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Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications
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Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 12482

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Modrzejewska-Sikorska

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Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry and Technical Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: metal and non-metal nanostructures; nanostructures stabilized by biopolymers; properties and application of nanostructures; polymer fillers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Grzegorz Milczarek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry and Technical Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: modified electrodes; doped electrodes; metal nanoparticles
Dr. Emilia Konował

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry and Technical Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Interests: production of metal nanostructures (mainly precious metals) using “green chemistry” methods using biopolymers; the use of nanosilver stabilized with biopolymers in concrete technology and in environmental engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology is a branch of science which involves the manufacture and testing of structures in which at least one dimension is less than 100 nm. Such particles are called nanoparticles, and these can be classified in terms of their shape, source, and chemical composition.

Nanostructures, in spite of their much smaller size, have the same physicochemical properties as their larger counterparts, but they also have many other features which makes them suitable for a range of new applications in various fields.

Research conducted in the last two decades has clearly demonstrated that the electromagnetic, optical, antibacterial and catalytic properties of metal nanoparticles are very much dependent on their shape and size, as well as their tendency to agglomerate.

This is the reason that there has been growing interest among scientists and researchers in metal nanoparticles.

This Special Issue will also be dedicated to new applications of metal nanoparticles.

We warmly welcome the submission of original research papers and reviews.

Dr. Anna Modrzejewska-Sikorska
Dr. Grzegorz Milczarek
Dr. Emilia Konował
Guest Editors

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • metal nanoparticles
  • metal colloids
  • natural polymers
  • NPs properties
  • NPs aplications
  • concrete

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2262 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis and Comparative Analysis of Silver, Copper Oxide, and Bimetallic Ag/CuO Nanoparticles Using Cistus creticus L. Extract: Physicochemical Properties, Stability, and Antioxidant Potential
by Chrysi Chaikali, Nicole Dora Stola, Paraskevi Lampropoulou, Dimitrios Papoulis, Fotini N. Lamari, Malvina Orkoula, Michail Lykouras, Konstantinos Avgoustakis and Sophia Hatziantoniou
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(6), 2518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062518 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1226
Abstract
This study investigates silver (Ag), copper oxide (CuO), and bimetallic Ag/CuO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using Cistus creticus L. extract, focusing on their synthesis, physicochemical characteristics, and antioxidant activity. Green synthesis methods utilizing plant extracts offer environmentally benign routes for nanoparticle fabrication, attracting significant [...] Read more.
This study investigates silver (Ag), copper oxide (CuO), and bimetallic Ag/CuO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using Cistus creticus L. extract, focusing on their synthesis, physicochemical characteristics, and antioxidant activity. Green synthesis methods utilizing plant extracts offer environmentally benign routes for nanoparticle fabrication, attracting significant interest across multiple fields. NP formation was confirmed by UV/Vis and total X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy, while dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering (DLS, ELS) characterized particle size and ζ-potential, respectively. AgNPs exhibited the smallest particle size (30.8 ± 8.81 nm), while CuONPs had the largest (44.07 ± 19.19 nm). For Ag/CuONPs, the ζ-potential value was −77.9 ± 2.99 mV. Morphological and structural analyses performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that AgNPs were spherical, while CuONPs and Ag/CuONPs exhibited spherical and polymorphic structures. Colloidal stability studies over 60 days demonstrated that the NPs were highly stable, indicating their suitability for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Antioxidant activity, assessed via the DPPH assay, demonstrated that CuONPs had the highest free radical scavenging activity. By systemically comparing Ag, CuO, and bimetallic Ag/CuONPs synthesized from Cistus creticus L. extract, this study provides valuable insights for the development of tailored nanomaterials with diverse applications in pharmaceutics and cosmetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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21 pages, 2725 KiB  
Article
Impact of Gold Nanoparticles and Ionizing Radiation on Whole Chromatin Organization as Detected by Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy
by Myriam Schäfer, Georg Hildenbrand and Michael Hausmann
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(23), 12843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252312843 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 886
Abstract
In radiation tumor therapy, irradiation, on one hand, should cause cell death to the tumor. On the other hand, the surrounding non-tumor tissue should be maintained unaffected. Therefore, methods of local dose enhancements are highly interesting. Gold nanoparticles, which are preferentially uptaken by [...] Read more.
In radiation tumor therapy, irradiation, on one hand, should cause cell death to the tumor. On the other hand, the surrounding non-tumor tissue should be maintained unaffected. Therefore, methods of local dose enhancements are highly interesting. Gold nanoparticles, which are preferentially uptaken by very-fast-proliferating tumor cells, may enhance damaging. However, the results in the literature obtained from cell culture and animal tissue experiments are very contradictory, i.e., only some experiments reveal increased cell killing but others do not. Thus, a better understanding of cellular mechanisms is required. Using the breast cancer cell model SkBr3, the effects of gold nanoparticles in combination with ionizing radiation on chromatin network organization were investigated by Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) and applications of mathematical topology calculations (e.g., Persistent Homology, Principal Component Analysis, etc.). The data reveal a dose and nanoparticle dependent re-organization of chromatin, although colony forming assays do not show a significant reduction of cell survival after the application of gold nanoparticles to the cells. In addition, the spatial organization of γH2AX clusters was elucidated, and characteristic changes were obtained depending on dose and gold nanoparticle application. The results indicate a complex response of ALU-related chromatin and heterochromatin organization correlating to ionizing radiation and gold nanoparticle incorporation. Such complex whole chromatin re-organization is usually associated with changes in genome function and supports the hypothesis that, with the application of gold nanoparticles, not only is DNA damage increasing but also the efficiency of DNA repair may be increased. The understanding of complex chromatin responses might help to improve the gold nanoparticle efficiency in radiation treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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12 pages, 2270 KiB  
Article
Difference in the Catalytic Activity of Atoms in the Corners and at the Edges of Gold Nanoparticles: Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reaction
by Evgeny V. Abkhalimov and Boris G. Ershov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12022; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212022 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 955
Abstract
The goal of this work is to investigate the catalytic activities of low-coordination atoms located in gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles with sizes from 0.7 to 40 nm deposited on γ-Al2O3 were used as a catalyst. Synthesized gold nanoparticles and prepared [...] Read more.
The goal of this work is to investigate the catalytic activities of low-coordination atoms located in gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles with sizes from 0.7 to 40 nm deposited on γ-Al2O3 were used as a catalyst. Synthesized gold nanoparticles and prepared catalysts were characterized by HRTEM, SEM, XRD, DLS, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The specific activity of gold nanoparticles towards the isotope exchange reaction at 77 K was studied as a function of nanoparticle size. The catalytic activity increases significantly when the particle size is less than 3 nm. The activities of low-coordination gold atoms located at the edges and in the corners are markedly different. Corner atoms (CN = 6) are more than 40 times more active in the reaction of hydrogen isotope exchange than edge atoms (CN = 7). TOF for atoms with coordination numbers CN = 6 and CN = 7 are 0.258 ± 0.020 and 0.006 ± 0.001 molecules site−1 s−1, respectively. An equation was proposed for the dependence of the catalytic activity of the reaction on the particle size, the number of atoms on the surface, and their activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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13 pages, 2332 KiB  
Article
Waste-Derived Caffeine for Green Synthesis of Rhenium Nanoparticles with Enhanced Catalytic Activity in the Hydrogenation of 4-Nitrophenol
by Alicja Kuś, Anna Leśniewicz, Anna Dzimitrowicz, Pawel Pohl and Piotr Cyganowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11319; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011319 - 21 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1264
Abstract
Yearly, thousands of tons of wasted coffee grounds are produced according to high coffee consumption. Still, after the coffee brewing, wasted coffee grounds contain some amounts of caffeine (CAF). CAF, in turn, contains multiple O and N chelating atoms in its structure. These [...] Read more.
Yearly, thousands of tons of wasted coffee grounds are produced according to high coffee consumption. Still, after the coffee brewing, wasted coffee grounds contain some amounts of caffeine (CAF). CAF, in turn, contains multiple O and N chelating atoms in its structure. These have a potential to be reductors for complexes of metals. In this context, within the present study, a set of CAF extracts derived from coffee beans and coffee grounds were obtained and then used for the one-step reduction of ReO4− ions with no additional toxic chemicals. Within this approach, CAF was applied as a secondary, green resource for the synthesis of unique rhenium nanoparticles (ReNPs) containing Re species at 0 and +6 oxidation states. The obtained ReNPs were identified and characterized with the use of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Further, the capping and stabilization of ReNPs by CAF were verified with the aid of Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The so-obtained “green” ReNPs were then used as a homogenous catalyst in the catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). This new nanomaterial revealed a superior catalytic activity, leading to the complete reduction of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol within 40–60 min with a first-order rate constant of 0.255 min−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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12 pages, 2639 KiB  
Communication
Starch Sodium Octenylsuccinate as a New Type of Stabilizer in the Synthesis of Catalytically Active Gold Nanostructures
by Beata Tim, Emilia Konował and Anna Modrzejewska-Sikorska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(10), 5116; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105116 - 8 May 2024
Viewed by 1455
Abstract
Here, starch derivatives, i.e., sodium starch octenylsuccinate (OSA starch, hereinafter referred to as OSA), were employed as both reducing and stabilizing agents for the unique, inexpensive, and simple synthesis of gold nanoparticles (OSA-AuNPs) in an aqueous solution with gold salt. The obtained OSA-AuNPs [...] Read more.
Here, starch derivatives, i.e., sodium starch octenylsuccinate (OSA starch, hereinafter referred to as OSA), were employed as both reducing and stabilizing agents for the unique, inexpensive, and simple synthesis of gold nanoparticles (OSA-AuNPs) in an aqueous solution with gold salt. The obtained OSA-AuNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the obtained gold colloids was studied in the reduction of organic dyes, including methylene blue (C.I. Basic Blue 9) and rhodamine B (C.I. Basic Violet 10), and food coloring, including tartrazine (E102) and azorubine (E122), by sodium borohydride. Moreover, OSA-AuNPs were utilized as signal amplifiers in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The obtained results confirmed that gold nanoparticles can be used as effective catalysts in reduction reactions of selected organic dyes, as well as signal enhancers in the SERS technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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13 pages, 1711 KiB  
Article
Radiotherapy Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cell Lines Treated with Gold Nanorods Modulate miRNA Signatures
by Sílvia Soares, Fátima Aires, Armanda Monteiro, Gabriela Pinto, Isabel Faria, Goreti Sales, Miguel A. Correa-Duarte, Susana Guerreiro and Rúben Fernandes
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2754; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052754 - 27 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1820
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA) modulation has been identified as a promising strategy for improving the response of human prostate cancer (PCa) to radiotherapy (RT). Studies have shown that mimics or inhibitors of miRNAs could modulate the sensitivity of PCa cells to RT. In addition, pegylated [...] Read more.
MicroRNA (miRNA) modulation has been identified as a promising strategy for improving the response of human prostate cancer (PCa) to radiotherapy (RT). Studies have shown that mimics or inhibitors of miRNAs could modulate the sensitivity of PCa cells to RT. In addition, pegylated gold nanoparticles have been studied as a therapeutic approach to treat PCa cells and/or vehicles for carrying miRNAs to the inside of cells. Therefore, we evaluated the capacity of hypofractionated RT and pegylated gold nanorods (AuNPr-PEG) to modulate the miRNA signature on PCa cells. Thus, RT-qPCR was used to analyze miRNA-95, miRNA-106-5p, miRNA-145-5p, and miRNA-541-3p on three human metastatic prostate cell lines (PC3, DU145, and LNCaP) and one human prostate epithelial cell line (HprEpiC, a non-tumor cell line) with and without treatment. Our results showed that miRNA expression levels depend on cell type and the treatment combination applied using RT and AuNPr-PEG. In addition, cells pre-treated with AuNPr-PEG and submitted to 2.5 Gy per day for 3 days decreased the expression levels of miRNA-95, miRNA-106, miRNA-145, and miRNA-541-3p. In conclusion, PCa patients submitted to hypofractionated RT could receive personalized treatment based on their metastatic cellular miRNA signature, and AuNPr-PEG could be used to increase metastatic cell radiosensitivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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Review

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39 pages, 3436 KiB  
Review
Antibacterial Properties of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles (Review)
by Sergey V. Gudkov, Dmitry E. Burmistrov, Polina A. Fomina, Shamil Z. Validov and Valery A. Kozlov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(21), 11563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252111563 - 28 Oct 2024
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3910
Abstract
The use of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles is frequently regarded as a potential solution to the issue of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Among the proposed range of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties, copper oxide nanoparticles are of particular interest. Although the antibacterial properties of [...] Read more.
The use of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles is frequently regarded as a potential solution to the issue of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Among the proposed range of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties, copper oxide nanoparticles are of particular interest. Although the antibacterial properties of copper have been known for a considerable period of time, studies on the effects of copper oxide nanomaterials with respect to biological systems have attracted considerable attention in recent years. This review presents a summary of the antibacterial properties of copper oxide nanoparticles, the mechanisms by which the antibacterial effect is realized, and the key reported methods of modifying these nanoparticles to improve their antibacterial activity. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of these nanoparticles is presented depending on the type of microorganism, the shape of the nanoparticles, and the Gram classification of bacteria based on data from published sources. In addition, the review addresses the biological activities of copper oxide nanoparticles, including their antifungal and cytotoxic properties, as well as their “antioxidant” activity. According to the conducted analysis of the literature data, it can be concluded that copper oxide nanoparticles have a significant bacteriostatic potential with respect to a wide range of microorganisms and, in some cases, contribute to the inhibition of fungal growth. At the same time, the sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria to the effect of copper oxide nanoparticles was often higher than that of Gram-negative bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Nanoparticles: From Fundamental Studies to New Applications)
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