The optical properties of core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a ZnO shell grown on Ag and Au nanoparticle cores by a solution method have been investigated. Both the ZnO/Ag and ZnO/Au particles exhibit strongly enhanced near-band-edge UV emission from the ZnO when excited at 325 nm. Furthermore, the UV intensity increases with the metal nanoparticle concentration, with 60-fold and 17-fold en...

Noble metal nanoparticles possess very large scattering cross-sections, which make them useful as tags in biosensing assays with the potential to detect even single binding events. In this study, we investigated the effects of nanoparticle size on the shift in the light scattering spectrum following formation of Au-Au, Ag-Ag or Ag-Au dimers using FDTD simulations. We discuss the use of a color ...

Silver nanoparticles capped by a variety of organic ligands (i.e., 1-hexanethiol, 1-octyne, and 4-trifluoromethylphenyl fragments) were synthesized by a chemical reduction route, with the resulting nanoparticles denoted as AgSC6, AgHC8, and AgPhCF3, respectively. The nanoparticle structures were characterized by using a variety of techniques including NMR, UV-vis, infrared, thermogravimetric an...

We have demonstrated the plasmonic characteristics of an ultrathin tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) film coated with Ag nanoparticles. The simulation result shows that, under resonant and non-resonant excitations, the strongest plasmonic electric field of 1 nm ta-C coated Ag nanoparticle is not trapped within the ta-C layer but is released to its outside surface, while leaving the weaker ele...

Photothermal ablation based on resonant illumination of near-infrared-absorbing noble metal nanoparticles that have accumulated in tumors is a highly promising cancer therapy, currently in multiple clinical trials. A crucial aspect of this therapy is the nanoparticle size for optimal tumor uptake. A class of nanoparticles known as hollow Au (or Au-Ag) nanoshells (HGNS) is appealing because near...

We demonstrate a novel, rapid and label-free assay for the detection of Ag(+) and biothiols with high sensitivity and selectivity by utilization of Ag nanoparticle-decorated graphene quantum dots.

Well-ordered Ag nanoparticle arrays with high particle density were fabricated by photochemical reduction of domain-selective Ag(+)-loading on hydrophobic polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) self-assembled diblock copolymer templates.

3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones were synthesized in the presence of Ag nanoparticle/melamine sulfonic acid (MSA) supported on silica gel. The reaction was carried out at 110 oC for 20 min under solvent free conditions. In all cases, the three component reaction proceeded smoothly to give the corresponding 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones in moderate to good yield. We have found the best co...

Nanoscale polydopamine motifs are fabricated on surfaces by deposition of precursor femtolitre droplets using an AFM tip and employed as confined reactors to fabricate Ag nanoparticle patterns by in situ reduction of a Ag(+) salt.

The effects of five nanomaterials (multiwalled carbon nanotubes [MWCNTs], Ag, Cu, ZnO, Si) and their corresponding bulk counterparts on seed germination, root elongation, and biomass of Cucurbita pepo (zucchini) were investigated. The plants were grown in hydroponic solutions amended with nanoparticles or bulk material suspensions at 1000 mg/L. Seed germination was unaffected by any of the trea...