A core-shell structured Fe3O4-MCM-41 nanocomposite was prepared by means of a surfactant-directed sol-gel process. Candida rugosa lipase was then bound to the magnetic core-shell material by using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking reagent. The as-prepared Fe3O4-MCM-41 support and the immobilized lipase were characterized in detail using enzyme activity assays, TEM, XRD, FTIR, VSM and nitrogen a...

The self-assembly of two nonionic surfactants, pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5) and n-dodecyl-ß-maltoside (ß-C12G2), in the presence of a purpose-synthesized silica sol of uniform particle size (diameter 16 nm) has been studied by adsorption measurements, dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) using a H2O/D2O mixture matching the silica, in order to hig...

Fiber-optic biosensors play a significant role in the development of biosensors because they can provide miniaturized and lowcost systems. Recently, there have been explosive developments in the Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) technology to favorably modify the spectral properties and to alleviate photo-physical constraints. We report the development of core/shell nanoparticles with the silve...

We developed a facile and controllable strategy to fabricate biomimic walnut kernel-like mesoporous silica nanomaterial (WMSN) and erythrocyte-like mesoporous silica nanomaterial (EMSN). The former possesses unique multi-shell hollow structure and surface wrinkles while the latter has special multi-stack structure and bowl-shaped depression. These hierarchical materials with distinct structures...

Raman microspectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique in cultural heritage. However, results are often compromised by luminescence interference and poor sensitivity. Surface-enhanced spectroscopy (SERS) an alternative that can enhance the signal quench luminescence, but interaction of analyte metal substrate produces altered spectra. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced (SHINERS) promising...

It has been long known that the physical encapsulation of oleic acid-capped iron oxide nanoparticles (OA-IONPs) with the cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA+) surfactant induces the formation of spherical iron oxide nanoparticle clusters (IONPCs). However, the behavior and functional properties of IONPCs in chemical reactions have been largely neglected and are still not well-understood. Herein, we rep...

Carbon onions have been known since Iijima first observed them in 1980 [1]. In 1992 Ugarte et al. made carbon onions by irradiating carbon soot by an intense electron beam in a transmission electron microscope [2]. There are reports in the literature on the production of carbon structures in water medium by generating an electric arc to create high temperatures [3,4]. It was found that several ...

Bright and stable CuInS2/ZnS@SiO2 nanoparticles with near-infrared (NIR) emission were competently prepared by incorporating the as-prepared hydrophobic CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) directly into lipophilic silane micelles and subsequently an exterior silica shell was formed. The obtained CuInS2/ZnS@SiO2 nanoparticles homogeneously comprised both single-core and multicore remarkable CuInS2/ZnS...

Nanoshells are a novel class of optically tunable nanoparticles that consist of alternating dielectric and metal layers. They can potentially be used as contrast agents for multi-label molecular imaging, provided that the shell thicknesses are tuned to specific ratios. Sub-100 nm multi-layer nanoshells can potentially have improved tissue penetration, generate a strong surface plasmon resonance...

Heat treatment is a standard method to increase the hardness of silica in various applications. Here, we tested the effect of high temperature annealing on the mechanical properties of silica microcapsules by force spectroscopy under point loads applied to the particle shell. The Young's modulus of the shells moderately increases after annealing at temperatures above 500 °C. Temperatures over 8...