44 results on '"Lucio Litti"'
Search Results
2. Small Microplastics: A yet Unknown Threat in the Svalbard (Norway) Region
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Gabriella Caruso, Valentina Iannilli, Giulia Vitale, Massimiliano Vardè, Marco Oliverio, Sara Bogialli, Lucio Litti, Andrea Setini, Beatrice Rosso, and Fabiana Corami
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plastic pollution ,ecotoxicity ,bioindicators ,Svalbard ,Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering ,VM1-989 ,Oceanography ,GC1-1581 - Abstract
The Arctic Ocean is undergoing several transformations because of global climate change. Small microplastics (SMPs) or nanoplastics (NPs) carried by marine aerosols may settle in the land ice and be released to the waters, produced following its melting. As sea ice extent reduces and shipping and fishing activities increase, microplastics (MPs) may enter the region following ocean and maritime transports, with implications on Arctic biota, human health, and socioeconomic issues related to the exploitation of marine resources. First analyses on amphipods collected in Ny-Ålesund confirmed the presence of SMPs. Nevertheless, the threat posed by SMPs/NPs to polar biota and regional human health is not fully understood. This article addresses this issue and the need for organisms as potential bioindicators of plastic pollution, which is currently being carried out in the Svalbard region under the framework of the MICROTRACER project funded by the Italian Arctic Research Program (PRA, Call 2021). The outputs of this research are expected to contribute to deepening the current knowledge of SMPs in Svalbard, providing new insights on their occurrence, distribution, and transfer through the marine trophic web, to realize effective control and regulatory framework measures to implement an integrated multidisciplinary approach for monitoring and to reduce MPs pollution in this fragile polar environment.
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- 2023
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3. SERRS multiplexing with multivalent nanostructures for the identification and enumeration of epithelial and mesenchymal cells
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Lucio Litti, Andrea Colusso, Marcella Pinto, Erlis Ruli, Alessia Scarsi, Laura Ventura, Giuseppe Toffoli, Marco Colombatti, Giulio Fracasso, and Moreno Meneghetti
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Liquid biopsy represents a new frontier of cancer diagnosis and prognosis, which allows the isolation of tumor cells released in the blood stream. The extremely low abundance of these cells needs appropriate methodologies for their identification and enumeration. Herein we present a new protocol based on surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) gold multivalent nanostructures to identify and enumerate tumor cells with epithelial and mesenchimal markers. The validation of the protocol is obtained with spiked samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Gold nanostructures are functionalized with SERRS labels and with antibodies to link the tumor cells. Three types of such nanosystems were simultaneously used and the protocol allows obtaining the identification of all individual tumor cells with the help of a Random Forest ensemble learning method.
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- 2020
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4. Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Ta-N and Ta-Al-N Coatings Deposited by Reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering
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Valentina Zin, Francesco Montagner, Silvia Maria Deambrosis, Cecilia Mortalò, Lucio Litti, Moreno Meneghetti, and Enrico Miorin
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tantalum nitride ,tantalum aluminum nitride ,high-power impulse magnetron sputtering ,mechanical properties of films ,tribological properties ,wear resistance ,Technology ,Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering ,TK1-9971 ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 ,Microscopy ,QH201-278.5 ,Descriptive and experimental mechanics ,QC120-168.85 - Abstract
In this article, the depositions and functional characterizations of Ta-N and Ta-Al-N coatings for protection purposes, grown by reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering onto silicon substrates, are described. Nitride films were grown while changing the substrate polarization voltage (i.e., the applied bias voltage) during the process. Moreover, the effects of adding Al to form a ternary system and the resulting variation of the coatings’ mechanical and tribological properties have been widely investigated by nanoindentation, scratch, and wear tests. Micro-Raman characterization has been applied to the wear tracks to explore the comprehensive tribo-environment and wear mechanism. Interestingly, Ta-Al-N films, despite significantly improved mechanical properties, show a premature failure with respect to Ta-N coatings. The wear mechanisms of Ta-N and Ta-Al-N systems were revealed to be very different. Indeed, Ta-Al-N films suffer higher oxidation phenomena during wear, with the formation of an oxidized surface tribofilm and a reduced wear resistance, while Ta-N coatings undergo plastic deformation at the wear surface, with a slightly adhesive effect.
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- 2022
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5. Nanoparticles Engineering by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids: Concepts and Applications
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Enza Fazio, Bilal Gökce, Alessandro De Giacomo, Moreno Meneghetti, Giuseppe Compagnini, Matteo Tommasini, Friedrich Waag, Andrea Lucotti, Chiara Giuseppina Zanchi, Paolo Maria Ossi, Marcella Dell’Aglio, Luisa D’Urso, Marcello Condorelli, Vittorio Scardaci, Francesca Biscaglia, Lucio Litti, Marina Gobbo, Giovanni Gallo, Marco Santoro, Sebastiano Trusso, and Fortunato Neri
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colloids ,laser synthesis ,plasmonics ,sensing ,biomedicine ,catalysis ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Laser synthesis emerges as a suitable technique to produce ligand-free nanoparticles, alloys and functionalized nanomaterials for catalysis, imaging, biomedicine, energy and environmental applications. In the last decade, laser ablation and nanoparticle generation in liquids has proven to be a unique and efficient technique to generate, excite, fragment and conjugate a large variety of nanostructures in a scalable and clean way. In this work, we give an overview on the fundamentals of pulsed laser synthesis of nanocolloids and new information about its scalability towards selected applications. Biomedicine, catalysis and sensing are the application areas mainly discussed in this review, highlighting advantages of laser-synthesized nanoparticles for these types of applications and, once partially resolved, the limitations to the technique for large-scale applications.
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- 2020
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6. Graphite-Based Geothermometry on Almahata Sitta Ureilitic Meteorites
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Anna Barbaro, M. Chiara Domeneghetti, Cyrena A. Goodrich, Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti, Anna Maria Fioretti, Peter Jenniskens, Muawia H. Shaddad, and Fabrizio Nestola
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ureilites ,meteorites ,carbon phases ,graphite ,graphite geothermometer ,shock event ,Mineralogy ,QE351-399.2 - Abstract
The thermal history of carbon phases, including graphite and diamond, in the ureilite meteorites has implications for the formation, igneous evolution, and impact disruption of their parent body early in the history of the Solar System. Geothermometry data were obtained by micro-Raman spectroscopy on graphite in Almahata Sitta (AhS) ureilites AhS 72, AhS 209b and AhS A135A from the University of Khartoum collection. In these samples, graphite shows G-band peak centers between 1578 and 1585 cm−1 and the full width at half maximum values correspond to a crystallization temperature of 1266 °C for graphite for AhS 209b, 1242 °C for AhS 72, and 1332 °C for AhS A135A. Recent work on AhS 72 and AhS 209b has shown graphite associated with nanodiamonds and argued that this assemblage formed due to an impact-event. Our samples show disordered graphite with a crystalline domain size ranging between about 70 and 140 nm. The nanometric grain-size of the recrystallized graphite indicates that it records a shock event and thus argues that the temperatures we obtained are related to such an event, rather than the primary igneous processing of the ureilite parent body.
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- 2020
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7. Single File Flow of Biomimetic Beads for Continuous SERS Recording in a Microfluidic Device
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Diego Calzavara, Davide Ferraro, Lucio Litti, Greshia Cappozzo, Giampaolo Mistura, Moreno Meneghetti, and Matteo Pierno
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Physics ,QC1-999 - Abstract
A major challenge in cancer treatment is the quantification of biomarkers associated with a specific cancer type. Important biomarkers are the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detached from the main cancer and circulating in the blood. CTCs are very rare and their identification is still an issue. Although CTCs quantification can be estimated by using fluorescent markers, all the fluorescence techniques are strongly limited by the number of emissions (therefore markers) that can be discriminated with one exciting line, by their bleaching characteristics, and by the intrinsic autofluorescence of biological samples. An emerging technique that can overcome these limitations is Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Signals of vibrational origin with intensity similar to those of fluorescence, but narrower bandwidths, can be easily discriminated even by exciting with a single laser line. We recently showed the benefit of this method with cells fixed on a surface. However, this approach is too demanding to be applied in clinical routine. To effectively increase the throughput of the SERS analysis, microfluidics represents a promising tool. We report two different hydrodynamic strategies, based on device geometry and liquids viscosity, to successfully combine a microfluidic design with SERS.
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- 2018
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8. Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles by laser ablation of strontium ferrite under water and their characterization by optically detected magnetophoresis supported by BEM calculations
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Valentina Piotto, Lucio Litti, Alexander Omelyanchik, Alessandro Martucci, Piero Riello, Davide Peddis, and Moreno Meneghetti
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Materials Chemistry ,General Chemistry - Abstract
Optically detected magnetophoresis, using Boundary Element Method calculations, is exploited for characterizing the magnetic properties of low amounts of nanoparticles.
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- 2022
9. One-step laser ablation synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with carbon coating for tribological applications
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Valentina Piotto, Lucio Litti, Valentina Zin, and Moreno Meneghetti
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Mechanics of Materials ,Mechanical Engineering ,Surfaces and Interfaces ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films - Published
- 2023
10. Enhancement of Magnetic Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection by Tailoring Fe
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Leixuri B, Berganza, Lucio, Litti, Moreno, Meneghetti, Senentxu, Lanceros-Méndez, and Javier, Reguera
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Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has become a promising method for the detection of contaminants or biomolecules in aqueous media. The low interference of water, the unique spectral fingerprint, and the development of portable and handheld equipment for in situ measurements underpin its predominance among other spectroscopic techniques. Among the SERS nanoparticle substrates, those composed of plasmonic and magnetic components are prominent examples of versatility and efficiency. These substrates harness the ability to capture the target analyte, concentrate it, and generate unique hotspots for superior enhancement. Here, we have evaluated the use of gold-coated magnetite nanorods as a novel multifunctional magnetic-plasmonic SERS substrate. The nanostructures were synthesized starting from core-satellite structures. A series of variants with different degrees of Au coatings were then prepared by seed-mediated growth of gold, from core-satellite structures to core-shell with partial and complete shells. All of them were tested, using a portable Raman instrument, with the model molecule 4-mercaptobenzoic acid in colloidal suspension and after magnetic separation. Experimental results were compared with the boundary element method to establish the mechanism of Raman enhancement. The results show a quick magnetic separation of the nanoparticles and excellent Raman enhancement for all the nanoparticles both in dispersion and magnetically concentrated with limits of detection up to the nM range (∼50 nM) and a quantitative calibration curve. The nanostructures were then tested for the sensing of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, highly relevant in preventing antibiotic contaminants in water reservoirs and drug monitoring, showing that ciprofloxacin can be detected using a portable Raman instrument at a concentration as low as 100 nM in a few minutes, which makes it highly relevant in practical point-of-care devices and in situ use.
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- 2022
11. Identification and quantification of tire wear particles by employing different cross-validation techniques: FTIR-ATR Micro-FTIR, Pyr-GC/MS, and SEM
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Beatrice Rosso, Elena Gregoris, Lucio Litti, Federico Zorzi, Maurizio Fiorini, Barbara Bravo, Carlo Barbante, Andrea Gambaro, and Fabiana Corami
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Cross-validation techniques ,Highway stormwater runoff ,Quantification and identification ,Tyre wear particles (TWPS) ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica ,General Medicine ,Toxicology ,Pollution - Published
- 2023
12. 3D Printed Microfluidic Device for Magnetic Trapping and SERS Quantitative Evaluation of Environmental and Biomedical Analytes
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Javier Reguera, Davide Ferraro, Stefano Trivini, and Lucio Litti
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erlotinib ,3d printed ,Analyte ,Materials science ,partial least-squares regression ,Calibration curve ,Janus nanoparticles ,Microfluidics ,microfluidic ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Phthalimides ,Nanotechnology ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,Benzoates ,3D printing ,flumioxazin ,SERS ,Erlotinib Hydrochloride ,Limit of Detection ,Lab-On-A-Chip Devices ,Microfluidic channel ,Humans ,General Materials Science ,Sulfhydryl Compounds ,Magnetite Nanoparticles ,Plasmon ,Ir absorption ,Herbicides ,Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ,Anticancer drug ,Benzoxazines ,Printing, Three-Dimensional ,Gentian Violet ,Gold ,Research Article - Abstract
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an ideal technique for environmental and biomedical sensor devices due to not only the highly informative vibrational features but also to its ultrasensitive nature and possibilities toward quantitative assays. Moreover, in these areas, SERS is especially useful as water hinders most of the spectroscopic techniques such as those based on IR absorption. Despite its promising possibilities, most SERS substrates and technological frameworks for SERS detection are still restricted to research laboratories, mainly due to a lack of robust technologies and standardized protocols. We present herein the implementation of Janus magnetic/plasmonic Fe3O4/Au nanostars (JMNSs) as SERS colloidal substrates for the quantitative determination of several analytes. This multifunctional substrate enables the application of an external magnetic field for JMNSs retention at a specific position within a microfluidic channel, leading to additional amplification of the SERS signals. A microfluidic device was devised and 3D printed as a demonstration of cheap and fast production, with the potential for large-scale implementation. As low as 100 μL of sample was sufficient to obtain results in 30 min, and the chip could be reused for several cycles. To show the potential and versatility of the sensing system, JMNSs were exploited with the microfluidic device for the detection of several relevant analytes showing increasing analytical difficulty, including the comparative detection of p-mercaptobenzoic acid and crystal violet and the quantitative detection of the herbicide flumioxazin and the anticancer drug erlotinib in plasma, where calibration curves within diagnostic concentration intervals were obtained.
- Published
- 2021
13. SERSTEM: An app for the statistical analysis of correlative SERS and TEM imaging and evaluation of SERS tags performance
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Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi, Lucio Litti, Malou Henriksen-Lacey, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, and Elisa Lenzi
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Correlative ,Materials science ,correlative imaging ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,plasmonics ,quantification ,0104 chemical sciences ,symbols.namesake ,SERS tags ,SERS imaging ,symbols ,General Materials Science ,Statistical analysis ,Correlative imaging ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman spectroscopy ,Spectroscopy - Abstract
Raman spectroscopy is becoming increasingly popular as an in vitro bioimaging technique, when coupled with plasmonic substrates such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Plasmonic AuNPs not only display excellent biocompatibility but can also induce the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect, which can be exploited for cell labeling, as an interesting alternative to fluorescence-based techniques. SERS bioimaging requires the use of so-called SERS tags or SERS-encoded AuNPs. A remaining difficulty toward the general implementation of this method is the difficulty to correlate the SERS signal (spectral intensity) with the number of SERS tags. Therefore, a general correlation method, suitable for arbitrary AuNP morphologies and Raman-active molecules (Raman reporters or RaRs), should largely improve the quantitative character of SERS as an imaging technique. We propose a protocol, with an associated app (SERSTEM), which enables the user to determine the average SERS intensity per nanoparticle from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and SERS data. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the method for Au nanostars and nanorods, carrying four different RaRs, and implemented the SERSTEM app, which is publicly available from an open-source platform.
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- 2020
14. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Quantitative Analysis: Results of a Large-Scale European Multi-Instrument Interlaboratory Study
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Fatima Alsamad, Pellegrino Musto, Jakub Dybas, Valérie Untereiner, Michael Stenbæk Schmidt, Fabrizio Giorgis, Elena Rusu, Howbeer Muhamadali, Maria Paula M. Marques, Alessandro Chiadò, Karen Faulds, Stefano Fornasaro, Guillaume Falgayrac, Hrvoje Gebavi, Duncan Graham, Malama Chisanga, Valter Sergo, Tomas Rindzevicius, Cédric Malherbe, Chiara Novara, Amuthachelvi Daniel, Ewelina Wiercigroch, Fiona M. Lyng, Alois Bonifacio, Lucio Litti, Stacey Laing, Monica Baia, Renzo Vanna, Olivier Piot, Carlo Morasso, Claudia Beleites, Elisa Mitri, Hugh J. Byrne, Moreno Meneghetti, Vlasta Mohaček-Grošev, Pietro La Manna, Gauthier Eppe, Ganesh D. Sockalingum, Kamilla Malek, Mihaela Chis, Luís A. E. Batista de Carvalho, Royston Goodacre, Guillaume Penel, Marianna Pannico, Fornasaro, S., Alsamad, F., Baia, M., Batista De Carvalho, L. A. E., Beleites, C., Byrne, H. J., Chiado, A., Chis, M., Chisanga, M., Daniel, A., Dybas, J., Eppe, G., Falgayrac, G., Faulds, K., Gebavi, H., Giorgis, F., Goodacre, R., Graham, D., La Manna, P., Laing, S., Litti, L., Lyng, F. M., Malek, K., Malherbe, C., Marques, M. P. M., Meneghetti, M., Mitri, E., Mohacek-Grosev, V., Morasso, C., Muhamadali, H., Musto, P., Novara, C., Pannico, M., Penel, G., Piot, O., Rindzevicius, T., Rusu, E. A., Schmidt, M. S., Sergo, V., Sockalingum, G. D., Untereiner, V., Vanna, R., Wiercigroch, E., and Bonifacio, A.
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Analyte ,Standardization ,Surface enhanced Raman ,010402 general chemistry ,Physical Chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,SERS spectroscopy quantitative analysis Raman ,Analytical Chemistry ,Surface chemical ,QD ,Cost action ,interlaboratory study ,Analytic Chemistry ,SERS ,Chemistry ,Scale (chemistry) ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Analytical technique ,Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ,0104 chemical sciences ,Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences ,Quantitative analysis (finance) ,Biochemical engineering ,SERS, Raman, substrates, colloids, interlaboratory study - Abstract
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful and sensitive technique for the detection of fingerprint sig-nals of molecules and for the investigation of a series of surface chemical reactions. Many studies introduced quantita-tive applications of SERS in various fields and several SERS methods have been implemented for each specific applica- tion, ranging in performance characteristics, analytes used, instruments, and analytical matrices. In general, very few methods have been validated according to international guidelines. As a consequence, the application of SERS in high-ly- regulated environments is still considered risky and the perception of a poorly reproducible and insufficiently robust analytical technique has persistently retarded its routine implementation. Collaborative trials are a type of interlabora-tory study (ILS) frequently performed to ascertain the quality of a single analytical method. The idea of an ILS of quan- tification with SERS arose within the framework of Working Group 1 (WG1) of the COST Action BM1401 Ra-man4Clinics32 in an effort to overcome the problematic perception of quantitative SERS methods. Here we report the first interlaboratory SERS study ever conducted, involving 15 laboratories and 41 researchers. In this study we tried to define a methodology to assess the reproducibility and trueness of a quantitative SERS method, and to compare differ- ent methods. In our opinion, this is a first important step toward a “standardization” process of SERS protocols, not proposed by a single laboratory but by a larger community.
- Published
- 2020
15. Synthesis and Shape Manipulation of Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles by Laser Ablation in Solution
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Lucio Litti, Valentina Piotto, and Moreno Meneghetti
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Materials science ,Laser ablation ,Nanostructure ,business.industry ,Physics::Optics ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,General Energy ,Colloidal gold ,Optoelectronics ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,0210 nano-technology ,business ,Anisotropy ,Localized surface plasmon - Abstract
Anisotropic gold nanostructures are attracting attention due to the strong correlation between their shape and the localized surface plasmon resonances, which allows tuning their optical responses ...
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- 2020
16. Enhancement of Magnetic Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection by Tailoring Fe3O4@Au Nanorod Shell Thickness and Its Application in the On-site Detection of Antibiotics in Water
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Leixuri B. Berganza, Lucio Litti, Moreno Meneghetti, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, and Javier Reguera
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General Chemical Engineering ,General Chemistry - Published
- 2022
17. Thiolated Graphene Oxide Nanoribbons as Templates for Anchoring Gold Nanoparticles: Two‐Dimensional Nanostructures for SERS
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Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti, Adrian Ostric, Jose M. González-Domínguez, Andrea Colusso, Tatiana Da Ros, Università degli Studi di Padova, European Commission, González Domínguez, José Miguel [0000-0002-0701-7695], Meneghetti, Moreno [0000-0003-3355-4811], Ros, Tatiana da [0000-0003-1932-1560], González Domínguez, José Miguel, Meneghetti, Moreno, Ros, Tatiana da, Gonzalez-Dominguez, J. M., Colusso, A., Litti, L., Ostric, A., Meneghetti, M., and Da Ros, T.
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Materials science ,Nanostructure ,Oxide ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,Carbon nanotube ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,law.invention ,symbols.namesake ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Thiols ,law ,SERS ,Graphene ,nanoparticle ,General Chemistry ,gold ,graphene ,nanoparticles ,thiols ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,3. Good health ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,Covalent bond ,Colloidal gold ,symbols ,Nanoparticles ,Gold ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman scattering - Abstract
10 Figuras, 2 Tablas, Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs), obtained from the oxidative unzipping of carbon nanotubes, have been investigated as building blocks towards reaching active platforms in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The complete development of carbon nanomaterials is strongly related to the exploitation of their chemical versatility, so this work is focused on the positive effect that a specific chemical functionalization provides to the SERS effect when gold nanoparticles are used. The covalent derivatization of GONRs with terminal thiol groups boosts their interaction with different types of gold nanoparticles (namely, ‘naked’ or citrate‐stabilized), and the resulting two‐dimensional aggregates show an intense enhancement of the Raman scattering from the carbon nanostructures because of their two‐dimensional extended aggregation pattern. The SERS effect has been corroborated by theoretical calculations and a conceptual proof of SERS‐based sensing., AC, LL and MM would like to thank the University of Padova for funding (P‐DiSC #04BIRD2016‐UNIPD and the strategic program NAMECA). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Grant Agreement n° 734834 (INFUSION) and from the PEOPLE Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7 Grant Agreement n°290023 (RADDEL).
- Published
- 2019
18. A surface enhanced Raman scattering based colloid nanosensor for developing therapeutic drug monitoring
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Marina Gobbo, Francesca Biscaglia, Andrea Ramundo, Moreno Meneghetti, Giuseppe Toffoli, and Lucio Litti
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Materials science ,Surface Properties ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Biomaterials ,Erlotinib Hydrochloride ,symbols.namesake ,Colloid ,Colloid and Surface Chemistry ,Nanosensor ,medicine ,Colloids ,Particle Size ,Laser ablation ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Small molecule ,0104 chemical sciences ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Colloidal gold ,Therapeutic drug monitoring ,symbols ,Gold ,Erlotinib ,Drug Monitoring ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman scattering ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Competitive reactions, on the surface of plasmonic nanostructures, allow exploiting SERS signals for quantitative Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. As an example, the concentration of Erlotinib, an anti-EGFR small molecule, used for the treatment of non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancer, is determined. The numerous side effects and the variability of patient responses make Erlotinib a good candidate for monitoring. The new SERS based sensor can estimate Erlotinib down to nanomolar concentration and is based on the chemical reaction of the drug and of a competitor SERS reporter on the surface of gold nanostructures. Colloid solutions of naked gold nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation in solution were used for obtaining nanostructures with very efficient hot spots for SERS and with a clean surface for chemistry. Detection of the drug in the nanomolar concentration range is shown to be possible also in spiked plasma samples.
- Published
- 2019
19. Wavy graphene sheets from electrochemical sewing of corannulene
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Andrea Goldoni, Moreno Meneghetti, Gianni Barucca, Eleonora Ussano, Massimo Marcaccio, Simona Fermani, Lawrence T. Scott, Claudio Fontanesi, Lucio Litti, Giovanni Valenti, Davide Vanossi, Edward A. Jackson, Carlo Bruno, Francesco Paolucci, Luca Pasquali, Bruno C., Ussano E., Barucca G., Vanossi D., Valenti G., Jackson E.A., Goldoni A., Litti L., Fermani S., Pasquali L., Meneghetti M., Fontanesi C., Scott L.T., Paolucci F., and Marcaccio M.
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radical cation reactivity ,Materials science ,Curved polyaromatic hydrocarbon ,electron microscopy ,Graphene ,oxidation ,graphene ,chemistry.chemical_element ,scanning probe microscopy ,General Chemistry ,Electrochemistry ,law.invention ,Characterization (materials science) ,Scanning probe microscopy ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,Polymerization ,electrochemistry ,law ,Corannulene ,Honeycomb ,Carbon - Abstract
The presence of non-hexagonal rings in the honeycomb carbon arrangement of graphene produces rippled graphene layers with valuable chemical and physical properties. In principle, a bottom-up approach to introducing distortion from planarity of a graphene sheet can be achieved by careful insertion of curved polyaromatic hydrocarbons during the growth of the lattice. Corannulene, the archetype of such non-planar polyaromatic hydrocarbons, can act as an ideal wrinkling motif in 2D carbon nanostructures. Herein we report an electrochemical bottom-up method to obtain egg-box shaped nanographene structures through a polycondensation of corannulene that produces a new conducting layered material. Characterization of this new polymeric material by electrochemistry, spectroscopy, electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), scanning probe microscopy, and laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry provides strong evidence that the anodic polymerization of corannulene, combined with electrochemically induced oxidative cyclodehydrogenations (Scholl reactions), leads to polycorannulene with a wavy graphene-like structure., A bottom-up synthesis of wavy graphene structures obtained through an anodic polymerization process, combined with an electrochemically triggered oxidative cyclodehydrogenation, of the bowl-shaped polyaromatic hydrocarbon corannulene.
- Published
- 2021
20. SERRS multiplexing with multivalent nanostructures for the identification and enumeration of epithelial and mesenchymal cells
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Moreno Meneghetti, Alessia Scarsi, Andrea Colusso, Giuseppe Toffoli, Lucio Litti, Marco Colombatti, Erlis Ruli, Marcella Pinto, Laura Ventura, and Giulio Fracasso
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Male ,Science ,Tumor cells ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,01 natural sciences ,Multiplexing ,Peripheral blood mononuclear cell ,Article ,Enumeration ,Tumor Cells, Cultured ,Humans ,Liquid biopsy ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Chemistry ,Mesenchymal stem cell ,Liquid Biopsy ,Prostatic Neoplasms ,Diagnostic markers ,Epithelial Cells ,Mesenchymal Stem Cells ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Cell biology ,Nanostructures ,biology.protein ,Leukocytes, Mononuclear ,Medicine ,Gold ,Antibody ,0210 nano-technology ,Glioblastoma ,Blood stream - Abstract
Liquid biopsy represents a new frontier of cancer diagnosis and prognosis, which allows the isolation of tumor cells released in the blood stream. The extremely low abundance of these cells needs appropriate methodologies for their identification and enumeration. Herein we present a new protocol based on surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) gold multivalent nanostructures to identify and enumerate tumor cells with epithelial and mesenchimal markers. The validation of the protocol is obtained with spiked samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Gold nanostructures are functionalized with SERRS labels and with antibodies to link the tumor cells. Three types of such nanosystems were simultaneously used and the protocol allows obtaining the identification of all individual tumor cells with the help of a Random Forest ensemble learning method.
- Published
- 2020
21. Using SERS Tags to Image the Three-Dimensional Structure of Complex Cell Models
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Lucio Litti, Judith Langer, Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi, Malou Henriksen-Lacey, and Luis M. Liz-Marzán
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3D surface-enhanced Raman scattering ,Materials science ,depth ,Structure (category theory) ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Image (mathematics) ,Biomaterials ,Electrochemistry ,medicine ,3D cell models ,surface-enhanced Raman scattering tags ,business.industry ,imaging ,Pattern recognition ,Complex cell ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,0104 chemical sciences ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Artificial intelligence ,0210 nano-technology ,business - Abstract
Methods to image complex 3D cell cultures are limited by issues such as fluorophore photobleaching and decomposition, poor excitation light penetration, and lack of complementary techniques to verify the 3D structure. Although it remains insufficiently demonstrated, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging is a promising tool for the characterization of biological complex systems. To this aim, a controllable 3D cell culture model which spans nearly 1 cm(2) in surface footprint is designed. This structure is composed of fibroblasts containing SERS-encoded nanoparticles (i.e., SERS tags), arranged in an alternating layered structure. This "sandwich" type structure allows monitoring of the SERS signals in the z-axis and with mm dimensions in the xy-axis. Taking advantage of correlative microscopy techniques such as electron microscopy, it is possible to corroborate nanoparticle positioning and distances in z-depths of up to 150 mu m. This study reveals a proof-of-concept method for detailed 3D SERS imaging of a complex, dense 3D cell culture model.
- Published
- 2020
22. Preparation and Characterization of Ag-nanostars@Au-nanowires hierarchical nanostructures for highly sensitive enhanced Raman spectroscopy
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Ligia Maria Moretto, Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti, Maria Sole Zalaffi, Paolo Ugo, and Patrizia Canton
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gold nanowires ,Nanostructure ,Materials science ,Nanowire ,hierarchical nanostructures ,Nanotechnology ,silver nanostars ,Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ,Highly sensitive ,Characterization (materials science) ,surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy ,boundary element method ,Settore CHIM/01 - Chimica Analitica - Abstract
In this work we study the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) produced by hierarchical nanostructures obtained by coupling different anisotropic nanomaterial of two SERS active metals, namely Ag nanostars (AgNSs) and Au nanowires (AuNWs). Ag nanostars (AgNSs) are prepared, by a two-step one-pot synthesis by reduction of AgNO3 with hydroxylamine, trisodium citrate and NaOH. AuNWs are obtained by electroless templated synthesis in track-etched polycarbonate membranes with following etching of the template. The two precursors are bound together by bridging with the bifunctional cysteamine molecule, obtaining AgNS@AuNW hierarchical structures. Benzenethiol (BT) is adsorbed on the nanostructured material and used as SERS probe to study the amplification of Raman signals. Experimental results indicate significantly larger Raman enhancement when BT is adsorbed onto the AgNS@AuNW in comparison to AuNWs alone or decorated with quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles obtaining AgNP@AuNW. Digital simulations performed by the boundary element method agree with the experimental findings, showing higher number of hot spots and significantly higher SERS enhancements for AgNS@AuNW versus AuNWs or AgNSs or AgNP@AuNW.
- Published
- 2020
23. Manipulating chemistry through nanoparticle morphology
- Author
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Javier Reguera, F. Javier García de Abajo, Moreno Meneghetti, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Lucio Litti, and European Commission
- Subjects
spectroscopy ,Nanoparticle ,Protonation ,02 engineering and technology ,Thermal treatment ,010402 general chemistry ,Photochemistry ,01 natural sciences ,4-aminobenzenethiol ,symbols.namesake ,Adsorption ,Molecule ,General Materials Science ,gold nanostars ,Physics::Chemical Physics ,Chemistry ,intracellular PH ,AG ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,P-aminothiophenol ,Colloidal gold ,enhanced raman-scattering ,symbols ,cells ,Nanorod ,0210 nano-technology ,nanorods ,Raman scattering - Abstract
We demonstrate that the protonation chemistry of molecules adsorbed at nanometer distances from the surface of anisotropic gold nanoparticles can be manipulated through the effect of surface morphology on the local proton density of an organic coating. Direct evidence of this remarkable effect was obtained by monitoring surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from mercaptobenzoic acid and 4-aminobenzenethiol molecules adsorbed on gold nanostars. By smoothing the initially sharp nanostar tips through a mild thermal treatment, changes were induced on protonation of the molecules, which can be observed through changes in the measured SERS spectra. These results shed light on the local chemical environment near anisotropic colloidal nanoparticles and open an alternative avenue to actively control chemistry through surface morphology. LL and LML-M acknowledge funding from European Commission Grant (EUSMI 731019). Funding is also acknowledged from the Spanish MINECO (MAT2017-86659-R and MDM-2017-0720 to LML-M; MAT2017-88492-R and SEV2015-0522 to JGA) and the European Research Council (Advanced Grant 787510 4DBIOSERS to LML-M; Advanced Grant 789104-eNANO to JGA).
- Published
- 2020
24. Zirconia-Based Magnetoplasmonic Nanocomposites: A New Nanotool for Magnetic-Guided Separations with SERS Identification
- Author
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Alessandro Scarso, Valentina Piotto, Davide Peddis, Pietro Riello, Anna Del Tedesco, Lucio Litti, Gabriele Sponchia, Khohinur Hossain, Moreno Meneghetti, and Alvise Benedetti
- Subjects
Nanocomposite ,Materials science ,Field (physics) ,SERS ,zirconia nanoparticles ,CoFe ,Nanotechnology ,bis(phosphonic acid) ,2 ,O ,4 ,nanoparticles ,gold nanoparticles ,magnetic sorting ,Nanomaterials ,zirconia nanoparticles, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, bis(phosphonic acid), gold nanoparticles, magnetic sorting, SERS ,Colloidal gold ,Fuel cells ,CoFe2O4 nanoparticles ,General Materials Science ,Cubic zirconia ,Settore CHIM/02 - Chimica Fisica - Abstract
In the field of nanomaterials, multifunctional nanosystems play a prominent role in many applications as new magnetically recoverable catalysts, information processing, fuel cells, efficient bio/na...
- Published
- 2020
25. Time-Resolved Analysis of the Structural Dynamics of Assembling Gold Nanoparticles
- Author
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Mohammad Vakili, Lewis Sharpnack, Ana Sánchez-Iglesias, Yunyun Gao, Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Robert H. Blick, Paul V. Gwozdz, Stefan Merkens, Lucio Litti, Martin Trebbin, and Marek Grzelczak
- Subjects
Materials science ,Real time analytics ,small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) ,microfluidics ,General Physics and Astronomy ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Hydrophobic effect ,gold nanoparticles ,hydrophobic collapse ,hydrophobic interactions ,real-time analytics ,self-assembly ,General Materials Science ,Structural transition ,Hydrophobic collapse ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Physics::Biological Physics ,Quantitative Biology::Biomolecules ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,General Engineering ,Polymer ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter ,Solvent ,chemistry ,Colloidal gold ,Chemical physics ,Self-assembly ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
The hydrophobic collapse is a structural transition of grafted polymer chains in a poor solvent. Although such a transition seems an intrinsic event during clustering of polymer-stabilized nanoparticles in the liquid phase, it has not been resolved in real time. In this work, we implemented a microfluidic 3D-flow-focusing mixing reactor equipped with real-time analytics, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy to study the early stage of cluster formation for polystyrene-stabilized gold nanoparticles. The polymer shell dynamics obtained by in situ SAXS analysis and numerical simulation of the solvent composition allowed us to map the interaction energy between the particles at early state of solvent mixing, 30 ms behind the crossing point. We found that the rate of hydrophobic collapse depends on water concentration, ranging between 100 and 500 nm/s. Importantly, we confirmed that the polymer shell collapses prior to the commencement of clustering.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. PreS1 peptide-functionalized gold nanostructures with SERRS tags for efficient liver cancer cell targeting
- Author
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G. Villano, Maria Ruzzene, Marina Gobbo, Alessandra Biasiolo, Patrizia Pontisso, Santina Quarta, Francesca Biscaglia, Cristian Turato, Lucio Litti, and Moreno Meneghetti
- Subjects
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ,Liver tumor ,Materials science ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Mice, Transgenic ,Bioengineering ,Context (language use) ,Peptide ,02 engineering and technology ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Biomaterials ,Mice ,Drug Delivery Systems ,Antigens, Neoplasm ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Protein Precursors ,Serpins ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ,Liver cell ,Liver Neoplasms ,Hep G2 Cells ,Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,medicine.disease ,Fluorescence ,Neoplasm Proteins ,0104 chemical sciences ,Biochemistry ,chemistry ,Mechanics of Materials ,Colloidal gold ,Gold ,Peptides ,0210 nano-technology ,Liver cancer - Abstract
Early detection is the most effective mean of improving prognosis for many fatal diseases such as cancer. In this context, the Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering (SERRS) technique is being proposed as alternative to fluorescent methods in detection of biomarkers, because SERRS nanostructures are bright as fluorescent tags but more stable and clearly detectable using the narrow Raman “fingerprints” of a suitable reporter. Here we show that biocompatible SERRS active gold nanostructures, functionalized with an engineered PreS1 peptide (AuNP@PEG-PreS1), detect the presence of the SerpinB3 antigen overexpressed on liver tumor cells, a biomarker of the onset of liver cell carcinomatous transformation. A proper engineering of the targeting unit, linked to the nanostructure by a polymer chain, affords a sensitivity and specificity larger than 80%, at subnanomolar concentrations. Taking into account the high sensitivity of SERRS and that SB3 overexpression is an early event in liver cell carcinomatous transformation, AuNP@PEG-PreS1 nanostructures could be used in routine diagnostic activities, to improve the accuracy of HCC detection in particular in patients with chronic liver diseases.
- Published
- 2019
27. Predictions on the SERS enhancement factor of gold nanosphere aggregate samples
- Author
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Moreno Meneghetti and Lucio Litti
- Subjects
Materials science ,Nanostructure ,Aggregate (data warehouse) ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Gold nanospheres ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Colloid ,symbols.namesake ,Extinction spectrum ,Colloidal gold ,symbols ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman scattering - Abstract
Colloidal gold nanostructures are nowadays widely involved in sensor applications. One of the most interesting techniques that takes advantage of them is certainly the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) effect, even if it is often considered a tricky technique due to structural constraints required by the nanostructured substrates to obtain high enhancement factors (EFs), i.e. the presence of hot spots. Because of the easy preparation and high number of hot spots, aggregated gold nanospheres seem to be the most efficient through the SERS colloids, but their characteristic high disorder makes them unpredictable and difficult to compare between different batches. For this reason, less SERS effective, but more regular and organized substrates are usually preferred. In this study, a method based on Boundary Element Method (BEM) simulation is used to accurately predict the colloidal SERS EFs of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregates, starting from their experimental extinction spectra. Surprisingly, it was found that larger aggregates do not exhibit stronger hot spots, but rather higher amounts of them, influencing the overall predicted EFs, which well reflect the results obtained experimentally.
- Published
- 2019
28. Nanoparticles Engineering by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids: Concepts and Applications
- Author
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Marco Santoro, Sebastiano Trusso, Marcella Dell’Aglio, Friedrich Waag, Moreno Meneghetti, Marina Gobbo, Chiara Zanchi, Paolo Maria Ossi, Enza Fazio, Vittorio Scardaci, Matteo Tommasini, Marcello Condorelli, Alessandro De Giacomo, Giovanni Gallo, Luisa D'Urso, Bilal Gökce, Fortunato Neri, Giuseppe Compagnini, Lucio Litti, Andrea Lucotti, and Francesca Biscaglia
- Subjects
Pollutants ,Materials science ,Laser ablation ,Nanostructure ,Biomedicine ,Catalysis ,Colloids ,Laser synthesis ,Plasmonics ,Sensing ,General Chemical Engineering ,Chemie ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,Review ,Nanomaterials ,Pulsed laser ablation ,lcsh:Chemistry ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Application areas ,General Materials Science ,Plasmon - Abstract
Laser synthesis emerges as a suitable technique to produce ligand-free nanoparticles, alloys and functionalized nanomaterials for catalysis, imaging, biomedicine, energy and environmental applications. In the last decade, laser ablation and nanoparticle generation in liquids has proven to be a unique and efficient technique to generate, excite, fragment and conjugate a large variety of nanostructures in a scalable and clean way. In this work, we give an overview on the fundamentals of pulsed laser synthesis of nanocolloids and new information about its scalability towards selected applications. Biomedicine, catalysis and sensing are the application areas mainly discussed in this review, highlighting advantages of laser-synthesized nanoparticles for these types of applications and, once partially resolved, the limitations to the technique for large-scale applications.
- Published
- 2020
29. A SERRS/MRI multimodal contrast agent based on naked Au nanoparticles functionalized with a Gd(III) loaded PEG polymer for tumor imaging and localized hyperthermia
- Author
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Marco Colombatti, Giulio Fracasso, Elena Nicolato, Niccolò Rivato, Marina Gobbo, Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti, Pasquina Marzola, Alfonso Venzo, and Pietro Bontempi
- Subjects
tumor ,Materials science ,NANOSTARS ,MRI contrast agent ,Physics::Medical Physics ,Nanoparticle ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Laser ablation synthesis in solution ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,symbols.namesake ,GADOLINIUM ,Nuclear magnetic resonance ,medicine ,magnetic resonance imaging ,General Materials Science ,CHELATE ,Plasmon ,surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering ,PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY ,multiple imaging techniques ,SPECTROSCOPY ,multimodal contrast agents ,Naphthalocyanine ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,SERS ,localized hyperthermia ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,plasmonic nanosystem ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,CANCER ,0104 chemical sciences ,SIZE ,chemistry ,Colloidal gold ,GOLD NANOPARTICLES ,symbols ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman scattering ,MRI - Abstract
Multimodal contrast agents offer new interesting diagnostic possibilities, summing the benefits of multiple imaging techniques. Magnetic resonance and optical imaging are complementary techniques. The first allows total body screening, even though it suffers from low spatial resolution and needs high loadings, whereas the second shows lower penetration, but bright signals, and a higher spatial resolution and needs lower loadings. We present a plasmonic nanosystem as a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and SERRS (surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering) multimodal contrast agent. Naked gold nanoparticles, obtained by laser ablation synthesis in solution, are organized as a highly efficient SERRS substrate with a naphthalocyanine reporter and functionalized with a MRI contrast agent with a newly synthesized 3DOTA-PEG polymer, with a high GdIII loading. As a proof of concept, in vivo and ex vivo MRI and SERRS experiments are also performed. The plasmonic property of the nanosystem is then exploited to show its usefulness for localized hyperthermia.
- Published
- 2018
30. Safe core-satellite magneto-plasmonic nanostructures for efficient targeting and photothermal treatment of tumor cells
- Author
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Giueseppe Toffoli, Marco Colombatti, Giamaica Conti, Roberto Pilot, Marina Gobbo, Moreno Meneghetti, Marcella Pinto, Giulio Fracasso, Lucio Litti, Roberta Zappon, S. Fiameni, and Fabrizio Bertorelle
- Subjects
Male ,Materials science ,Nanostructure ,Biocompatibility ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,01 natural sciences ,Antibodies ,ABLATION THERAPY ,symbols.namesake ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Cell Line, Tumor ,Nanobiotechnology ,Humans ,General Materials Science ,CANCER-CELLS ,Magnetite Nanoparticles ,SHELL NANOPARTICLES ,Laser ablation ,IRON-OXIDE NANOPARTICLES ,Prostatic Neoplasms ,Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ,Photothermal therapy ,Phototherapy ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,Colloidal gold ,GOLD NANOPARTICLES ,symbols ,Materials Science (all) ,Gold ,ENHANCED RAMAN-SCATTERING ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman spectroscopy ,Iron oxide nanoparticles - Abstract
Magneto-plasmonic nanostructures functionalized with cell targeting units are of great interest for nanobiotechnology applications. Photothermal treatment of cells targeted with antibody functionalized nanostructures and followed by magnetic isolation, allows killing selected cells and hence is one of the applications of great interest. The magneto-plasmonic nanostructures reported herein were synthesized using naked gold and magnetite nanoparticles obtained through a green approach based on laser ablation of bulk materials in water. These particles do not need purifications steps for biocompatibility and are functionalized with a SERRS (surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering) active molecule for detection and with an antibody for targeting prostate tumor cells. Quantitative results for the cell targeting and selection efficiency show an overall accuracy of 94% at picomolar concentrations. The photothermal treatment efficiently kills targeted and magneto-selected cells producing a viability below 5% after 3 min of irradiation, compared with almost 100% viability of incubated and irradiated, but non targeted cells.
- Published
- 2018
31. Single File Flow of Biomimetic Beads for Continuous SERS Recording in a Microfluidic Device
- Author
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Matteo Pierno, Diego Calzavara, Moreno Meneghetti, Greshia Cappozzo, Giampaolo Mistura, Lucio Litti, and Davide Ferraro
- Subjects
Materials science ,Article Subject ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Microfluidics ,Cancer type ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Clinical routine ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,Fluorescence ,lcsh:QC1-999 ,0104 chemical sciences ,Cancer treatment ,Autofluorescence ,Circulating tumor cell ,Laser line ,0210 nano-technology ,lcsh:Physics - Abstract
A major challenge in cancer treatment is the quantification of biomarkers associated with a specific cancer type. Important biomarkers are the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detached from the main cancer and circulating in the blood. CTCs are very rare and their identification is still an issue. Although CTCs quantification can be estimated by using fluorescent markers, all the fluorescence techniques are strongly limited by the number of emissions (therefore markers) that can be discriminated with one exciting line, by their bleaching characteristics, and by the intrinsic autofluorescence of biological samples. An emerging technique that can overcome these limitations is Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Signals of vibrational origin with intensity similar to those of fluorescence, but narrower bandwidths, can be easily discriminated even by exciting with a single laser line. We recently showed the benefit of this method with cells fixed on a surface. However, this approach is too demanding to be applied in clinical routine. To effectively increase the throughput of the SERS analysis, microfluidics represents a promising tool. We report two different hydrodynamic strategies, based on device geometry and liquids viscosity, to successfully combine a microfluidic design with SERS.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Enhanced EGFR targeting activity of plasmonic nanostructures with engineered GE11 peptide
- Author
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Antonio Rosato, Moreno Meneghetti, Simone Mocellin, Lucio Litti, Gianfranco Bocchinfuso, Senthilkumar Rajendran, Roberta Sommaggio, Clara Benna, Paolo Conflitti, Marina Gobbo, Donato Nitti, Antonio Palleschi, and Francesca Biscaglia
- Subjects
Molecular dynamic ,Materials science ,Biomedical Engineering ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Nanoparticle ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Cetuximab ,Peptide ,02 engineering and technology ,Polyethylene glycol ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Antibodies ,Polyethylene Glycols ,Biomaterials ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Drug Delivery Systems ,Nanostructures ,Peptides ,SERS ,Targeting activity ,Caco-2 Cells ,Humans ,Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ,Gold ,3003 ,PEG ratio ,Epidermal growth factor receptor ,Settore CHIM/02 - Chimica Fisica ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,biology ,Epidermal Growth Factor ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Ligand (biochemistry) ,Small molecule ,Combinatorial chemistry ,0104 chemical sciences ,ErbB Receptors ,chemistry ,Colloidal gold ,biology.protein ,0210 nano-technology ,Receptor - Abstract
Plasmonic nanostructures show important properties for biotechnological applications, but they have to be guided on the target for exploiting their potentialities. Antibodies are the natural molecules for targeting. However, their possible adverse immunogenic activity and their cost have suggested finding other valid substitutes. Small molecules like peptides can be an alternative source of targeting agents, even if, as single molecules, their binding affinity is usually not very good. GE11 is a small dodecapeptide with specific binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and low immunogenicity. The present work shows that thousands of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains modified with lysines and functionalized with GE11 on clusters of naked gold nanoparticles, obtained by laser ablation in water, achieves a better targeting activity than that recorded with nanoparticles decorated with the specific anti-EGFR antibody Cetuximab (C225). The insertion of the cationic spacer between the polymeric part of the ligand and the targeting peptide allows for a proper presentation of GE11 on the surface of the nanosystems. Surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering signals of the plasmonic gold nanoparticles are used for quantifying the targeting activity. Molecular dynamic calculations suggest that subtle differences in the exposition of the peptide on the PEG sea are important for the targeting activity.
- Published
- 2017
33. High-Quality, Ligands-Free, Mixed-Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals Inks for Optoelectronic Applications
- Author
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Lucio Litti, Marina Gandini, Michele De Bastiani, Francesco Lamberti, Roberto Sorrentino, Annamaria Petrozza, and Moreno Meneghetti
- Subjects
hysteresis ,inks ,laser ablation ,mixed-halide perovskites ,nanocrystals ,photo-stability ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Materials Science (all) ,Materials science ,Halide ,Photo stability ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Quality (physics) ,General Materials Science ,Renewable Energy ,Perovskite (structure) ,Laser ablation ,Sustainability and the Environment ,business.industry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Hysteresis ,Nanocrystal ,Optoelectronics ,0210 nano-technology ,business - Published
- 2017
34. A new integrated TLC/MU-ATR/SERS advanced approach for the identification of trace amounts of dyes in mixtures
- Author
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Silvia Prati, Irene Bonacini, Giorgia Sciutto, Moreno Meneghetti, Rocco Mazzeo, Lucio Litti, Sciutto, Giorgia, Prati, Silvia, Bonacini, Irene, Litti, L., Meneghetti, M., and Mazzeo, Rocco
- Subjects
Enhanced vibrational techniques ,Analytical chemistry ,02 engineering and technology ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Analytical Chemistry ,symbols.namesake ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Dyes ,MU/ATR ,SERS ,Environmental Chemistry ,Spectroscopy ,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ,Dyes, Enhanced vibrational techniques, MU/ATR, SERS ,Elution ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Silver iodide ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Thin-layer chromatography ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,Attenuated total reflection ,symbols ,Dyeing ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman spectroscopy - Abstract
The present research is focused on the setting up of an advanced analytical system for the detection of synthetic dyes. The system is based on the combination of an innovative thin layer chromatography (TLC) plate coupled with enhanced infrared (MU-ATR, metal underlayer attenuated total reflection) and Surface Enhanced Raman (SERS) spectroscopy. In particular, a TLC plate made of silver iodide (AgI) applied onto a gold coated glass slide (AgI@Au) is proposed as an efficient stationary phase for the separation of dyes mixtures. The separated dyes are then identified by means of both enhanced FTIR and SERS, performed directly on the same eluted spots. The use of a mid-IR transparent inorganic salt as stationary phase coupled with the underneath gold layer avoids spectral interferences, enhancing the signal obtained from ATR analyses. At the same time, SERS spectra can be recorded as the TLC plate may act as a SERS active substrate due to the photoreduction of AgI to metallic Ag caused by the exposure to the laser during the Raman analysis. Different mixtures of synthetic dyes of known composition, widely used in dyeing processes, have been tested and the method resulted to be effective in identifying trace amounts in the order of tens nanograms. Moreover, the method has been further evaluated on a real case study represented by dyes extracted from dyed wool.
- Published
- 2017
35. Other Nanoparticles: general discussion
- Author
-
Maha R. A. Abdollah, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, Sandhya Moise, Nguyen T. K. Thanh, Annette Barchanski, Dan Sun, Roger M. Pallares, Scott Mitchell, Richard A. L. Jones, Lucio Litti, Catriona McCallion, Sara Carreira, Stefan Borsley, Yuri Diaz Fernandez, Maya Thanou, Zoe Pikramenou, Dejian Zhou, Lanry L. Yung, Paresh Chandra Ray, Nicolas P. E. Barry, Katherine A. Brown, Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Nadiya Dragneva, Ivan P. Parkin, Edman Tsang, and Peter J. Dobson
- Subjects
media_common.quotation_subject ,Art history ,QD ,Art ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,QC ,media_common - Abstract
Zoe Pikramenou, Catriona McCallion, Sara Carreira, Peter Dobson, Katherine Brown, Yuri Antonio Diaz Fernandez, Maha Abdollah, Dejian Zhou, Dan Sun, Sandhya Moise, Lucio Litti, Lanry L. Yung, Stefan Borsley, Nadiya Dragneva, Annette Barchanski, Mostafa El-Sayed, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, Roger M. Pallares, Edman Tsang, Nicolas Barry, Scott Mitchell, Nguyen T. K. Thanh, Maya Thanou, Ivan Parkin, Paresh Ray and Richard Jones
- Published
- 2014
36. Detection of low-quantity anticancer drugs by surface-enhanced Raman scattering
- Author
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Vincenzo Amendola, Moreno Meneghetti, Giuseppe Toffoli, and Lucio Litti
- Subjects
Analyte ,Indoles ,Paclitaxel ,Surface Properties ,Metabolite ,Analytical chemistry ,SN-38 ,Antineoplastic Agents ,02 engineering and technology ,Irinotecan ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,01 natural sciences ,Anticancer drugs ,Biochemistry ,Analytical Chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,symbols.namesake ,Limit of Detection ,CPT-11 ,medicine ,Sunitinib ,Humans ,Pyrroles ,Detection limit ,SERS ,010401 analytical chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Combinatorial chemistry ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,Doxorubicin ,symbols ,Camptothecin ,0210 nano-technology ,Raman scattering ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Ultrasensitive detection of low-quantity drugs is important for personalized therapeutic approaches in several diseases and, in particular, for cancer treatment. In this field, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be very useful for its ability to precisely identify analytes from their unique vibrational spectra, with very high sensitivity. Here, we report a study about SERS detection of sunitinib, paclitaxel and irinotecan, i.e. three commonly used antineoplastic drugs, and of SN-38, i.e. the metabolite of irinotecan, dissolved in methanol solutions. By using commercial Klarite substrates, we found that sunitinib, irinotecan and SN-38 have detection limits of 20–70 ng, which is below the threshold for applications in cancer therapy. Conversely, the SERS signal was not appreciable with paclitaxel, and this is explained by the absence of optical resonances in the visible range. Overall, our results show that ultrasensitive SERS detection of sunitinib, irinotecan and SN-38 is feasible, encouraging further development of this technology also for other drugs with similar molecular structure especially for those analytes with absorption bands in the visible range.
- Published
- 2015
37. Alternative SERRS probes for the immunochemical localization of ovalbumin in paintings: an advanced mapping detection approach
- Author
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Giorgia Sciutto, Rocco Mazzeo, Lucio Litti, Silvia Prati, Emilio Castellucci, Cristiana Lofrumento, Moreno Meneghetti, Aldo Roda, Marilena Ricci, Marina Gobbo, Giorgia Sciutto, Lucio Litti, Cristiana Lofrumento, Silvia Prati, Marilena Ricci, Marina Gobbo, Aldo Roda, Emilio Castellucci, Moreno Meneghetti, and Rocco Mazzeo
- Subjects
IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE ,Nanoparticle ,PROTEIN ,Nanotechnology ,Biochemistry ,Laser ablation synthesis in solution ,Analytical Chemistry ,Matrix (chemical analysis) ,Electrochemistry ,ENHANCED RAMAN-SCATTERING ,WORKS-OF-ART ,GOLD NANOPARTICLES ,ORGANIC COLORANTS ,HOT-SPOTS ,IDENTIFICATION ,SPECTROSCOPY ,SIZE ,SIGNATURES ,Environmental Chemistry ,Metal nanoparticles ,Spectroscopy ,PAINTINGS ,Chemistry ,Characterization (materials science) ,Colloidal gold ,SERRS ,IMMUNOCHEMISTRY - Abstract
In the field of analytical chemistry, many scientific efforts have been devoted to develop experimental procedures for the characterization of organic substances present in heterogeneous artwork samples, due to their challenging identification. In particular, performances of immunochemical techniques have been recently investigated, optimizing ad hoc systems for the identification of proteins. Among all the different immunochemical approaches, the use of metal nanoparticles - for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection - remains one of the most powerful methods that has still not been explored enough for the analysis of artistic artefacts. For this reason, the present research work was aimed at proposing a new optimized and highly efficient indirect immunoassay for the detection of ovalbumin. In particular, the study proposed a new SERRS probe composed of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalised with Nile Blue A and produced with an excellent green and cheap alternative approach to the traditional chemical nanoparticles synthesis: the laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS). This procedure allows us to obtain stable nanoparticles which can be easily functionalized without any ligand exchange reaction or extensive purification procedures. Moreover, the present research work also focused on the development of a comprehensive analytical approach, based on the combination of potentialities of immunochemical methods and Raman analysis, for the simultaneous identification of the target protein and the different organic and inorganic substances present in the paint matrix. An advanced mapping detection system was proposed to achieve the exact spatial location of all the components through the creation of false colour chemical maps.
- Published
- 2013
38. Optical nanoparticles: general discussion
- Author
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Stefan Borsley, Liane Rossi, Siti Fatimah Abdul Ghani, Catherine Amiens, Maha R. A. Abdollah, Mauro Prato, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, Sandhya Moise, Thomas Carter, Matthew H. Todd, Maya Thanou, Lucio Litti, Sara Carreira, Dejian Zhou, Zoe Pikramenou, Lanry L. Yung, Paresh Chandra Ray, Oliver Reiser, Kristian Göeken, Peter Harvey, Peter J. Dobson, Anna Lesniak, Katherine A. Brown, Hedi Mattoussi, and Dalibor Soukup
- Subjects
Materials science ,Optical Phenomena ,Quantum dot ,Nanoparticle ,Nanoparticles ,Nanotechnology ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry - Published
- 2015
39. Magnetic nanoparticles: general discussion
- Author
-
Maya Thanou, Matthew H. Todd, Stefan Borsley, Nguyen T. K. Thanh, Ivan P. Parkin, Peter J. Dobson, Lanry L. Yung, Katherine A. Brown, Paresh Chandra Ray, Hedi Mattoussi, Edman Tsang, Oliver Reiser, Kerry A. Chester, Dejian Zhou, Tom Berkleman, Liane Rossi, Dalibor Soukup, Yuri Diaz Fernandez, Lucio Litti, Asterios Gavriilidis, Benjamin P. Burke, Scott Mitchell, Sandhya Moise, Catherine Amiens, Sara Carreira, and Amelie Heuer-Jungemann
- Subjects
Dextran sulfate ,Art history ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry - Abstract
Peter Dobson, Lanry L. Yung, Liane Rossi, Sara Carreira, Paresh Ray, Catherine Amiens, Katherine Brown, Dejian Zhou, Asterios Gavriilidis, Nguyen T. K. Thanh, Sandhya Moise, Lucio Litti, Hedi Mattoussi, Matthew Todd, Scott Mitchell, Stefan Borsley, Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, Oliver Reiser, Edman Tsang, Maya Thanou, Tom Berkleman, Dalibor Soukup, Kerry Chester, Ivan Parkin, Yuri Antonio Diaz Fernandez and Benjamin P. Burke
- Published
- 2015
40. Use of nano gold obtained by laser ablation for SEIRA analyses of colorants
- Author
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Lucio Litti, Rocco Mazzeo, Giorgia Sciutto, Silvia Prati, Moreno Meneghetti, Irene Bonacini, Marta Quaranta, S. Prati, M. Quaranta, G. Sciutto, I. Bonacini, L. Litti, M. Meneghetti, and R. Mazzeo
- Subjects
Archeology ,Laser ablation ,Materials science ,enhanced FTIR ,Archeology (arts and humanities) ,Absorption spectroscopy ,Extraction (chemistry) ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,Conservation ,colourant ,Matrix (chemical analysis) ,Reflection (mathematics) ,laser abalation ,Colloidal gold ,Glass slide ,SEIRA ,gold nanoparticle - Abstract
The analysis of dyes in cultural heritage samples is a well-known challenging task, due to their inherent high tinting strength and consequent low concentration in the carrying matrix a fact that severely limits the number of analytical techniques that can be efficiently and micro-destructively employed for their detection and unambiguous identification. In the present study, an advanced and alternative SEIRA based analytical protocol for the analysis of small quantities of synthetic colorants has been proposed. The method has been set up for the identification of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) using Au nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation in solution (LASiS). Analyses have been performed applying a drop containing a mixture between the colorant and the Au colloidal solution in its unaggregated state on a gold coated glass slide for RAS (Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy) analysis. The first results showed that, thanks to the enhancement produced by the nanoparticles, it is possible to analyze small amount of diluted solutions containing the colorant. Thus, the method has been successfully applied for the analysis of few pieces of dyed wool, after the development of a suitable micro extraction procedure.
- Published
- 2014
41. Magneto-Plasmonic Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles designed for multimodal SERS-MRI-CT imaging
- Author
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Giulio Fracasso, Elena Nicolato, Vincenzo Amendola, Stefano Scaramuzza, Antonio Rosato, Marco Colombatti, Moreno Meneghetti, Marcella Pinto, Lucio Litti, Gaia Zuccolotto, Cristina Anselmi, and Pasquina Marzola
- Subjects
Materials science ,Biocompatibility ,Alloy ,alloy nanoparticles ,Contrast Media ,Nanoparticle ,Nanotechnology ,Enhanced permeability and retention effect ,engineering.material ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,Multimodal Imaging ,Biomaterials ,Mice ,Monitoring, Intraoperative ,multimodal-imaging ,SERS-CT-MRI ,Materials Testing ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,General Materials Science ,Magnetite Nanoparticles ,Image resolution ,Magneto ,Cells, Cultured ,Plasmon ,Mice, Inbred BALB C ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,SERS ,MRI ,CT ,nanoalloys ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,U937 Cells ,General Chemistry ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,engineering ,Gold Alloys ,Tomography ,Ct imaging ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,Iron Compounds ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Diagnostic approaches based on multimodal imaging are needed for accurate selection of the therapeutic regimens in several diseases, although the dose of administered contrast drugs must be reduced to minimize side effects. Therefore, large efforts are deployed in the development of multimodal contrast agents (MCAs) that permit the complementary visualization of the same diseased area with different sensitivity and different spatial resolution by applying multiple diagnostic techniques. Ideally, MCAs should also allow imaging of diseased tissues with high spatial resolution during surgical interventions. Here a new system based on multifunctional Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles designed to satisfy the main requirements of an ideal MCA is reported and their biocompatibility and imaging capability are described. The MCAs show easy and versatile surface conjugation with thiolated molecules, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed X-ray tomography (CT) signals for anatomical and physiological information (i.e., diagnostic and prognostic imaging), large Raman signals amplified by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for high sensitivity and high resolution intrasurgical imaging, biocompatibility, exploitability for in vivo use and capability of selective accumulation in tumors by enhanced permeability and retention effect. Taken together, these results show that Au-Fe nanoalloys are excellent candidates as multimodal MRI-CT-SERS imaging agents.
- Published
- 2014
42. LDI-MS Assisted by Chemical-Free Gold Nanoparticles: Enhanced Sensitivity and Reduced Background in the Low-Mass Region
- Author
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Moreno Meneghetti, Vincenzo Amendola, and Lucio Litti
- Subjects
Detection limit ,Analyte ,Anthracene ,Chromatography ,MALDI MS ,laser ablation in solution ,Surface Properties ,Lasers ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Laser ablation synthesis in solution ,Citric Acid ,Mass Spectrometry ,Analytical Chemistry ,Matrix (chemical analysis) ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Colloidal gold ,GOLD NANOPARTICLES ,Gold ,Particle size ,Particle Size ,Selectivity - Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) emerged as an effective technique for the detection of analytes with high sensitivity. The surface chemistry and the size of AuNPs are the crucial parameters for lowering the detection limits and increasing the selectivity of LDI-MS. Here we show that chemical-free size selected AuNPs, obtained by laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS), have very low background in the low mass region (
- Published
- 2013
43. Plasmonic Nanostructures for SERRS Multiplexed Identification of Tumor-Associated Antigens
- Author
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Anita Boscaini, Marco Colombatti, Marina Gobbo, Marzia Di Chio, Alessia Scarsi, Gabriele Marcolongo, Giulio Fracasso, Vincenzo Amendola, Moreno Meneghetti, and Lucio Litti
- Subjects
Male ,Materials science ,Nanomedicine ,SERRS ,Antibodies ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Nanotechnology ,GPI-Linked Proteins ,Spectrum Analysis, Raman ,Multiplexing ,Biomaterials ,Antigens, Neoplasm ,Cell Line, Tumor ,Humans ,General Materials Science ,Plasmon ,Prostate Cancer ,Prostatic Neoplasms ,General Chemistry ,Prostate-Specific Antigen ,Surface Plasmon Resonance ,Tumor associated antigen ,Neoplasm Proteins ,Kallikreins ,Identification (biology) ,Gold ,Plasmonic nanostructures ,Biotechnology - Published
- 2012
44. Serrs: Plasmonic Nanostructures for SERRS Multiplexed Identification of Tumor-Associated Antigens (Small 24/2012)
- Author
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Gabriele Marcolongo, Marco Colombatti, Giulio Fracasso, Marzia Di Chio, Vincenzo Amendola, Anita Boscaini, Moreno Meneghetti, Alessia Scarsi, Marina Gobbo, and Lucio Litti
- Subjects
Biomaterials ,Chemistry ,General Materials Science ,Identification (biology) ,Nanotechnology ,General Chemistry ,Plasmonic nanostructures ,Tumor associated antigen ,Plasmon ,Biotechnology - Published
- 2012
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