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ChinaNANO 2017 Conference

Early bird registration deadline extended until 31 July so register now!

The 7th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, China 2017 (ChinaNANO 2017) will be held in Beijing on 29 – 31 August, bringing together scientists from across the globe.

We are proud to announce the Nanoscale Horizons Symposium at ChinaNANO 2017, with talks from distinguished board members for Nanoscale and other Royal Society of Chemistry journals to showcase exceptionally high quality and exciting work across a broad scope of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Confirmed speakers include:

  • Professor Chunli Bai (President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Editor-in-chief of Nanoscale)
  • Professor Xiaodong Chen (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
  • Professor Yamuna Krishnan (University of Chicago, USA)
  • Professor Katharina Landfester (Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany)
  • Professor Federico Rosei (National Institute of Scientific Research, University of Quebec, Canada)
  • Professor Francesco Stellacci (EPFL, Switzerland)
  • Professor Jianfang Wang (Chinese University of Hong Kong, China)
  • Professor Jinhua Ye (National Institute for Materials Science, Japan)

ChinaNANO 2017 is intended to stimulate discussions on the forefront of research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The conference will focus on the following topics:

  • Carbon Nanomaterials
  • Inorganic Nanomaterials and Metal-organic Frameworks
  • Self-Assembly and Soft Nanomaterials
  • Nanocatalysis
  • Nano-Composites and Applications
  • Energy Nanotechnology
  • Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
  • Nanophotonics and Plasmonics
  • 2D Materials beyond Graphene and Nanodevices
  • Nanocharacterization
  • Standards and Metrology
  • Modeling and Simulation of Nanostructures
  • Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine
  • Nanotechnology for Bioimaging and Diagnostics
  • Safety and Health of Nanomaterials
  • Printing of Nanomaterials and Applications
  • Optoelectronic Nanomaterials and Devices
  • Bioinspired Interfacial Materials and Devices
 
For more information about this exciting conference, please visit their web page.
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Detecting trace biomarkers using SERS in the fight against cancer

Cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, the importance of early screening of cancer can aid in the prevention and treatment. However, early onset of cancers can often produce limited or no symptoms. In this regard, researchers have turned their attention to miRNA biomarkers found in serum as potential biomarkers for cancer detection. At the onset of cancer, miRNA biomarkers often present at very low concentrations representing a big challenge for researchers to develop analytical tools that can achieve the sensitivity required.

Researchers from Nanjing, China and Georgia, USA have investigated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a viable technique for the detection of 3 miRNA biomarkers related to lung cancer. To achieve this, the researchers used a silver nanorod (AgNR) array to provide the plasmonic enhancement required for SERS. The substrate was subsequently functionalised with molecular beacons (MBs) containing different Raman reporters (ROX, Cy5 and FAM) that are complementary to the miRNA targets. In the absence of miRNA target, the SERS signal remains high since the MBs, and, therefore, the Raman reporters, are orientated close to the AgNR substrate. However, when the MBs hybridise to the target sequence, the SERS signal drops in a concentration-related manner allowing quantitation of the target miRNAs in buffer and human serum. The limits of detection for the 3 biomarkers, miRNA-21/486/375, were 393, 176 and 144 aM, respectively.

This research highlights the advantages of using SERS for biomarker detection. The low sensitivity and ability to multiplex make SERS a promising analytical technique for future clinical analyses for cancer detection and other diseases.

Scheme 1 Schematic illustration of the preparation and application of the molecular beacon functionalized-SERS sensor for simultaneously measuring multiple miRNAs.

An ultrasensitive SERS sensor for simultaneous detection of multiple cancer-related miRNAs
C. Y. Song, Y. J. Yang, B. Y. Yang, Y. Z. Sun, Y. P. Zhao and L. H. Wang
Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 17365-17373

Dr Lee Barrett is a guest web writer for the Nanoscale blog. Lee is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Molecular Nanometrology at the University of Strathclyde. His research is currently focused on the development of nanoparticle-based sensors and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Follow him on twitter @L_Bargie

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HOT article: Ultra-small lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles for tumor-penetrating drug delivery

When it comes to cancer treatment, smaller can sometimes be better, as a new HOT article published in Nanoscale has shown. New ultra-small hybrid nanoparticles, developed by Jiangfang Zhang and a team based at the University of California, have proven highly effective at delivering anti-cancer drugs in mice – the nanoparticles, which are under 25nm in size, could penetrate deep into the tumours of the mice to release the drug where it would be most effective.

The size of drug delivery nanocarriers has a crucial role in how effective they are at moving through the body: too large, and they will be cleared by the liver; too small, and they will be filtered by the kidneys. Cancer drug carriers work best at sizes below 50nm, where they can more easily infiltrate tumours, but preventing such small particles from aggregating once synthesised can be a challenge. Zhang’s team used both lipids and polymers to make their nanoparticles highly stable, even in physiological conditions –  the polymer cores took up the hydrophobic drug, while the lipid coating provided stability and protection from the aqueous environment of the body.

The nanoparticles were targeted to tumour cells by conjugating them to folate ligands – when injected into mice with induced tumours, the number of target nanoparticles present within the tumours was three times that of non-targeted carriers. What’s more, the anti-cancer drug docetaxel could be loaded into the nanoparticles and used to treat the mice, with highly promising results. Over half of the mice treated with the hybrid nanocarriers were still alive 64 days after having tumours induced, a significant extension compared to a clinically used drug treatment.

Read the full article here:

Ultra-small lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles for tumor-penetrating drug delivery

Diana Dehaini, Ronnie H. Fang, Brian T. Luk, Zhiqing Pang, Che-Ming J. Hu, Ashley V. Kroll, Chun Lai Yu,  Weiwei Gao and Liangfang Zhang*
Nanoscale, 2016, Advance Article

Susannah May is a guest web writer for the RSC Journal blogsShe currently works in the Publishing Department of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and has a keen interest in biology and biomedicine, and the frontiers of their intersection with chemistry. She can be found on Twitter using @SusannahCIMay.

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Siligraphene gets serious about solar cells: Nanoscale article featured in Chemistry World

Theoretical scientists have predicted SiC7 – a new phase of the graphene–silicene hybrid siligraphene, which if synthesisable, could revolutionise flexible optoelectronic devices such as solar cells.

A charge density map reveals delocalised π bonds in SiC7 siligraphene's irregular hexagonal rings

SiC7 siligraphene has an interesting structure with a graphene-like honeycomb lattice, but unlike graphene, its hexagonal rings are irregular. The scientists expect SiC7 siligraphene to be much better than SiC2 siligraphene and single-layer black phosphorus at absorbing sunlight. Additionally, broken symmetry caused by silicon doping would create band gaps that boost its optoelectronic properties.

Interested to know more? Read the full article by Suzanne Howson in Chemistry World.

The original article is free to access and can be read at:

SiC7 siligraphene: a novel donor material with extraordinary sunlight absorption
Huilong Dong, Liujiang Zhou, Thomas Frauenheim, Tingjun Hou, Shuit-Tong Lee and Youyong Li
Nanoscale, 2016,8, 6994-6999.

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Top 10 most-read Nanoscale articles – Q3 2014

This month sees the following articles in Nanoscale that are in the top 10 most accessed from July – September:

Facile synthesis of lanthanide nanoparticles with paramagnetic, down- and up-conversion properties
Zhengquan Li and Yong Zhang
Nanoscale, 2010,2, 1240-1243
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00073F, Paper

Tailor-made directional emission in nanoimprinted plasmonic-based light-emitting devices
G. Lozano, G. Grzela, M. A. Verschuuren, M. Ramezani and J. Gómez Rivas
Nanoscale, 2014,6, 9223-9229
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR01391C, Paper

An 80.11% FF record achieved for perovskite solar cells by using the NH4Cl additive
Chuantian Zuo and Liming Ding
Nanoscale, 2014,6, 9935-9938
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR02425G, Communication

6.5% efficient perovskite quantum-dot-sensitized solar cell
Jeong-Hyeok Im, Chang-Ryul Lee, Jin-Wook Lee, Sang-Won Park and Nam-Gyu Park
Nanoscale, 2011,3, 4088-4093
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10867K, Communication

An ultrasensitive, non-enzymatic glucose assay via gold nanorod-assisted generation of silver nanoparticles
Yunlei Xianyu, Jiashu Sun, Yixuan Li, Yue Tian, Zhuo Wang and Xingyu Jiang
Nanoscale, 2013,5, 6303-6306
DOI: 10.1039/C3NR01697H, Communication

Controlling the surface nanostructure of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO thin films using electrostatic spraying for their application in 12% efficient perovskite solar cells
Khalid Mahmood, Bhabani Sankar Swain and Hyun Suk Jung
Nanoscale, 2014,6, 9127-9138
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR02065K, Paper

High-density metallic nanogaps fabricated on solid substrates used for surface enhanced Raman scattering
Gang Lu, Hai Li, Shixin Wu, Peng Chen and Hua Zhang
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 860-863
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10997A, Paper

Large-area fabrication of highly reproducible surface enhanced Raman substrate via a facile double sided tape-assisted transfer approach using hollow Au–Ag alloy nanourchins
Zhen Liu, Lin Cheng, Lei Zhang, Chao Jing, Xin Shi, Zhongbo Yang, Yitao Long and Jixiang Fang
Nanoscale, 2014,6, 2567-2572
DOI: 10.1039/C3NR05840A, Communication

Supramolecular self-assemblies as functional nanomaterials
Eric Busseron, Yves Ruff, Emilie Moulin and Nicolas Giuseppone
Nanoscale, 2013,5, 7098-7140
DOI: 10.1039/C3NR02176A, Review Article

Nanostructured carbon–metal oxide composite electrodes for supercapacitors: a review
Mingjia Zhi, Chengcheng Xiang, Jiangtian Li, Ming Li and Nianqiang Wu
Nanoscale, 2013,5, 72-88
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR32040A, Feature Article

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to Nanoscale? Then why not submit to us today!

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Nanoscale Issue 23 of 2014 out now!

Nanoscale is delighted to present its current issue.

Generic phosphatase activity detection using zinc mediated aggregation modulation of polypeptide-modified gold nanoparticles
is the article highlighted on the outside front cover by Robert Selegård, Karin Enander and Daniel Aili.

The inside front cover features an article on Toward highly radiative white light emitting nanostructures: a new approach to dislocation-eliminated GaN/InGaN core–shell nanostructures with a negligible polarization field by Je-Hyung Kim, Young-Ho Ko, Jong-Hoi Cho, Su-Hyun Gong, Suk-Min Ko and Yong-Hoon Cho.

Issue 23 contains the following Review, Feature and Minireview articles:

Mesoscopically structured nanocrystalline metal oxide thin films
Adrian Carretero-Genevrier, Glenna L. Drisko, David Grosso, Cédric Boissiere and Clement Sanchez

Nanostructured bismuth vanadate-based materials for solar-energy-driven water oxidation: a review on recent progress

Zhen-Feng Huang, Lun Pan, Ji-Jun Zou, Xiangwen Zhang and Li Wang

Synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials under magnetic fields
Lin Hu, Ruirui Zhang and Qianwang Chen

Metal non-oxide nanostructures developed from organic–inorganic hybrids and their catalytic application

Qingsheng Gao, Ning Liu, Sinong Wang and Yi Tang

DNA origami nanopores: developments, challenges and perspectives
Silvia Hernández-Ainsa and Ulrich F. Keyser

Topological crystalline insulator nanostructures
Jie Shen and Judy J. Cha

Engineered nanoparticles: thrombotic events in cancer
Ahmed M. E. Abdalla, Lin Xiao, Chenxi Ouyang and Guang Yang

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This week’s HOT articles

Take a look at this week’s selection! These articles are available free for a limited time:

Metalization of Li2S particle surfaces in Li–S batteries
Yan-Xin Chen and Payam Kaghazchi
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR03428G, Communication

Metallic nanowire networks: effects of thermal annealing on electrical resistance
D. P. Langley, M. Lagrange, G. Giusti, C. Jiménez, Y. Bréchet, N. D. Nguyen and D. Bellet
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04151H, Paper

Thermal conductivity of twisted bilayer graphene
Hongyang Li, Hao Ying, Xiangping Chen, Denis L. Nika, Alexandr I. Cocemasov, Weiwei Cai, Alexander A. Balandin and Shanshan Chen
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04455J, Communication

NiP2 nanosheet arrays supported on carbon cloth: an efficient 3D hydrogen evolution cathode in both acidic and alkaline solutions

Ping Jiang, Qian Liu and Xuping Sun
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04866K, Communication

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Nanoscale Issue 21 of 2014 out now!

Nanoscale is delighted to present its current issue.

Effects of nanopillar array diameter and spacing on cancer cell capture and cell behaviors is the article highlighted on the outside front cover by Shunqiang Wang, Yuan Wan and Yaling Liu.

The inside front cover features an article on Nanoparticle conversion chemistry: Kirkendall effect, galvanic exchange, and anion exchange by Bryan D. Anderson and Joseph B. Tracy.

Issue 21 contains the following Review, Feature and Minireview articles:

Nanoparticle conversion chemistry: Kirkendall effect, galvanic exchange, and anion exchange
Bryan D. Anderson and Joseph B. Tracy

Classic, liquid, and matrix-assisted dip-pen nanolithography for materials research
Jian Zhong, Gang Sun and Dannong He

In situ single molecule imaging of cell membranes: linking basic nanotechniques to cell biology, immunology and medicine
Jiang Pi, Hua Jin, Fen Yang, Zheng W. Chen and Jiye Cai

Two-dimensional heterostructures: fabrication, characterization, and application
Hong Wang, Fucai Liu, Wei Fu, Zheyu Fang, Wu Zhou and Zheng Liu

Enzyme-responsive nanomaterials for controlled drug delivery
Quanyin Hu, Prateek S. Katti and Zhen Gu

Perovskite photovoltaics: a high-efficiency newcomer to the solar cell family
Baohua Wang, Xudong Xiao and Tao Chen

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This week’s HOT articles

Take a look at this week’s selection! These articles are available free for a limited time:

Where is the required lattice match in horizontal growth of nanowires?
Babak Nikoobakht and Andrew Herzing
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04537H, Paper

Scalable high-mobility MoS2 thin films fabricated by an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition process at ambient temperature
Chung-Che Huang, Feras Al-Saab, Yudong Wang, Jun-Yu Ou, John C. Walker, Shuncai Wang, Behrad Gholipour, Robert E.
Simpson and Daniel W. Hewak
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04228J, Paper

300 mm Wafer-level, ultra-dense arrays of Au-capped nanopillars with sub-10 nm gaps as reliable SERS substrates
Jiaqi Li, Chang Chen, Hilde Jans, Xiumei Xu, Niels Verellen, Ingrid Vos, Yasuaki Okumura, Victor V. Moshchalkov, Liesbet Lagae and Pol Van Dorpe
DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04315D, Communication

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Nanoscale Issue 19 of 2014 out now!

Nanoscale is delighted to present its current issue.

Vine-like MoS2 anode materials self-assembled from 1-D nanofibers for high capacity sodium rechargeable batteries is the article highlighted on the outside front cover by Won-Hee Ryu, Ji-Won Jung, Kyusung Park, Sang-Joon Kim and Il-Doo Kim.

The inside front cover features an article on Inkjet printing of flexible high-performance carbon nanotube transparent conductive films by “coffee ring effect” by Allon Shimoni, Suzanna Azoubel and Shlomo Magdassi.

Issue 19 contains the following Review and Feature articles:

Plasmon modes in graphene: status and prospect
Antonio Politano and Gennaro Chiarello

The use of atomic layer deposition in advanced nanopatterning
A. J. M. Mackus, A. A. Bol and W. M. M. Kessels

Impact of optical antennas on active optoelectronic devices
Alireza Bonakdar and Hooman Mohseni

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