Fullerene Nanotubes Research Articles

Nanoparticle integration in adhesive and hybrid single lap joints: effect on strength and fatigue life under environmental aging

Examining the mechanical performance of CFRP and aluminum samples subjected to environmental aging is crucial. Additionally, it is essential to develop methods to enhance their mechanical properties. This research investigates the impact of fullerene and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on the fatigue life and static strength of bonded and bonded/bolted joints. The study focuses on composite-to-composite (CTC) and composite-to-aluminum (CTA) substrates under three-point bending, both before and after hygrothermal aging. The samples were divided into four categories: (1) neat specimens, (2) specimens with added fullerene, (3) specimens with added SWCNT, and (4) specimens with a combination of 50% SWCNT and 50% fullerene. The experimental results indicated that the optimal nanoparticle ratio for bonded joints differs from that for bonded/bolted joints. Adding nanoparticles to the adhesive increased the fatigue life of SLJs, particularly in samples containing mixed particles and SWCNT. In some cases, nanoparticles amplified the effect of hygrothermal conditions, enhancing fatigue life further. The integration of nanoparticles into the adhesive and the use of bonded/bolted joints significantly improved joint strength, with the combination of both techniques yielding the best results. These modified joints offer a promising alternative to traditional joints in terms of strength and fatigue life. The study enhances understanding of the aging of adhesive and hybrid joints, especially dissimilar joints (composite to metal), and provides insights into their behavior under various environmental aging conditions. These methods show potential for optimizing joints and composite structures, improving durability, and reducing the likelihood of operational failures.

Interaction of vascular endothelial cells with hydrophilic fullerene nanoarchitectured structures in 2D and 3D environments

ABSTRACT The interaction between diverse nanoarchitectured fullerenes and cells is crucial for biomedical applications. Here, we detailed the preparation of hydrophilic self-assembled fullerenes by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method and hydrophilic coating of the materials as a possible vascularization strategy. The interactions of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) with hydrophilic fullerene nanotubes (FNT-P) and hydrophilic fullerene nanowhiskers (FNW-P) were investigated. The average length and diameter of FNT-P were 16 ± 2 μm and 3.4 ± 0.4 μm (i.e. aspect ratios of 4.6), respectively. The average length and diameter of FNW-P were 65 ± 8 μm and 1.2 ± 0.2 μm (i.e. aspect ratios of 53.9), respectively. For two-dimensional (2D) culture after 7 days, the ECs remained viable and proliferated up to ~ 420% and ~ 400% with FNT-P and FNW-P of 50 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, an optimized chitosan-based self-healing hydrogel with a modulus of ~400 Pa was developed and used to incorporate self-assembled fullerenes as in vitro three-dimensional (3D) platforms to investigate the impact of FNT-P and FNW-P on ECs within a 3D environment. The addition of FNW-P or FNT-P (50 μg/mL) in the hydrogel system led to proliferation rates of ECs up to ~323% and ~280%, respectively, after 7 days of culture. The ECs in FNW-P hydrogel displayed an elongated shape with aligned morphology, while those in FNT-P hydrogel exhibited a rounded and clustered distribution. Vascular-related gene expressions of ECs were significantly upregulated through interactions with these fullerenes. Thus, the combined use of different nanoarchitectured self-assembled fullerenes and self-healing hydrogels may offer environmental cues influencing EC development in a 3D biomimetic microenvironment, holding promise for advancing vascularization strategy in tissue engineering.

Collation of fullerenes and carbon nanotubes with genistein for synergistic anti-Alzheimer's activity by amyloid-β deaggregation

This research study aimed to compare the therapeutic potential of two pharmacologically-active carbon-based nanocarriers, Fullerene (C60) and Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), both loaded with genistein (GEN), for their synergistic action on amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in Alzheimer's disease. Utilizing a 32 Factorial design with Design Expert® software, the researchers optimized the formulations. The optimized batch OPC60 and OP-MWCNT displayed particle sizes of 444.02 ± 1.23 nm and 236.91 ± 1.22 nm, respectively, with excellent encapsulation efficiencies of 86.13 ± 2.68 % and 85.13 ± 2.89 %. Both formulations exhibited favourable in-vitro release profiles in brain pH (7.2), with OPC60 and OP-MWCNTs releasing 83.25 ± 0.36 % and 87.38 ± 0.49 %, respectively. Ex-vivo and in-vivo brain distribution studies on male Wistar rats demonstrated successful controlled release of GEN in the brain through intranasal administration. The formulations permeated the nasal membrane mainly via receptor-mediated endocytosis, involving scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1). Pharmacokinetic analysis yielded parameters for OPC60, including AUC0-24 of 6688 μgh/L, Cmax of 321 ± 4.67 μg, Tmax of 24 h, and T1/2 of 6.7 h. For OP-MWCNTs, the parameters were AUC0-24 of 5942 μgh/L, Cmax of 339.41 ± 2.84 μg, Tmax of 24 h, and T1/2 of 9.4 h. Both formulations showed promising potential for reversing Alzheimer's disease and could serve as viable alternatives soon. Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects and address safety and clinical translation challenges for large-scale production and medical applications.

Processing of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for the Removal of Pollutants from Water/Wastewater Application

In both the inorganic and organic worlds, carbon-based nanomaterials, such as benzene, diamond, graphite, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes, are abundant. In science laboratories, carbon is the focal point of activity. In this overview, the synthesis, characteristics, and several uses of graphene—including energy conversion, energy storage, electronics, and biosensing—were explored with a focus on ecologically friendly production techniques. This article also discusses recent advancements in the detection and treatment of organic contaminants and heavy metals utilizing nanomaterials. In this article, we outline some recent developments in the creation of innovative nanomaterials and nanostructures and methods for treating organic contaminants and heavy metals in water. The essay presents the current state of the field and, in our opinion, should be helpful to anybody interested in nanomaterials and related materials.

Plants anatomically engineered by nanomaterials

Anatomical characteristics are essential in determining the stress that affects plants. In addition, they provided a piece of evidence for environmental pollution. The increasing use of nanomaterials (EnNos) in industries, medicine, agriculture, and all fields. Nanomaterials also have many uses as a new science; they have toxic effects that have not been studied well. Therefore, this research was interested in recording recent studies on (EnNos) and their impact on the anatomical characteristics of plants. Moreover, the possibility of using anatomical characteristics as evidence of nano contamination (nanotoxicity) in plants comprises a crucial living component of the ecosystem. Studies on the effect of EnNos (carbon) on plant anatomy indicated that excess EnNos content affects the anatomical structure of the plant from the vital structures of the root, stem and leaves. Toxicological effect on xylem and phylum vessels from toxicological studies to date, Toxicological effects on EnNos of various kinds can be toxic if they are not bound to a substrate or freely circulating in living systems. Different types of EnNos, behavior, and plant capacity generate different paths. Moreover, different, or even conflicting, conclusions have been drawn from most studies on the interactions of EnNos with plants. Therefore, this paper comprehensively reviews studies on different types of carbon EnNos and their interactions with different plant species at the anatomical responses. Keywords: Anatomical characteristics, nanomaterials, nanotoxicity, Fullerene and Carbon Nanotubes

Emergence of Sizeable Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction at Cobalt/Fullerene Interface

The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI) originating from a heavy-metal/ferromagnet (FM) interface plays a crucial role in stabilizing chiral spin textures in magnetic multilayers. Recently, graphene based on the low-spin-orbit-coupling (SOC) element carbon ($\mathrm{C}$) has shown a significant iDMI owing to the Rashba SOC when deposited on top of $\mathrm{Co}$. A similar enhanced SOC has been reported earlier for other $\mathrm{C}$ allotropes, namely fullerene (${\text{C}}_{60}$) and carbon nanotubes, and a sizeable DMI can be expected to emerge from them. In this context, we elucidate the magnetization-reversal mechanism, the domain-wall (DW) dynamics, and the strength of the iDMI in a $\mathrm{Pd}(4.0\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})/\mathrm{Co}(0.5\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})/{\text{C}}_{60}({t}_{{\mathrm{C}}_{60}})/\text{Pd}(2.0\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})$ system with varying ${t}_{{\mathrm{C}}_{60}}$. The field-induced DW velocity measured in the creep region shows a DW velocity 2 orders of magnitude higher for a sample with 1.6 nm of ${\text{C}}_{60}$, due to a lower depinning field and spin-dependent hybridization at the $\text{Co}/{\text{C}}_{60}$ interface. Further, DMI measurements performed by use of the asymmetric DW expansion method exhibit a systematic increase in the iDMI from $\ensuremath{-}0.07$ to $\ensuremath{-}0.46\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mJ}/{\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ with an increase in ${t}_{{\mathrm{C}}_{60}}$. Such an enhanced iDMI turns an achiral Bloch wall into a chiral N\'eel wall. The emergence of a finite DMI (${D}_{\mathrm{Co}/{\mathrm{C}}_{60}}\ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{-}0.11\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mJ}/{\mathrm{m}}^{2}$) from the $\text{Co}/{\text{C}}_{60}$ interface is particularly encouraging for the use of $\mathrm{C}$-based materials in chiral-DW-based device applications.

Glucose Biosensor Based on Glucose Oxidase Immobilized on BSA Cross-Linked Nanocomposite Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Glucose sensors based blood glucose detection are of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes because diabetes has aroused wide concern in the world. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used to cross-link glucose oxidase (GOD) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified by a composite of hydroxy fullerene (HFs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and protected with a glutaraldehyde (GLA)/Nafion (NF) composite membrane to prepare a novel glucose biosensor. The modified materials were analyzed by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The prepared MWCNTs-HFs composite has excellent conductivity, the addition of BSA regulates MWCNTs-HFs hydrophobicity and biocompatibility, and better immobilizes GOD on MWCNTs-HFs. MWCNTs-BSA-HFs plays a synergistic role in the electrochemical response to glucose. The biosensor shows high sensitivity (167 μA·mM-1·cm-2), wide calibration range (0.01-3.5 mM), and low detection limit (17 μM). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant Kmapp is 119 μM. Additionally, the proposed biosensor has good selectivity and excellent storage stability (120 days). The practicability of the biosensor was evaluated in real plasma samples, and the recovery rate was satisfactory.

Recent Advances in the Spintronic Application of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials.

The term "carbon-based spintronics" mostly refers to the spin applications in carbon materials such as graphene, fullerene, carbon nitride, and carbon nanotubes. Carbon-based spintronics and their devices have undergone extraordinary development recently. The causes of spin relaxation and the characteristics of spin transport in carbon materials, namely for graphene and carbon nanotubes, have been the subject of several theoretical and experimental studies. This article gives a summary of the present state of research and technological advancements for spintronic applications in carbon-based materials. We discuss the benefits and challenges of several spin-enabled, carbon-based applications. The advantages include the fact that they are significantly less volatile than charge-based electronics. The challenge is in being able to scale up to mass production.

State-of-the-Art of Polymer/Fullerene C60 Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Treatment: Conceptions, Structural Diversity and Topographies.

To secure existing water resources is one of the imposing challenges to attain sustainability and ecofriendly world. Subsequently, several advanced technologies have been developed for water treatment. The most successful methodology considered so far is the development of water filtration membranes for desalination, ion permeation, and microbes handling. Various types of membranes have been industrialized including nanofiltration, microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultrafiltration membranes. Among polymeric nanocomposites, nanocarbon (fullerene, graphene, and carbon nanotubes)-reinforced nanomaterials have gained research attention owing to notable properties/applications. Here, fullerene has gained important stance amid carbonaceous nanofillers due to zero dimensionality, high surface areas, and exceptional physical properties such as optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and other characteristics. Accordingly, a very important application of polymer/fullerene C60 nanocomposites has been observed in the membrane sector. This review is basically focused on talented applications of polymer/fullerene nanocomposite membranes in water treatment. The polymer/fullerene nanostructures bring about numerous revolutions in the field of high-performance membranes because of better permeation, water flux, selectivity, and separation performance. The purpose of this pioneering review is to highlight and summarize current advances in the field of water purification/treatment using polymer and fullerene-based nanocomposite membranes. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of fullerene embedded into a variety of polymer membranes (Nafion, polysulfone, polyamide, polystyrene, etc.) and effects on the enhanced properties and performance of the resulting water treatment membranes. Polymer/fullerene nanocomposite membranes have been developed using solution casting, phase inversion, electrospinning, solid phase synthesis, and other facile methods. The structural diversity of polymer/fullerene nanocomposites facilitates membrane separation processes, especially for valuable or toxic metal ions, salts, and microorganisms. Current challenges and opportunities for future research have also been discussed. Future research on these innovative membrane materials may overwhelm design and performance-related challenging factors.

Graphene Nanoribbon Bending (Nanotubes): Interaction Force between QDs and Graphene

Carbon materials in different shapes—such as fullerene molecules (0D), nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons (1D), graphene sheets (2D), and nanodiamonds (3D)—each have distinct electrical and optical properties. All graphene-based nanostructures are expected to exhibit extraordinary electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties. Moreover, they are therefore promising candidates for a wide range of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications. In this work, we theoretically studied and analyzed how an array of quantum dots affects a charged graphene plate. To that end, the array of quantum dots was embedded on the graphene plate. Then, considering the interaction between QDs and graphene nanoribbons, we transformed the charged plate of a graphene capacitor into a nanotube using the bipolar-induced interaction and the application of an external electromagnetic field. In this work, the dimensions of the graphene plate were 40 nm × 3100 nm. The bending process of a charged graphene plate is controlled by the induced force due to the applied electromagnetic field and the electric field induced by the quantum dots. Finally, using the predetermined frequency and amplitude of the electromagnetic field, the graphene nanoribbon was converted into a graphene nanotube. Since the electrical and optical properties of nanotubes are different from those of graphene plates, this achievement has many practical potential applications in the electro-optical industry.

The Transformation of 0-D Carbon Dots into 1-, 2- and 3-D Carbon Allotropes: A Minireview.

Carbon dots (CDs) represent a relatively new type of carbon allotrope with a 0-D structure and with nanoparticle sizes < 10 nm. A large number of research articles have been published on the synthesis, characteristics, mechanisms and applications of this carbon allotrope. Many of these articles have also shown that CDs can be synthesized from “bottom-up” and “top-down” methods. The “top-down” methods are dominated by the breaking down of large carbon structures such as fullerene, graphene, carbon black and carbon nanotubes into the CDs. What is less known is that CDs also have the potential to be used as carbon substrates for the synthesis of larger carbon structures such as 1-D carbon nanotubes, 2-D or 3-D graphene-based nanosheets and 3-D porous carbon frameworks. Herein, we present a review of the synthesis strategies used to convert the 0-D carbons into these higher-dimensional carbons. The methods involve the use of catalysts or thermal procedures to generate the larger structures. The surface functional groups on the CDs, typically containing nitrogen and oxygen, appear to be important in the process of creating the larger carbon structures that typically are formed via the generation of covalent bonds. The CD building blocks can also ‘aggregate’ to form so called supra-CDs. The mechanism for the formation of the structures made from CDs, the physical properties of the CDs and their applications (for example in energy devices and as reagents for use in medicinal fields) will also be discussed. We hope that this review will serve to provide valuable insights into this area of CD research and a novel viewpoint on the exploration of CDs.

Preparation of bionanocomposite coatings from tung oil treated with a diamine and a triamine as alternatives for bisphenol A (BPA)

The aim of this study is to obtain new bio-based epoxide-nanocomposite coatings as an alternative to BPA for aluminum surfaces and compare new bio-based epoxide-amine coatings with their nanocomposite coating derivatives (graphene, CNT, and fullerene). Moreover, the comparison of epoxide-triamine nanocoating with epoxide-diamine nanocoatings are also given. As replacements for BPA, new bio-based epoxide-amine coatings and their nanocomposite coating derivatives including graphenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fullerenes were prepared with an epoxide tung oil (ETO) and Jeffamines (T403 and ED900) and, their thermal and mechanical properties have been compared, as well.In the first step, epoxy functionalized tung oil (ETO) was synthesized via the Diels-Alder reaction. Subsequently, these new epoxide-nanocomposite coatings were successfully prepared from the reaction of an epoxy functionalized tung oil (ETO) and two different polyether amines (Jeffamines T403 and ED900) as cross-linking agents, premixed with graphene, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nanoparticles. Four different curing temperatures were applied ranging from 25 °C to 150 °C. Epoxide-amine nanocomposites were prepared with a 1:1 epoxy: amine molar ratio and additive of 1% of carbon nanoparticles (graphenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fullerenes).Epoxide resin and the new nanocomposites were identified via 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, DSC and TGA analyses. Thermal stability of new coatings is observed up to 420 °C according to TGA analysis and these cured films displayed no glass transition points (Tgs) by DSC, except epoxide-diamine nanocoatings prepared with graphene (ETO-ED900-Graphene).The determination of the mechanical properties of the resulting nano coatings was accomplished by pendulum hardness, pencil hardness, cross-hatch adhesion, pull-off adhesion, impact and reverse impact resistance tests. New epoxide-amine nanocomposite coatings exhibit excellent thermal stability. All the cured films showed good adhesion, hardness, and impact resistance properties. Generally, epoxide-amine nanocomposite coatings displayed better thermal and mechanical properties in comparison to epoxide-amine coatings.They can be used as alternative coatings instead of BPA based epoxy resins in various coating systems in automobile, ships, aerospace, food and beverage industries due to their excellent thermal stability and good mechanical properties.

Modeling the process of filling carbon nanocontainers with hydrogen

The problem of storing and transporting hydrogen in containers based on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes is relevant to hydrogen energy. This problem theoretically can be solved using quantum chemistry methods and powerful computer technology to calculate molecules with a large number of atoms, polymers, nanostructures and nanotubes. It is necessary to create a theoretical model of the electromagnetic field in the cavity of fullerene molecules and nanotubes in order to understand how atoms and molecules of hydrogen or any other substances behave in it. Computer simulation of the filling process by hydrogen molecules fullerenes and nanotubes was performed by quantum mechanics methods DFT with GAUSSIAN 09 program.

Carbon Based Nanodots in Early Diagnosis of Cancer.

Detection of cancer at an early stage is one of the principal factors associated with successful treatment outcome. However, current diagnostic methods are not capable of making sensitive and robust cancer diagnosis. Nanotechnology based products exhibit unique physical, optical and electrical properties that can be useful in diagnosis. These nanotech-enabled diagnostic representatives have proved to be generally more capable and consistent; as they selectively accumulated in the tumor site due to their miniscule size. This article rotates around the conventional imaging techniques, the use of carbon based nanodots viz Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs), Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs), Nanodiamonds, Fullerene, and Carbon Nanotubes that have been synthesized in recent years, along with the discovery of a wide range of biomarkers to identify cancer at early stage. Early detection of cancer using nanoconstructs is anticipated to be a distinct reality in the coming years.

Fabrication of Mesoporous C60/Carbon Hybrids with 3D Porous Structure for Energy Storage Applications.

We report on the synthesis of 3D mesoporous fullerene/carbon hybrid materials with ordered porous structure and high surface area by mixing the solution of fullerene and sucrose molecules in the nanochannels of 3D mesoporous silica, KIT-6 via nanotemplating approach. The addition of sucrose molecules in the synthesis offers a thin layer of carbon between the fullerene molecules which enhances not only the specific surface area and the specific pore volume but also the conductivity of the hybrid materials. The prepared hybrids exhibit 3D mesoporous structure and show a much higher specific surface area than that of the pure mesoporous fullerene. The hybrids materials are used as the electrodes for supercapacitor and Li-ion battery applications. The optimised hybrid sample shows an excellent rate capability and a high specific capacitance of 254 F/g at the current density of 0.5 A/g, which is much higher than that of the pure mesoporous fullerene, mesoporous carbon, activated carbon and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. When used as the electrode for Li-ion battery, the sample delivers the largest specific capacity of 1067 mAh/g upon 50 cycles at the current density of 0.1 A/g with stability. These results reveal that the addition of carbon in the mesoporous fullerene with 3D structure makes a significant impact on the electrochemical properties of the hybrid samples, demonstrating their potential for applications in Li-ion battery and supercapacitor devices.

Calculating the number of Hamilton cycles in layered polyhedral graphs

We describe a method for computing the number of Hamilton cycles in cubic polyhedral graphs. The Hamilton cycle counts are expressed in terms of a finite-state machine, and can be written as a matrix expression. In the special case of polyhedral graphs with repeating layers, the state machines become cyclic, greatly simplifying the expression for the exact Hamilton cycle counts, and let us calculate the exact Hamilton cycle counts for infinite series of graphs that are generated by repeating the layers. For some series, these reduce to closed form expressions, valid for the entire infinite series. When this is not possible, evaluating the number of Hamiltonian cycles admitted by the series' k-layer member is found by computing a (k − 1)th matrix power, requiring 𝒪 ( log 2 ( k ) ) matrix-matrix multiplications. We demonstrate our technique for the two infinite series of fullerene nanotubes with the smallest caps. In addition to exact closed form and matrix expressions, we provide approximate exponential formulas for the number of Hamilton cycles.

Simple annealing process for producing unique one-dimensional fullerene crystal named fullerene finned-micropillar

We propose a process for easily fabricating a unique one-dimensional fullerene crystal, i.e., a fullerene finned-micropillar (FFMP). To fabricate a one-dimensional fullerene crystal more easily than when using current processes, fullerene was first annealed at 1173 K for 1 h with an argon gas flow of 0.5 L/min. We then examined how the FFMP structure changed when the fabrication process conditions, such as temperature, annealing time, and argon gas flow rate, were varied. FFMPs can be prepared within a short time and may have the same electrical characteristics as other one-dimensional crystals, e.g., fullerene nanowhiskers, so they are expected to be very useful for field-effect transistors, organic photovoltaics, and so on in the near future.

LCAO-TDDFT-k-ω: spectroscopy in the optical limit

Understanding, optimizing, and controlling the optical absorption process, exciton gemination, and electron–hole separation and conduction in low dimensional systems is a fundamental problem in materials science. However, robust and efficient methods capable of modelling the optical absorbance of low dimensional macromolecular systems and providing physical insight into the processes involved have remained elusive. We employ a highly efficient linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAOs) representation of the Kohn–Sham (KS) orbitals within time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in the reciprocal space (k) and frequency (ω) domains, as implemented within our LCAO-TDDFT-k-ω code, applying either a priori or a posteriori the derivative discontinuity correction of the exchange functional Δx to the KS eigenenergies as a scissors operator. In so doing we are able to provide a semi-quantitative description of the photoabsorption cross section, conductivity, and dielectric function for prototypical 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D systems within the optical limit (‖q‖ → 0+) as compared to both available measurements and from solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation with quasiparticle G0W0 eigenvalues (G0W0-BSE). Specifically, we consider 0D fullerene (C60), 1D metallic (10, 0) and semiconducting (10, 10) single-walled carbon nanotubes, 2D graphene (Gr) and phosphorene (Pn), and 3D rutile (R-TiO2) and anatase (A-TiO2). For each system, we also employ the spatially and energetically resolved electron–hole spectral density to provide direct physical insight into the nature of their optical excitations. These results demonstrate the reliability, applicability, efficiency, and robustness of our LCAO-TDDFT-k-ω code, and open the pathway to the computational design of macromolecular systems for optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and photocatalytic applications in silico.

Carbon Nanomaterials Applied for the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases: Preclinical Evidence

AbstractIn the last decade, graphene‐based nanomaterials and carbon dots have joined the family of carbon materials mainly composed of graphite, diamond, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanomaterials have been widely exploited in various fields from electronics and materials science to nanomedicine. The studies on their effect on the immune system have revealed that they possess intrinsic anti‐inflammatory properties, reducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines and modulating immune cell maturation. In addition, their large specific surface area associated with high biocompatibility allows their use as carriers for the delivery of anti‐inflammatory agents. They can also contribute to the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases as biosensors for low‐limit detection and quantification of inflammation‐related biomarkers in body fluids and tissues allowing to monitor the concentration of drugs in urine and guide personalized drug usage. Finally, they are used as adsorbents for blood plasma purification in the clinical treatment of sepsis through efficient removal of certain cytokines. This review focuses on the intrinsic anti‐inflammatory properties of carbon nanomaterials. An overview is provided on their use as carriers of anti‐inflammatory drugs, as biosensors, and for blood purification in the context of inflammatory diseases. The potential of carbon nanomaterials for clinical translation is also critically discussed.

Catalytic activity of hybrid platinum nanoparticle-[C60]fullerene nanowhisker composites for 4-nitrophenol reduction

Composites comprising platinum nanoparticles loaded on [C60]fullerene nanowhiskers were prepared by a liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method. The synthesized platinum nanoparticle-[C60]fullerene nanowhisker composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic activity of the platinum nanoparticle-[C60]fullerene nanowhisker composites was confirmed for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by UV–vis spectroscopy. The reduction of 4-nitrophenol catalyzed by the platinum nanoparticle-[C60]fullerene nanowhisker composites followed the pseudo-first-order reaction rate law.