Search

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been introduced as a suitable alternative in manyin vivobioapplications. The risks of utilizing nanoparticles continue to be an ongoing research. Furthermore, the various chemicals used in their synthesis influence the cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles. We have investigated the cytotoxicity of Porous Hollow Au Nanoparticles (PHAuNPs) on cancer cell lines PC-3, PC-3ML, and MDA-MB-231 and the normal cell line PNT1A. Cell proliferation for the different cells in the presence of different concentrations of the PHAuNPs was assessed after 24 hours and 72 hours of incubation using MTT assay. The study also included the cytotoxic evaluation of pegylated PHAuNPs. Identical cell seeding densities, particle concentrations, and incubation times were employed for these two types of Au nanoparticles. Our results indicated that (1) impact on cell proliferation was concentration dependent and was different for the different cell types without cellular necrosis and (b) cellular proliferation might be impacted more based on the cell line.

The Au/Pd core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via galvanic replacement of Cu by Pd on hollow Au cores by adding different concentrations of Na 2 SO 3 solution. It was found that the higher concentration of Na 2 SO 3 that was used, the rougher the Au nanospheres became. However, the rougher Au surface may cause more defects in the Pd layers and decrease the catalytic abilities. The Au/Pd NPs synthesized using 0 M Na 2 SO 3 (denoted as 0 M-Au/Pd NPs) have the smoothest Pd surface and demonstrate higher formic acid oxidation (FAO) activity (0.714 mA cm −2 , normalized to the surface area of Pd) than other Au/Pd NPs and commercial Pd black (0.47 mA cm −2 ). Additional electrochemical characterization of the 0 M-Au/Pd NPs also demonstrated lower CO-stripping onset and peak potentials, higher stability (8× improvement in stabilized oxidation current), and superior durability (by 1.6×) than the Pd black. In addition, a simple simulation of FAO was adopted to predict the anodic curve by including reaction intermediates of formate and hydroxyl. The 0 M-Au/Pd NPs were found to show higher formate and lower hydroxyl coverage than the Pd black.

Au/Pd core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) were employed to study electro-oxidation mechanism of formate-based solutions. A series of combined studies including Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical stripping analysis, and computational simulations were conducted to understand electro-oxidation of formate-based solutions on the Au/Pd NPs. Compared to the commercial Pd black, the Au/Pd NPs showed superior catalytic activities, especially when using concentrated formate solutions. CO stripping test in conjunction with in situ Raman studies showed a lower oxidation potential (0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl) of CO on the Au/Pd NPs than the Pd black (>0.6 V). This indicated a strong electronic coupling between Au and Pd in the core–shell NPs which could enhance the oxidation of formate species. In addition, theoretical studies suggested lower formate and hydroxyl coverages at the same applied potential for the Au/Pd NPs than the Pd black in the formate-based solutions, shedding lights on their superior formate-oxidizing ability.

Unique Au/Pd core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized via galvanic replacement of Cu by Pd on hollow Au nano-spheres. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical measurements. The Au/Pd nanoparticles exhibit superior formic acid oxidation (FAO) performance, lower CO-stripping potential, and long-term durability and stability compared to commercial Pd black due to enhanced electronic coupling between the Au core and Pd shell, which is confirmed by XPS results. Keywords: Electrochemistry, Pd, Nanoparticle, Electronic coupling, Fuel cell

In this report, we use stripe-patterned substrates and TEM grids as working electrodes to demonstrate that electrochemically evolved hydrogen bubbles can serve as templates and reducing agents for electroless deposition of Au from a Na 3 Au(SO 3 ) 2 electrolyte to form hollow particles. This new hollow nanoparticle formation mechanism, which is termed as bubble template synthesis, has the potential to become a general route to the fabrication of various metallic hollow nanoparticles. We have also found that the addition of Ni 2+ ions in the electrolyte has an effect on the particle formation process. Electrodeposited metallic Ni enhances the hydrogen evolution and therefore the hollow particle formation. It also leads to an improved size distribution of the hollow particles.

Hollow Au nanoparticles with a 25 nm polycrystalline shell and a 50 nm hollow core were produced in large amounts by using electrochemically evolved hydrogen nanobubbles as templates and reducing agents for electroless deposition from a Na3Au(SO3)2 electrolyte. The surface roughness of these nanoparticles can be tuned by adding NaSO3 into the electrolyte. Different surface roughnesses can be readily obtained for sub-100 nm particles with the same size. As surface roughness increases, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks shift to longer wavelengths. Particles with an 8 nm roughness have a SPR peak centered at 750 nm, which is particularly attractive for in vivo diagnostic and therapeutic applications. A three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation confirms that the red-shifts of SPR peaks are mainly caused by their surface roughness, and the hollow nature of these particles plays only a minor role. This unique plasmonic property of hollow Au nanoparticles opens up the possibility to maintain the desirable optical properties after loading other substances into the hollow core to form multifunctional core-shell nanoparticles.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising molecular imaging modality capable of simultaneously detecting multiple molecular biomarkers. With the biocompatibility and functionalizability of Au, Au-nanoparticle based Raman tags possess the potential for in vivo SERS cancer biomarker detection. Here, we report the large scale synthesis of a new type of Au nanoparticles, Porous Hollow Au Nanoparticles (PHAuNPs), and demonstrate their potential application as SERS imaging tags. PHAuNPs feature a sub-20 nm porous shell and a 50 nm void core. Such unique morphology enables them to strongly absorb and scatter near infrared lights due to the surface plasmon resonant effect of Au. This makes them particularly suitable for in vivo applications, where NIR wavelengths are considered as a ‘clear window’ for deeper penetration of light. The construction and characterization of PHAuNP-based Raman nanotag, including attachment of Raman dye, pegylation and their stability, are described. Cytotoxicity of Raman nanotags are tested using the radioactive [3H]thymidine incorporation method. The results show that pegylated Raman nanotags are stable and non-toxic and can potentially be used for in vivo applications.

Gas evolution during electrochemical deposition has long been regarded as undesired and deliberately suppressed. Here, we show a new role of electrochemically evolved hydrogen bubbles, serving as both templates and reducing agent to form hollow Au nanoparticles via electroless deposition. Hollow gold nanoparticles with a complete nanocrystalline shell and a 50 nm hollow core were fabricated. By controlling the shell thickness, particle size can be varied from 100 to 150 nm. The process is very simple, scalable, and with a high throughput. Using this method, more complicated hollow nanostructures such as double nanoshells ("nanomatryoshka") can also be synthesized. These hollow nanoparticles possess desirable plasmonic properties and can potentially be used as nanocontainers to store and deliver gaseous materials. In addition, the process can be used for fundamental studies of nanobubble formation mechanism.

We present a new type of magnetic nanoparticles for bioapplications. Multilayered nanodisks consisting of two magnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer with two capping layers were designed and fabricated. Two key magnetic requirements for bioapplications, a high saturation magnetic moment and a near-zero remanence, were achieved through the magnetostatic interlayer coupling between two magnetic layers. Capping layers provide functionalization sites for biomolecule attachment. A pillar-template-based synthesis method was employed for fabrication. Nanodisks with a diameter of 70 nm and a thickness of 60 nm were produced in large quantity. The magnetic characterization shows that each nanodisk possesses a magnetic moment equivalent to 100 10-nm Co nanoparticles and a near-zero remanent moment.

A facile method has been developed to synthesize Au/Pd core-shell nanoparticles via galvanic replacement of Cu by Pd on hollow Au nanospheres. The unique nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. When the concentration of the Au solution was decreased, grain size of the polycrystalline hollow Au nanospheres was reduced, and the structures became highly porous. After the Pd shell formed on these Au nanospheres, the morphology and structure of the Au/Pd nanoparticles varied and hence significantly affected the catalytic properties. The Au/Pd nanoparticles synthesized with reduced Au concentrations showed higher formic acid oxidation activity (0.93 mA cm-2 at 0.3 V) than the commercial Pd black (0.85 mA cm-2 at 0.3 V), suggesting a promising candidate as fuel cell catalysts. In addition, the Au/Pd nanoparticles displayed lower CO-stripping potential, improved stability, and higher durability compared to the Pd black due to their unique core-shell structures tuned by Au core morphologies.

Au–PtCu core–shell nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via galvanic replacement of Cu by Pt on hollow Au nano-spheres. Characterizations of the nanoparticles were conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electrochemical measurements. Results indicate 2–2.5 times higher specific activity and mass activity of the Au–PtCu catalysts than commercial Pt black and Pt/C in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), measured in a rotating disk electrode system. Besides, thinner PtCu coating (25 nm thick, deposition time of 20 min) on the hollow Au nano-spheres demonstrated a pronounced CO oxidation peak shift (by 0.13 V) and long-term durability probably due to the unique core–shell structure and strong electronic coupling between the Au core and the PtCu shell.

Template-based electrochemical synthesis has widely been used to produce metal nanowires and nanorods. Commercially available filtration membranes, such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and polycarbonate track etch membranes, have commonly been utilized as hard templates for this purpose. In this process, a thick metal film is usually sputtered or vacuum evaporated onto one side of the membrane to block the pores and serve as the working electrode for the subsequent electrodeposition. Here, we show that during the deposition of the metal electrode for AAO membranes, the electrode metal diffuses into the pores and is deposited on the pore walls which leads to preferential electrodeposition of metal on the walls and therefore forms metal tubes. This phenomenon has been utilized to fabricate short nanotubes by carefully controlling the electrodeposition conditions. The process is a straightforward method for any electroplatable materials to form nanoscale tubular structures. The effects of working electrodes and electrodeposition conditions on the formation of tubular structures are discussed in detail. A new mechanism based on this simple fact is proposed to explain the formation of Ni tubes by Ni–Cu co-deposition. Also, we demonstrate how to distinguish magnetic nanotubes from nanorods by a simple magnetic measurement.

We present the design and fabrication of a new type of magnetic nanoparticles for biosensing applications. In these nanoparticles, two key magnetic requirements, a high saturation magnetic moment and a near zero remanent moment are achieved by a non-superparamagnetic mechanism, the magnetostatic interlayer coupling between two magnetic layers. A pillar-template-based synthesis is employed to produce large quantities of these multilayered magnetic nanodisks. These nanoparticles can fill the superparamagnetic nanoparticle size gap, from 20 nm to 100 nm. Each nanoparticle is detectable by a magnetoresistive sensor which is highly desirable for biosensing applications.

not Available.