Search Results (21)

Nanomaterials are attractive materials for researchers because they have essential characteristics in terms of their properties. Carbon has an ample range of crystalline allotropes. Some, such as graphite and diamond, have been known since ancient times, while new forms of carbon with potential for various applications have been discovered in recent decades. Since the discovery of graphene 20 years ago, research has increased on composite materials that take advantage of carbon structures for their electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and their ability to be synthesized at the nanometer scale. Graphene has stood out above other nanomaterials due to its surprising properties and high impact on technological research, so its uses have diversified in different areas of science such as medicine, electronics, engineering, etc. This work aims to show some new and innovative applications of graphene, on which we can see its versatility as engineering material. It also seeks to show its potential in research and development processes for its use. These are key components of advanced graphene-based materials systems under active development, with an eye on the future of advanced materials science and technology. Full article

(1) Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a crucial functional receptor of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although the scale of infections is no longer at pandemic levels, there are still fatal cases. The potential of the virus to infect the skin raises questions about new preventive measures. In the context of anti-SARS-CoV-2 applications, the interactions of antimicrobial nanomaterials (silver, Ag; diamond, D; graphene oxide, GO and their complexes) were examined to assess their ability to affect whether ACE2 binds with the virus. (2) Methods: ACE2 inhibition competitive tests and in vitro treatments of primary human adult epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa) and primary human adult dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) were performed to assess the blocking capacity of nanomaterials/nanocomplexes and their toxicity to cells. (3) Results: The nanocomplexes exerted a synergistic effect compared to individual nanomaterials. HEKa cells were more sensitive than HDFa cells to Ag treatments and high concentrations of GO. Cytotoxic effects were not observed with D. In the complexes, both carbonic nanomaterials had a soothing effect against Ag. (4) Conclusions: The Ag5D10 and Ag5GO10 nanocomplexes seem to be most effective and safe for skin applications to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection by blocking ACE2-S binding. These nanocomplexes should be evaluated through prolonged in vivo exposure. The expected low specificity enables wider applications. Full article

Graphene, fullerenes, diamond, carbon nanotubes, and carbon dots are just a few of the carbon-based nanomaterials that have gained enormous popularity in a variety of scientific disciplines and industrial uses. As a two-dimensional material in the creation of therapeutic delivery systems for many illnesses, nanosized graphene oxide (NGO) is now garnering a large amount of attention among these materials. In addition to other benefits, NGO functions as a drug nanocarrier with remarkable biocompatibility, high pharmaceutical loading capacity, controlled drug release capability, biological imaging efficiency, multifunctional nanoplatform properties, and the power to increase the therapeutic efficacy of loaded agents. Thus, NGO is a perfect nanoplatform for the development of drug delivery systems (DDSs) to both detect and treat a variety of ailments. This review article’s main focus is on investigating surface functionality, drug-loading methods, and drug release patterns designed particularly for smart delivery systems. The paper also examines the relevance of using NGOs to build DDSs and considers prospective uses in the treatment of diseases including cancer, infection by bacteria, and bone regeneration medicine. These factors cover the use of naturally occurring medicinal substances produced from plant-based sources. Full article

In both the inorganic and organic worlds, carbon-based nanomaterials, such as benzene, diamond, graphite, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes, are abundant. In science laboratories, carbon is the focal point of activity. In this overview, the synthesis, characteristics, and several uses of graphene—including energy conversion, energy storage, electronics, and biosensing—were explored with a focus on ecologically friendly production techniques. This article also discusses recent advancements in the detection and treatment of organic contaminants and heavy metals utilizing nanomaterials. In this article, we outline some recent developments in the creation of innovative nanomaterials and nanostructures and methods for treating organic contaminants and heavy metals in water. The essay presents the current state of the field and, in our opinion, should be helpful to anybody interested in nanomaterials and related materials. Full article

The world is facing a global financial loss and health effects due to food quality adulteration and contamination, which are seriously affecting human health. Synthetic colors, flavors, and preservatives are added to make food more attractive to consumers. Therefore, food safety has become one of the fundamental needs of mankind. Due to the importance of food safety, the world is in great need of developing desirable and accurate methods for determining the quality of food. In recent years, the electrochemical methods have become more popular, due to their simplicity, ease in handling, economics, and specificity in determining food safety. Common food contaminants, such as pesticides, additives, and animal drug residues, cause foods that are most vulnerable to contamination to undergo evaluation frequently. The present review article discusses the electrochemical detection of the above food contaminants using different carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC), carbon dots, boron doped diamond (BDD), and fullerenes. The voltammetric methods, such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), have been proven to be potential methods for determining food contaminants. The use of carbon-based electrodes has the added advantage of electrochemically sensing the food contaminants due to their excellent sensitivity, specificity, large surface area, high porosity, antifouling, and biocompatibility. Full article

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. The elements of group XIV in the periodic table exhibit a wide range of chemical manners. Recently, there have been remarkable developments in the field of nanobiomedical research, especially in the application of engineered nanomaterials in biomedical applications. In this review, we concentrate on the recent investigations on the antiproliferative effects of nanomaterials of the elements of group XIV in the periodic table on breast cancer cells. In this review, the data available on nanomaterials of group XIV for breast cancer treatment has been documented, providing a useful insight into tumor biology and nano–bio interactions to develop more effective nanotherapeutics for cancer patients. Full article

This review article summarizes the progress of research on carbon nanomaterial-based lubricants witnessed in recent years. Carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerenes and carbon nanostructures, are at the center of current tribological research on attaining superior lubrication performance. The development of nanomaterial-based solid lubricants, lubricant additives and bulk materials and the related issues in their processing, characterization and applications as well as their tribological performance (coefficient of friction and wear rate) are listed in a structured tabulated form. Firstly, regarding nanomaterial-based solid lubricants, this study reveals that carbon nanomaterials such as graphite, graphene, graphene-based coatings and diamond-like carbon (DLC)-based coatings increase different tribological properties of solid lubricants. Secondly, this study summarizes the influence of graphene, carbon nanotubes, fullerene, carbon nanodiamonds, carbon nano-onions, carbon nanohorns and carbon spheres when they are used as an additive in lubricants. Thirdly, a structured tabulated overview is presented for the use of carbon nanomaterial-reinforced bulk material as lubricants, where graphene, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanodiamonds are used as reinforcement. Additionally, the lubricity mechanism and superlubricity of carbon nanomaterial-based lubricants is also discussed. The impact of carbon nanotubes and graphene on superlubricity is reviewed in detail. It is reported in the literature that graphene is the most prominent and widely used carbon nanomaterial in terms of all four regimes (solid lubricants, lubricating additives, bulk material reinforcement and superlubricity) for superior tribological properties. Furthermore, prospective challenges associated with lubricants based on carbon nanomaterials are identified along with future research directions. Full article

Recently, the scientific community experienced two revolutionary events. The first was the synthesis of single-layer graphene, which boosted research in many different areas. The second was the advent of quantum technologies with the promise to become pervasive in several aspects of everyday life. In this respect, diamonds and nanodiamonds are among the most promising materials to develop quantum devices. Graphene and nanodiamonds can be coupled with other carbon nanostructures to enhance specific properties or be properly functionalized to tune their quantum response. This contribution briefly explores photoelectron spectroscopies and, in particular, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and then turns to the present applications of this technique for characterizing carbon nanomaterials. XPS is a qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis technique. It is surface-sensitive due to its limited sampling depth, which confines the analysis only to the outer few top-layers of the material surface. This enables researchers to understand the surface composition of the sample and how the chemistry influences its interaction with the environment. Although the chemical analysis remains the main information provided by XPS, modern instruments couple this information with spatial resolution and mapping or with the possibility to analyze the material in operando conditions at nearly atmospheric pressures. Examples of the application of photoelectron spectroscopies to the characterization of carbon nanostructures will be reviewed to present the potentialities of these techniques. Full article

Epitaxial synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials on pristine 2D materials is of interest in the development of nanostructured devices and nanocomposite materials, but is quite difficult because pristine surfaces of 2D materials are chemically inert. Previous studies found a few exceptions including AuCN, AgCN, CuCN, and Cu_0.5Au_0.5CN, which can be preferentially synthesized and epitaxially aligned onto various 2D materials. Here, we discover that Au_1/2Ag_1/2CN forms diamond-shaped nanocrystals epitaxially grown on pristine graphene surfaces. The nanocrystals synthesized by a simple drop-casting method are crystallographically aligned to lattice structures of the underlying graphene. Our experimental investigations on 3D structures and the synthesis conditions of the nanocrystals imply that the rhombic 2D geometries originate from different growth rates depending on orientations along and perpendicular to 1D molecular chains of Au_1/2Ag_1/2CN. We also perform in situ TEM observations showing that Au_1/2Ag_1/2CN nanocrystals are decomposed to Au and Ag alloy nanocrystals under electron beam irradiation. Our experimental results provide an additional example of 1D cyanide chain families that form ordered nanocrystals epitaxially aligned on 2D materials, and reveal basic physical characteristics of this rarely investigated nanomaterial. Full article

Pancreatic cancer, due to its asymptomatic development and drug-resistance, is difficult to cure. As many metallic and carbon-based nanomaterials have shown anticancer properties, we decided to investigate their potential use as anticancer agents against human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The objective of the study was to evaluate the toxic properties of the following nanomaterials: silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), graphene oxide (GO), diamond (ND), and fullerenol (C₆₀(OH)₄₀) against the cell lines BxPC-3, AsPC-1, HFFF-2, and HS-5. The potential cytotoxic properties were evaluated by the assessment of the cell morphology, cell viability, and cell membrane damage. The cancer cell responses to GO and ND were analysed by determination of changes in the levels of 40 different pro-inflammatory proteins. Our studies revealed that the highest cytotoxicity was obtained after the ND treatment. Moreover, BxPC-3 cells were more sensitive to ND than AsPC-1 cells due to the ND-induced ROS production. Furthermore, in both of the cancer cell lines, ND caused an increased level of IL-8 and a decreased level of TIMP-2, whereas GO caused only decreased levels of TIMP-2 and ICAM-1 proteins. This work provides important data on the toxicity of various nanoparticles against pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines. Full article

Carbon nanomaterials with a different character of the chemical bond—graphene (sp²) and nanodiamond (sp³)—are the building bricks for a new class of all-carbon hybrid nanomaterials, where the two different carbon networks with sp³ and sp² hybridization coexist, interacting and even transforming into one another. The extraordinary physiochemical properties defined by the unique electronic band structure of the two border nanoallotropes ensure the immense application potential and versatility of these all-carbon nanomaterials. The review summarizes the status quo of sp² – sp³ nanomaterials, including graphene/graphene-oxide—nanodiamond composites and hybrids, graphene/graphene-oxide—diamond heterojunctions, and other sp²–sp³ nanocarbon hybrids for sensing, electronic, and other emergent applications. Novel sp²–sp³ transitional nanocarbon phases and architectures are also discussed. Furthermore, the two-way sp² (graphene) to sp³ (diamond surface and nanodiamond) transformations at the nanoscale, essential for innovative fabrication, and stability and chemical reactivity assessment are discussed based on extensive theoretical, computational and experimental studies. Full article

Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene sheets (GSs), have been adopted as resonators in vibration-based nanomechanical sensors because of their extremely high stiffness and small size. Diamond nanothreads (DNTs) are a new class of one-dimensional carbon nanomaterials with extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Their structures are similar to that of diamond in that they possess ${\mathrm{sp}}^3$-bonds formed by a covalent interaction between multiple benzene molecules. In this study, we focus on investigating the mechanical properties and vibration behaviors of DNTs with and without lattice defects and examine the influence of density and configuration of lattice defects on the two them in detail, using the molecular dynamics method and a continuum mechanics approach. We find that Young’s modulus and the natural frequency can be controlled by alternating the density of the lattice defects. Furthermore, we investigate and explore the use of DNTs as resonators in nanosensors. It is shown that applying an additional extremely small mass or strain to all types of DNTs significantly changes their resonance frequencies. The results show that, similar to CNTs and GSs, DNTs have potential application as resonators in nano-mass and nano-strain sensors. In particular, the vibration behaviors of DNT resonators can be controlled by alternating the density of the lattice defects to achieve the best sensitivities. Full article

In this publication, molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the fracture behavior of single-crystal aluminum. The stress intensity factor is estimated by means of four different methods, the accuracy is assessed for each approach and the fracture toughness is estimated. The proposed methodology is also applied to estimate the fracture toughness for graphene and diamond using published data from other scientific articles. The obtained fracture toughness for the single-crystal aluminum is compared with other nanomaterials that have similar microstructures. Dislocation emission during the fracture simulation of the cracked nano-crystal of aluminum is analyzed to study the fracture behavior. Brittle fracture behavior is the predominant failure mode for the nanomaterials studied in this research. Full article

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. In addition to the well-known crystallographic modifications such as graphite and diamond, other allotropic carbon modifications such as graphene-based nanomaterials and carbon nanotubes have recently come to the fore. These carbon nanomaterials can be designed to help deliver or target drugs more efficiently and to innovate therapeutic approaches, especially for cancer treatment, but also for the development of new diagnostic agents for malignancies and are expected to help combine molecular imaging for diagnosis with therapies. This paper summarizes the latest designed drug delivery nanosystems based on graphene, graphene quantum dots, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes, mainly for anticancer therapy. Full article

Carbon-based nanomaterials (CBN) are currently used in many biomedical applications. The research includes optimization of single grain size and conglomerates of pure detonated nanodiamond (DND), modified nanodiamond particles and graphene oxide (GO) in order to compare their bactericidal activity against food pathogens. Measurement of grain size and zeta potential was performed using the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) method. Surface morphology was evaluated using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and confocal microscope. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed in order to confirm the crystallographic structure of detonation nanodiamond particles. Bacteriostatic tests were performed by evaluating the inhibition zone of pathogens in the presence of carbon based nanomaterials. Raman spectroscopy showed differences between the content of the diamond and graphite phases in diamond nanoparticles. Fluorescence microscopy and adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) determination methods were used to assess the bactericidal of bioactive polymers obtained by modification of food wrapping film using various carbon-based nanomaterials. The results indicate differences in the sizes of individual grains and conglomerates of carbon nanomaterials within the same carbon allotropes depending on surface modification. The bactericidal properties depend on the allotropic form of carbon and the type of surface modification. Depending on the grain size of carbon-based materials, surface modification, the content of the diamond and graphite phases, surface of carbon-based nanomaterials film formation shows more or less intense bactericidal properties and differentiated adhesion of bacterial biofilms to food films modified with carbon nanostructures. Full article