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10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 40019

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Prof. Dr. Paolo M. Scrimin

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Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo, 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
Interests: nanosystems; nanozymes; catalysis; cooperativity; hydrolytic processes
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Prof. Dr. Leonard J. Prins

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Organic ChemistryDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Mancin

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Full Professor, Organic Chemistry, Laurea in Chemistry (Honors) 1995, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Nanomaterials (IF = 4.034) with a Special Issue in the Section “Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures” (ISSN 2079-4991; CODEN: NANOKO) in 2020.

On behalf of the Editor in Chief, Prof. Dr. Shirley Chiang, the members of the Editorial Office, and ourselves, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the authors and reviewers for their valuable contributions and for ensuring that Nanomaterials is a successful and respected journal in its field. To highlight this anniversary, we will be serving as Editors of a Special Issue that will cover various topics related to Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures.

We will consider manuscripts dealing with the chemistry of interfaces, reporting on phenomena such as adsorption, reactions, films, forces, measurement techniques, charge transfer, electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, energy production, and storage, as well as discussing systems presenting interfacial regions (including nanoparticles, colloids, emulsions, surfactants, proteins, and polymers). Contributions dealing with nanostructures (organic, inorganic, and hybrid) are expected to focus not only on the synthesis and fabrication of nanostructures but also on their properties and applications, such as catalysis. This is an aspect that represents the forefront of the research in nanomaterials these days. Papers concerning the fundamentals and processing techniques on the synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of nanostructures belong in this Section. Theoretical and computational manuscripts dealing with interfacial phenomena as well as nanostructures are welcome.

We intend to keep the scope of this Special Issue rather broad to adequately represent the diversity and inclusiveness of the original research covered by Nanomaterials (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials).

On behalf of the Nanomaterials team and ourselves, we warmly invite the nanomaterials community to submit their original work or an up-to-date review to this Special Issue, which will provide the readership with a comprehensive overview of many of the topics covered by this discipline.

The 10th anniversary is an important occasion. To honor it in the best way, we will do our best to select excellent contributions to increase the visibility of the journal and its reputation among the scientific community.

Prof. Dr. Paolo M. Scrimin
Prof. Dr. Leonard J. Prins
Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Mancin
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.

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 7003 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles from Rumex roseus Plant Extract and Their Application in Electrochemical Sensors

by Meryam Chelly, Sabrine Chelly, Rayhane Zribi, Hanen Bouaziz-Ketata, Radhouane Gdoura, Nehru Lavanya, Ganesan Veerapandi, Chinnathambi Sekar and Giovanni Neri

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030739 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3099

Abstract

The room-temperature synthesis of silver (AgNPs) and gold (AuNPs) nanoparticles from aqueous solution of AgNO₃ and HAuCl₄ respectively, using Rumex roseus (RR) plant extract as a reducing agent, is reported here for the first time. The nanoparticles obtained were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The formation of nanoparticles with spherical-shaped morphology was verified by TEM and confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy through the analysis of Ag and Au plasmon resonance peak and DLS measurements. New electrochemical sensors have been developed by employing the synthesized Ag and Au nanoparticles as modifiers of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE), respectively. The AgNPs-modified GCE was investigated for the electrochemical determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Further enhancement of electrochemical performances was obtained using a nanocomposite made of AgNPs and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-modified GCE. The AuNPs-SPCE sensor was instead tested in the electrochemical sensing of riboflavin (RF). To our knowledge, this is the first paper reporting Rumex roseus plant extract as a source for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles and their use for developing simple, sensitive and reliable electrochemical sensors for H₂O₂ and RF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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15 pages, 2682 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nano Porous Carbon Derived from Citrus Pomace for the Separation and Purification of PMFs in Citrus Processing Wastes

by Zhenqing Li, Xin Chen, Lulu Qiu, Yu Wang and Zhiqin Zhou

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1914; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101914 - 25 Sep 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2077

Abstract

The by-product of citrus juice processing is a huge source of bioactive compounds, especially polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) and fibers. In this study, a method for the separation and purification of PMFs from citrus pomace was established based on citrus nanoporous carbon (CNPC) enrichment. Different biomass porous carbons were synthesized, their adsorption/desorption characteristics were evaluated, and the CNPCs from the peel of Citrus tangerina Tanaka were found to be best for the enrichment of PMFs from the crude extracts of citrus pomace. Using this method, six PMF compounds including low-abundant PMFs in citrus fruits such as 5,6,7,4′-tetramethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3′,4′-pentamethoxyflavone can be simultaneously obtained, and the purities of these compounds were all higher than 95%, with the highest purity of nobiletin reaching 99.96%. Therefore, CNPCs have a great potential for the separation and purification of PMFs in citrus processing wastes, potentially improving the added value of citrus wastes. We also provide a method reference for disposing of citrus pomace in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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16 pages, 5709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Process Oxygen Flow Influence on the Structural Properties of Thin Films Obtained by Co-Sputtering of (TeO₂)_x-ZnO and Au onto Si Substrates

by Leonardo Bontempo, Sebastião G. dos Santos Filho and Luciana R. P. Kassab

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(9), 1863; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10091863 - 17 Sep 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2226

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the structural properties of TeO₂-ZnO (TZ) and TeO₂-ZnO-Au (TZA) thin films sputtered under different oxygen concentrations and either annealed or not annealed at 325 °C in air for 10 or 20 h. The lattice changes of the tellurium oxide were shown to be inherent in the polymorph properties of the α and β phases. The β phase was formed for null oxygen flow and the α phase was formed for different oxygen flows (0.5–7.0 sccm) during TZ and TZA sputtering. Au was encountered in its single phase or as AuTe₂. The annealing had very little influence on the α and β phases for both TZ and TZA. It is worth noting that SiO₂ and orthotellurate anions are both formed for not-null oxygen flow. An electrochemical mechanism was proposed to explain the SiO₂ growth at the TZ/Si or TZA/Si interface, taking the orthotellurate anion as oxidizing agent into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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20 pages, 5239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Synthesis of Ni@PEDOT and Ni@PEDOT/Au (Core@Shell) Inverse Opals for Simultaneous Detection of Ascorbic Acid, Dopamine, and Uric Acid

by Pei-Sung Hung, Guang-Ren Wang, Wei-An Chung, Tze-Ting Chiang and Pu-Wei Wu

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(9), 1722; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10091722 - 31 Aug 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2736

Abstract

We demonstrate a water-based synthetic route to fabricate composite inverse opals for simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA). Our process involves the conformal deposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and PEDOT/Au on the skeletons of Ni inverse opals via cyclic voltammetric scans (CV) to initiate the electropolymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) monomers. The resulting samples, Ni@PEDOT, and Ni@PEDOT/Au inverse opals, exhibit a three-dimensional ordered macroporous platform with a large surface area and interconnected pore channels, desirable attributes for facile mass transfer and strong reaction for analytes. Structural characterization and material/chemical analysis including scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy are carried out. The sensing performances of Ni@PEDOT and Ni@PEDOT/Au inverse opals are explored by conducting CV scans with various concentrations of AA, DA, and UA. By leveraging the structural advantages of inverse opals and the selection of PEDOT/Au composite, the Ni@PEDOT/Au inverse opals reveal improved sensing performances over those of conventional PEDOT-based nanostructured sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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23 pages, 6054 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Hg²⁺ with Polypyrrole-Functionalized Fe₃O₄/Kaolin: Synthesis, Performance and Optimization with Response Surface Methodology

by Zhenfeng Lin, Ziwei Pan, Yuhao Zhao, Lin Qian, Jingtao Shen, Kai Xia, Yongfu Guo and Zan Qu

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071370 - 14 Jul 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2734

Abstract

PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin was prepared with polypyrrole functionalized magnetic Kaolin by a simple, green, and low cost method to improve the agglomeration and low adsorption capacity of Kaolin. PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin was employed to remove Hg²⁺ and the results were characterized by various methods. Relevant factors, including solution pH, dosage of adsorbent, concentration (C₀), and temperature (T), were optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Central Composite Designs (CCD). The optimal results show that the importance for adsorption factors is pH > T > C₀ > dosage, and the optimal adsorption conditions of PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin are pH = 7.2, T = 315 K, C₀ = 50 mg/L, dosage of 0.05 g/L, and the capacity is 317.1 mg/g. The adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. Dubinin–Radushkevich model shows that adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. Moreover, the adsorption of mercury by PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin was achieved mainly through electrostatic attraction, pore diffusion, and chelation between amino functional groups and Hg²⁺. PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin has excellent reproducibility, dispersity, and chemical stability, and it is easy to be separated from solution through an external magnetic field. The experiments show that PPy-Fe₃O₄/Kaolin is an efficient and economical adsorbent towards mercury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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17 pages, 2176 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Oligomerization on A Solid-Binding Peptide Binding to Silica-Based Materials

by Rachit Bansal, Zehra Elgundi, Sophia C. Goodchild, Andrew Care, Megan S. Lord, Alison Rodger and Anwar Sunna

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061070 - 30 May 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3125

Abstract

The bifunctional linker-protein G (LPG) fusion protein comprises a peptide (linker) sequence and a truncated form of Streptococcus strain G148 protein G (protein G). The linker represents a multimeric solid-binding peptide (SBP) comprising 4 × 21-amino acid sequence repeats that display high binding affinity towards silica-based materials. In this study, several truncated derivatives were investigated to determine the effect of the SBP oligomerization on the silica binding function of LPG (for the sake of clarity, LPG will be referred from here on as 4 × LPG). Various biophysical characterization techniques were used to quantify and compare the truncated derivatives against 4 × LPG and protein G without linker (PG). The derivative containing two sequence repeats (2 × LPG) showed minimal binding to silica, while the truncated derivative with only a single sequence (1 × LPG) displayed no binding. The derivative containing three sequence repeats (3 × LPG) was able to bind to silica with a binding affinity of K_D = 53.23 ± 4.5 nM, which is 1.5 times lower than that obtained for 4 × LPG under similar experimental conditions. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy studies indicated that the SBP degree of oligomerization has only a small effect on the secondary structure (the linker unravels the beginning of the protein G sequence) and chemical stability of the parent protein G. However, based on quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), oligomerization is an important parameter for a strong and stable binding to silica. The replacement of three sequence repeats by a (GGGGS)₁₂ glycine-rich spacer indicated that the overall length rather than the SBP oligomerization mediated the effective binding to silica. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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Review

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25 pages, 1994 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Bacteriophages in Nanotechnology

by Jan Paczesny and Krzysztof Bielec

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101944 - 29 Sep 2020

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6082

Abstract

Bacteriophages (phages for short) are viruses, which have bacteria as hosts. The single phage body virion, is a colloidal particle, often possessing a dipole moment. As such, phages were used as perfectly monodisperse systems to study various physicochemical phenomena (e.g., transport or sedimentation in complex fluids), or in the material science (e.g., as scaffolds). Nevertheless, phages also execute the life cycle to multiply and produce progeny virions. Upon completion of the life cycle of phages, the host cells are usually destroyed. Natural abilities to bind to and kill bacteria were a starting point for utilizing phages in phage therapies (i.e., medical treatments that use phages to fight bacterial infections) and for bacteria detection. Numerous applications of phages became possible thanks to phage display—a method connecting the phenotype and genotype, which allows for selecting specific peptides or proteins with affinity to a given target. Here, we review the application of bacteriophages in nanoscience, emphasizing bio-related applications, material science, soft matter research, and physical chemistry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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27 pages, 10572 KiB

Open AccessReview

Carbon Dots for Forensic Applications: A Critical Review

by Amy Verhagen and Antonios Kelarakis

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081535 - 05 Aug 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 7998

Abstract

Owing to their superior fluorescence performance, inexpensive synthesis and nontoxic nature, carbon dots (C-dots) are systematically explored in a variety of applications; in this review, we outline and critically discuss recent trends with respect to their potential exploitation in criminal investigation, forensic toxicology and anti-counterfeit interventions. Capitalising on their colour-tuneable behaviour (in the sense that they adopt different colours with respect to the incident radiation), C-dot-based compositions are ideal for the visual enhancement of latent fingerprints, affording improved contrast against multicoloured and patterned backgrounds. As highly sensitive and highly selective optical nanoprobes, C-dots show excellent analytical performance in detecting biological compounds, drugs, explosives, heavy metals and poisonous reactants. In addition, benefiting from their versatile structural and chemical composition, C-dots can be incorporated into ink and polymeric formulations capable of functioning as a new generation of cost-effective barcodes and security nanotags for object authentication and anti-counterfeit applications. Translating these encouraging research outcomes into real-life innovations with significant social and economic impact requires an open, multidisciplinary approach and a close synergy between materials scientists, biologists, forensic investigators and digital engineers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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21 pages, 19188 KiB

Open AccessReview

Segmented Microfluidic Flow Reactors for Nanomaterial Synthesis

by Yujuan He, Ki-Joong Kim and Chih-hung Chang

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1421; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071421 - 21 Jul 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3828

Abstract

Microfluidic reactors have remarkably promoted the synthesis and investigation of advanced nanomaterials due to their continuous mode and accelerated heat/mass transfer. Notably, segmented microfluidic flow reactors (SMFRs) are an important class of microfluidic reactors that have been developed to accurately manipulate nanomaterial synthesis by further improvement of the residence time distributions and unique flow behaviors. This review provided a survey of the nanomaterial synthesis in SMFRs for the aspects of fluid dynamics, flow patterns, and mass transfer among and within distinct phases and provided examples of the synthesis of versatile nanomaterials via the use of different flow patterns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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27 pages, 3205 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Impact of Engineered Silver Nanomaterials on the Immune System

by Neethu Ninan, Nirmal Goswami and Krasimir Vasilev

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 967; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10050967 - 18 May 2020

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 5258

Abstract

Over the last decades there has been a tremendous volume of research efforts focused on engineering silver-based (nano)materials. The interest in silver has been mostly driven by the element capacity to kill pathogenic bacteria. In this context, the main area of application has been medical devices that are at significant risk of becoming colonized by bacteria and subsequently infected. However, silver nanomaterials have been incorporated in a number of other commercial products which may or may not benefit from antibacterial protection. The rapid expansion of such products raises important questions about a possible adverse influence on human health. This review focuses on examining currently available literature and summarizing the current state of knowledge of the impact of silver (nano)materials on the immune system. The review also looks at various surface modification strategies used to generate silver-based nanomaterials and the immunomodulatory potential of these materials. It also highlights the immune response triggered by various silver-coated implantable devices and provides guidance and perspective towards engineering silver nanomaterials for modulating immunological consequences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Nanomaterials—Recent Advances in Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures)

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