| 1. |
- Agostini, Marco, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Designing Highly Conductive Functional Groups Improving Guest-Host Interactions in Li/S Batteries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Li-sulfur batteries are of great interest due to their potential to surpass the energy densities of other battery types, but the low electronic conductivity of both sulfur and its discharge products requires the use of a conductive host material. The most common is the use of different porous carbons which normally are hydrophobic and hardly retain the polar discharge products of the Li/S reaction, such as Li2S and lithium polysulfides (LiPs), at the working electrode. Functionalized hosts have been proposed as a strategy to improve LiPs interactions, including the use of heteroatom doping, organic frameworks, metals, metal oxides, sulfide particles, and conductive polymers. Despite demonstrating an improved cycle life, the functionalized structures often have an intrinsic limitation related to a low electronic conductivity resulting in slow kinetics and poor rate capability of Li/S cells. Herein, recent research trends aimed at designing sulfur electrodes with highly conductive functional groups on nanostructured hosts surface are reviewed. The main concepts, key developments, and parameters for building 3D hosts architectures that enable fast charge rates and long cycle life at high sulfur loadings are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Behi, Mohammadreza, et al.
(författare)
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Nanoassembled Peptide Biosensors for Rapid Detection of Matrilysin Cancer Biomarker
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early detection of cancer is likely to be one of the most effective means of reducing the cancer mortality rate. Hence, simple and ultra-quick methods for noninvasive detection of early-stage tumors are highly sought-after. In this study, a nanobiosensing platform with a rapid response time of nearly 30 s is introduced for the detection of matrilysin—the salivary gland cancer biomarker—with a limit of detection as low as 30 nm. This sensing platform is based on matrilysin-digestible peptides that bridge gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) cores (≈30–50 nm) and carbon quantum dot (CDs) satellites (≈9 nm). A stepwise synthesis procedure is used for self-assembly of AuNP-peptide-CDs, ensuring their long-term stability. The AuNP-peptide-CDs produce ideal optical signals, with noticeable fluorescence quenching effects. Upon peptide cleavage by matrilysin, CDs leave the surface of AuNPs, resulting in ultra-fast detectable violet and visible fluorescent signals.
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| 3. |
- Boraschi, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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Addressing Nanomaterial Immunosafety by Evaluating Innate Immunity across Living Species
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - Weinheim : Wiley - VCH Verlag GmbH. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:21
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interaction of a living organism with external foreign agents is a central issue for its survival and adaptation to the environment. Nanosafety should be considered within this perspective, and it should be examined that how different organisms interact with engineered nanomaterials (NM) by either mounting a defensive response or by physiologically adapting to them. Herein, the interaction of NM with one of the major biological systems deputed to recognition of and response to foreign challenges, i.e., the immune system, is specifically addressed. The main focus is innate immunity, the only type of immunity in plants, invertebrates, and lower vertebrates, and that coexists with adaptive immunity in higher vertebrates. Because of their presence in the majority of eukaryotic living organisms, innate immune responses can be viewed in a comparative context. In the majority of cases, the interaction of NM with living organisms results in innate immune reactions that eliminate the possible danger with mechanisms that do not lead to damage. While in some cases such interaction may lead to pathological consequences, in some other cases beneficial effects can be identified.
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| 4. |
- Cavallaro, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Multiparametric Profiling of Single Nanoscale Extracellular Vesicles by Combined Atomic Force and Fluorescence Microscopy : Correlation and Heterogeneity in Their Molecular and Biophysical Features
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being a key player in intercellular communications, nanoscale extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer unique opportunities for both diagnostics and therapeutics. However, their cellular origin and functional identity remain elusive due to the high heterogeneity in their molecular and physical features. Here, for the first time, multiple EV parameters involving membrane protein composition, size and mechanical properties on single small EVs (sEVs) are simultaneously studied by combined fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, their correlation and heterogeneity in different cellular sources are investigated. The study, performed on sEVs derived from human embryonic kidney 293, cord blood mesenchymal stromal and human acute monocytic leukemia cell lines, identifies both common and cell line-specific sEV subpopulations bearing distinct distributions of the common tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, and CD81) and biophysical properties. Although the tetraspanin abundances of individual sEVs are independent of their sizes, the expression levels of CD9 and CD63 are strongly correlated. A sEV population co-expressing all the three tetraspanins in relatively high abundance, however, having average diameters of <100 nm and relatively low Young moduli, is also found in all cell lines. Such a multiparametric approach is expected to provide new insights regarding EV biology and functions, potentially deciphering unsolved questions in this field.
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| 5. |
- Duznovic, I., et al.
(författare)
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Ultrasensitive and Selective Protein Recognition with Nanobody-Functionalized Synthetic Nanopores
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of flexible and reconfigurable sensors that can be readily tailored toward different molecular analytes constitutes a key goal and formidable challenge in biosensing. In this regard, synthetic nanopores have emerged as potent physical transducers to convert molecular interactions into electrical signals. Yet, systematic strategies to functionalize their surfaces with receptor proteins for the selective detection of molecular analytes remain scarce. Addressing these limitations, a general strategy is presented to immobilize nanobodies in a directional fashion onto the surface of track-etched nanopores exploiting copper-free click reactions and site-specific protein conjugation systems. The functional immobilization of three different nanobodies is demonstrated in ligand binding experiments with green fluorescent protein, mCherry, and α-amylase (α-Amy) serving as molecular analytes. Ligand binding is resolved using a combination of optical and electrical recordings displaying quantitative dose–response curves. Furthermore, a change in surface charge density is identified as the predominant molecular factor that underlies quantitative dose–responses for the three different protein analytes in nanoconfined geometries. The devised strategy should pave the way for the systematic functionalization of nanopore surfaces with biological receptors and their ability to detect a variety of analytes for diagnostic purposes. © 2021 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
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| 6. |
- Gao, Lingfeng, et al.
(författare)
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A Facile Approach for Elemental-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots and Their Application for Efficient Photodetectors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present work demonstrates a facile hydrothermal approach to synthesize lanthanide-doped carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with europium and/or gadolinium elements. Taking the advantage of broadband adsorption in the ultraviolet-visible region, the doped QDs are directly used as building blocks for photo-electrochemical (PEC)-type photodetectors (PDs) and their performance is systematically investigated under various conditions. The europium (Eu) and gadolinium (Gd) co-doped (C:EuGd) QDs exhibit better photo-response than the single-elemental doped ones and also show outstanding long-term stability. According to the apparent response to light from 350 to 400 nm, the C:EuGd QDs are demonstrated to hold great potential for narrow-band PDs. This work highlights the practical applications of lanthanide-doped CQDs for PDs, and the results are beneficial for the development of elemental-doped CQDs in general.
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| 7. |
- Gao, Lingfeng, et al.
(författare)
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Ultra-Small 2D PbS Nanoplatelets : Liquid-Phase Exfoliation and Emerging Applications for Photo-Electrochemical Photodetectors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 2D PbS nanoplatelets (NPLs) form an emerging class of photoactive materials and have been proposed as robust materials for high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, the main drawback of PbS NPLs is the large lateral size, which inhibits their further investigations and practical applications. In this work, ultra-small 2D PbS NPLs with uniform lateral size (11.2 +/- 1.7 nm) and thickness (3.7 +/- 0.9 nm, approximate to 6 layers) have been successfully fabricated by a facile liquid-phase exfoliation approach. Their transient optical response and photo-response behavior are evaluated by femtosecond-resolved transient absorption and photo-electrochemical (PEC) measurements. It is shown that the NPLs-based photodetectors (PDs) exhibit excellent photo-response performance from UV to the visible range, showing extremely high photo-responsivity (27.81 mA W-1) and remarkable detectivity (3.96 x 10(10) Jones), which are figures of merit outperforming currently reported PEC-type PDs. The outstanding properties are further analyzed based on the results of first-principle calculations, including electronic band structure and free energies for the oxygen evolution reaction process. This work highlights promising applications of ultra-small 2D PbS NPLs with the potential for breakthrough developments also in other fields of optoelectronic devices.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Hebisch, Elke, et al.
(författare)
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Nanostraw-Assisted Cellular Injection of Fluorescent Nanodiamonds via Direct Membrane Opening
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their stable fluorescence, biocompatibility, and amenability to functionalization, fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) are promising materials for long term cell labeling and tracking. However, transporting them to the cytosol remains a major challenge, due to low internalization efficiencies and endosomal entrapment. Here, nanostraws in combination with low voltage electroporation pulses are used to achieve direct delivery of FND to the cytosol. The nanostraw delivery leads to efficient and rapid FND transport into cells compared to when incubating cells in a FND-containing medium. Moreover, whereas all internalized FND delivered by incubation end up in lysosomes, a significantly larger proportion of nanostraw-injected FND are in the cytosol, which opens up for using FND as cellular probes. Furthermore, in order to answer the long-standing question in the field of nano-biology regarding the state of the cell membrane on hollow nanostructures, live cell stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is performed to image directly the state of the membrane on nanostraws. The time-lapse STED images reveal that the cell membrane opens entirely on top of nanostraws upon application of gentle electrical pulses, which supports the hypothesis that many FND are delivered directly to the cytosol, avoiding endocytosis and lysosomal entrapment.
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| 10. |
- Huang, Shoushuang, et al.
(författare)
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Encapsulating Fe2O3 Nanotubes into Carbon-Coated Co9S8 Nanocages Derived from a MOFs-Directed Strategy for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reactions and Li-Ions Storage
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley-V C H Verlag GMBH. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of high-efficiency, robust, and available electrode materials for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is critical for clean and sustainable energy system but remains challenging. Herein, a unique yolk-shell structure of Fe2O3 nanotube@hollow Co9S8 nanocage@C is rationally prepared. In a prearranged sequence, the fabrication of Fe2O3 nanotubes is followed by coating of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) layer, chemical etching of ZIF-67 by thioacetamide, and eventual annealing treatment. Benefiting from the hollow structures of Fe2O3 nanotubes and Co9S8 nanocages, the conductivity of carbon coating and the synergy effects between different components, the titled sample possesses abundant accessible active sites, favorable electron transfer rate, and exceptional reaction kinetics in the electrocatalysis. As a result, excellent electrocatalytic activity for alkaline OER is achieved, which delivers a low overpotential of 205 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm(-2) along with the Tafel slope of 55 mV dec(-1). Moreover, this material exhibits excellent high-rate capability and excellent cycle life when employed as anode material of LIBs. This work provides a novel approach for the design and the construction of multifunctional electrode materials for energy conversion and storage.
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