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Technology and Applications of Nanoporous Alumina

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2019) | Viewed by 17913

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lluis F. Marsal

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Guest Editor

Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avda. Països Catalans, 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Interests: biosensors; micro–nanoporous materials; nanophotonics; nanomedicine; organic and hybrid nanostructured materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Josep Ferré-Borrull

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Department d’Enginyeria Electrònica, Elèctrica i Automàtica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Interests: modeling interaction of light with nanostructures at the nanoscale; nanoengineering of the optical and geometric properties of nanoporous materials; biotechnological applications of nanoporous materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) is a material with an outstanding set of properties (e.g., well-defined cylindrical nanopores, chemical resistance, thermal stability, mechanical robustness, photoluminescence, large surface area, easy surface modification, etc.) and cost-competitive fabrication processes. NAA is a matrix of aluminium oxide featuring arrays of cylindrical nanopores organized in a quasi-hexagonal arrangement with diameters that can be tuned from few nm up to 400 nm. In addition, NAA-based nanostructures can be used as versatile templates for developing new nanostructures with new performances. Thus, the development of new nanostructures and applications using NAA is of great scientific and technological interest.

This Special Issue will present recent advances in NAA fabrication and their application to different research fields: Nanomedicine, energy, sensors, catalysis, photonics, nanofluidics, magnetism, biotechnology, etc. The broad and interdisciplinary applicability of nanoporous anodic alumina is of interest for a broad audience: Physicists, chemists, bioengineers, materials scientists, and nanomedicine experts.

Prof. Dr. Lluis F. Marsal
Dr. Josep Ferré-Borrull
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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

Nanoporous alumina
Electrochemical etching
Porous nanoparticles
Template-assisted nanostructuring
Surface functionalization
Nanomedicine
Sensors
Drug delivery
Photonic crystals
Cell culture

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 8071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Density Plasmonic Nanoparticle Arrays Deposited on Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Templates for Optical Sensor Applications

by Uldis Malinovskis, Raimonds Poplausks, Donats Erts, Kerstin Ramser, Sigitas Tamulevičius, Asta Tamulevičienė, Yesong Gu and Juris Prikulis

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9040531 - 3 Apr 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4120

Abstract

This study demonstrates a new, robust, and accessible deposition technique of metal nanoparticle arrays (NPAs), which uses nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) as a template for capillary force-assisted convective colloid (40, 60, and 80 nm diameter Au) assembly. The NPA density and nanoparticle size can be independently tuned by the anodization conditions and colloid synthesis protocols. This enables production of non-touching variable-density NPAs with controllable gaps in the 20–60 nm range. The NPA nearest neighbor center distance in the present study was fixed to 100 nm by the choice of anodization protocol. The obtained Au NPAs have the resonant scattering maxima in the visible spectral range, with a refractometric sensitivity, which can be tuned by the variation of the array density. The thickness of the NAA layer in an Aluminum-NAA-NPA multilayer system enables further tuning of the resonance frequency and optimization for use with specific molecules, e.g., to avoid absorption bands. Applicability of the mentioned multilayers for colorimetric refractive index (RI) sensing is demonstrated. Their use as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrates is tested using hemoglobin as a biological probe molecule. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Applications of Nanoporous Alumina)

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12 pages, 1633 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Real-Time Monitoring of Biotinylated Molecules Detection Dynamics in Nanoporous Anodic Alumina for Bio-Sensing

by Laura Pol, Chris Eckstein, Laura K. Acosta, Elisabet Xifré-Pérez, Josep Ferré-Borrull and Lluis F. Marsal

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9030478 - 23 Mar 2019

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3858

Abstract

The chemical modification, or functionalization, of the surfaces of nanomaterials is a key step to achieve biosensors with the best sensitivity and selectivity. The surface modification of biosensors usually comprises several modification steps that have to be optimized. Real-time monitoring of all the reactions taking place during such modification steps can be a highly helpful tool for optimization. In this work, we propose nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) functionalized with the streptavidin-biotin complex as a platform towards label-free biosensors. Using reflective interferometric spectroscopy (RIfS), the streptavidin-biotin complex formation, using biotinylated thrombin as a molecule model, was monitored in real-time. The study compared the performance of different NAA pore sizes in order to achieve the highest response. Furthermore, the optimal streptavidin concentration that enabled the efficient detection of the biotinylated thrombin attachment was estimated. Finally, the ability of the NAA-RIfS system to quantify the concentration of biotinylated thrombin was evaluated. This study provides an optimized characterization method to monitor the chemical reactions that take place during the biotinylated molecules attachment within the NAA pores. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Applications of Nanoporous Alumina)

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14 pages, 1608 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilizing Infrared Spectroscopy to Analyze the Interfacial Structures of Ionic Liquids/Al₂O₃ and Ionic Liquids/Mica Mixtures under High Pressures

by Yen-Hsu Chang, Hai-Chou Chang and Yen-Pei Fu

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9030373 - 5 Mar 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2927

Abstract

The interfacial interactions between ionic liquids (1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate) and solid surfaces (mesoporous aluminum oxide and mica) have been studied by infrared spectroscopy at high pressures (up to 2.5 GPa). Under ambient pressure, the spectroscopic features of pure ionic liquids and mixtures of ionic liquids/solid particles (Al₂O₃ and mica) are similar. As the pressure is increased, the cooperative effect in the local structure of pure 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate becomes significantly enhanced as the imidazolium C–H absorptions of the ionic liquid are red-shifted. However, this pressure-enhanced effect is reduced by adding the solid particles (Al₂O₃ and mica) to 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate. Although high-pressure IR can detect the interactions between 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate and particle surfaces, the difference in the interfacial interactions in the mixtures of Al₂O₃ and mica is not clear. By changing the type of ionic liquid to 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate, the interfacial interactions become more sensitive to the type of solid surfaces. The mica particles in the mixture perturb the local structure of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate under high pressures, forcing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate to form into an isolated structure. For Al₂O₃, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate tends to form an associated structure under high pressures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Applications of Nanoporous Alumina)

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Review

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47 pages, 7123 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Photonic Crystals for Optical Chemo- and Biosensing: Fundamentals, Advances, and Perspectives

by Cheryl Suwen Law, Siew Yee Lim, Andrew D. Abell, Nicolas H. Voelcker and Abel Santos

Nanomaterials 2018, 8(10), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano8100788 - 4 Oct 2018

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 6472

Abstract

Optical sensors are a class of devices that enable the identification and/or quantification of analyte molecules across multiple fields and disciplines such as environmental protection, medical diagnosis, security, food technology, biotechnology, and animal welfare. Nanoporous photonic crystal (PC) structures provide excellent platforms to develop such systems for a plethora of applications since these engineered materials enable precise and versatile control of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. Nanoporous PCs provide both high sensitivity to monitor in real-time molecular binding events and a nanoporous matrix for selective immobilization of molecules of interest over increased surface areas. Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA), a nanomaterial long envisaged as a PC, is an outstanding platform material to develop optical sensing systems in combination with multiple photonic technologies. Nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals (NAA-PCs) provide a versatile nanoporous structure that can be engineered in a multidimensional fashion to create unique PC sensing platforms such as Fabry–Pérot interferometers, distributed Bragg reflectors, gradient-index filters, optical microcavities, and others. The effective medium of NAA-PCs undergoes changes upon interactions with analyte molecules. These changes modify the NAA-PCs’ spectral fingerprints, which can be readily quantified to develop different sensing systems. This review introduces the fundamental development of NAA-PCs, compiling the most significant advances in the use of these optical materials for chemo- and biosensing applications, with a final prospective outlook about this exciting and dynamic field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology and Applications of Nanoporous Alumina)

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