Organic Nanomaterials Research Articles

Nano Innovation: Enhancing Food Packaging through Nanotechnology

The utilization of nanotechnology in developing novel packaging components has grown significantly in recent years, and it is anticipated to have a significant influence on the food industry shortly. It offers to produce food packaging with improved qualities that will assist food goods in lasting longer on the shelf. The present article comprehensively discusses the nanoparticles commonly used in food packaging, the significant changes they bring to the qualities of the material, and the commercially available packaging materials based on nanotechnology. This review primarily focuses on using nanotechnologies in food processing and packaging, explicitly examining their impact on food quality and safety. To comprehend the function of enhanced, active, and antimicrobial packaging in food packaging. The utilization of nanotechnology in food products has experienced a significant surge in popularity in both developed and developing nations. The review was obtained from searches conducted on academic databases such as Sci-Hub, Google Scholar, PubMed, etc. Collected data from many sources has been compiled and presented here to facilitate further research on the application of nanotechnology in food packaging. In the current review, we also discussed the different organic and inorganic nanomaterials. The article also discusses consumer health and safety concerns, highlighting the significance of thorough safety assessments and clear communication. Nanotechnology has numerous uses in diverse areas of food technology. This analysis examines the potential of nanotechnology to improve the quality and safety of packaged food. Nanotechnology in food packaging is highly encouraging, providing substantial advantages in terms of food preservation, safety, and sustainability. This paper offers a thorough examination of present trends, technological progress, and future predictions to provide a full understanding of how nanotechnology can fundamentally transform food packaging. This transformation will enable the development of creative, environmentally friendly, and more secure food systems.

Thionation of conjugated porphyrin with enhanced photodynamic and photothermal effects for cancer therapy

Phototherapy has emerged as a promising modality for cancer treatment in recent years, owing to its precise temporal control and minimally invasive nature. Here, two new organic porphyrin molecules, denoted as ONP and SNP, were designed and synthesized with an acceptor–donor–acceptor (A-D-A) architecture. The donor–acceptor (D-A) pairs in molecules facilitated the intermolecular charge transfer (ICT), thereby amplifying near-infrared (NIR) absorbance and promoting nonradiative heat generation. Notably, the substitution of oxygen atoms with sulfur in naphthalimides (NI) led to significant change of their photophysical and photochemical properties. Specifically, the sulfur atoms exhibited pronounced spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect, leading to efficient photoinduced intersystem crossing (ISC) processes, thus facilitating the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Upon self-assembly, the formed nanomaterials (ONP NPs and SNP NPs) exhibited spherical morphology with average size about 150 nm. The biocompatibility and photocytotoxicity of nanoparticles against Hepa1-6 cells were evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. Additionally, the synergistic effects (photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy) of SNP NPs were confirmed through diverse in vitro experiment under 690 nm laser irradiation. The generation of intracellular ROS by SNP NPs was confirmed with DCFH-DA as probe. This study provides an ingenious strategy for developing organic nanomaterials with high treatment efficiency through synergistic photodynamic/photothermal effects.

Organic Nanomaterials Based on Aza-Boron Dipyrromethene with Aggregation-Induced Emission for NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

Organic Nanomaterials Based on Aza-Boron Dipyrromethene with Aggregation-Induced Emission for NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

Advances in 4-Nitrophenol Detection and Reduction Methods and Mechanisms: An Updated Review.

This review emphasizes the progress in identifying and eliminating para-nitrophenol (4-NP), a toxic organic compound. It covers various strategical methods and materials, including organic and inorganic nanomaterials, for detecting and reducing 4-NP. Detection techniques such as electrochemical methods. Optical fiber-based surface plasmon resonance and photoluminescence, as well as the mechanisms of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and Inner Filter Effect (IFE) in fluorescence detection, are presented. Removal techniques for this contaminant include homogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and thermocatalysis, and their reaction mechanisms are also discussed. Further, the theoretical perspectives of 4-NP detection and reduction, parameters influencing the activities, and future perspectives are also reviewed in detail.

Reversible Light-Triggered Stretching of Small-Molecule Photochromic Organic Nanoparticles.

Functional organic nanomaterials are nowadays largely spread in the field of nanomedicine. In situ modulation of their morphology is thus expected to considerably impact their interactions with the surroundings. In this context, photoswitchable nanoparticles that are manufactured, amenable to extensive disassembling upon illumination in the visible, and reversible reshaping under UV exposure. Such reversibility turns to be strongly impaired for photochromic nanoparticles in close contact with a substrate. In situ atomic force microscopy investigations at the nanoscale actually reveal progressive disintegration of the organic nanoparticles under successive UV-vis cycles of irradiation, in the absence of intrinsic elastic forces. These results point out the dramatic interactions exerted by surfaces on the cohesion of non-covalently bonded organic nanoparticles. They invite to harness such systems, often used as biomarkers, to also serve as photoactivatable drug delivery nanocarriers.

Ecofriendly synthesis of copper oxide-chitosan nanocomposites and their efficacy as nano-pesticide and nano-fertilizer

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are a long time threat to human health and environment. One of the prime risks in pest management is the resistance to insecticide applied. There is demand for formulations which are eco-friendly, effective in small amounts, biodegradable and economically viable. The demand for organic formulations and nanomaterials to control the pests of economically important plants is rising every day. Mealy bugs and fruit flies are the major pests and their control has been a serious issue in pest management. The current research work was conducted to synthesize copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) from Eucalyptus leaves and nanocomposites comprising chitosan through a green way to evaluate the insecticidal efficacy of prepared nanomaterials. The nanomaterials were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–Visible spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). CuO NPs showed crystalline monoclinic structure in XRD pattern. Different concentrations of nano-pesticides were tested against mealy bugs and fruit flies to find out % mortality and LC50 values. The LC50 values in mealy bugs for extract, CuO NPs, CuO-Chitosan nanocomposites (NCs) and CuO-Chitosan NCs with Cu layer were found to be 10.45 ppm, 6.96 ppm, 4.58 ppm and 3.29 ppm, respectively. Results showed that mortality enhanced with rising pesticides concentration, so plant extract, CuO NPs, CuO-Chitosan NCs and CuO-Chitosan NCs with Cu layer showed 50 %, 70 %, 80 % and 90 % mortality at the highest concentration (10 ppm). The synthesized nanomaterials significantly improved seeds germination, yield and growth parameters in maize whenever used as nano-fertilizers. The results showed that prepared nanomaterials have good insecticidal effects as well as the best fertilizer properties. So, the products having dual application as nano-pesticides and nano-fertilizers have promising future in agriculture.

Effect of interactions between humic acid and cerium oxide nanoparticles on the toxicity to the Chlorella sp.

With the wide application of nanomaterials, the concentration of nanomaterials in natural water continues to increase, which poses a severe threat to the water environment. However, the influence of organic matter and nanomaterials rich in natural water on the toxic effect of algae growth is still unclear. In this study, the effects of humic acid (HA) and nano-cerium oxide (nCeO2) on the physiology and transcriptome of Chlorella sp. were analyzed, and the mechanism of the toxic effect of HA on Chlorella sp. under nCeO2 stress was revealed. Under 20-200 mg/L nCeO2 stress, the growth of Chlorella cells was inhibited and the highest inhibition rate reached 52% within 200 mg/L nCeO2. The Fv/Fm and ETRmax values of Chlorella sp. decreased from 0.490 and 24.45 (20 mg/L nCeO2) to 0.488 and 23.4 (100 mg/L nCeO2), respectively. Under the stimulation of nCeO2, the level of reactive oxygen species in algal cells was increased, accompanied by lipid peroxidation and membrane damage. However, the addition of HA at concentrations of 5-10 mg/L effectively alleviated the toxic effect of nCeO2 on Chlorella sp. Transcriptome analysis showed that 10 mg/L HA could alleviate the cellular stress at 100 mg/L nCeO2 on Chlorella sp. by regulating genes related to photosynthesis and metabolism pathways. Moreover, the downregulation of genes (e.g., Lhca1, Lhcb1, AOC3, and AOC2) indicated that HA reduced the level of oxidative stress in Chlorella sp. These findings offer novel insights of evaluating the ecotoxicity nCeO2 and HA in natural water environment and their impact on Chlorella sp.

Green synthesis of N-rich carbon dot-derived crosslinked covalent organic nanomaterial for multipurpose chromatographic applications.

Carbon dots (CDs) derived crosslinked covalent organic nanomaterials (CONs) possessing high specific surface area and abundant surface functional groups are considered to be potential candidates for multimodal chromatographic separations. Typically, the synthesis of CDs and CONs requires harsh reaction conditions and toxic organic solvents, hence, the pursuit of facile and mild preparation strategies is the goal of researchers. In this work, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and D-glucose were used as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively, to prepare amino-CDs (AmCDs) by rapid low-temperature polymerization rather than the common high-temperature and high-pressure reaction. Then, surface functionalization of the aminated silica gel was carried out in a deep eutectic solvent by using hydrophilic AmCDs and 1,3,5-triformylbenzene (TFB) as the functional monomers. Consequently, a novel N-rich CDs derived CON surface-functionalized silica gel (AmCDs-CON@SiO2) was obtained under mild reaction conditions. The combination of AmCDs and TFB created an ideal CON based chromatographicstationary phase. The incorporation of TFB not only contributed to the successful construction of a crosslinked CON, but also enhanced the interaction forces. The developed AmCDs-CON@SiO2 has a great potential for versatile applications in liquid chromatography. This study proposes a simple stationary phase preparation strategy by the surface modification of silica gel with CDs-based CON. Moreover, this study verified the application potential of CDs derived CON in chromatographic separation. This not only promotes the development of CDs in the field of liquid chromatographic stationary phase, but also provides some reference value for the wide application of cross-linked CON.

Advances in Nano-Functional Materials in Targeted Thrombolytic Drug Delivery.

Thrombotic disease has been listed as the third most fatal vascular disease in the world. After decades of development, clinical thrombolytic drugs still cannot avoid the occurrence of adverse reactions such as bleeding. A number of studies have shown that the application of various nano-functional materials in thrombus-targeted drug delivery, combined with external stimuli, such as magnetic, near-infrared light, ultrasound, etc., enrich the drugs in the thrombus site and use the properties of nano-functional materials for collaborative thrombolysis, which can effectively reduce adverse reactions such as bleeding and improve thrombolysis efficiency. In this paper, the research progress of organic nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials, and biomimetic nanomaterials for drug delivery is briefly reviewed.

AMP-Mimetic Antimicrobial Polymer-Involved Synergic Therapy with Various Coagents for Improved Efficiency.

The misuse of antibiotics contributes to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Infections caused by MDR bacteria are rapidly evolving into a significant threat to global healthcare due to the lack of effective and safe treatments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity kill bacteria generally through a membrane disruption mechanism; hence, they tend not to induce resistance readily. However, AMPs exhibit disadvantages, such as high cost and susceptibility to proteolytic degradation, which limit their clinical application. AMP-mimetic antimicrobial polymers, with low cost, stability to proteolysis, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, negligible antimicrobial resistance, and rapid bactericidal effect, have received extensive attention as a new type of antibacterial drugs. Lately, AMP-mimetic polymer-involved synergic therapy provides a superior alternative to combat MDR bacteria by distinct mechanisms. In this Review, we summarize the AMP-mimetic antimicrobial polymers involved in synergic therapy, particularly focusing on the different combinations between the polymers with commercially available antimicrobials, organic small molecule photosensitizers, inorganic nanomaterials, and nitric oxide.

Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Carrier-synthesis, Functionalization and Application.

In recent years, advancements in chemistry have allowed the tailoring of materials at the nanoscopic level as needed. There are mainly four main types of nanomaterials used as drug carriers:metal-based nanomaterials, organic nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials, and polymer nanomaterials. The nanomaterials as a drug carrier showed advantages for decreased side effects with a higher therapeutic index. The stability of the drug compounds is increased by encapsulation of the drug within the nano-drug carriers, leading to decreased systemic toxicity. Nano-drug carriers are also used for controlled drug release by tailoring system-made solubility characteristics of nanoparticles by surface coating with surfactants. The review focuses on the different types of nanoparticles used as drug carriers, the nanoparticle synthesis process, techniques of nanoparticle surface coating for drug carrier purposes, applications of nano-drug carriers, and prospects of nanomaterials as drug carriers for biomedical applications.

Antifouling coatings for electrochemical sensors

Electrochemical sensors are extremely promising for the analysis of a number of organic and inorganic compounds both in biological fluids and natural waters during environmental monitoring due to easing operation, ease of miniaturization, low cost, low limits of analyte determination and the possibility of modifying electrodes with a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds and nanomaterials. One of the main problems limiting the use of electrochemical sensors is electrode fouling. The main way to solve this problem is antifouling coatings. Depending on the application, various additional requirements are imposed on the antifouling coatings, such as, for example, biocompatibility or mechanical strength. In this review, various types of antifouling coatings for sensors are considered, the main areas of application of certain coatings are indicated. The main emphasis is placed on non-biocidal coatings, as the most promising ones.

Changing Cinnamaldehyde Skeleton Achieves Antibacterial Nanoswitch.

Changeable substituent groups of organic molecules can provide an opportunity to clarify the antibacterial mechanism of organic molecules by tuning the electron cloud density of their skeleton. However, understanding the antibacterial mechanism of organic molecules is challenging. Herein, we reported a molecular view strategy for clarifying the antibacterial switch mechanism by tuning electron cloud density of cinnamaldehyde molecule skeleton. The cinnamaldehyde and its derivatives were self-assembled into nanosheets with excellent water solubility, respectively. The experimental results show that α-bromocinnamaldehyde (BCA) nanosheets exhibits unprecedented antibacterial activity, but there is no antibacterial activity for α-methylcinnamaldehyde nanosheets. Therefore, the BCA nanosheets and α-methylcinnamaldehyde nanosheets achieve an antibacterial switch. Theoretical calculations further confirmed that the electron-withdrawing substituent of the bromine atom leads to a lower electron cloud density of the aldehyde group than that of the electron-donor substituent of the methyl group at the α-position of the cinnamaldehyde skeleton, which is a key point in elucidating the antimicrobial switch mechanism. The excellent biocompatibility of BCA nanosheets was confirmed by CCK-8. The mouse wound infection model, H&E staining, and the crawling ability of drosophila larvae show that as-prepared BCA nanosheets are safe and promising for wound healing. This study provides a new strategy for the synthesis of low-cost organic nanomaterials with good biocompatibility. It is expected to expand the application of natural organic small molecule materials in antimicrobial agents.

Reviewing the enhancement of expansive soil through different waste material blending

This review paper examines the efficacy of blending various materials for the enhancement of expansive soil behavior. Expansive soils, characterized by volumetric changes in response to moisture fluctuations, present significant challenges in engineering projects. The review explores the utilization of waste additives such as quarry dust, sawdust ash, glass powder, stone powder, marble dust, Lime and Polypropylene Fiber, plastic waste strips and waste brick powder Oil Shale Ash, cement kiln dust as well as innovative solutions including organic compounds and nano-materials. The effectiveness of each material blend in mitigating issues such as swelling, shrinkage, and cracking is analyzed. The study underscores the importance of material selection and optimal blending techniques in achieving desired improvements in soil properties. Additionally, the paper highlights the need for continued research and innovation to develop sustainable solutions for managing expansive soils in construction and geotechnical engineering endeavors.

Organic nanoparticles based on aza-boron dipyrromethene derivatives for combined photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the major diseases that threaten human being's health and life. Recently, phototherapy has gained great attention due to the advantages of high selectivity and low toxicity. Nonetheless, the development a single photosensitizer capable of simultaneously achieving photothermal and photodynamic effects remains a great challenge. Aza-boron-dipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) dyes have been widely studied in biomedical area for their significant absorption in the near infrared region and high fluorescence quantum yield. In this contribution, three aza-BODIPY molecules (TAS-BP, TES-BP and TESO-BP) that conjugated with triphenylamine (TPA) or tetraphenylethylene (TPE) were designed and synthesized. The presence of donor-acceptor-donor pairs within compounds enables the intermolecular electron transfer, leading to the augmentation of near-infrared (NIR) absorbance and the generation of non-radiative heat. The nanoparticles were prepared via the assembly of the related organic compounds with amphiphilic polymer (DSPE-PEG2000), which were named as TAS-BP NPs, TES-BP NPs and TESO-BP NPs, respectively. Importantly, three nanoparticles can generate heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) simultaneously induced by a single laser (808 nm). The photothermal conversion efficiency of TAS-BP NPs, TES-BP NPs and TESO-BP NPs were determined to be 64.5%, 65.7%, and 53.6%, respectively. Furthermore, the cellular experiments demonstrated the good biocompatibility and outstanding photocytotoxicity of three nanoparticles, and the TES-BP NPs exhibited the highest photodynamic/photothermal synergistic effect. Thus, the as-prepared organic nanomaterials were demonstrated as potential candidates for cancer treatment through phototherapy.

Quasi-Chromophores Segregated by Single-Chain Nanoparticles of Fluorinated Zwitterionic Random Copolymers Showing Remarkably Enhanced Fluorescence Emission Capable of Fluorescent Cell Imaging.

Organic and polymer fluorescent nanomaterials are a frontier research focus. Here in this work, a series of fluorinated zwitterionic random copolymers end-attached with a quasi-chromophoric group of pyrene or tetraphenylethylene (TPE) are well synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization with activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET ATRP). Those random copolymers with total degree of polymerization 100 or 200 are able to produce fluorescent single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) through intra-chain self-folding assembly with quite uniform diameters in the range of 10-20nm as characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. By virtue of the segregation or confinement effect, both SCNPs functionalized with pyrene or TPE group are capable of emitting fluorescence, with pyrene tethered SCNPs exhibiting stronger fluorescence emission reaching the highest quantum yield ≈20%. Moreover, such kind of fluorescent SCNPs manifest low cytotoxicity and good cell imaging performance for Hela cells. The creation of fluorescent SCNPs through covalently attached one quasi-chromophore to the end of one fluorinated zwitterionic random copolymer provides an alternative strategy for preparing polymeric luminescence nanomaterials, promisingly serving as a new type of fluorescent nanoprobes for biological imaging applications.

Organic Nanomaterials as Anticancer Agents for Drug Delivery Applications

Organic Nanomaterials as Anticancer Agents for Drug Delivery Applications

Amine‐ and Polyethylene glycol‐Functionalized Pyrediyne Quantum Dots for Bioimaging Applications

AbstractPyrediyne, a recent addition to the 2D organic nanomaterials family, is known for its improved electrical conductivity, which can have potential applications in the performance of thin film transistors, field effect transistors, and charge storage devices. It has been shown that similar to carbon quantum dots, pyrediyne quantum dots (PDYQDs) can also be generated from 2D pyrediyne nanosheets and can be utilized for imaging cancer cells. In this context, it is highly desirable to enhance the photoluminescence properties of PDYQDs in order to improve the quality of quantum dots‐based cell imaging techniques. Herein, PDYQDs are effectively functionalized using aqueous functionalization agents such as NH3, PEG200, and PEG20000 via a simple and cost‐effective methodology, which resulted in a significant enhancement in the emission quantum yield (QY) (up to 30.2 %) through effectively reducing the non‐radiative recombination centers. After confirming their cytocompatibility using in vitro studies, the amine‐functionalized PDYQDs were utilized for imaging L929 mouse fibroblast cells. The findings in the present study suggest that it is worth exploring various surface functionalization techniques to enhance the applications of novel carbon‐based nano‐structures in various biological and optoelectronic devices.

Stepwise on-surface synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanoribbons

Precise synthesis of carbon-based nanostructures with well-defined structural and chemical properties is of significance towards organic nanomaterials, but remains challenging. Herein, we report on a synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanoribbons through a stepwise on-surface polymerization. Scanning tunneling microscopy revealed that the selectivity in molecular conformation, intermolecular debrominative aryl-aryl coupling and inter-chain dehydrogenative cross-coupling determined the well-defined topology and chemistry of the final products. Density functional theory calculations predict that the ribbons are semiconductors, and the band gap can be tuned by the width of the ribbons.

Study of bonding parameters with Al and Au wires on Pd and Ag coatings

The process of electrical connection with gold and aluminium wires to palladium and silver electrodes is studied. Parameters of the wire bonding, such as bond force, ultrasonic power, bond time and temperature of the layers, controlled by heating the substrate are varied to explore the reliability of the bonds in terms of mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and interdiffusion of particles between the electrode and functional material at different bonding conditions. The importance of this study is due to the need of electrical connectivity at the stage of wiring and packaging of gas sensors with a novel organic nanomaterial (carbyne), requiring different types of electrodes – Ohmic or Schottky - according to the measurement principle and sensor architecture. Pd and Ag are identified as the most suitable for Ohmic and Schottky contacts, respectively, because of their favourable energy level alignment at the organic/metal interface. The chosen method for bonds testing is measurement of the pull force causing bond failure. The results show that Pd coating was bondable by Au wire, and Ag coating by Al wire, as well as Au on Pd bonds have 4 times higher strength. It is found that the bonding procedure doesn’t affect negatively on the Au/Pd/carbyne interface in terms of diffusion and redistribution of metal particles, but Al/Ag/carbyne is characterized by poor adhesion and the bonds are peeled-off. The results give new knowledge for the fabrication of advanced gas sensors and for the interaction of the carbyne with different metals, which will serve as a base for further optimization of the manufacturing technology toward their commercialization.