Author Archive

Filling the space

Biomineral nanoparticles are space-filling
Li Yang, Christopher E. Killian, Martin Kunz, Nobumichi Tamura and P. U. P. A. Gilbert
Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 603-609

Scientists in the US have tried to answer the question of whether biominerals are mesocrystals or not.

Sea urchin biominerals are known to form from aggregating nanoparticles of amorphous calcium carbonate, which then crystallize into macroscopic single crystals of calcite. The group measured the surface areas of these biominerals, finding them to be comparable to those of space-filling macroscopic geologic calcite crystals. These biominerals are therefore different from synthetic mesocrystals, which are always porous. Based on this results, the group proposes that space-filling amorphous calcium carbonate is the structural precursor for echinoderm biominerals.

Mollusk shells, corals, and echinoderm biominerals have remarkable mechanical properties, making them the object of many studies to shed some light on their formation mechanisms.

Read the whole article now

Article submitted as part of the Themed Issue on Crystallization and Formation Mechanisms of Nanostructures, read the issue here

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Themed Issue: Modelling for the nanoscale

Nanoscale Themed Issue announcement:

Modelling for the nanoscale

Guest Editors:

Amanda Barnard (CSIRO, Australia)

Changming Li (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Ruhong Zhou (IBM Watson & Columbia University, USA)

Yuliang Zhao (NCNST, China)

Submission deadline: 15 August 2011


The issue will be published in early 2012 and aims to address the recent developments in the field of modelling applied to the nanoscale. This will include studies on CNT-protein and CNT-water interactions (including other nanoparticles and soft matter), confinement and catalysis, DNA-nanopore interactions and sequencing, nanomaterial-environmental interaction modelling, modelling of nanoparticles and nanomaterials (both QM and MM), nucleation, growth and transformations and optical properties of nanostructures as well as modelling of nanotoxicity.

Don’t miss the deadline, submit your contribution before the 15th August 2011.

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Nanoscale Hot article: 3D Nano-batteries

Nanoscale Hot Article: just published

Scientists from the US describe the fabrication of 3D multifunctional energy-storage nanoarchitectures.

In these structures, the three critical components of a battery (cathode, separator/electrolyte, and anode) are assembled internally as tri-continuous nanoscopic phases in three steps: First, the formation of a monolithic manganese oxide ambigel nanoarchitecture. Second, the electrodeposition of a conformal ultrathin polymer (separator/electrolyte). And third, the infiltration of a counter insertion electrode (RuO2) within the residual interconnected free volume.

Using Transmission Electron Microscopy, Jeffrey Long and Debra Rolison (US Naval Research Laboratory) and their colleagues have characterized the architectures that contain all three components for a solid-state energy storage device within a void volume of tens of nanometres and have nanometre-thick distances between the opposing electrodes.

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Architectural integration of the components necessary for electrical energy storage on the nanoscale and in 3D
Christopher P. Rhodes, Jeffrey W. Long, Katherine A. Pettigrew, Rhonda M. Stroud and Debra R. Rolison
Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00731E

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Transplant tracking

Transplant tracking

Harriet Brewerton

Magnetic nanoparticles could be used to track neural stem cells after a transplant in order to monitor how the cells heal spinal injuries, say UK scientists.

Neural stem cells are a promising treatment for repairing spinal cord injuries as they have the ability to generate tissue, but there is no effective way of monitoring the cells for long periods of time after transplantation.

Transplant tracking

Nguyen TK Thanh at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory, University College London and the Royal Institution, and colleagues, believe they have the answer. They have developed hollow biocompatible cobalt-platinum nanoparticles and attached them to the stem cells. The nanoparticles are stable for months and have a high magnetic moment – tendency to align with a magnetic field – so that low concentrations can be detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

‘Magnetic nanoparticles are emerging as novel contrast and tracking agents in medical imaging,’ says Samir Pal at the California Institute of Technology, US, an expert in biological-nanoparticle interactions. ‘When used as a contrast agent for MRI, the nanoparticles allow researchers and clinicians to enhance the tissue contrast of an area of interest by increasing the relaxation rate of water.’

Stem cells attached to biocompatible nanoparticles can be visualised by MRI after transplantation into spinal cord slices

The team labelled stem cells with their nanoparticles, injected them into spinal cord slices and took images of their progress over time. They found that low numbers of the nanoparticle-loaded stem cells could still be detected two weeks after transplantation. ‘The new method demonstrates the feasibility of reliable, noninvasive MRI imaging of nanoparticle-labelled cells,’ says Thanh.

Thanh hopes that her stem cell tracking method will be used during stem cell replacement therapy for many central nervous system diseases. Her team is working towards developing nanoparticles that can be used to diagnose and treat these diseases.

Read the article in Nanoscale:

Magnetic CoPt nanoparticles as MRI contrast agent for transplanted neural stem cells detection

Xiaoting Meng, Hugh C. Seton, Le T. Lu, Ian A. Prior, Nguyen T. K. Thanh and Bing Song
Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00846J

Read more Chemistry World News here


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Hot Article: Biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces

Hot Article out now

Fabrication of biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces inspired by lotus leaf and silver ragwort leaf

Jinyou Lin, Yu Cai, Xianfeng Wang, Bin Ding, Jianyong Yu and Moran Wang

Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00812E, Paper

Inspired by the self-cleaning lotus leaf and silver ragwort leaf, the authors demonstrate the fabrication of biomimetic superhydrophobic fibrous mats via electrospinning polystyrene (PS) solution in the presence of silica nanoparticles. The  fibers they obtain present a fascinating structure with the combination of nano-protrusions and numerous grooves due to the rapid phase separation in electrospinning. The content of silica nanoparticles incorporated into the fibers proves to be the key factor affecting the fiber surface morphology and hydrophobicity. Read more

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Hot Article: Gold nanostars with magnetic cores

Hot Article

A facile synthetic route for the preparation of gold nanostars with magnetic cores and their reusable nanohybrid catalytic properties

Xiumin Miao, Tingting Wang, Fang Chai, Xiuli Zhang, Chungang Wang and Wendong Sun

Nanoscale, 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00704H

Chungang Wang and colleagues develop a new synthetic route to prepare gold nanostars (GNSs) with Fe3O4 cores under mild conditions. The result is an easy way to obtain magnetic GNSs with tunable optical properties from the visible to near-infrared. Even more, the particles described also show catalytic activity and can be easily recycled using an external magnet.

Read the article now

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Chemical Nanoscience Symposium

Chemical Nanoscience Symposium

30th March 2011
Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK

Organised by: RSC Chemical Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Interest Group

Speakers:

Thomas Wandlowski, Univeristy of Bern, Switzerland

Paula Mendes, University of Birmingham, UK

Andrew Pike, Newcastle University, UK

Felix Zamora, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain

Richard Nichols, University of Liverpool, UK

Karl Coleman, Durham University, UK


Free registration: closes the 6th March

More information on how to register for this one day symposium can be found here

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The one million record

A Nanoscale paper becomes the one millionth record on the RSC Publishing Platform

Controlled assembly of plasmonic colloidal nanoparticle clusters
José M. Romo-Herrera, Ramón A. Alvarez-Puebla and Luis M. Liz-Marzán
Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00804D, Review

This seven figure milestone, reached with the publication of this Nanoscale Review, was reached as the RSC’s exceptional range of peer-reviewed journals, magazines, books, databases and publishing services to the chemical science community more than doubled in output in the last three years…Read more

Read the one millionth paper now

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Nanoscale Issue 1 published

First Nanoscale issue of the year just published, take a look today

Highlights:

Absorption into fluorescence. A method to sense biologically relevant gas molecules
Maria Strianese, Antonio Varriale, Maria Staiano, Claudio Pellecchia and Sabato D’Auria
Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 298-30 COVER ARTICLE

Graphene edges: a review of their fabrication and characterization
Xiaoting Jia, Jessica Campos-Delgado, Mauricio Terrones, Vincent Meunier and Mildred S. Dresselhaus
Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 86-95 INSIDE COVER

Molecular strategies to read and write at the nanoscale with far-field optics
Janet Cusido, Stefania Impellizzeri and Françisco M. Raymo
Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 59-70

Scanning Near-Field Ellipsometry Microscopy: imaging nanomaterials with resolution below the diffraction limit
Davide Tranchida, Jordi Diaz, Peter Schön, Holger Schönherr and G. Julius Vancso
Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 233-239

And many more

Submit to Nanoscale today

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Merry Christmas from Nanoscale!

From the Nanoscale team, we would like to thank all our authors, Board members, readers and referees for your support. Nanoscale has quickly established itself as a platform for high-quality nanoscience and nanotechnology research, and that is all thanks to you!

For a ‘sneak peek’ of what’s happening for Nanoscale in 2011 (our 3rd Volume of publication!), take a look at our New Year Editorial.

You can be a part of our future success, submit your best research to Nanoscale!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

The Nanoscale team

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