We perform very efficient Monte Carlo simulations to study the phase diagram of a water monolayer confined in a fixed disordered matrix of hydrophobic nanoparticles between two hydrophobic plates. We consider different hydrophobic nanoparticle concentrations c. We adopt a coarse-grained model of water that, for c = 0, displays a first-order liquid-liquid phase transition (LLPT) line with negati...

The so-called island model of protein structural transition holds that hydrophobic interactions are the key to both the folding and function of proteins. Herein, the genesis and statistical mechanical basis of the island model of transitions are reviewed, by presenting the results of simulations of such transitions. Elucidating the physicochemical mechanism of protein structural formation is th...

BACKGROUND Lipid-based dispersion of nanoparticles provides a biologically inspired route to designing therapeutic agents and a means of reducing nanoparticle toxicity. Little is currently known on how the presence of nanoparticles influences lipid vesicle stability and bilayer phase behavior. In this work, the formation of aqueous lipid/nanoparticle assemblies (LNAs) consisting of hydrophobic ...

Hydrophobic interactions constitute one of the most important types of nonspecific interactions in biological systems, which emerge when water molecules rearrange as two hydrophobic species come close to each other. The prediction of hydrophobic interactions at the level of nanoparticles (Brownian objects) remains challenging because of uncontrolled diffusive motion of the particles. We describ...

Hydrophobic nanoparticles introduced into living systems may lead to increased toxicity, can activate immune cells, or can be used as nanocarriers for drug or gene delivery. It is generally accepted that small hydrophobic nanoparticles are blocked by lipid bilayers and accumulate in the bilayer core, whereas big nanoparticles can only penetrate cells through slow energy-dependent processes, suc...

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.

Reversible magneto-switchable quantum charging of a Au nanoparticle array associated with a Au electrode is observed in the presence of hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles attracted to the functionalized electrode surface.

curcumin (cur) is the active curcuminoid with many physiological, biochemical, and pharmacological properties. solubility and stability of cur is the limiting factors for realizing its therapeutic potential. bovine β-casein is an abundant milk protein that is highly amphiphilic and self-assembles into stable micellar nanoparticles in aqueous solution. β-casein nanoparticle can solubilize cur mo...

Herein, we developed the photosensitizer, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), conjugated glycol chitosan (GC) nanoparticles (PpIX-GC-NPs) as tumor-homing drug carriers with cellular on/off system for photodynamic imaging and therapy, simultaneously. In order to prepare PpIX-GC-NPs, hydrophobic PpIXs were chemically conjugated to GC polymer and the amphiphilic PpIX-GC conjugates formed a stable nanopartic...