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Prof. Marga Cornelia Lensen

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Technische Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Interests: synthesis of novel biomaterials; PEG-based hydrogels; surface micro- and nanopatterning; gold nanoparticles (Au NPs); nanocomposites with hydroxylapatite; biomineralization; cell adhesion and migration; AFM studies on surface topography and elasticity; surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to gold nanoparticles (Au NPs); advanced materials that represent a wealth of applications in (electro)catalysis, electronics, sensing, nanobiotechnology, diagnostics and therapeutics, among others. Au NPs can be easily synthesized with various sizes, shapes and surface functionalities in order to meet the requirements of specific applications. Owing to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects in the visible range, they possess unique size- and shape-dependent optical properties, e.g., light absorption in the near infrared (IR) spectrum of electromagnetic waves. These properties make them suitable for SPR-based biosensor devices, surface enhanced Raman scattering studies (SERS) and biomedical applications, such as photodynamic therapy, where light absorption results in local heat dissipation that can be applied to kill cancer cells, as an example.

The strong binding affinity of thiol molecules for gold surfaces allows selective and specific binding of various (bio)functional molecules, such as dyes, drugs, DNA, antigens and antibodies on the surface of the particles. This is attractive for drug delivery; targeting specific tissues, and, after uptake by cells, for transfection, labelling, exploring cell trafficking, and other intracellular processes.

In addition to the versatile properties of Au NPs, further novel materials can be designed and synthesized via combination with (polymeric) matrices; for instance, hydrogels. Such nanocomposite hydrogels broaden the applicability of nanomaterials and are of great interest in biomaterials research, e.g., as substrates for fundamental cell studies and as scaffolds in tissue engineering. Nanocomposite hydrogels are hybrid materials of hydrophilic, polymeric networks and organic or inorganic nanoparticles; hence, the tissue-like property of a hydrogel is enriched with the specific chemical, electrical, conductive, optical or thermal properties of the respective immobilized nanoparticles.

Last but not least, Au NPs can be immobilized on surfaces; either randomly distributed or in (microscale) patterns. We and others have developed several patterning methods to decorate hard substrates (e.g., silicon or glass) and to transfer Au NPs to the soft, biomimetic interfaces of (e.g., PEG-based) hydrogels. Those hybrid, multifunctional biointerfaces are valuable substrates for studying selective biointeractions, e.g., with proteins, enzymes, cells, and tissues.

Prof. Marga Cornelia Lensen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

gold nanoparticles (Au NPs)
synthesis
optical properties
surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
electrocatalysis
surface (bio)functionalization
biomedical applications
biosensors
hydrogels
nanocomposites
micro- and nanopatterning

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 5163 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microwave-assisted Synthesis of Hexagonal Gold Nanoparticles Reduced by Organosilane (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane

by Kwok Wei Shah and Long Zheng

Materials 2019, 12(10), 1680; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12101680 - 23 May 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5774

Abstract

A novel synthesis of hexagonal gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) via hydrolyzed organosilane (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) using an ultrafast and environmentally friendly method is presented in this study. For the first time, organosilane MPTMS is used for chemical reduction of auric acid under ultrafast microwave irradiation. To the best of our knowledge, the use of organosilane for the synthesis of Au NPs has not been reported. The entire one-step process is convenient, rapid and cost-effective, as well as eco-friendly under alcohol-free aqueous media. Different characterization methods were carried out to investigate the properties of synthesized gold nanoparticles. transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphology of as-synthesized Au NPs, while X-ray powder diffraction was applied to obtain the crystalline nature. Nuclear magnetic resonance was used to track the hydrolysis of organosilane MPTMS, which is employed for the first time as a reducing agent for the synthesis of Au NPs. The impact from microwave irradiation time and power, as well as the catalytic property of as-synthesized Au NPs, was investigated via ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The as-synthesized products include gold nanohexagon and two-dimensional hexagonal gold nanoplatelets, both of which are single-crystal with (1 1 1) planes as basal surfaces. From UV-vis spectra, it is found that the facile water-based fabrication of hexagonal Au NPs began within seconds of microwave irradiation and the size growth increased with the microwave power and time. Moreover, the efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of as-synthesized Au NPs was observed, exhibiting a remarkable catalytic activity. The present simple, rapid and convenient one-step microwave process possess high scalability and useful for future applications such as catalysis, medical, biological, plasmonic sensors and electronics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles: Materials and Applications)

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11 pages, 2138 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticle-Cell Interactions Mediated by Collagen

by Oana T. Marișca and Nicolae Leopold

Materials 2019, 12(7), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071131 - 06 Apr 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3044

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are the groundwork of a large variety of applications in the biomedical field. Further development and a better understanding of this versatile platform will lead to an expansion of potential applications. In this study, we propose a facile synthesis of AuNPs using hydrogen peroxide as a reducing agent and collagen as a stabilizing agent. Our synthetic approach results in “raspberry”-like AuNPs with a mean diameter of 60 nm, as revealed by electron microscopy. The optical properties of the AuNPs were assessed by UV-Vis and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and their stability and in vitro cytotoxicity were evaluated as well. HeLa cell viability values were only modestly affected compared to control, with the highest concentration tested displaying a 20% decrease in cellular viability. The dose-dependent cellular internalization in the 20–60 nM range indicate the highest internalization rate at 60 nM and uptake values as high as 35%. This result correlated well with the viability results. These type of anisotropic AuNPs are proposed for biomedical applications such as hyperthermia, contrast agents or imaging. Therefore, our findings offer a platform for potential biological applications such as sensing and imaging, due to their unique physico-chemical features. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles: Materials and Applications)

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