A new synthesis approach is described that allows the direct incorporation of fluorescent labels into the volume or body of SiO2 nanoparticles. In this process, fluorescent Alexa Fluor dyes with different emission wavelengths were covalently incorporated into the SiO2 nanoparticles during their formation by the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane. The dye molecules were homogeneously distributed th...

COVER: Colorized, high-resolution transmission electron microscope lattice-fringe image of seven nanoparticles of UO 2 produced by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Note that the largest uraninite particle is <3 nm in diameter (Suzuki and Banfield, in preparation). Example: Predominantly inorganic nanoparticle formation in acid drainage 3 Other inorganic pathways for formation of nanop...

To magnify anatase/rutile phase junction effects through appropriate Au decorations, a facile solution-based approach was developed to synthesize Au/TiO2 nanoforests with controlled Au locations. The nanoforests cons®isted of anatase nanowires surrounded by radially grown rutile branches, on which Au nanoparticles were deposited with preferred locations controlled by simply altering the order o...

We correlate the localization of silver nanoparticles inside cells with respect to the cellular architecture with the molecular information in the vicinity of the particle surface by combining nanoscale 3D cryo-soft X-ray tomography (cryo-SXT) with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The interaction of the silver nanoparticle surface with small molecules and biopolymers was monitored by S...

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are widely used in various applications, raising issues regarding the possible adverse effects of these metal oxide nanoparticles on human cells. In this study, we determined the cytotoxic effects of differently charged SiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles, with mean sizes of either 100 or 20 nm, on the U373MG human glioblastoma cell line. The ove...

ZnO nanorods decorated with gold nanoparticles of ~20 nm average size were fabricated by microwave-assisted chemical synthesis. For the surface-attached growth of metal nanoparticles, the ZnO nanostructures were first functionalized by sodium citrate and then the metal ions were reduced under microwave heating. While the incorporation of gold nanoparticles at the surface seen to quench both the...

A method of surface functionalization of silica nanoparticles was used to prepare a kind of stable nanofluid. The functionalization was achieved by grafting silanes directly to the surface of silica nanoparticles in silica solutions (both a commercial solution and a self-made silica solution were used). The functionalized nanoparticles were used to make nanofluids, in which well-dispersed nanop...

We present a molecular dynamics study on the self-assembly of anisotropic nanoparticles—triangles and tetrahedrons on a flat surface. We observe ordered and disordered aggregates of nanoparticles depending on the particle–particle and surface–particle interactions. Anisotropic particles induce directionality in the assembly process. In particular, a cross over from the isotropic (spherical) ass...

Nanomaterials exhibit unique chemical [1-3], physical [47] and electronic [8] properties that are distinctly different from those of bulk materials and depend on size, shape and surface composition of the nanostructured materials. Nanomaterials of noble metals are finding worldwide interest in research communities [9-12]. Several reviews have highlighted the role of metal nanoparticles in catal...

Although nanoparticle-enhanced biosensors have been extensively researched, few studies have systematically characterized the roles of nanoparticles in enhancing biosensor functionality. This paper describes a successful new method in which DNA binds directly to iron oxide nanoparticles for use in an optical biosensor. A wide variety of nanoparticles with different properties have found broad a...