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Antibiotic resistance rates are rising for many common pathogens, putting added pressure on healthcare providers to rapidly, and accurately, diagnose the cause of bacterial infections. New diagnostic methods must be sensitive, selective, and capable of multiplexed detection, as well as rapid, dependable, and portable enough to operate in a variety of settings. A new application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) shows great promise to meet these criteria. In this novel assay, bacteria are captured and isolated using functionalized metal nanoparticles for rapid optical identification via SERS. Initial tests with a portable SERS system validated the ability to identify the presence of Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, quantifying concentrations down to 10 colony-forming units per mL (cfu/mL), with high reproducibility. The system was also able to discriminate between the bacteria within the same sample matrix at clinically relevant concentrations (103 cfu/mL), demonstrating its potential as a rapid, reliable on-site diagnostic for bacterial pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICPMS) is an exciting new technique for detecting and characterizing metal nanopartides at very l ow concentrations. It is fast and can provide significantly more information than other traditional techniques, including particle number concentration, particle size, and size distribution, in addition to the concentration of dissolved metals in solution. The added benefit of using ICP-MS is that it can distinguish between particles of different elemental compositions. The study will investigate the use of SP-ICP-MS to track the release of engineered nanopartides (ENPs) into the environment and to better understand their fate and behavior specifically in drinking, surface, and wastewater samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICPMS) is an exciting new technique for detecting and characterizing metal nanoparticles at very low concentrations. It is fast and can provide significantly more information than other traditional techniques, including particle number concentration, particle size, and size distribution, in addition to the concentration of dissolved metals in solution. The added benefit of using ICP-MS is that it can distinguish between particles of different elemental compositions. The study will investigate the use of SP-ICP-MS to track the release of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in to the environment and to better understand their fate and behavior specifically in drinking, surface, and wastewater samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explains the role of U.S. Defense Threat Reduction in backing creation of joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (JSLIST). JSLIST is composed of 3 layers that can contain hazardous compounds and airborne microbes while keeping body heat and sweat, where the suit is developed using metal nanoparticles and biocidal polymers. The suit complements gloves, boots, and gas masks in providing protection for U.S. soldiers when faced with chemical and biological agents.

The article offers information on a paper-based supercapacitor developed by researchers in the U.S. and South Korea and its potential use as energy storage devices for wearable technology. Topics discussed include the views of professor Seung Woo Lee on it, the use of cellulose fibers in the paper that is coated with metallic nanoparticles, and the use of metal oxide energy-storage materials, such as manganese oxide, in the supercapacitor.

The article discusses the development of colloidal clathrate crystals with the help pf metal nanoparticles. Particular focus is given to the formation of crystals, the attachment of a DNA monolayer, and the shape of the nanoparticles. Comment from Jennifer N. Cha, a researcher at the University of Colorado, Boulder is also included.

The article reports on a method developed by researchers Marcus Lau, Stephan Barcikowski and Friedrich Waag, for direct integration of metal nanoparticles into nail polish and mentions its use for creation of metallic nail polishes and biomedical applications.

The article focuses on research published in the journal "ACS Catalysis" in 2015 by surface chemists Trevor E. James, Stephanie L. Hemmingson and Charles T. Campbell that used adsorption calorimetry technique to measure strength of metal nanoparticles dispersed on metal oxides.

The article discusses research done by A. Paul Alivisatos, Alex Zettl and others to produce three-dimensional images of angstrom-sized metal nanoparticles in solution, published in the journal "Science" in 2015. Topics include use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based technique to examine dynamics of individual particles within a colloid, application of a computational technique to produce reconstructions of moving nonidentical particles, and views of TEM specialist Joerg R. Jinschek.

The article focuses on research released in "The Journal of Physical Chemistry C" in 2014 in which researcher Donald G. Truhlar and Kaining Duanmu showed that metal nanoparticles can develop dipoles and they studied carbon monoxide oxidation employing a silver nanoparticle catalyst.

The article discusses regarding the study conducted by the researchers of University of Toronto in which they have designed a nanostructure to successfully deliver a drug to a tumor and mentions that the nanostructure is made up of metal nanoparticles.

The article presents a research conducted by researchers at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois as of December 2013 that explains a process for getting custom-designed crystals for electronics, photonics, and catalysis application.

The article reports on the use of oxide coating to metal nanoparticles to prevent common catalyst deactiviation mechanisms. According to researchers at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory, the application of oxide coating protects the particles from common deactivation processes that can lead to frequent chemical reaction shutdowns. Professor Peter C. Stair reports that oxide coating made via atomic layer deposition (ALD) can provide the type of catalyst protection.