Applications Of Inorganic Nanomaterials Research Articles

Applications of Inorganic Nanomaterials against Tuberculosis: A Comprehensive Review.

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant global health threat, with millions of new infections recorded annually. Current treatment strategies, such as Directly Observed Treatment (DOT), face challenges, including patient non-compliance and the emergence of drug-resistant TB strains. In response to these obstacles, innovative approaches utilizing inorganic/metallic nanomaterials have been developed to enhance drug delivery to target alveolar macrophages, where Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides. These nanomaterials have shown effectiveness against various strains of TB, offering benefits such as improved drug efficacy, minimized side effects, and sustained drug release at the infection site. This comprehensive review explores the applications of different metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and metal-metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles in the management of TB, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. The synergistic effects of combining inorganic nanoparticles with conventional anti-TB drugs have demonstrated promising results in combating TB infections. Further research and development in this field hold great promise for overcoming the challenges faced in current TB therapy and improving patient outcomes.

Inorganic-Nanomaterial-Composited Hydrogel Dressings for Wound Healing

Wound management heavily relies on the vital contribution of wound dressings, emphasizing the significance of finding an ideal dressing that can fulfill the intricate requirements of the wound healing process with multiple functions. A promising strategy is combining several materials and therapies to create multifunctional wound dressings. Nanocomposite hydrogel dressings based on nanomaterials, combining the advantages of nanomaterials and hydrogels in wound treatment, can significantly improve their respective performance and compensate for their shortcomings. A variety of nanocomposite wound dressings with diverse structures and synergistic functions have been developed in recent years, achieving ideal results in wound management applications. In this review, the multiple functions, advantages, and limitations of hydrogels as wound dressings are first discussed. Additionally, the application of inorganic nanomaterials in wound healing is also elaborated on. Furthermore, we focused on summarizing and analyzing nanocomposite hydrogel dressings for wound healing, which contain various inorganic nanomaterials, including metals, metal oxides, metal sulfides, carbon-based nanomaterials, and silicon-based nanoparticles. Finally, prospects for nanocomposite hydrogel wound dressings are envisaged, providing insights for further research in wound management.

Application of Inorganic Nanomaterials in Cultural Heritage Conservation, Risk of Toxicity, and Preventive Measures.

Nanotechnology has allowed for significant progress in architectural, artistic, archaeological, or museum heritage conservation for repairing and preventing damages produced by deterioration agents (weathering, contaminants, or biological actions). This review analyzes the current treatments using nanomaterials, including consolidants, biocides, hydrophobic protectives, mechanical resistance improvers, flame-retardants, and multifunctional nanocomposites. Unfortunately, nanomaterials can affect human and animal health, altering the environment. Right now, it is a priority to stop to analyze its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the aims are to raise awareness about the nanotoxicity risks during handling and the subsequent environmental exposure to all those directly or indirectly involved in conservation processes. It reports the human-body interaction mechanisms and provides guidelines for preventing or controlling its toxicity, mentioning the current toxicity research of main compounds and emphasizing the need to provide more information about morphological, structural, and specific features that ultimately contribute to understanding their toxicity. It provides information about the current documents of international organizations (European Commission, NIOSH, OECD, Countries Normative) about worker protection, isolation, laboratory ventilation control, and debris management. Furthermore, it reports the qualitative risk assessment methods, management strategies, dose control, and focus/receptor relationship, besides the latest trends of using nanomaterials in masks and gas emissions control devices, discussing their risk of toxicity.

Recent Developments in the Application of Inorganic Nanomaterials and Nanosystems for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Organic Artifacts.

Cultural heritage (CH) represents human identity and evidence of the existence and activities that people have left over time. In response to the action of aggressive degrading factors, different materials have been developed and used to protect cultural heritage artifacts. The discovery of optimal materials for this purpose also raises several problems, mainly related to their compatibility with the support material, the most important aspect being that they must preserve their aesthetic characteristics. In this context, the present review paper aims to provide a critical discussion about the possibilities of using different inorganic nanomaterials and recipes for the conservation of cultural heritage objects of organic nature (such as paper, wood, and other support materials). In addition, also are covered different aspect concerning protection mechanisms and application methods as well as future perspectives in this area.

Advances in Inorganic Nanomaterials for Triboelectric Nanogenerators.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that utilize triboelectrification and electrostatic induction to convert mechanical energy to electricity have attracted increasing interest in the last 10 years. As a universal physical phenomenon, triboelectrification can occur between any two surfaces that experience physical contact and separation regardless of the type of material. For this reason, many materials, including both organic and inorganic materials, have been studied in TENGs with different purposes. Although organic polymers are mainly used as triboelectric materials in TENGs, the application of inorganic nanomaterials has also been intensively studied because of their unique dielectric, electric, piezoelectric, and optical properties, which can improve the performance of TENGs. A review of how inorganic nanomaterials are used in TENGs would help researchers gain an overview of the progress in this area. Here, we present a review to summarize how inorganic nanomaterials are utilized in TENGs based on the roles, types, and characteristics of the nanomaterials.

Regulation of Stem Cell Differentiation by Inorganic Nanomaterials: Recent Advances in Regenerative Medicine.

Transplanting stem cells with the abilities of self-renewal and differentiation is one of the most effective ways to treat many diseases. In order to optimize the therapeutic effect of stem cell transplantation, it is necessary to intervene in stem cell differentiation. Inorganic nanomaterials (NMs), due to their unique physical and chemical properties, can affect the adhesion, migration, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. In addition, inorganic NMs have huge specific surface area and modifiability that can be used as vectors to transport plasmids, proteins or small molecules to further interfere with the fate of stem cells. In this mini review, we summarized the recent advances of common inorganic NMs in regulating stem cells differentiation, and the effects of the stiffness, size and shape of inorganic NMs on stem cell behavior were discussed. In addition, we further analyzed the existing obstacles and corresponding perspectives of the application of inorganic NMs in the field of stem cells.

Applications of Inorganic Nanomaterials in Photothermal Therapy Based on Combinational Cancer Treatment.

BackgroundCancer is one of the major causes of death and is difficult to cure using existing clinical therapies. Clinical cancer treatments [such as surgery, chemotherapy (CHT), radiotherapy (RT) and immunotherapy (IT)] are widely used but they have limited therapeutic effects and unavoidable side effects. Recently, the development of novel nanomaterials offers a platform for combinational therapy (meaning a combination of two or more therapeutic agents) which is a promising approach for cancer therapy. Recent studies have demonstrated several types of nanomaterials suitable for photothermal therapy (PTT) based on a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive system. PTT possesses favorable properties such as being low in cost, and having high temporospatial control with minimal invasiveness. However, short NIR light penetration depth limits its functions.MethodsIn this review, due to their promise, we focus on inorganic nanomaterials [such as hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs), tungsten sulfide quantum dots (WS2QDs), and gold nanorods (AuNRs)] combining PTT with CHT, RT or IT in one treatment, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of PTT-based combinational cancer therapy.ResultsThis review found much evidence for the use of inorganic nanoparticles for PTT-based combinational cancer therapy.ConclusionUnder synergistic effects, inorganic nanomaterial-based combinational treatments exhibit enhanced therapeutic effects compared to PTT, CHT, RT, IT or PDT alone and should be further investigated in the cancer field.

The Application of Inorganic Nanomaterials in Bone Tissue Engineering

The Application of Inorganic Nanomaterials in Bone Tissue Engineering

Catalase mimic property of Co3O4 nanomaterials with different morphology and its application as a calcium sensor.

The applications of inorganic nanomaterials as biomimetic catalysts are receiving much attention because of their high stability and low cost. In this work, Co3O4 nanomaterials including nanoplates, nanorods, and nanocubes were synthesized. The morphologies and compositions of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic properties of Co3O4 nanomaterials as catalase mimics were studied. The Co3O4 materials with different morphology exhibited different catalytic activities in the order of nanoplates > nanorods > nanocubes. The difference of the catalytic activities originated from their different abilities of electron transfer. Their catalytic activities increased significantly in the presence of calcium ion. On the basis of the stimulation by calcium ion, a biosensor was constructed by Co3O4 nanoplates for the determination of calcium ion. The biosensor had a linear relation to calcium concentrations and good measurement correlation between 0.1 and 1 mM with a detection limit of 4 μM (S/N = 3). It showed high selectivity against other metal ions and good reproducibility. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of calcium in a milk sample.

Lab-on-a-chip devices for gold nanoparticle synthesis and their role as a catalyst support for continuous flow catalysis

AbstractLab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems are extensively used in recent times for applications in nanotechnology ranging from synthesis of nanomaterials to their utilization in catalysis, biomedicine, and drug delivery. A variety of nanomaterials – inorganic materials such as metal, metal oxide, quantum dots, and organic materials based on polymers and biological molecules – have been synthesized and their applications explored based on LOC devices. Among several inorganic nanomaterials, the applications of LOC devices for gold-based nanomaterials have been widely investigated over the past couple of decades. Though the synthesis and applications of inorganic nanomaterials using these systems have been thoroughly reviewed earlier, including those from our group, there are only a few recent review articles that cover gold-based nanomaterials. As the promise of supported gold nanoparticles (NPs) as exceptionally effective catalysts is beginning to be realized, LOC-based approach for continuous flow gold catalysis has begun to be exploited. Here, in this review, we focus on synthesis and catalysis applications of nanostructured gold using the LOC systems. With millifluidics-based LOCs gaining traction, this review fulfills the need for a comprehensive analysis covering both traditional microfluidics as well as recent millifluidics for catalysis applications utilizing gold nanomaterials.

Dendrimer/inorganic nanomaterial composites: Tailoring preparation, properties, functions, and applications of inorganic nanomaterials with dendritic architectures

Inorganic nanomaterials have a variety of fascinating properties and a wide range of promising applications. However, they often suffer from instability and poor processibility. To solve it, dendrimers, a special family of macromolecules having a unique three-dimensional architecture, provide one of the excellent solutions. In addition, the site-selective functionalization of the specific elements in the dendritic structure endows the nanohybrid system new functions and applications. Inspired by such ideas, a variety of dendrimer/inorganic nanomaterial composites have been designed and exploited. This review article selects a number of representative examples, and illustrates their preparation, characterization, properties, and applications. The influence and the unique features that originate from the introduced dendritic structures are particularly discussed.

Inorganic nanomaterials for tumor angiogenesis imaging

Tumor angiogenesis plays an important role in cancer development and metastasis. Noninvasive detection of angiogenic activities is thus of great importance in cancer diagnosis as well as evaluation of cancer therapeutic responses. Various angiogenesis-related molecular targets have been identified and used in tumor vasculature targeting and imaging. Recently, inorganic nanomaterials with various unique intrinsic physical properties have attracted growing interest in biomedical imaging applications. This article will review current progresses in the applications of inorganic nanoprobes in molecular angiogenesis imaging. Several types of nanomaterials with various optical properties, including semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles, have been used as novel optical probes to image angiogenic events. Besides optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of angiogenesis using magnetic nanoparticles has also been intensively investigated. Moreover, nanomaterials provide unique platforms for the integration of various imaging modalities together with therapeutic functionalities for multi-modality imaging and therapy. Although the application of inorganic nanomaterials in clinical imaging and diagnosis is still facing many challenges, the unique properties and functions of these novel nanoprobes make them very promising agents in angiogenesis imaging and could bring great opportunities to this fast-growing field.

New developments in the nonaqueous and/or non-hydrolytic sol–gel synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles

The development of nonaqueous and surfactant-free sol–gel routes to metal oxides has become a very active area within the broad field of nanoparticle research, opening up great opportunities to access a wide variety of binary, ternary and doped metal oxide nanoparticles with high crystallinity and well-defined particle morphologies — important parameters towards their application in electrochemistry, (photo)catalysis or gas sensing. Extension to other classes of inorganic nanomaterials such as nitrides and sulfides and energy optimization of the processes by using dielectric heating represents two promising research directions. Remaining future challenges are not only the development of rational synthesis strategies, nanoparticle processing, assembly and patterning into functional and integrated structures, but also the optimization of the synthesis protocol with respect to energy efficiency and waste management. This review aims at giving both an overview of the current state of research as well as a discussion of the perspectives in the area of nonaqueous and/or non-hydrolytic sol–gel technology for the synthesis, processing and application of inorganic nanomaterials.

Ionic liquids for synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials

In this review, the recent development of synthesizing inorganic nanomaterials in ionic liquids (ILs) is outlined. There are encouraging results suggesting that the ionic liquid route can guide design, production, and application of inorganic nanomaterials across the range of size, shape, composition, and functionality. All examples clearly show that ILs add great value to inorganic nanomaterials area.

Metal nanomaterials and carbon nanotubes—synthesis, functionalization and potential applications towards electrochemistry

This review focuses on the synthesis, assembly, surface functionalization, as well as application of inorganic nanostructures. Electrochemical and wet-chemical methods are demonstrated to be effective approaches to make metal nanostructures under control without addition of a reducing agent or protecting agent. Owing to the unique physical and chemical properties of the nano-sized materials, novel applications are introduced using inorganic nanomaterials, such as electrocatalysis, photoelectricity, spectrochemistry, and analytical chemistry. This feature article provides detailed illustrations about the synthesis and assembly of metal nanostructures, surface modification of carbon nanotubes, as well as novel applications of inorganic nanomaterials, with an emphasis on metal nanostructures and carbon nanotubes derived from studies in the authors' laboratories.