Unique Properties Of Nanomaterials Research Articles

Application of Nanozymes in Environmental Monitoring, Management, and Protection

Nanozymes are nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity, possessing the unique properties of nanomaterials and natural enzyme-like catalytic functions. Nanozymes are catalytically active, stable, tunable, recyclable, and versatile. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid in the fields of environmental science and life sciences. In this review, we focused on the most recent applications of nanozymes for environmental monitoring, environmental management, and environmental protection. We firstly introduce the tuning catalytic activity of nanozymes according to some crucial factors such as size and shape, composition and doping, and surface coating. Then, the application of nanozymes in environmental fields are introduced in detail. Nanozymes can not only be used to detect inorganic ions, molecules, organics, and foodborne pathogenic bacteria but are also involved in the degradation of phenolic compounds, dyes, and antibiotics. The capability of nanozymes was also reported for assisting air purification, constructing biofuel cells, and application in marine antibacterial fouling removal. Finally, the current challenges and future trends of nanozymes toward environmental fields are proposed and discussed.

NANOTECHNOLOGIES IN CHEMISTRY: INCREASING THE QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHERS, ELECTIVE COURSES, METHODOLOGICAL IDEAS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CONTENT FORMATION

The essential importance of the psychological and professional training of the young generation and the adaptation of society to the tasks and problems of the use of nanotechnology is shown. It was noted that an important way to modernize education is the introduction of a system of specialized training in secondary schools, which involves taking into account the educational needs, inclinations and abilities of students, creating conditions for professional self-determination. Ways of differentiating education are shown. The importance and necessity of improving the qualifications of teachers of general education natural sciences as a necessary step for the introduction of elective courses was noted. Examples of topics related to the methodical training of teachers in the fields of nanophysics, nanochemistry, and nanobiology are given. The content and methodological ideas of the elective course «Modern Nanochemistry» are presented. The purpose, tasks and requirements for the mastery level of this course are highlighted. The results of the course should be the acquisition of knowledge on the basics of nanotechnology and nanochemistry, the main principles and achievements of nanochemistry, methods of its research, unique properties of nanomaterials, their application and prospects for the development of nanochemistry, the role of nanochemistry in solving common human problems. Appropriate criteria are proposed for evaluating the implementation of the course program. Students are expected to conduct scientific research, prepare essays and multimedia presentations. The proposed elective course consists of invariant and variable parts. The approximate content of the course includes seven most important topics. It is envisaged that students will carry out project activities as a method of increasing interest and holistic study of school subjects. Resource support for the course «Modern nanotechnological chemistry» was recommended, which includes recommended educational and methodological literature, Internet resources, and national periodicals on nanotechnology.

Nano-Enhanced Microbial Remediation of PAHs Contaminated Soil

The emergence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a variety of natural and anthropogenic sources, such as coal gasification and liquefaction plants, coke and aluminum production, catalytic cracking towers, and motor vehicle exhaust, among others, results in significant soil pollution, and a threat to human health, igniting a surge of interest in advanced research. Even though the cleanup of PAHs-contaminated areas received a great consideration. In the last decade, nanotechnology has exploded in popularity as a result of several unique properties of nanomaterials, and remediation is no exception. Thus, nano-enhanced bioremediation reported to act as a viable and effective strategy for PAHs remediation. Further, the integration of nano-enabled materials with microorganisms emerged as a promising biodegradation approach for PAHs remediation. As a result, the focus of this mini review is on depicting the possible roles of various nanomaterials in decontaminating PAHs as a green strategy by boosting the efficacy of microbial functionality, and mechanism of nanoparticles-microbes interaction in PAHs degradation. The future perspective of nano-enhanced microbial remediation of PAHs in realistic environments are also discussed.

Stimuli-responsive nanozymes for biomedical applications.

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanozymes are regarded as excellent substitutes for natural enzymes due to their high activity, convenient preparation, low cost, robust stability and other unique properties of nanomaterials. In biomedical applications, the always-on activity of nanozymes is undesirable as it poses a potential threat to normal tissues. Stimuli-responsive nanozymes were designed to manipulate the activities of nanozymes. This review introduces two types of stimuli-responsive nanozymes. One is smart responsive nanozymes with stimuli-switchable activities, further divided into those with on/off switchable activity and one/another switchable activity. Another is nanozymes exhibiting responsive release from specific carriers. Additionally, the biomedical applications of stimuli-responsive nanozymes in cancer therapy, antibacterial therapy, biosensing and anti-inflammatory therapy are briefly reviewed. Finally, we address the challenges and prospects in this field.

Nanomedicine in Focus

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology in the field of medicine, comprising the utilization of materials at the nanoscale for purposes such as disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. This commentary explores some of the applications, challenges, and developments in nanomedicine, with a specific emphasis on the pivotal role of lipid-based nanocarriers in drug delivery systems.Nanomedicine operates within the scale defined by the prefix 'nano', typically involving materials with at least one dimension ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers. Additionally, materials that fall outside the nanoscale range but still exhibit similar properties or phenomena due to specific dimensions are considered part of nanomedicine [1]. It is worth noting that the properties of these materials differ from the same materials on a larger scale. Moreover, the unique properties of nanomaterials arise from their increased surface area-to-volume ratio as material dimensions shrink, altering their interactions with the environment.

Nanomaterial-based biosensors for the detection of foodborne bacteria: a review.

Ensuring food safety is a critical concern for the development and well-being of humanity, as foodborne illnesses caused by foodborne bacteria have increasingly become a major public health concern worldwide. Traditional food safety monitoring systems are expensive and time-consuming, relying heavily on specialized equipment and operations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop low-cost, user-friendly and highly sensitive biosensors for detecting foodborne bacteria. In recent years, the combination of nanomaterials with optical biosensors has provided a prospective future platform for the detection of foodborne bacteria. By harnessing the unique properties of nanomaterials, such as their high surface area-to-volume ratio and exceptional sensitivity, in tandem with the precision of optical biosensing techniques, a new prospect has opened up for the rapid and accurate identification of potential bacterial contaminants in food. This review focuses on recent advances and new trends of nanomaterial-based biosensors for the detection of foodborne pathogens, which mainly include noble metal nanoparticles (NMPs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), graphene nanomaterials, quantum dot (QD) nanomaterials, upconversion fluorescent nanomaterials (UCNPs) and carbon dots (CDs). Additionally, we summarized the research progress of color indicators, nanozymes, natural enzyme vectors and fluorescent dye biosensors, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of nanomaterial-based biosensors and their development prospects. This review provides an outlook on future technological directions and potential applications to help identify the most promising areas of development in this field.

Wastewater treatment with nanomaterials for the future: A state-of-the-art review

Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are both threatened by toxic wastewater. The unique properties of nanomaterials are currently being studied thoroughly for treating sewage. Nanomaterials also have the advantage of being capable of removing organic matter, fungi, and viruses from wastewater. Advanced oxidation processes are used in nanomaterials to treat wastewater. Additionally, nanomaterials have a large effective area of contact due to their tiny dimensions. The adsorption and reactivity of nanomaterials are strong. Wastewater treatment would benefit from the development of nanomaterial technology. Second, the paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the unique characteristics of nanomaterials in wastewater treatment, their proper use, and their prospects. In addition to focusing on their economic feasibility, since limited forms of nanomaterials have been manufactured, it is also necessary to consider their feasibility in terms of their technical results. According to this study, the significant adsorption area, excellent chemical reaction, and electrical conductivity of nanoparticles (NPs) contribute to the successful treatment of wastewater.

Advances in the use of nanomaterials for nucleic acid detection in point-of-care testing devices: A review.

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has heightened awareness of the importance of quick and easy testing. The convenience, speed, and timely results from point-of-care testing (POCT) in all vitro diagnostic devices has drawn the strong interest of researchers. However, there are still many challenges in the development of POCT devices, such as the pretreatment of samples, detection sensitivity, specificity, and so on. It is anticipated that the unique properties of nanomaterials, e.g., their magnetic, optical, thermal, and electrically conductive features, will address the deficiencies that currently exist in POCT devices. In this review, we mainly analyze the work processes of POCT devices, especially in nucleic acid detection, and summarize how novel nanomaterials used in various aspects of POCT products can improve performance, with the ultimate aims of offering new ideas for the application of nanomaterials and the overall development of POCT devices.

Influence of nanomaterials in biohydrogen production through photo fermentation and photolysis - Review on applications and mechanism

The pressure on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has increased since the focus on climate change mitigation has grown. As the human development index is directly related to per capita energy consumption, sustainable energy production with reduced carbon footprint is the essential pathway for cleaner environment. Over numerous existing biological processes, hydrogen production via photo fermentation and photolysis of water is considered a more sustainable and economical method of hydrogen production. While both biological modes suffer from certain limitations, such as low yields and low production rates, practical implementation is still a long way off due to these limitations. The unique properties of nanomaterials (NMs) can help increase the efficiency of the biomass to biohydrogen process in significant ways. Applications of organic and inorganic nanoparticles in photocatalytic and photo fermentative hydrogen production is discussed in this paper. This review reports a wide range of applications of nanomaterials including the details of photo fermentative microorganisms and their mechanism of action. The maximum photo fermentative bio-H2 production was reported in the presence of SiC–Fe3O4(3.02 mol H2/mol acetate), Ni (41 mol H2/mol sugar), graphite-C3N4 (64.2 mol H2/mol sugar) whereas photocatalytic bio-H2 yield was highest when Pd–Ni/CdS (54 mmol/g.h), Ni-MO/g-C3N4 (1785 mmol/g.h) and CuO/TiO2 (20.3 mmol/g.h) nanoparticles were employed. To design photocatalytic systems for practical and scalable use, the future research should be focused on deeper theoretical knowledge of mechanisms of light harvesting, ± charge separation and transport, surface biochemical reactions, semiconductor–liquid interactions, and reactor dynamics.

The Role of Optical Imaging in Translational Nanomedicine.

Nanomedicines have been a major research focus in the past two decades and are increasingly emerging in a broad range of clinical applications. However, a proper understanding of their biodistribution is required to further progress the field of nanomedicine. For this, imaging methods to monitor the delivery and therapeutic efficacy of nanoparticles are urgently needed. At present, optical imaging is the most common method used to study the biodistribution of nanomaterials, where the unique properties of nanomaterials and advances in optical imaging can jointly result in novel methods for optimal monitoring of nanomaterials in preclinical animal models. This review article aims to give an introduction to nanomedicines and their translational impact to highlight the potential of optical imaging to study the biodistribution of nanoparticles and to monitor the delivery and therapeutic efficacy at the preclinical level. After introducing both domains, the review focuses on different techniques that can be used to overcome some intrinsic limitations of optical imaging and how this can specifically benefit nanoparticle studies. Finally, we point out some important key features of nanoparticles that currently hinder their full potential in the clinic and how the advances in optical imaging can help to provide us with the information needed to further boost the clinical translation and expand the field of nanomedicines.

Recent Developments and Current Applications of Organic Nanomaterials in Cartilage Repair

Regeneration of cartilage is difficult due to the unique microstructure, unique multizone organization, and avascular nature of cartilage tissue. The development of nanomaterials and nanofabrication technologies holds great promise for the repair and regeneration of injured or degenerated cartilage tissue. Nanomaterials have structural components smaller than 100 nm in at least one dimension and exhibit unique properties due to their nanoscale structure and high specific surface area. The unique properties of nanomaterials include, but are not limited to, increased chemical reactivity, mechanical strength, degradability, and biocompatibility. As an emerging nanomaterial, organic nanocomposites can mimic natural cartilage in terms of microstructure, physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties. The integration of organic nanomaterials is expected to develop scaffolds that better mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) environment of cartilage to enhance scaffold-cell interactions and improve the functionality of engineered tissue constructs. Next-generation hydrogel technology and bioprinting can be used not only for healing cartilage injury areas but also for extensive osteoarthritic degenerative changes within the joint. Although more challenges need to be solved before they can be translated into full-fledged commercial products, nano-organic composites remain very promising candidates for the future development of cartilage tissue engineering.

Photocatalysis of environmental organic pollutants and antioxidant activity of flavonoid conjugated gold nanoparticles

The unique properties of nanomaterials have the potential application in different fields of biomedical application along with the management of environmental pollutants. This research work involved the isolation of hesperidin from the orange peel and the preparation of hesperidin gold nanoparticles by the chemical reduction method. The high substrate specificity and lower band gap enable the excitation of gold nanoparticles in visible light. Hence gold nanoparticles are chosen nowadays for the management and removal of organic pollutants. The efficacy of hesperidin gold nanoparticles was evaluated by the photocatalytic activity on organic dyes and pollutants like methyl orange, methylene blue, bromocresol green, and 4 – nitro phenol with sodium borohydride as reducing agent and the antioxidant study by scavenging of free radicals of DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl free radicals of hydrogen peroxide. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and 4 – nitro phenol was found to follow the first order with rate constants of 10 × 10−3, 37 × 10−3, 23 × 10−3 and 49 × 10−3 min−1 for methyl orange, methylene blue, bromocresol green and 4 – nitro phenol respectively. The hesperidin gold nanoparticles showed significant antioxidant activity as compared to ascorbic acid as standard. The flavonoid conjugated gold nanoparticles can be an efficient antioxidant and photocatalyst for the management of different diseases and wastewater treatment respectively.

Life sciences discovery and technology highlights

Life sciences discovery and technology highlights

Application and Development of Nano Material Technology in Archives Protection Technology

My country’s archive protection technology has a long history, with a history of more than a thousand years. My country has a wide range of research on archive protection technology. The related research from historical and technical perspectives is very rich, and the advantages and disadvantages of previous archive protection technologies are integrated. Analysis and research on protection technologies that can be inherited and developed are still blank. At the same time, there are increasingly researches on nanomaterial technology. Based on this, this paper studies the application and development of nanomaterials in archive protection technology based on the unique properties of nanomaterials, and provides a reference for solving people's needs in the archive protection field, avoiding a lot of waste of manpower and material resources. In this paper, ZnO nanostructures with various morphologies were prepared by hydrothermal method and high temperature oxidation method. At the same time, ZnO nanomaterials and archive protection technology were combined to prepare nano-three-dimensional flower-like ZnO structure super-hydrophobic films. It shows that the application potential of nanomaterial technology in the field of archives protection is large, and it can be attached to the surface of archives to achieve antibacterial effect, and it can be better used in future archives protection work.

Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on the In Vitro Regeneration, Biochemical, Genetic, and Phenotype Variation in Adventitious Shoots Produced from Leaf Explants in Chrysanthemum.

Novel and unique properties of nanomaterials, which are not apparent in larger-size forms of the same material, encourage the undertaking of studies exploring the multifaced effects of nanomaterials on plants. The results of such studies are not only scientifically relevant but, additionally, can be implemented to plant production and/or breeding. This study aimed to verify the applicability of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a mutagen in chrysanthemum breeding. Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitam. ‘Lilac Wonder’ and ‘Richmond’ leaf explants were cultured on the modified MS medium supplemented with 0.6 mg·L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 2 mg·L−1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and treated with AgNPs (spherical; 20 nm in diameter size; 0, 50, and 100 mg·L−1). AgNPs strongly suppressed the capability of leaf explants to form adventitious shoots and the efficiency of shoot regeneration. The content of primary and secondary metabolites (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, phenolic compounds) and the activity of enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxide) in leaf explants varied depending on the AgNPs treatment and age of culture. Phenotype variations of ex vitro cultivated chrysanthemums, covering the color and pigment content in the inflorescence, were detected in one 50 mg·L−1 AgNPs-derived and five 100 mg·L−1 AgNPs-derived ‘Lilac Wonder’ plants and were manifested as the color change from pink to burgundy-gold. However, no changes in inflorescence color/shape were found among AgNPs-treated ‘Richmond’ chrysanthemums. On the other hand, the stem height, number of leaves, and chlorophyll content in leaves varied depending on the AgNPs treatment and the cultivar analyzed. A significant effect of AgNPs on the genetic variation occurrence was found. A nearly two-fold higher share of polymorphic products, in both cultivars studied, was generated by RAPD markers than by SCoTs. To conclude, protocols using leaf explant treatment with AgNPs can be used as a novel breeding technique in chrysanthemum. However, the individual cultivars may differ in biochemical response, the efficiency of in vitro regeneration, genetic variation, and frequency of induced mutations in flowering plants.

Occupational Safety Analysis for COVID-Instigated Repurposed Manufacturing Lines: Use of Nanomaterials in Injection Moulding.

The COVID-19 pandemic instigated massive production of critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment. Injection moulding (IM) is considered the most prominent thermoplastic part manufacturing technique, offering the use of a large variety of feedstocks and rapid production capacity. Within the context of the European Commission-funded imPURE project, the benefits of IM have been exploited in repurposed IM lines to accommodate the use of nanocomposites and introduce the unique properties of nanomaterials. However, these amendments in the manufacturing lines highlighted the need for targeted and thorough occupational risk analysis due to the potential exposure of workers to airborne nanomaterials and fumes, as well as the introduction of additional occupational hazards. In this work, a safety-oriented failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was implemented to evaluate the main hazards in repurposed IM lines using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) matrix and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as additives. Twenty-eight failure modes were identified, with the upper quartile including the seven failure modes presenting the highest risk priority numbers (RPN), signifying a need for immediate control action. Additionally, a nanosafety control-banding tool allowed hazard classification and the identification of control actions required for mitigation of occupation risks due to the released airborne silver nanoparticles.

Development of the Au@Pt-Labeled Nanobody Lateral-Flow Nanozyme Immunoassay for Visual Detection of 3-Phenoxybenzoic Acid in Milk and Lake Water

As a major metabolite of pyrethroid pesticides, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) can be an indicator of health risk and human exposure assessment. A gold–platinum (Au@Pt) nanozyme is a kind of mimic enzyme with unique properties of nanomaterials and catalytic activity. The anti-3-PBA nanobodies were labeled with Au@Pt (Au@Pt-Nbs) by electrostatic adsorption. The Au@Pt-Nbs lateral-flow nanozyme immunoassay was established for the visual and rapid detection of 3-PBA. The visualization results were quantitatively analyzed by Adobe Photoshop CC and got a cutoff value of 0.005 ng/mL. The samples of milk- and lake water-spiked 3-PBA were also analyzed, and the recoveries ranged from 102 to 108% and 95 to 112%, respectively. The results were also validated by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and got good correlation (R2 = 0.945). The Au@Pt-Nbs lateral-flow nanozyme immunoassay was developed by the combination of nanobodies and nanozymes, which will be a promising application in the field of safety inspection.

Protein-Mediated Biosynthesis of Semiconductor Nanocrystals for Photocatalytic NAD(P)H Regeneration and Chiral Amine Production.

The use of predesigned bioengineered proteins for self-grown nanomaterials is a promising strategy that opens new scientific directions for biotic-abiotic nano-bio hybrid configurations. The unique properties of nanomaterials can alter the original biological paradigm to allow novel metabolic routes or new activation triggers. In this work, we present a synthetic methodology for self-grown cadmium sulfide quantum dots in a 12-mer bioengineered stable protein 1 under ambient conditions. The sized controlled crystalline QDs are characterized and utilized for NADPH regeneration that is in turn used for the activation of the imine reductase enzyme. The presented nano-bio hybrid system enables the production of a single enantiomeric product that is required for the pharmaceutical industry. Our designed system presents superior activity and can continuously operate for at least 22 hrs with 82 % conversion efficiency. The obtained results may lay the foundations for future nano-bio hybrid systems that can operate both in vitro and in vivo.

Biomass to nanoparticles: Recent advances in the process and processing towards sustainability

The application of nanomaterials in various sectors, including biomedical, energy storage and conversion, agriculture, and the environment, is fast gaining popularity and importance. The unique properties of nanomaterials promise a faster, greener and better future, particularly its unrivalled characteristics in surface functionality, electron mobility and photoluminescence effect. However, its synthesis, processing and development have received increasing attention in recent decades, particularly in the environmental aspect. This review critically summarises and discusses recent advances in the synthesis of nanomaterials from renewable sources like biomass and the development of various processes involved. Biomass, a green, sustainable and widely available precursor, is increasingly used for synthesising nanomaterials with lower environmental burden and costs and higher biocompatibility and quality. Recent progress has seen a series of zero-dimensional (quantum dots), one-dimensional (nanotubes), two-dimensional (nanofibres) and three-dimensional (nanocrystals) nanomaterials produced from various biomass and bio-feedstock. This review also discusses the synthesis strategies involved in the processing of biomass via the top-down and bottom-up approaches, as well as the mechanisms driving such conversion. Examples for each method are discussed illustrating the preparation, synthesis and the resultant nanomaterial quality. The potential of biomass-derived nanomaterials is increasingly highlighted in various studies which promotes a transition towards greener nanomaterials.

Design and validation of a tool to assess the safety principles of working with nanomaterials in nanotechnology laboratories

Introduction: The unique properties of nanomaterials, in addition to their applications in science and technology, can be a threat to human health and the environment. Exposure to these materials may occur in workplaces or research laboratories. It can be said that about half of people with occupational exposure to nanomaterials work in academic environments and laboratories. So, the present study was conducted to design and validate a tool to investigate the principles of working safely with nanomaterials in research laboratories.
 Materials & Methods: The tool was designed using reports, instructions and articles related to " Methods of working safely with nanomaterials". The validity of the tool was assessed using Lawshe method by calculating CVI and CVR. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and kappa coefficient.
 Results: The tool was designed in 5 sections: "General Information", "Transportation and Storage of Nanomaterials", "Engineering Controls", "Administrative Controls" and "Personal Protection Equipment". After validation, 5 items did not get the necessary points to stay in the tool and were removed. The Cronbach's alpha value for each section of the tool was more than 0.80, indicating that the was "appropriate".
 Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that the tool studied in this study is compatible for the designed purpose and is ready to be used as a questionnaire or checklist.