Nanoscale & Nanoscale Advances Blog

Nanoscale Aβ42–copper oligomers implicated in Alzheimer’s disease

26 Sep 2011

Copper has been identified as a critical factor in Alzheimer’s disease due to its involvement in amyloid-β (Aβ) related toxicity, although the mechanism for this has not been understood.

Now Yan-Mei Li and co-workers have shown that while copper does not affect Aβ40, it significantly affects the aggregation Aβ42, enhancing the cytotoxicity of this protein. Aβ42 forms strong interactions with the copper causing it to change conformation to form highly toxic Aβ42 oligomers.

Stopping these Aβ42–copper interactions could therefore provide a promising therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

Read this HOT Nanoscale article in full:

Copper inducing Aβ42 rather than Aβ40 nanoscale oligomer formation is the key process for Aβ neurotoxicity
Lu Jin, Wei-Hui Wu, Qiu-Ye Li, Yu-Fen Zhao and Yan-Mei Li
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11029B

Scheme

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Hierarchical structured materials for Li-ion batteries with high rate capability and tap density

22 Sep 2011

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

In this paper by Zhang et al., specially structured precursors (iron phosphate nanoplates) are lithiated to LiFePO4/C quasi-spheres which show both superior high rate capability and high tap density.

The LiFePO4/C materials have hierarchical structures with discharge capacities of more than 120, 110, and 90 mAh g⁻¹ at rates of 5 C, 10 C and 20 C, respectively. They also show a high tap density of 1.4 g cm⁻³ as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries.

micro-nano hierarchical structure This hierarchical structured LiFePO4/C material could take us a step closer to real and large-scale applications for lithium ion batteries.

Read this ‘HOT’ Nanoscale article today:

Synthesis of micro-nano hierarchical structured LiFePO4/C composite with both superior high-rate performance and high tap density
Meng Wang, Yong Yang and Youxiang Zhang
Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10950B

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Single walled carbon nanotubes show enhanced cell uptake

21 Sep 2011

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) hold much promise for biomedical applications due to their unique optical response upon absorption of near-IR light.

In order to make these SWNTs biocompatible, scientists in Japan have designed a SWNT/DNA hybrid which can be coated with cationic poly(L-lysine) grafted with polyethylene glycol. The overall system shows good uptake in cells compared to the same system in the absence of polyethylene glycol.

The authors are now extending their experiments to a mouse cancer model.

Read this HOT Nanoscale article in full:

Enhanced cell uptake via non-covalent decollation of a single-walled carbon nanotube-DNA hybrid with polyethylene glycol-grafted poly(L-lysine) labeled with an Alexa-dye and its efficient uptake in a cancer cell
Tsuyohiko Fujigaya, Yuki Yamamoto, Arihiro Kano, Atsushi Maruyama and Naotoshi Nakashima
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10635J

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Nanoscale review: Spherical silica micro/nanomaterials

16 Sep 2011

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Spherical silica micro/nanomaterials have great potential to be used as carriers in biological medical and catalytic applications.

In their Nanoscale review article Xin Du and Junhui He describe recent developments in the synthesis of these materials, discuss their applications and look forward to the challenges of the future in this exciting research field.

Read this HOT Nanoscale review:

Spherical silica micro/nanomaterials with hierarchical structures: Synthesis and applications
Xin Du and Junhui He
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10660K

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HOT article: Unidirectional arrays of vertically alligned graphene

15 Sep 2011

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

Plasma-enabled, catalyst-free, and highly reproducible growth of the as-yet elusive unidirectional arrays of well-separated, vertically standing, few-layer graphene nanosheets with open reactive graphitic edges is demonstrated. The nanosheet density, length, and orientation can be effectively controlled using electric fields.

Read the Nanoscale article ‘hot off the press’ today:

Unidirectional arrays of vertically standing graphenes in reactive plasmas
Shailesh Kumar and Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov
Nanoscale, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10860C

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Controlling nanoparticles using DNA modification

12 Sep 2011

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

The modification of gold nanoparticles using a specific number of strands of DNA allows them to be manipulated in a more controlled manner. In their interesting Feature article Liu et al. discuss developments in this approach and offer some perspectives on future challenges and opportunities in the field.

Read the full Feature article:

DNA discrete modified gold nanoparticles
Tao Zhang, Zhongqiang Yang and Dongsheng Liu
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10882D

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Nanoscale Most-Read Articles for Q2 2011

06 Sep 2011

By Hannah Porter, Publishing Assistant.

Top 25 most-read Nanoscale articles for Q2

Controlled assembly of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles on graphene oxide
Yi Zhang, Biao Chen, Liming Zhang, Jie Huang, Fenghua Chen, Zupei Yang, Jianlin Yao and Zhijun Zhang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00776E

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

The role of nanomaterials in redox-based supercapacitors for next generation energy storage devices
Xin Zhao, Beatriz Mendoza Sánchez, Peter J. Dobson and Patrick S. Grant
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00594K

Conjugated polymers/semiconductor nanocrystals hybrid materials—preparation, electrical transport properties and applications
Peter Reiss, Elsa Couderc, Julia De Girolamo and Adam Pron
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00403K

Fabrication of carbon nanofiber–polyaniline composite flexible paper for supercapacitor
Xingbin Yan, Zhixin Tai, Jiangtao Chen and Qunji Xue
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00470G

Luminescent nanomaterials
Claus Feldmann
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR90008K

Graphene edges: a review of their fabrication and characterization
Xiaoting Jia, Jessica Campos-Delgado, Mauricio Terrones, Vincent Meunier and Mildred S. Dresselhaus
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00600A

A multiscale simulation study of carbon nanotube interactions with designed amphiphilic peptide helices
E. Jayne Wallace, Robert S. G. D’Rozario, Beatriz Mendoza Sanchez and Mark S. P. Sansom
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00355J

Preparation of functional magnetic nanocomposites and hybrid materials: recent progress and future directions
Silke Behrens
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00634C

Surfactant-assisted, shape-controlled synthesis of gold nanocrystals
Junyan Xiao and Limin Qi
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00814A

Electrostatics at the nanoscale
David A. Walker, Bartlomiej Kowalczyk, Monica Olvera de la Cruz and Bartosz A. Grzybowski
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00698J

Facile synthesis of metal oxide/reduced graphene oxide hybrids with high lithium storage capacity and stable cyclability
Jixin Zhu, Ting Zhu, Xiaozhu Zhou, Yanyan Zhang, Xiong Wen Lou, Xiaodong Chen, Hua Zhang, Huey Hoon Hng and Qingyu Yan
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00744G

Graphene-wrapped TiO2 hollow structures with enhanced lithium storage capabilities
Jun Song Chen, Zhiyu Wang, Xiao Chen Dong, Peng Chen and Xiong Wen (David) Lou
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10162E

Liquid-phase exfoliation, functionalization and applications of graphene
Xu Cui, Chenzhen Zhang, Rui Hao and Yanglong Hou
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10127G

Current directions in core–shell nanoparticle design
Wolfgang Schärtl
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00028K

Mechanised nanoparticles for drug delivery
Karla K. Cotí, Matthew E. Belowich, Monty Liong, Michael W. Ambrogio, Yuen A. Lau, Hussam A. Khatib, Jeffrey I. Zink, Niveen M. Khashab and J. Fraser Stoddart
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00162J

2D materials: to graphene and beyond
Rubén Mas-Ballesté, Cristina Gómez-Navarro, Julio Gómez-Herrero and Félix Zamora
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00323A

Fabrication of hybrids based on graphene and metal nanoparticles by in situ and self-assembled methods
Fu-An He, Jin-Tu Fan, Fei Song, Li-Ming Zhang and Helen Lai-Wa Chan
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00672F

Microwave chemistry for inorganic nanomaterials synthesis
Idalia Bilecka and Markus Niederberger
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00377K

Semiconductor nanostructure-based photovoltaic solar cells
Genqiang Zhang, Scott Finefrock, Daxin Liang, Gautam G. Yadav, Haoran Yang, Haiyu Fang and Yue Wu
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10152H

Solution synthesis of one-dimensional ZnO nanomaterials and their applications
Benjamin Weintraub, Zhengzhi Zhou, Yinhua Li and Yulin Deng
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00047G

TiO2nanotubes and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells
Poulomi Roy, Doohun Kim, Kiyoung Lee, Erdmann Spiecker and Patrik Schmuki
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00131J

Small-sized silicon nanoparticles: new nanolights and nanocatalysts
Zhenhui Kang, Yang Liu and Shuit-Tong Lee
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00559B

Gold nanoparticles for the colorimetric and fluorescent detection of ions and small organic molecules
Dingbin Liu, Zhuo Wang and Xingyu Jiang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00887G

Surface charge of gold nanoparticles mediates mechanism of toxicity
Nicole M. Schaeublin, Laura K. Braydich-Stolle, Amanda M. Schrand, John M. Miller, Jim Hutchison, John J. Schlager and Saber M. Hussain
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00478B

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Exciting prospects for strongly correlated materials

17 Aug 2011

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Strongly correlated materials (SCMs) – those for which the electronic and magnetic structure cannot be fully understood using single-particle band structure – display lots of interesting properties from large magnetoresistance to high temperature superconductivity.

Jiang Wei and Douglas Natelson have written a review of SCMs covering developments in the field and exciting opportunities for future research.

Read the Nanoscale review here:

Nanostructure studies of strongly correlated materials
Jiang Wei and Douglas Natelson
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10457H

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Zinc oxide nanocrystals could kill cancer cells

16 Aug 2011

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Nair, Koyakutty and coworkers introduced zinc oxide nanocrystals (ZnO NCs) into the environment around normal and cancer cells. They found found the ZnO NCs were toxic to cancer cell lines, while normal human primary cells remained less affected.

They found that the acidic microenvironment around the cancer cells was crucial to this effect as the ZnO NCs were more soluble under these conditions resulting in elevated levels of free Zn²⁺ ions that impaired the normal functioning of the cells’ mitochondria leading to apoptosis.

Read the Nanoscale article here:

Rapid dissolution of ZnO nanocrystals in acidic cancer microenvironment leading to preferential apoptosis
Abhilash Sasidharan, Parwathy Chandran, Deepthy Menon, Sreerekha Raman, Shantikumar Nair and Manzoor Koyakutty
Nanoscale, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10272A

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Nanoscale & Nanoscale Advances Blog

Nanoscale Aβ42–copper oligomers implicated in Alzheimer’s disease

Hierarchical structured materials for Li-ion batteries with high rate capability and tap density

Single walled carbon nanotubes show enhanced cell uptake

Nanoscale review: Spherical silica micro/nanomaterials

HOT article: Unidirectional arrays of vertically alligned graphene

Controlling nanoparticles using DNA modification

Top Ten most-read Nanoscale articles in July

Nanoscale Most-Read Articles for Q2 2011

Exciting prospects for strongly correlated materials

Zinc oxide nanocrystals could kill cancer cells

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