Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaolan Kang, Vilde Mari Reinertsen, Kevin Gregor Both, Augustinas Galeckas, Thomas Aarholt, Oystein Prytz, Truls Norby, Dragos Neagu, Athanasios Chatzitakis
Summary: There is a growing demand to control and enhance the stability and efficacy of nanoparticles (NPs) for photo- and electrochemical energy conversion applications. The galvanic replacement/deposition method offers a simpler and safer approach to produce a wide range of hybrid nanostructures with increased tailorability. These bimetallic nanostructures, supported on SrTiO3, show exceptional activity in plasmon-assisted photoelectrochemical water oxidation reactions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nikita G. Gaidhani, Sabyasachi Patra, Hemant S. Chandwadkar, Debasis Sen, Chiranjib Majumder, Shobha Ramagiri, Jayesh R. Bellare
Summary: This study successfully probed the galvanic replacement of silver ions with nickel nanoparticles in a polymer membrane using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and radiolabeling methods, supported by density functional theory (DFT) computations. The silver-nickel system was chosen for its high degree of bulk immiscibility and weak adhesive interaction, making it a perfect model system for immiscible metal pairs. The membrane host medium played a crucial role in retarding the kinetics of atomic and particle rearrangements during the process. The study demonstrated, for the first time, a sequential nucleation model for the formation of mixed metallic nanoparticles via galvanic replacement, opening up possibilities for size-controlled synthesis in mixed systems.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shikuan Shao, Ankai Wang, Ria Gupta, Shengli Zou, Xiaohu Xia
Summary: This work explores the role of wall thickness in determining the plasmonic properties of gold-silver (Ag-Au) nanocages. Ag-Au cages with different wall thicknesses, but the same void or outer size, shape, and elemental composition, were designed as a model platform. The experimental findings were explained through theoretical calculations. This study not only investigates the effect of wall thickness but also provides an effective knob to tailor the plasmonic properties of hollow nanostructures.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Artur Movsesyan, Eva Yazmin Santiago, Sven Burger, Miguel A. Correa-Duarte, Lucas Besteiro, Zhiming Wang, Alexander O. Govorov
Summary: This paper addresses the challenging problem of obtaining a microscopic description of hot-electron states in plasmonic nanocrystals, and studies the spatial distributions of photophysical parameters controlling local surface photochemistry. The research shows that while the generation of energetic electrons and holes in small plasmonic nanocrystals with complex shapes is position-dependent and anisotropic, the phototemperature across the nanocrystal surface remains uniform. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for designing efficient nanoantennas for photocatalytic applications.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jinping Wei, Zhenglin Liu, Jiawei Huang, Xiao Zhong, Qian Zhang, Yuhan Sun, Yuan Wan, Yuliang Chen, Peitong Duan, Caiqin Han
Summary: The effect of structure spacing on electric field enhancement was investigated by fabricating silver nanosphere (AgNS) array substrates with various morphologies of polystyrene (PS) core/Ag shell. It was found that an AgNS substrate with a gap of approximately 20 nm exhibited the best SERS enhancement, serving as a reference for the development of new highly sensitive SERS sensors.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Si Woo Lee
Summary: Fundamental understanding of energy dissipation on surfaces is crucial for the study of renewable energy conversion. Hot electrons, excited electrons with high kinetic energy, can be produced through non-adiabatic dissipation processes. These hot electrons can drive and enhance surface reactions, such as dissociation, selective oxidation, and desorption. In this review, the electronic control of chemical reactions via hot electron transfer on metal-semiconductor hybrid nanocatalysts is discussed, focusing on recent studies of catalytic performance enhancement using nanostructures coupled with surface plasmon resonance.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hyun-Hang Shin, Jaeyoung Jeong, Yeonsig Nam, Kang Sup Lee, Gyu Jin Yeon, Hankyul Lee, Seung Yeon Lee, Sangwon Park, Hyungjun Park, Jin Yong Lee, Zee Hwan Kim
Summary: Recent studies have found evidence that plasmon-excited nanostructures can induce non-thermal vibrational activation of metal-bound reactants. By analyzing the anti-Stokes Raman spectra, it was discovered that the vibrational mode of the reactant is selectively excited, resulting in more energy in the reactants than expected based on thermalized molecules at the given temperature. Additionally, a significant portion of the excited reactant is in vibrational overtone states with energies exceeding 0.5 eV. These findings validate the mechanism of plasmon-assisted chemical reactions and offer a new way to explore vibrational reaction control on metal surfaces.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shengfu Huang, Mang Wang, Dai-Jian Su, Jing Liang, Fengke Sun, Wenming Tian, Liu-Bin Zhao, Jinxuan Liu
Summary: Co-doped Mn3O4 nanocubes synthesized via galvanic replacement reactions exhibit efficient and outstanding performance in photo-reduction of CO2 to CO.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raffaella Buonsanti, Anna Loiudice, Valeria Mantella
Summary: The synthesis of nanosized polyelemental compounds remains a general challenge in chemistry due to the complexity of the process. Utilizing colloidal chemistry for the preparation of multinary oxide nanomaterials allows for control over composition and morphological features.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yiqun Zheng, Gongguo Zhang, Yanyun Ma, Yuhan Kong, Feng Liu, Maochang Liu
Summary: Controlled synthesis of two-dimensional noble metal nanomaterials with an in-plane branching morphology has been a topic of recent research interest, especially for AuAg-based nanocrystals. In this study, we successfully fabricated gold-silver (AuAg) nanosheets with abundant in-plane cracking and sub-10 nm thickness via one-pot kinetics-controlled synthesis. The AuAg nanosheets can further convert to AuAgM (M = Pd or Pt) nanosheets via galvanic replacement reaction under ambient conditions. These AuAg-based nanosheets show strong absorbance in the near-infrared region and exhibit excellent photocatalytic activities for UV-vis light-assisted reduction of 4-nitrophenol due to plasmon enhancement. This study presents a feasible route to generate multimetallic nanocrystals with a two-dimensional structure, in-plane branching morphology, and effective control over elemental distribution, which has potential applications in the rational design of plasmonic photocatalysts.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Hrvoje Petek, Andi Li, Xintong Li, Shijing Tan, Marcel Reutzel
Summary: Light interacting with a metal surface can induce quantum transitions and currents. The interaction can be described as first-order dipole transition for interband excitation and second-order momentum scattering for intraband excitation. The response of free electrons to optical fields can also be collective, leading to a screened optical field. This study focuses on the excitation of single crystal silver surfaces under the condition where the dielectric response switches from negative to positive. The results provide insights into the process of plasmonic photoemission and its potential applications in photocatalysis and electronic devices.
PROGRESS IN SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Nicola Comisso, Lidia Armelao, Sandro Cattarin, Stefano Fasolin, Luca Mattarozzi, Marco Musiani, Marzio Rancan, Lourdes Vazquez-Gomez, Enrico Verlato
Summary: Galvanic displacement reactions between solid oxides and dissolved metal cations are interesting for preparing oxide nanoparticles or electrocatalytic layers. The effects of ion concentration from sacrificial oxides on secondary mixed oxides were studied using various methods. Different behaviors were observed for Mn2+ and Co2+ in terms of growth rate and equilibrium potential with increasing concentrations of Pb2+ ions.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Catherine Especel, Gwendoline Lafaye, Florence Epron
Summary: The development of bimetallic catalysts involves selecting appropriate metals and controlling their distribution on the support surface. Redox reactions can be used to deposit a second metal onto monometallic nanoparticles, creating core-shell nanoparticles with strong metal-metal interactions. This minireview describes the fundamentals and recent advances in the preparation of bimetallic catalysts using both direct redox reactions and the reduction of an intermediate reducing agent.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ryotaro Hirabayashi, Toshihiro Isobe, Akira Nakajima, Sachiko Matsushita
Summary: In this paper, changes in the optical properties and structure of silver plasmonic color were evaluated, revealing remarkable color changes and the formation of nanorings approximately 100 nm in diameter through vacuum ultraviolet light irradiation and heat annealing.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wenkai Liang, Yuanlan Liu, Wenyi Bian, Wei Qin, Yawen Wang, Wei Guo, Dong Li, Huajie Zeng, Jun Zhong, Yinghui Sun, Haiping Lin, Lin Jiang
Summary: In this study, simple Ag@Pt bimetallic nanocubes were used to explore the mechanism of hot electrons from excitation and transmission within a plasmonic metal heterostructure and their contribution to the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Experimental and theoretical results confirmed that the introduction of thin Pt shells resulted in hot electrons becoming the dominant plasmon decay pathway, and HER could be significantly enhanced through a cascaded manner. This work provides an important reference for the design and application of plasmonic metal heterostructure catalysts.
SCIENCE CHINA-MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Christian Anthony Aloe, Tracy Li-Tsein Leong, Hari Wimaleswaran, Paris Clarice Papagianis, Jonathan Luke McQualter, Christine Faye McDonald, Yet Hong Khor, Ryan Francis Hoy, Aviraj Ingle, Vipul Bansal, Nicole Soo Leng Goh, Steven Bozinovski
Summary: This study evaluated iron-related and inflammatory markers in stone benchtop industry workers with silicosis. The results showed significantly elevated iron levels in the blood of silicosis patients, which were strongly correlated with serum ferritin levels. Inflammatory markers were not increased in silicosis patients. Additionally, foamy macrophages were observed in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of silicosis patients. Ferritin may represent an early disease marker for silicosis and may contribute to fibrotic lung remodeling.
Article
Physics, Applied
S. G. Robson, P. Raecke, A. M. Jakob, N. Collins, H. R. Firgau, V Schmitt, V Mourik, A. Morello, E. Mayes, D. Spemann, D. N. Jamieson
Summary: This study explores a feasible approach to create large-scale donor arrays in silicon devices by implanting low-energy ions and evaluating the device response characteristics using a specific characterization system.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Dhruba Jyoti Sarkar, Bijay Kumar Behera, Pranaya Kumar Parida, Vijay Kumar Aralappanavar, Shirsak Mondal, Jyotsna Dei, Basanta Kumar Das, Subhankar Mukherjee, Souvik Pal, Pabudi Weerathunge, Rajesh Ramanathan, Vipul Bansal
Summary: This article discusses the application of aptasensors in detecting contaminants in seafood products, emphasizing their use as a powerful and robust analytical tool. Aptamers have high specificity in recognizing various contaminants, making them effective molecular recognition elements for diagnostic and biosensing tools.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gayatri Bagree, Tulika Srivastava, Sanje Mahasivam, Meetali Sinha, Vipul Bansal, Rajesh Ramanathan, Smriti Priya, Sandeep K. Sharma
Summary: The accumulation of protein aggregates disrupts cellular protein homeostasis and causes protein aggregation diseases. Different conformers of alpha-synuclein have varying effects on the activity and spontaneous refolding of luciferase, with monomers delaying inactivation and enhancing refolding, while oligomers and fibrils adversely affecting both activity and refolding.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Gayatri Bagree, Oshadie De Silva, Piyumi Dinusha Liyanage, Sri Harsha Ramarathinam, Sandeep K. Sharma, Vipul Bansal, Rajesh Ramanathan
Summary: This review highlights the importance of α-synuclein as a reliable biomarker for synucleinopathies and outlines the different methods available for its detection. It also discusses the current trends and challenges in α-synuclein-based disease diagnosis and recommends steps to achieve the full diagnostic potential.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Meri Algarni, Hongwei Zhang, Guolin Zheng, Jianhui Zhou, Cheng Tan, Sultan Albarakati, James Partridge, Edwin L. H. Mayes, Lawrence Farrar, Yuyan Han, Min Wu, Xiangde Zhu, Jin Tang, Wensen Wei, Wenshuai Gao, Wei Ning, Mingliang Tian, Lan Wang
Summary: By intercalating Mn atoms into layered transition metal dichalcogenide TaS2, the spatial inversion symmetry (SIS) can be broken, leading to the realization of a chiral magnetic phase. This phase enables a large topological Hall effect (THE) below 50 K, which can be tuned by modulating the carrier density at low temperatures. This discovery has implications for controlling magnetism and chiral spin textures in Mn1/3TaS2 nanoflakes, with potential applications in van der Waals heterostructure devices.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Owen Kendall, Lesly Melendez, Jiawen Ren, Samantha Prabath Ratnayake, Billy J. Murdoch, Edwin L. H. Mayes, Joel van Embden, Daniel E. Gomez, Arrigo Calzolari, Enrico Della Gaspera
Summary: In this study, spinel copper gallate (CuGa2O4) nanocrystals with an average size of 3.7 nm were synthesized and characterized via a heat-up colloidal reaction. The CuGa2O4 nanocrystals have a band gap of -2.5 eV and exhibit p-type character, which is consistent with ab initio simulations. When deposited as thin films, these novel nanocrystals are shown to be photoactive, generating a clear and reproducible photocurrent under blue light irradiation. The ability to adjust the Cu/Ga ratio within the nanocrystals and its effect on their optical and electronic properties was also demonstrated. These findings position CuGa2O4 nanocrystals as a promising material for optoelectronic applications, including hole transport and light harvesting.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sounak Mukherjee, Zi-Huai Zhang, Daniel G. Oblinsky, Mitchell O. de Vries, Brett C. Johnson, Brant C. Gibson, Edwin L. H. Mayes, Andrew M. Edmonds, Nicola Palmer, Matthew L. Markham, Adam Gali, Gergo Thiering, Adam Dalis, Timothy Dumm, Gregory D. Scholes, Alastair Stacey, Philipp Reineck, Nathalie P. de Leon
Summary: Color centers in diamond have potential applications in quantum technologies. We discovered a new color center in silicon-doped diamond that emits in the telecom O-band, which is compatible with long-distance fiber communication. The color center exhibits a long excited state lifetime and a possible intersystem crossing to another spin manifold.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Fareeha Arshad, Muhammedin Deliorman, Pavithra Sukumar, Mohammad A. Qasaimeh, James Salveo Olarve, Gil Nonato Santos, Vipul Bansal, Minhaz Uddin Ahmed
Summary: Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices have attracted scientific attention for their ability to incorporate multiple complex analytical processes onto a single chip. This review discusses the recent developments and applications of nanomaterial-based LOC devices in sustainable food and agricultural industries. Nanomaterial-based LOC devices have considerable potential in identifying nucleic acid, proteinic, and cellular components from complex food and agricultural samples with high specificity and can be applied in the continuous monitoring of multiple agri-food analytes to ensure sustainability and food safety.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ana-Mariia Pablo-Sainz-Ezquerra, Rachael Taitt, Florian Riporto, Yannick Mugnier, Pyria D. Mariathomas, Ronan Le Dantec, Mimoun Aouine, Christophe Geantet, Rajesh Ramanathan, Vipul Bansal, Yann Chevolot, Virginie Monnier
Summary: In this study, LiNbO3/Au and LiNbO3/Pt nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple and efficient method. The nanocomposites were prepared by introducing branched poly(ethyleneimine) as a linker, and the loading of metal on the surface of LiNbO3 was controlled by varying the volume of metal seeds dispersion added. The as-prepared composites showed enhanced catalytic activity compared to the separated counterparts, making them potential candidates for biomedicine applications.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shakil Ahmed Polash, Suneela Pyreddy, Amanda N. Abraham, Sanje Mahasivam, Vipul Bansal, Linda Varadi, Gary Bryant, Ravi Shukla
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are extensively studied for delivering therapeutic materials, including nucleic acids. The interaction between MOFs and serum proteins can change the biological properties of these therapeutic biocomposites. In this study, it is found that different crystal topologies of MOFs affect their interaction with serum albumin, with ZIF-8 showing stronger interaction. These findings have important implications for the design of MOF-based therapeutic agents.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Satya Ranjan Sarker, Shakil Ahmed Polash, Md Nurul Karim, Tanushree Saha, Chaitali Dekiwadia, Vipul Bansal, Ylias Sabri, Ahmad E. Kandjani, Suresh K. Bhargava
Summary: In this study, functionalized concave cube gold nanoparticles (CCAuNPs) were prepared and modified with natural antioxidant lipoic acid and tripeptide glutathione. The functionalized nanoparticles exhibited high antibacterial activity against bacteria by damaging the bacterial cell wall and causing oxidation of bacterial cell membrane fatty acids. Additionally, the nanoparticles showed excellent hemocompatibility and biocompatibility to human red blood cells and various cell lines.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
(2022)
