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Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications
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Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 9978

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paolo Prosposito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Cracovia n.50, 00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: optical sensors; silver nanoparticles; surface plasmon resonance; optical absorption; heavy metal ions; hybrid solgel based films; fluorescencent waveguides; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As Guest Editor for the Special Issue “Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications” of Applied Sciences journal, I would like to invite you to contribute to its success. Based on your valuable expertise in this research field, I am confident that you can submit manuscripts that meet the journal’s general criteria for significance and scientific excellence.

The Special Issue is dedicated to the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanomaterials for sensing and imaging. Recently, the development of nanomaterials with specific functionalization and the possible nanostructurization of materials—with dimensions smaller than ever before—have enabled huge developments in the sensing of different hazardous analytes, from organic to inorganic. The working principles are based on a change in specific properties of the nanomaterials—such as the color, resistivity, optical absorption, or fluorescence—when in presence of contaminants. From another perspective, since many nanomaterials are characterized by strong photoluminescence and photostability and, in addition, possess good biocompatibility, they can be used for biosensing, biological labeling, and bioimaging, with very good results.

In this Special Issue, both experimental and theoretical scientific research in this wide field, together with potential or real applications, are warmly welcome.

Dr. Paolo Prosposito
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles
  • nanoclusters
  • quantum dots
  • photonic crystals
  • fluorescence
  • optical properties
  • sensing
  • biolabeling
  • bioimaging

Published Papers (3 papers)

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10 pages, 2068 KiB  
Article
Fluorescent Silver Nanoclusters Embedded in Hydrogel Matrix and Its Potential Use in Environmental Monitoring
by Luca Burratti, Fabio De Matteis, Roberto Francini, Joohyun Lim, Christina Scheu and Paolo Prosposito
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3470; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083470 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1975
Abstract
The optical absorption and fluorescence of silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) are widely exploited in many different application fields such as sensors, bio-imaging, drug delivery, etc. In the sensor field, optical devices are highly versatile thanks to their ease of fabrication and low costs and, [...] Read more.
The optical absorption and fluorescence of silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) are widely exploited in many different application fields such as sensors, bio-imaging, drug delivery, etc. In the sensor field, optical devices are highly versatile thanks to their ease of fabrication and low costs and, therefore, are optimal candidates to replace expensive apparatuses commonly used. In this study, we synthesized AgNCs in aqueous phase by photochemical synthesis using poly methacrylic acid (PMAA) as a stabilizer. Colloidal water solutions of these NCs showed a very good sensitivity to Pb(II) ions, and in order to fabricate a solid-state sensor, we introduced them in a hydrogel material formed by poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate with a molecular weight of 700 g/mol (PEGDA700). The systems were characterized using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, the sensitivity to Pb(II) ions has been tested with the aim to use these systems as solid-state optical sensors for water quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications)
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12 pages, 2276 KiB  
Article
Silver Nanoparticles Functionalized by Fluorescein Isothiocyanate or Rhodamine B Isothiocyanate: Fluorescent and Plasmonic Materials
by Ilaria Fratoddi, Chiara Battocchio, Giovanna Iucci, Daniele Catone, Antonella Cartoni, Alessandra Paladini, Patrick O’Keeffe, Silvia Nappini, Sara Cerra and Iole Venditti
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2472; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062472 - 10 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3676
Abstract
This paper presents the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) functionalized with fluorescent molecules, in particular with xanthene-based dyes, i.e., fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC, λmax = 485 nm) and rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC, λmax = 555 nm). An in-depth characterization of the particle–dye [...] Read more.
This paper presents the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) functionalized with fluorescent molecules, in particular with xanthene-based dyes, i.e., fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC, λmax = 485 nm) and rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC, λmax = 555 nm). An in-depth characterization of the particle–dye systems, i.e., AgNPs–RITC and AgNPs–FITC, is presented to evaluate their chemical structure and optical properties due to the interaction between their plasmonic and absorption properties. UV–Vis spectroscopy and the dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements confirmed the nanosize of the AgNPs–RITC and AgNPs–FITC. Synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS) was used to study the chemical surface functionalization by structural characterization, confirming/examining the isothiocyanate–metal interaction. For AgNPs–RITC, in which the plasmonic and fluorescence peak are not superimposed, the transient dynamics of the dye fluorescence were also studied. Transient absorption measurements showed that by exciting the AgNPs–RITC sample at a wavelength corresponding to the AgNP plasmon resonance, it was possible to preferentially excite the RITC dye molecules attached to the surface of the NPs with respect to the free dye molecules in the solution. These results demonstrate how, by combining plasmonics and fluorescence, these AgNPs can be used as promising systems in biosensing and imaging applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications)
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7 pages, 623 KiB  
Article
Dual Aptamer-Functionalized 3D Plasmonic Metamolecule for Thrombin Sensing
by Timon Funck, Tim Liedl and Wooli Bae
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(15), 3006; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9153006 - 26 Jul 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3770
Abstract
DNA nanotechnology offers the possibility to rationally design structures with emergent properties by precisely controlling their geometry and functionality. Here, we demonstrate a DNA-based plasmonic metamolecule that is capable of sensing human thrombin proteins. The chiral reconfigurability of a DNA origami structure carrying [...] Read more.
DNA nanotechnology offers the possibility to rationally design structures with emergent properties by precisely controlling their geometry and functionality. Here, we demonstrate a DNA-based plasmonic metamolecule that is capable of sensing human thrombin proteins. The chiral reconfigurability of a DNA origami structure carrying two gold nanorods was used to provide optical read-out of thrombin binding through changes in the displayed plasmonic circular dichroism. In our experiments, each arm of the structure was modified with one of two different thrombin-binding aptamers—thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) and HD22—in such a way that a thrombin molecule could be sandwiched by the aptamers to lock the metamolecule in a state of defined chirality. Our structure exhibited a Kd of 1.4 nM, which was an order of magnitude lower than those of the individual aptamers. The increased sensitivity arose from the avidity gained by the cooperative binding of the two aptamers, which was also reflected by a Hill coefficient of 1.3 ± 0.3. As we further exploited the strong plasmonic circular dichroism (CD) signals of the metamolecule, our method allowed one-step, high sensitivity optical detection of human thrombin proteins in solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Sensing and Imaging Applications)
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