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Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2016) | Viewed by 56639

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Capelo

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BIOSCOPE Group, LAQV@REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
Interests: antibiotic resistance; MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry; analytical proteomics; biomarker discovery; analytical chemistry; biochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Carlos Lodeiro

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Inorganic Chemistry and NanoChemistry, NOVA School Of Science And Technology, FCT NOVA, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: metallic nanoparticles; nanoproteomics; imaging; silica nanoparticles; catalysis
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Dr. Elisabete Oliveira

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1. BIOSCOPE Group Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Technology Institution University NOVA of Lisbon, 2829-516 Monte da Caparica, Portugal
2. Proteomass Scientific Society, Rua dos Inventores, Madan Park, Campus of Caparica, Portugal
Interests: quantum dots, nanoparticles; fluorescence; peptides, protein scavengers

Dr. Hugo Miguel Santos

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LAQV-REQUIMTE—Chemistry Department, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
Interests: nanoproteomics; biomarker discovery; personalised medicine; mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are proud to announce this Special Issue, “Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-medical applications”, in Materials (MDPI Editorial; IF: 2.651) devoted to The 2^nd International Symposium on Nanoparticles, Nanomaterials and Applications (2^nd ISN2A).

The conference will be held in Costa de Caparica, Portugal, from 18^–21 January, 2016. This Special Issue will select excellent papers from the oral (plenary, keynotes, and regular talks) and posters participations, and covers a very wide range of fields in materials, nanomaterials and environmental and bio-medical applications. We invite investigators to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles, to this Special Issue.

Dr. Carlos Lodeiro
Dr. Jose Luis Capelo
Dr. Elisabete Oliveira
Dr. Hugo M. Santos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Nanoparticles/Nanomaterials in

bio-medicine
theranostics
drug-delivery
biomarker discovery
imaging
scavengers
pre-concentration systems
environmental remediation
pollutant toxic molecules
ions and cation detection
water

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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927 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tunable Emission Wavelength Stacked InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots by Chemical Beam Epitaxy for Optical Coherence Tomography

by Bouraoui Ilahi, Jihene Zribi, Maxime Guillotte, Richard Arès, Vincent Aimez and Denis Morris

Materials 2016, 9(7), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9070511 - 24 Jun 2016

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7763

Abstract

We report on Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) growth of wavelength tunable InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QD) based superluminescent diode’s active layer suitable for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The In-flush technique has been employed to fabricate QD with controllable heights, from 5 nm down to 2 nm, allowing a tunable emission band over 160 nm. The emission wavelength blueshift has been ensured by reducing both dots’ height and composition. A structure containing four vertically stacked height-engineered QDs have been fabricated, showing a room temperature broad emission band centered at 1.1 µm. The buried QD layers remain insensitive to the In-flush process of the subsequent layers, testifying the reliability of the process for broadband light sources required for high axial resolution OCT imaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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5609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synergetic Effect of Ultrasound, the Heterogeneous Fenton Reaction and Photocatalysis by TiO₂ Loaded on Nickel Foam on the Degradation of Pollutants

by Shan Qiu, Shanwen Xu, Guangming Li and Jixian Yang

Materials 2016, 9(6), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9060457 - 08 Jun 2016

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5571

Abstract

The synergistic effect of ultrasound, the heterogeneous Fenton reaction and photocatalysis was studied using a nickel foam (NF)-supporting TiO₂ system and rhodamine B (RhB) as a target. The NF-supporting TiO₂ system was prepared by depositing TiO₂ on the skeleton of NF repeatedly and then calcining it. To optimize the conditions and parameters, the catalytic activity was tested in four systems (ultrasound alone (US), nickel foam (NF), US/NF and NF/US/H₂O₂). The optimal conditions were fixed at 0.1 g/mL NF, initial 5.00 mg/L RhB, 300 W ultrasonic power, pH = 3 and 5.00 mg/L H₂O₂. The effects of the dissolution of nickel from NF and quenching of the Fenton reaction were studied on degradation efficiency. When the heterogeneous Fenton reaction is combined with TiO₂-photocatalysis, the pollutant removal efficiency is enhanced significantly. Through this synergistic effect, 22% and 80% acetochlor was degraded within 10 min and 80 min, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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2757 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Rapid Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Pepino (Solanum muricatum) Leaf Extract and Their Cytotoxicity on HeLa Cells

by Mónica Gorbe, Ravishankar Bhat, Elena Aznar, Félix Sancenón, M. Dolores Marcos, F. Javier Herraiz, Jaime Prohens, Abbaraju Venkataraman and Ramón Martínez-Máñez

Materials 2016, 9(5), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9050325 - 28 Apr 2016

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6169

Abstract

Within nanotechnology, gold and silver nanostructures have unique physical, chemical, and electronic properties [1,2], which make them suitable for a number of applications. Moreover, biosynthetic methods are considered to be a safer alternative to conventional physicochemical procedures for both the environmental and biomedical applications, due to their eco-friendly nature and the avoidance of toxic chemicals in the synthesis. For this reason, employing bio routes in the synthesis of functionalized silver nanoparticles (FAgNP) have gained importance recently in this field. In the present study, we report the rapid synthesis of FAgNP through the extract of pepino (Solanum muricatum) leaves and employing microwave oven irradiation. The core-shell globular morphology and characterization of the different shaped and sized FAgNP, with a core of 20–50 nm of diameter is established using the UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zeta potential and dynamic light scanning (DLS) studies. Moreover, cytotoxic studies employing HeLa (human cervix carcinoma) cells were undertaken to understand FAgNP interactions with cells. HeLa cells showed significant dose dependent antiproliferative activity in the presence of FAgNP at relatively low concentrations. The calculated IC₅₀ value was 37.5 µg/mL, similar to others obtained for FAgNPs against HeLa cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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2602 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of 4-Chlorophenol from Contaminated Water Using Activated Carbon from Dried Date Pits: Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics Analyses

by Hussein Allaboun and Fahmi A. Abu Al-Rub

Materials 2016, 9(4), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9040251 - 30 Mar 2016

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5318

Abstract

Five different activated carbons (ACs) have been prepared from dried date pits using air and phosphoric acid as activating agents. The used phosphoric acid:date pit ratio dictated the characteristics of the prepared ACs; the equivalent BET-nitrogen surface area varied from 794 m²/g for a ratio of 5:1, to 1707 m²/g for a ratio of 2:1, whereas the micropore volume changed in value from 0.24 cm³/g for the 5:1 ratio to 0.59 cm³/g for the 2:1 ratio. The prepared ACs were tested to remove 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) from aqueous solutions by means of batch adsorption process. The prepared 2:1 AC exhibited the highest uptake with a maximum of 525 mg/g. Equilibrium pH studies showed that 4-CP removal was pH dependent; the maximum uptake occurred at an equilibrium pH value of 5.5. Dynamic studies showed that 4-CP uptake on 2:1 AC is rapid, with 80% of the maximum uptake achieved during the first 40 min. Both surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion were identified to be effective adsorption mechanisms. Kinetic studies indicated a pseudo second-order reaction. Results of equilibrium adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption of the 4-CP on 2:1 AC is best described by the Langmuir model. The thermodynamics parameters of the adsorption (ΔG⁰, ΔH⁰, and ΔS⁰) were determined by studying the adsorption equilibrium at different temperatures. The values of these parameters indicated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption phenomenon of 4-CP on the prepared ACs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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2792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Imaging Techniques and Scanning Electron Microscopy as Tools for Characterizing a Si-Based Material Used in Air Monitoring Applications

by Suárez-Peña Beatriz, Negral Luis, Castrillón Leonor, Megido Laura, Marañón Elena and Fernández-Nava Yolanda

Materials 2016, 9(2), 109; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9020109 - 11 Feb 2016

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6320

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the quartz fibrous filters used as a substrate for capturing the particulate matter (PM) present in the air. Although these substrates are widely used in environmental applications, their microstructure has been barely studied. The behavior of these devices during the filtration process was investigated in terms of their microstructure and the quartz fibers. Surface and cross sections were monitored. Scanning electronic microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), imaging and stereology techniques were used as tools for this purpose. The results show that most of the quartz filter fibers have sizes that allow them to be classified as nanofibers. It was also observed that, while the mechanisms of the mechanical capture of particles via impaction, interception and diffusion operate simultaneously in the outer zones of the filter cross section, the mechanism of capture by impaction is virtually non-existent in the innermost zones. Particles between 0.1 and 0.5 μm are known to be the most difficult to have captured by means of fibrous substrates. The fibers in inner zones were highly efficient in capturing this type of particle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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2655 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acid Denaturation Inducing Self-Assembly of Curcumin-Loaded Hemoglobin Nanoparticles

by Kaikai Wang, Juan Wang, Wenwen Hu, Yifan Zhang, Feng Zhi, Zaigang Zhou, Jinhui Wu and Yiqiao Hu

Materials 2015, 8(12), 8701-8713; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8125486 - 11 Dec 2015

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 7327

Abstract

Hemoglobin is a promising drug carrier but lacks extensive investigation. The chemical conjugation of hemoglobin and drugs is costly and complex, so we have developed curcumin-loaded hemoglobin nanoparticles (CCM-Hb-NPs) via self-assembly for the first time. Using the acid-denaturing method, we avoid introducing denaturants and organic solvents. The nanoparticles are stable with uniform size. We have conducted a series of experiments to examine the interaction of hemoglobin and CCM, including hydrophobic characterization, SDS-PAGE. These experiments substantiate that this self-assembly process is mainly driven by hydrophobic forces. Our nanoparticles achieve much higher cell uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity than free CCM solution in vitro. The uptake inhibition experiments also demonstrate that our nanoparticles were incorporated via the classic clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway. These results indicate that hemoglobin nanoparticles formed by self-assembly are a promising drug delivery system for cancer therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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Review

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4478 KiB

Open AccessReview

Graphene–Gold Nanoparticles Hybrid—Synthesis, Functionalization, and Application in a Electrochemical and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Biosensor

by Ibrahim Khalil, Nurhidayatullaili Muhd Julkapli, Wageeh A. Yehye, Wan Jefrey Basirun and Suresh K. Bhargava

Materials 2016, 9(6), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9060406 - 24 May 2016

Cited by 171 | Viewed by 17301

Abstract

Graphene is a single-atom-thick two-dimensional carbon nanosheet with outstanding chemical, electrical, material, optical, and physical properties due to its large surface area, high electron mobility, thermal conductivity, and stability. These extraordinary features of graphene make it a key component for different applications in the biosensing and imaging arena. However, the use of graphene alone is correlated with certain limitations, such as irreversible self-agglomerations, less colloidal stability, poor reliability/repeatability, and non-specificity. The addition of gold nanostructures (AuNS) with graphene produces the graphene–AuNS hybrid nanocomposite which minimizes the limitations as well as providing additional synergistic properties, that is, higher effective surface area, catalytic activity, electrical conductivity, water solubility, and biocompatibility. This review focuses on the fundamental features of graphene, the multidimensional synthesis, and multipurpose applications of graphene–Au nanocomposites. The paper highlights the graphene–gold nanoparticle (AuNP) as the platform substrate for the fabrication of electrochemical and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based biosensors in diverse applications as well as SERS-directed bio-imaging, which is considered as an emerging sector for monitoring stem cell differentiation, and detection and treatment of cancer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications)

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