Nanocrystals in the lower-nanometer-size range are attracting growing interest due to their unique properties. A simple and versatile atmospheric direct current mini-arc plasma source has been developed to produce nanoparticles as small as a few nanometers. The nanoparticles are formed by direct vaporization of solid precursors followed by a rapid quenching. Both semiconductor tin oxide and met...

The antimicrobial effects of silver (Ag) ion or salts are well known, but the effects of Ag nanoparticles on microorganisms and antimicrobial mechanism have not been revealed clearly. Stable Ag nanoparticles were prepared and their shape and size distribution characterized by particle characterizer and transmission electron microscopic study. The antimicrobial activity of Ag nanoparticles was i...

The self-assembly of particles at fluid interfaces, driven by the reduction in interfacial energy, is well established. However, for nanoscopic particles, thermal fluctuations compete with interfacial energy and give rise to a particle-size-dependent self-assembly. Ligand-stabilized nanoparticles assembled into three-dimensional constructs at fluid-fluid interfaces, where the properties unique ...

Poor drug distribution and short drug half-life within tumors strongly limit efficacy of chemotherapies in most cancers, including primary brain tumors. Local or targeted drug delivery via controlled-release polymers is a promising strategy to treat infiltrative brain tumors, which cannot be completely removed surgically. However, drug penetration is limited with conventional local therapies si...

The purpose of the present work was to develop hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) surface-adsorbed cationic poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA nanoparticles for interferon alpha (IFNα) delivery targeted to hepatocytes. Cationic PLGA nanoparticles loaded with IFNα were prepared using the double emulsification technique. Delipidated HBsAg was passively adsorbed on the surface of nanoparticl...

In order to enhance the utilization of inorganic nanoparticles in biological systems, it is important to develop a fundamental understanding of the influence they have on cellular health and function. Experiments were conducted to test silica, silica/iron oxide, and gold nanoparticles for their effects on the growth and activity of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Transmission electron microscopy (T...

In this work, we present a novel method for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. We utilize the charge compensatory effect of ionic liquid [bmim]BF(4) in conjunction with ethylene glycol for providing electro-steric stabilization to copper nanoparticles prepared from copper sulphate using hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent. The formed copper nanoparticles showed extended stability over a p...

Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles were successfully prepared by thermal decomposition of cobalt hydroxide synthesized from cobalt acetate, ammonium hydroxide and 10% glycerol. The cobalt oxide nanoparticles calcined at 450 °C were characterized by using XRD. The XRD confirms the crystallinity and crystal structure of the sample. It also shows that the diffraction peak are broadened which revea...

Due to finite size effects, such as the high surface-to-volume ratio and different crystal structures, magnetic nanoparticles are found to exhibit interesting and considerably different magnetic properties than those found in their corresponding bulk materials. These nanoparticles can be synthesized in several ways (e.g., chemical and physical) with controllable sizes enabling their comparison ...

The control of particle size distribution of fabricated alumina nanoparticles from general alumina that has a large geometric standard deviation (GSD) is studied. A thermophoretic separator was used to control the GSD of the fabricated alumina nanoparticles. Unevaporated particles and primary particles were separated to yield a small GSD for fabricated alumina nanoparticles. The fabricated alum...