Medical nanoplatforms based on clusters of superparamagnetic nanoparticles decorated with a PNIPAM thermo-responsive shell have been synthesized and used as drug carriers for doxorubicin (DOXO), a common chemotherapeutic agent. The nanosystem here developed has a total diameter below 200 nm and exploits the temperature responsive behaviour of the PNIPAM polymeric shell for the controlled loadin...

We report enhanced optical Faraday rotation in gold-coated maghemite (gamma-Fe(2)O(3)) nanoparticles. The Faraday rotation spectrum measured from 480-690 nm shows a peak at about 530 nm, not present in either uncoated maghemite nanoparticles or solid gold nanoparticles. This peak corresponds to an intrinsic electronic transition in the maghemite nanoparticles and is consistent with a near-field...

As one of the most effective drugs for influenza virus infection, clinical application of zanamivir is restricted with the emergence of resistant influenza virus. It is crucial to manufacture novel pharmaceuticals against influenza virus infection. In recent years silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted wide attention in the antiviral field. In this study, we demonstrated surface decoration...

Optical bistability at nanoscale is a promising way to realize optical switching, a key component of integrated nanophotonic devices. In this work we present an analytical model for optical bistability in a metal nano-antenna involving Kerr nonlinear medium based on detailed analysis of the correlation between the incident and extinction light intensity under surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Th...

On the basis of spectral-expansion Green s function theory, we theoretically describe the fundamental harmonic (FH) and second harmonic (SH) local fields at nanorough surfaces of silver and gold. The numerical simulation of these fields in the model of random planar composites has shown that the SH local-field intensity possesses power-law (scaling) distribution for a wide range of system and e...

The integration of different components into a hybrid nanosystem for the utilization of the synergistic effects is an effective way to design the electrocatalysts. Herein, we demonstrate a hybrid strategy to enhance the electrocatalytic property of hollow structured Pt nanoparticles for methanol oxidation reaction. This strategy begins with the preparation of bimetallic Ag-Pt nanoparticles with...

Silane-modified amphiphilic chitosan was synthesized by anchoring a silane coupling agent, (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, to a novel amphiphilic carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan (CHC). The chemical structure of this new organic-inorganic hybrid molecule was characterized by FTIR and 13C-, 29Si-nuclear magnetic resonance, while the structural evolution was examined using scanning electron micros...