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NanoTech Poland 2021—Nanotechnology in Energy, Electronics, Photonics, Environment and Biomedicine

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 16959

Special Issue Editors

NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Poznan, Poland
Interests: nanoscience and nanotechnology; physics and chemistry of surfaces and thin films; structure and dynamics in soft matter (colloids; surfactants; block copolymers; miktoarms and dendrimer polymers; nanoparticles in confined space; biomaterials); NMR imaging; NMR relaxation and diffusion; and molecular modelling and simulations
* This Guest Editor has passed away
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
Interests: synthesis; biofunctionalization and physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials and their application in biomedicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is related to the NanoTech Poland 2021, the 11th international conference (http://nanotechpoland.amu.edu.pl/index.html) organized by the NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, which will be held on 9–11 June 2021 in Poznań.This time the meeting will be live-streamed and the decision has been made due to COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the safety of our conference community. The scope of the conference, and hence the scope of this Special Issue, will cover all aspects of novel nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and hybrid nanostructures and their application in energy, electronics, photonics, biomedicine, and the environment. These aspects will include novel approaches in the design and synthesis of nanomaterials and their functionalization, development of techniques and tools to characterize nanomaterials, current and future challenges and benefits (but also risks) of nanotechnology applications, and implementation of nanomaterials in systems and devices.Participants of the conference, as well as all researchers working in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology, are cordially invited to contribute original research papers to this Special Issue of Molecules. This issue is multidisciplinary and welcomes submissions across physical, chemical, biological, materials, and engineering sciences.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Jurga
Dr. Dorota Flak
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • 1D and 2D materials
  • functional nanomaterials
  • nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage devices
  • hard coatings
  • nanosensors
  • nanomaterials for catalysis
  • nanomembranes and nanofilters
  • nanodevices
  • nanobiomedicine
  • bio-imaging
  • drug delivery
  • nanotoxicology

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 14610 KiB  
Article
First Principle Study on Electronic and Transport Properties of Finite-Length Nanoribbons and Nanodiscs for Selected Two-Dimensional Materials
by Mirali Jafari and Anna Dyrdał
Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2228; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072228 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1723
Abstract
Using the density functional theory, we calculate electronic states of various nanoribbons and nanodiscs formed from selected two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, silicene, and hexagonal boron nitride. The main objective of the analysis is a search for zero-energy states in such systems, which [...] Read more.
Using the density functional theory, we calculate electronic states of various nanoribbons and nanodiscs formed from selected two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, silicene, and hexagonal boron nitride. The main objective of the analysis is a search for zero-energy states in such systems, which is an important issue as their presence indicates certain topological properties associated with chirality. The analysis is also supported by calculating transport properties. Full article
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19 pages, 4674 KiB  
Article
The Effect of the Modification of Carbon Spheres with ZnCl2 on the Adsorption Properties towards CO2
by Iwona Pełech, Piotr Staciwa, Daniel Sibera, Ewelina Kusiak-Nejman, Antoni W. Morawski, Joanna Kapica-Kozar and Urszula Narkiewicz
Molecules 2022, 27(4), 1387; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27041387 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1962
Abstract
Zinc chloride and potassium oxalate are often applied as activating agents for carbon materials. In this work, we present the preparation of ZnO/carbon spheres composites using resorcinol-formaldehyde resin as a carbon source in a solvothermal reactor heated with microwaves. Zinc chloride as a [...] Read more.
Zinc chloride and potassium oxalate are often applied as activating agents for carbon materials. In this work, we present the preparation of ZnO/carbon spheres composites using resorcinol-formaldehyde resin as a carbon source in a solvothermal reactor heated with microwaves. Zinc chloride as a zinc oxide source and potassium oxalate as an activating agent were applied. The effect of their addition and preparation conditions on the adsorption properties towards carbon dioxide at 0 °C and 25 °C were investigated. Additionally, for all tested sorbents, the CO2 sorption tests at 40 °C, carried out utilizing a thermobalance, confirmed the trend of sorption capacity measured at 0 and 25 °C. Furthermore, the sample activated using potassium oxalate and modified using zinc chloride (a carbon-to-zinc ratio equal to 10:1) displayed not only a high CO2 adsorption capacity (2.69 mmol CO2/g at 40 °C) but also exhibited a stable performance during the consecutive multicycle adsorption–desorption process. Full article
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19 pages, 6183 KiB  
Article
Nanomolar Nitric Oxide Concentrations in Living Cells Measured by Means of Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
by Roksana Markiewicz, Jagoda Litowczenko, Jacek Gapiński, Anna Woźniak, Stefan Jurga and Adam Patkowski
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27031010 - 02 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2436
Abstract
Measurement of the nitric oxide (NO) concentration in living cells in the physiological nanomolar range is crucial in understanding NO biochemical functions, as well as in characterizing the efficiency and kinetics of NO delivery by NO-releasing drugs. Here, we show that fluorescence correlation [...] Read more.
Measurement of the nitric oxide (NO) concentration in living cells in the physiological nanomolar range is crucial in understanding NO biochemical functions, as well as in characterizing the efficiency and kinetics of NO delivery by NO-releasing drugs. Here, we show that fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is perfectly suited for these purposes, due to its sensitivity, selectivity, and spatial resolution. Using the fluorescent indicators, diaminofluoresceins (DAFs), and FCS, we measured the NO concentrations in NO-producing living human primary endothelial cells, as well as NO delivery kinetics, by an external NO donor to the immortal human epithelial living cells. Due to the high spatial resolution of FCS, the NO concentration in different parts of the cells were also measured. The detection of nitric oxide by means of diaminofluoresceins is much more efficient and faster in living cells than in PBS solutions, even though the conversion to the fluorescent form is a multi-step reaction. Full article
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16 pages, 13804 KiB  
Article
From Adsorbent to Photocatalyst: The Sensitization Effect of SnO2 Surface towards Dye Photodecomposition
by Kinga Michalec and Anna Kusior
Molecules 2021, 26(23), 7123; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26237123 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1554
Abstract
Semiconductor photocatalysis is considered one of the most promising technologies for water purification from toxic organic dyes. However, to reliably evaluate the possibility of using a given material as a photocatalyst, it is crucial to investigate not only the photocatalytic activity but also [...] Read more.
Semiconductor photocatalysis is considered one of the most promising technologies for water purification from toxic organic dyes. However, to reliably evaluate the possibility of using a given material as a photocatalyst, it is crucial to investigate not only the photocatalytic activity but also its affinity towards various dyes and reusability. In this work, we studied the adsorptive/photocatalytic properties of hollow-spherical raspberry-like SnO2 and its SnO2/SnS2 heterostructures that were obtained via a chemical conversion method using three different concentrations of a sulfide precursor (thioacetamide). The adsorptive/photocatalytic properties of the samples towards cationic rhodamine B (RhB) and anionic indigo carmine (IC) were analyzed using uncommon wall zeta potential measurements, hydrodynamic diameter studies, and adsorption/photodecomposition tests. Moreover, after conducting cyclic experiments, we investigated the (micro)structural changes of the reused photocatalysts by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results revealed that the sensitization of SnO2 resulted not only in the significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance of the heterostructures, but also completely changed their affinity towards dyes. Furthermore, despite the seemingly best photocatalytic performance, the sample with the highest SnS2 content was unstable due to its (micro)structure. This work demonstrates that dye adsorption/desorption processes may overlap the results of cyclic photodecomposition kinetics. Full article
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13 pages, 13404 KiB  
Article
Reconstructing Reliable Powder Patterns from Spikelets (Q)CPMG NMR Spectra: Simplification of UWNMR Crystallography Analysis
by Andrii Mahun, Sabina Abbrent, Jiri Czernek, Jan Rohlicek, Hana Macková, Weihua Ning, Rafał Konefał, Jiří Brus and Libor Kobera
Molecules 2021, 26(19), 6051; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26196051 - 06 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2261
Abstract
Spikelets NMR spectra are very popular as they enable the shortening of experimental time and give the possibility to obtain required NMR parameters for nuclei with ultrawide NMR patterns. Unfortunately, these resulted ssNMR spectra cannot be fitted directly in common software. For this [...] Read more.
Spikelets NMR spectra are very popular as they enable the shortening of experimental time and give the possibility to obtain required NMR parameters for nuclei with ultrawide NMR patterns. Unfortunately, these resulted ssNMR spectra cannot be fitted directly in common software. For this reason, we developed UWNMRSpectralShape (USS) software which transforms spikelets NMR patterns into single continuous lines. Subsequently, these reconstructed spectral envelopes of the (Q)CPMG spikelets patterns can be loaded into common NMR software and automatically fitted, independently of experimental settings. This allows the quadrupole and chemical shift parameters to be accurately determined. Moreover, it makes fitting of spikelets NMR spectra exact, fast and straightforward. Full article
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13 pages, 17712 KiB  
Article
Surface Studies on Glass Powders Used in Commercial Glass-Ionomer Dental Cements
by Agata Wawrzyńczak, Jacek Kłos, Izabela Nowak and Beata Czarnecka
Molecules 2021, 26(17), 5279; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26175279 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1718
Abstract
The surface properties of three commercial ionomer glass powders, i.e., Fuji IX, Kavitan Plus and Chemadent G-J-W were studied. Samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and the density was determined by gas pycnometry. Morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) [...] Read more.
The surface properties of three commercial ionomer glass powders, i.e., Fuji IX, Kavitan Plus and Chemadent G-J-W were studied. Samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and the density was determined by gas pycnometry. Morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser diffraction (LD) technique, whereas low-temperature nitrogen sorption measurements determined textural parameters like specific surface area and pore volume. Thermal transformations in the materials studied were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which was carried out in an inert atmosphere between 30 °C and 900 °C. XRF showed that Fuji IX and Kavitan Plus powders were strontium-based, whereas Chemadent G-J-W powder was calcium-based. Powders all had a wide range of particle sizes under SEM and LD measurements. Specific surface areas and pore volumes were in the range 1.42–2.73 m2/g and 0.0029 to 0.0083 cm3/g, respectively, whereas densities were in the range 2.6428–2.8362 g/cm3. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the glass powders lost mass in a series of steps, with Fuji IX powder showing the highest number, some of which are attributed to the dehydration and decomposition of the polyacrylic acid present in this powder. Mass losses were more straightforward for the other two glasses. All three powders showed distinct losses at around 780 °C and 835 °C, suggesting that similar dehydration steps occur in all these glasses. Other steps, which differed between glass powders, are attributed to variations in states of water-binding on their surfaces. Full article
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18 pages, 69072 KiB  
Article
Design and Optimization of a Biosensor Surface Functionalization to Effectively Capture Urinary Extracellular Vesicles
by Agnieszka Kamińska, Magdalena E. Marzec and Ewa Ł. Stępień
Molecules 2021, 26(16), 4764; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26164764 - 06 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
For this study, we tested and optimized silicon surface functionalization procedures for capturing urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs). The influence of the silane type (APTES or GOPS) and protein concentration on the efficiency of uEVs binding was investigated. Human lactadherin protein (LACT) was used [...] Read more.
For this study, we tested and optimized silicon surface functionalization procedures for capturing urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs). The influence of the silane type (APTES or GOPS) and protein concentration on the efficiency of uEVs binding was investigated. Human lactadherin protein (LACT) was used to capture uEVs. We applied surface characterization techniques, including ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, to observe changes in the biosensor surface after each functionalization step. uEVs were purified by a low-vacuum filtration method and concentrated by ultracentrifugation. The physical parameters of uEVs after the isolation procedure, such as morphology and size distribution, were determined using transmission electron microscopy and tunable resistive pulse sensing methods. We observed a gradual growth of the molecular layer after subsequent stages of modification of the silicon surface. The ToF-SIMS results showed no changes in the mean intensities for the characteristic peaks of amino acids and lipids in positive and negative polarization, in terms of the surface-modifying silane (APTES or GOPS) used. The most optimal concentration of LACT for the tested system was 25 µg/mL. Full article
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Graphical abstract

10 pages, 3614 KiB  
Article
Photoluminescent Detection of Human T-Lymphoblastic Cells by ZnO Nanorods
by Alexander Tamashevski, Yuliya Harmaza, Ekaterina Slobozhanina, Roman Viter and Igor Iatsunskyi
Molecules 2020, 25(14), 3168; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25143168 - 10 Jul 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2128
Abstract
The precise detection of cancer cells currently remains a global challenge. One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanostructures (e.g., ZnO nanorods) have attracted attention due to their potential use in cancer biosensors. In the current study, it was demonstrated that the possibility of a photoluminescent detection [...] Read more.
The precise detection of cancer cells currently remains a global challenge. One-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanostructures (e.g., ZnO nanorods) have attracted attention due to their potential use in cancer biosensors. In the current study, it was demonstrated that the possibility of a photoluminescent detection of human leukemic T-cells by using a zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) platform. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) anti-CD5 against a cluster of differentiation (CD) proteins on the pathologic cell surface have been used as a bioselective layer on the ZnO surface. The optimal concentration of the protein anti-CD5 to form an effective bioselective layer on the ZnO NRs surface was selected. The novel biosensing platforms based on glass/ZnO NRs/anti-CD5 were tested towards the human T-lymphoblast cell line MOLT-4 derived from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The control tests towards MOLT-4 cells were performed by using the glass/ZnO NRs/anti-IgG2a system as a negative control. It was shown that the photoluminescence signal of the glass/ZnO NRs/anti-CD5 system increased after adsorption of T-lymphoblast MOLT-4 cells on the biosensor surface. The increase in the ZnO NRs photoluminescence intensity correlated with the number of CD5-positive MOLT-4 cells in the investigated population (controlled by using flow cytometry). Perspectives of the developed ZnO platforms as an efficient cancer cell biosensor were discussed. Full article
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