Chun

2018-05-01

The design of mild and non-toxic synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is a topical subject in the nanotechnology field. The objective of this present study is to screen the bioactivity of biosynthesized nanoparticles by aqueous fruit extract of Chaenomeles sinensis. The reducing and stabilizing ability of C. sinensis to fabricate gold (Cs-AuNps) and silver (Cs-AgNps) nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy at 562 nm and 477 nm, respectively. The field-emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) verify the nano-scale morphology and crystallinity of Cs-AuNps (20-40 nm) and Cs-AgNps (5-20 nm). Furthermore, we evaluated the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity, antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells. The results showed that Cs-AuNps (IC 50 : 725.93 μg/mL) displayed superior inhibitory activities on DPPH than Cs-AuNps. The biosynthesized Cs-AuNps successfully inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria S. aureus (ATCC 6538) and E. coli (BL21). The cytotoxic effect of Cs-AuNps and Cs-AgNps was evaluated in murine macrophage (RAW264.7) and human breast cancer cell lines (MCF7) by MTT assay. Thus, the present study explores the biomedical applications of gold and silver nanoparticles synthesized by C. sinensis.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosli, Nur Shafawati binti; Rahman, Azhar Abdul; Aziz, Azlan Abdul

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) received a great deal of attention for biomedical applications, especially in diagnostic imaging and therapeutics. Even though AuNPs have potential benefits in biomedical applications, the impact of AuNPs on human and environmental health still remains unclear. The use of AuNPs which is a high-atomic-number materials, provide advantages in terms of radiation dose enhancement. However, before this can become a clinical reality, cytotoxicity of the AuNPs has to be carefully evaluated. Cytotoxicity test is a rapid, standardized test that is very sensitive to determine whether the nanoparticles produced are harmful or benign on cellular components. In this workmore » the size and concentration dependence of AuNPs cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) are tested by using WST-1 assay. The sizes of AuNPs tested were 13 nm, 50 nm, and 70 nm. The cells were seeded in the 96-well plate and were treated with different concentrations of AuNPs by serial dilution for each size of AuNPs. The high concentration of AuNPs exhibit lower cell viability compared to low concentration of AuNPs. We quantified the toxicity of AuNPs in MCF-7 cell lines by determining the IC{sub 50} values in WST-1 assays. The IC{sub 50} values (inhibitory concentrations that effected 50% growth inhibition) of 50 nm AuNPs is lower than 13 nm and 70 nm AuNPs. Mean that, 50nm AuNPs are more toxic to the MCF-7 cells compared to smaller and larger sizes AuNPs. The presented results clearly indicate that the cytotoxicity of AuNPs depend not only on the concentration, but also the size of the nanoparticles.« less

Platycodon saponins from Platycodi Radix ( Platycodon grandiflorum) for the Green Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Yoonho; Kang, Sehyeon; Cha, Song-Hyun; Kim, Hyun-Seok; Song, Kwangho; Lee, You Jeong; Kim, Kyeongsoon; Kim, Yeong Shik; Cho, Seonho; Park, Youmie

2018-01-01

A green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles is described in the present report using platycodon saponins from Platycodi Radix ( Platycodon grandiflorum) as reducing agents. Platycodin D (PD), a major triterpenoidal platycodon saponin, was enriched by an enzymatic transformation of an aqueous extract of Platycodi Radix. This PD-enriched fraction was utilized for processing reduction reactions of gold and silver salts to synthesize gold nanoparticles (PD-AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (PD-AgNPs), respectively. No other chemicals were introduced during the reduction reactions, providing an entirely green, eco-friendly, and sustainable method. UV-visible spectra showed the surface plasmon resonance bands of PD-AuNPs at 536 nm and PD-AgNPs at 427 nm. Spherically shaped nanoparticles were observed from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with average diameters of 14.94 ± 2.14 nm for PD-AuNPs and 18.40 ± 3.20 nm for PD-AgNPs. Minor triangular and other polygonal shapes were also observed for PD-AuNPs along with spherical ones. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images also demonstrated that both nanoparticles were mostly spherical in shape. Curvature-dependent evolution was employed to enhance the AFM images and precisely measure the sizes of the nanoparticles. The sizes were measured as 19.14 nm for PD-AuNPs and 29.93 nm for PD-AgNPs from the enhanced AFM images. Face-centered cubic structures for both nanoparticles were confirmed by strong diffraction patterns from high-resolution X-ray diffraction analyses. Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed the contribution of -OH, aromatic C=C, C-O, and C-H functional groups to the synthesis. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of PD-AuNPs was assessed with a reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of sodium borohydride. The catalytic activity results suggest the potential application of these gold nanoparticles as catalysts in the future. The green strategy reported in this study using saponins as reducing agents will pave new roads to develop novel nanomaterials with versatile applications.

Micro-optical coherence tomography tracking of magnetic gene transfection via Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wei; Liu, Xinyu; Wei, Chao; Xu, Zhichuan J.; Sim, Stanley Siong Wei; Liu, Linbo; Xu, Chenjie

2015-10-01

Heterogeneous Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles (NPs) are composed of Au NPs and Fe3O4 NPs that bring in optical and magnetic properties respectively. This article reports the engineering of Au-Fe3O4 NPs as gene carriers for magnetic gene transfection as well as contrast agents for micro-optical coherence tomography (μOCT). As a proof-of-concept, Au-Fe3O4 NPs are used to deliver the green fluorescent protein to HEK 293T cells and their entrance into the cells is monitored through μOCT.Heterogeneous Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles (NPs) are composed of Au NPs and Fe3O4 NPs that bring in optical and magnetic properties respectively. This article reports the engineering of Au-Fe3O4 NPs as gene carriers for magnetic gene transfection as well as contrast agents for micro-optical coherence tomography (μOCT). As a proof-of-concept, Au-Fe3O4 NPs are used to deliver the green fluorescent protein to HEK 293T cells and their entrance into the cells is monitored through μOCT. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05459a

Nanowire-Intensified Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence in Hybrid Polymer-Plasmonic Electrospun Filaments.

PubMed

Camposeo, Andrea; Jurga, Radoslaw; Moffa, Maria; Portone, Alberto; Cardarelli, Francesco; Della Sala, Fabio; Ciracì, Cristian; Pisignano, Dario

2018-05-01

Hybrid polymer-plasmonic nanostructures might combine high enhancement of localized fields from metal nanoparticles with light confinement and long-range transport in subwavelength dielectric structures. Here, the complex behavior of fluorophores coupling to Au nanoparticles within polymer nanowires, which features localized metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) with unique characteristics compared to conventional structures, is reported. The intensification effect when the particle is placed in the organic filaments is remarkably higher with respect to thin films of comparable thickness, thus highlighting a specific, nanowire-related enhancement of MEF effects. A dependence on the confinement volume in the dielectric nanowire is also indicated, with MEF significantly increasing upon reduction of the wire diameter. These findings are rationalized by finite element simulations, predicting a position-dependent enhancement of the quantum yield of fluorophores embedded in the fibers. Calculation of the ensemble-averaged fluorescence enhancement unveils the possibility of strongly enhancing the overall emission intensity for structures with size twice the diameter of the embedded metal particles. These new, hybrid fluorescent systems with localized enhanced emission, and the general nanowire-enhanced MEF effects associated to them, are highly relevant for developing nanoscale light-emitting devices with high efficiency and intercoupled through nanofiber networks, highly sensitive optical sensors, and novel laser architectures. © 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA Weinheim.

Functionalized gold nanoparticles for topical delivery of methotrexate for the possible treatment of psoriasis.

PubMed

Bessar, Hagar; Venditti, Iole; Benassi, Luisa; Vaschieri, Cristina; Azzoni, Paola; Pellacani, Giovanni; Magnoni, Cristina; Botti, Elisabetta; Casagrande, Viviana; Federici, Massimo; Costanzo, Antonio; Fontana, Laura; Testa, Giovanna; Mostafa, Fawzia Farag; Ibrahim, Samia Ali; Russo, Maria Vittoria; Fratoddi, Ilaria

2016-05-01

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) represent an effective choice for topical drug delivery systems thanks to their small size, general non-toxicity, ease of functionalization and high surface to volume ratio. Even if systemic, methotrexate still plays an important role in psoriasis treatment: its topical use shows insufficient percutaneus penetration owing to limited passive diffusion, high molecular weight and dissociation at physiological pH. The aim of our study was to design a new drug delivery nanocarrier for Methotrexate and to improve its solubility, stability and biodistribution. AuNPs were on purpose prepared with a hydrophilic stabilizing layer, in order to improve the colloidal stability in water. Water-soluble gold nanoparticles functionalized by sodium 3-mercapto-1-propansulfonate (Au-3MPS) were prepared and loaded with methotrexate (MTX). The loading efficiency of MTX on Au-3MPS was assessed in the range 70-80%, with a fast release (80% in one hour). The release was studied up to 24h reaching the value of 95%. The Au-3MPS@MTX conjugate was fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis, FTIR) and DLS. Preliminary toxicity tests in the presence of keratinocytes monolayers allowed to assess that the used Au-3MPS are not toxic. The conjugate was then topically used on C57BL/6 mouse normal skin in order to trace the absorption behavior. STEM images clearly revealed the distribution of gold nanoparticles inside the cells. In vitro studies showed that Methotrexate conjugated with Au-3MPS is much more efficient than Methotrexate alone. Moreover, DL50, based on MTT analysis, is 20 folds reduced at 48 h, by the presence of nanoparticles conjugation. UV-vis spectra for in vivo tracing of the conjugate on bare mouse skin after 24h of application, show increased delivery of Methotrexate in the epidermis and dermis using Au-3MPS@MTX conjugate, compared to MTX alone. Moreover we observed absence of the Au-3MPS in the dermis and in the epidermis, suggesting that these layers of the skin do not retain the nanoparticles. Based on our data, we found that the novel Au-3MPS@MTX conjugate is an effective non-toxic carrier for the satisfactory percutaneous absorption of Methotrexate and could help in possible topical treatment of psoriasis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comparative theoretical study of the catalytic activities of Au2(-) and AuAg(-) dimers for CO oxidation.

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Song, Ke; Zhang, Dongju; Liu, Chengbu

2012-05-01

The detailed mechanisms of catalytic CO oxidation over Au(2)(-) and AuAg(-) dimers, which represent the simplest models for monometal Au and bimetallic Au-Ag nanoparticles, have been studied by performing density functional theory calculations. It is found that both Au(2)(-) and AuAg(-) dimers catalyze the reaction according to the similar mono-center Eley-Rideal mechanism. The catalytic reaction is of the multi-channel and multi-step characteristic, which can proceed along four possible pathways via two or three elementary steps. In AuAg(-), the Au site is more active than the Ag site, and the calculated energy barrier values for the rate-determining step of the Au-site catalytic reaction are remarkably smaller than those for both the Ag-site catalytic reaction and the Au(2)(-) catalytic reaction. The better catalytic activity of bimetallic AuAg(-) dimer is attributed to the synergistic effect between Au and Ag atom. The present results provide valuable information for understanding the higher catalytic activity of Au-Ag nanoparticles and nanoalloys for low-temperature CO oxidation than either pure metallic catalyst.

Novel patternable and conducting metal-polymer nanocomposites: a step towards advanced mutlifunctional materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Cantó, Pedro J.; Martínez-Marco, Mariluz; Abargues, Rafael; Latorre-Garrido, Victor; Martínez-Pastor, Juan P.

2013-03-01

In this work, we present a novel patternable conducting nanocomposite containing gold nanoparticles. Here, the in-situ polymerization of 3T is carried out using HAuCl4 as oxidizing agent inside PMMA as host matrix. During the bake step, the gold salt is also reduced from Au(III) to Au(0) generating Au nanoparticles in the interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) system. We found that this novel multifunctional resist shows electrical conductivity and plasmonic properties as well as potential patterning capability provided by the host matrix. The resulting nanocomposite has been investigated by TEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Electrical characterization was also conducted for different concentration of 3T and Au(III) following a characteristic percolation behaviour. Conductivities values from 10-5 to 10 S/cm were successfully obtained depending on the IPN formulation. Moreover, The Au nanoparticles generated exhibited a localized surface plasmon resonance at around 520 nm. This synthetic approach is of potential application to modify the conductivity of numerous insulating polymers and synthesize Au nanoparticles preserving to some extent their physical and chemical properties. In addition, combination of optical properties (Plasmonics), electrical, and lithographic capability in the same material allows for the design of materials with novel functionalities and provides the basis for next generation devices.

Assessment of functional changes in nanoparticle-exposed neuroendocrine cells with amperometry: exploring the generalizability of nanoparticle-vesicle matrix interactions.

PubMed

Love, Sara A; Haynes, Christy L

2010-09-01

Using two of the most commonly synthesized noble metal nanoparticle preparations, citrate-reduced Au and Ag, the impacts of short-term accidental nanoparticle exposure are examined in primary culture murine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Alamar Blue viability studies revealed that nanoparticles are taken up by cells but do not decrease cell viability within 48 hours of exposure. Carbon-fiber microelectrode amperometry (CFMA) examination of exocytosis in nanoparticle-exposed cells revealed that nanoparticle exposure does lead to decreased secretion of chemical messenger molecules, of up to 32.5% at 48 hours of Au exposure. The kinetics of intravesicular species liberation also slows after nanoparticle exposure, between 30 and 50% for Au and Ag, respectively. Repeated stimulation of exocytosis demonstrated that these effects persisted during subsequent stimulations, meaning that nanoparticles do not interfere directly with the vesicle recycling machinery but also that cellular function is unable to recover following vesicle content expulsion. By comparing these trends with parallel studies done using mast cells, it is clear that similar exocytosis perturbations occur across cell types following noble metal nanoparticle exposure, supporting a generalizable effect of nanoparticle-vesicle interactions.

The extraction of gold nanoparticles from oat and wheat biomasses using sodium citrate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy.

PubMed

Armendariz, Veronica; Parsons, Jason G; Lopez, Martha L; Peralta-Videa, Jose R; Jose-Yacaman, Miguel; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L

2009-03-11

Gold (Au) nanoparticles can be produced through the interaction of Au(III) ions with oat and wheat biomasses. This paper describes a procedure to recover gold nanoparticles from oat and wheat biomasses using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide or sodium citrate. Extracts were analyzed using UV-visible spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The HRTEM data demonstrated that smaller nanoparticles are extracted first, followed by larger nanoparticles. In the fourth extraction, coating of chelating agents is visible on the extracted nanoparticles.

Human nitric oxide biomarker as potential NO donor in conjunction with superparamagnetic iron oxide @ gold core shell nanoparticles for cancer therapeutics.

PubMed

Singh, Nimisha; Patel, Khushbu; Sahoo, Suban K; Kumar, Rajender

2018-03-01

Nitric oxide releasing superparamagnetic (Fe 3 O 4 -Au@NTHP) nanoparticles were synthesized by conjugation of human biomarker of nitric oxide, N-nitrosothioproline with iron oxide-gold (Fe 3 O 4 -Au) core shell nanoparticles. The structure and morphology of the prepared nanoparticles were confirmed by ATR-FTIR, HR-TEM, EDAX, XPS, DLS and VSM measurements. N-nitrosothioproline is a natural molecule and nontoxic to humans. Thus, the core shell nanoparticles prepared were highly biocompatible. The prepared Fe 3 O 4 -Au@NTHP nanoparticles also provided an excellent release of nitric oxide in dark and upon light irradiation for cancer treatment. The amount of NO release was controllable with the wavelength of light and time of irradiation. The developed nanoparticles provided efficient cellular uptake and good cytotoxicity in picomolar range when tested on HeLa cancerous cells. These nanoparticles on account of their controllable NO release can also be used to release small amount of NO for killing cancerous cells without any toxic effect. Furthermore, the magnetic and photochemical properties of these nanoparticles provides dual platform for magneto therapy and phototherapy for cancer treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with Au-nanoparticle substrate fabricated by using femtosecond pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wending; Li, Cheng; Gao, Kun; Lu, Fanfan; Liu, Min; Li, Xin; Zhang, Lu; Mao, Dong; Gao, Feng; Huang, Ligang; Mei, Ting; Zhao, Jianlin

2018-05-01

Au-nanoparticle (Au-NP) substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) were fabricated by grid-like scanning a Au-film using a femtosecond pulse. The Au-NPs were directly deposited on the Au-film surface due to the scanning process. The experimentally obtained Au-NPs presented local surface plasmon resonance effect in the visible spectral range, as verified by finite difference time domain simulations and measured reflection spectrum. The SERS experiment using the Au-NP substrates exhibited high activity and excellent substrate reproducibility and stability, and a clearly present Raman spectra of target analytes, e.g. Rhodamine-6G, Rhodamine-B and Malachite green, with concentrations down to 10‑9 M. This work presents an effective approach to producing Au-NP SERS substrates with advantages in activity, reproducibility and stability, which could be used in a wide variety of practical applications for trace amount detection.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with Au-nanoparticle substrate fabricated by using femtosecond pulse.

PubMed

Zhang, Wending; Li, Cheng; Gao, Kun; Lu, Fanfan; Liu, Min; Li, Xin; Zhang, Lu; Mao, Dong; Gao, Feng; Huang, Ligang; Mei, Ting; Zhao, Jianlin

2018-05-18

Au-nanoparticle (Au-NP) substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) were fabricated by grid-like scanning a Au-film using a femtosecond pulse. The Au-NPs were directly deposited on the Au-film surface due to the scanning process. The experimentally obtained Au-NPs presented local surface plasmon resonance effect in the visible spectral range, as verified by finite difference time domain simulations and measured reflection spectrum. The SERS experiment using the Au-NP substrates exhibited high activity and excellent substrate reproducibility and stability, and a clearly present Raman spectra of target analytes, e.g. Rhodamine-6G, Rhodamine-B and Malachite green, with concentrations down to 10 -9 M. This work presents an effective approach to producing Au-NP SERS substrates with advantages in activity, reproducibility and stability, which could be used in a wide variety of practical applications for trace amount detection.

Radiation synthesis and characterization of hyaluronan capped gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Hien, Nguyen Quoc; Van Phu, Dang; Duy, Nguyen Ngoc; Quoc, Le Anh

2012-06-20

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with diameter from 4 to 10nm, capping by hyaluronan (HA) were synthesized using a γ-irradiation method. The maximum absorption wavelengths at 517-525 nm of colloidal AuNPs/HA solutions were measured by UV-vis spectroscopy. The size and size distribution of AuNPs were determined from TEM images. The influence of various factors on the size of AuNPs particularly the concentration of Au3+ and HA, and dose rate were also investigated. Results indicated that higher dose rate and HA concentration favor smaller sizes of AuNPs whereas the size increases with Au3+ concentration. The colloidal AuNPs/HA solution was fairly stable more than 6 months under storage at ambient condition. The AuNPs stabilized by biocompatible HA with the size less than 10nm as prepared can potentially be applied in biomedicines and cosmetics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One step electrochemical synthesis of bimetallic PdAu supported on nafion–graphene ribbon film for ethanol electrooxidation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shendage, Suresh S., E-mail: sureshsshendage@gmail.com; Singh, Abilash S.; Nagarkar, Jayashree M., E-mail: jm.nagarkar@ictmumbai.edu.in

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Electrochemical deposition of bimetallic PdAu NPs. • Highly loaded PdAu NPs are obtained. • Nafion–graphene supported PdAu NPs shows good activity for ethanol electrooxidation. - Abstract: A nafion–graphene ribbon (Nf–GR) supported bimetallic PdAu nanoparticles (PdAu/Nf–GR) catalyst was prepared by electrochemical codeposition of Pd and Au at constant potential. The prepared catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The average particle size of PdAu nanoparticles (NPs) determined from XRD was 3.5 nm. The electrocatalytic activity of the PdAu/Nf–GR catalyst was examined by cyclic voltametry.more » It was observed that the as prepared catalyst showed efficient activity and good stability for ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline medium.« less

Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol using gold nanoparticles biosynthesized by cell-free extracts of Aspergillus sp. WL-Au.

PubMed

Shen, Wenli; Qu, Yuanyuan; Pei, Xiaofang; Li, Shuzhen; You, Shengnan; Wang, Jingwei; Zhang, Zhaojing; Zhou, Jiti

2017-01-05

A facile one-pot eco-friendly process for synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with high catalytic activity was achieved using cell-free extracts of Aspergillus sp. WL-Au as reducing, capping and stabilizing agents. The surface plasmon resonance band of UV-vis spectrum at 532nm confirmed the presence of AuNPs. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that quite uniform spherical AuNPs were synthesized and the average size of nanoparticles increased from 4nm to 29nm with reaction time. X-ray diffraction analysis verified the formation of nano-crystalline gold particles. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed the presence of functional groups on the surface of biosynthesized AuNPs, such as OH, NH, CO, CH, COH and COC groups, which increased the stability of AuNPs. The biogenic AuNPs could serve as a highly efficient catalyst for 4-nitrophenol reduction. The reaction rate constant was linearly correlated with the concentration of AuNPs, which increased from 0.59min -1 to 1.51min -1 with the amount of AuNPs increasing form 1.46×10 -6 to 17.47×10 -6 mmol. Moreover, the as-synthesized AuNPs exhibited a remarkable normalized catalytic activity (4.04×10 5 min -1 mol -1 ), which was much higher than that observed for AuNPs synthesized by other biological and conventional chemical methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One-pot nucleation, growth, morphogenesis, and passivation of 1.4 nm Au nanoparticles on self-assembled rosette nanotubes.

PubMed

Chhabra, Rahul; Moralez, Jesus G; Raez, Jose; Yamazaki, Takeshi; Cho, Jae-Young; Myles, Andrew J; Kovalenko, Andriy; Fenniri, Hicham

2010-01-13

A one-pot strategy for the nucleation, growth, morphogenesis, and passivation of 1.4 nm Au nanoparticles (NPs) on self-assembled rosette nanotubes (RNTs) is described. Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and selected-area electron diffraction were used to establish the structure and organization of this hybrid material. Notably, we found that the Au NPs formed were nearly monodisperse clusters of Au(55) (1.4-1.5 nm) nestled in pockets on the RNT surface.

Mechanical behavior enhancement of ZnO nanowire by embedding different nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vazinishayan, Ali; Yang, Shuming; Lambada, Dasaradha Rao; Wang, Yiming

2018-06-01

In this work, we employed commercial finite element modeling (FEM) software package ABAQUS to analyze mechanical properties of ZnO nanowire before and after embedding with different kinds of nanowires, having different materials and cross-section models such as Au (circular), Ag (pentagonal) and Si (rectangular) using three point bending technique. The length and diameter of the ZnO nanowire were measured to be 12,280 nm and 103.2 nm, respectively. In addition, Au, Ag and Si nanowires were considered to have the length of 12,280 nm and the diameter of 27 nm. It was found that after embedding Si nanowire with rectangular cross-section into the ZnO nanowire, the distribution of Von Misses stresses criterion, displacement and strain were decreased than the other nanowires embedded. The highest stiffness, the elastic deformation and the high strength against brittle failure have been made by Si nanowire comparison to the Au and Ag nanowires, respectively.