RESUMEN

In this work, ZnO nanoplates and Fe2O3 nanospindles were successfully fabricated via a simple hydrothermal method using inorganic salts as precursors. The ZnO/Fe2O3 hybrid was fabricated using a mechanical mixture of two different ZnO : Fe2O3 weight ratios to investigate the effect of weight ratio on catalytic properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that ZnO nanoplates (NPls) are about 20 nm thick with lateral dimensions of 100 × 200 nm, and Fe2O3 nanospindles (NSs) are about 500 nm long and 50 nm wide. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the successful formation of the ZnO, Fe2O3, and ZnO/Fe2O3 samples and indicated that their crystallite sizes varied from 20 to 29 nm depending on the ZnO : Fe2O3 weight ratio. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra showed that the bandgap energies of ZnO and Fe2O3 were 3.15 eV and 2.1 eV, respectively. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results revealed the successful combination of ZnO and Fe2O3. Photocatalytic activity of the materials was evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under green light-emitting diode (GLED) irradiation. The results indicated that the ZnO/Fe2O3 composite showed a remarkable enhanced degradation capacity compared to bare ZnO NPls and Fe2O3 NSs. The ZnO : Fe2O3 = 3 : 2 sample demonstrated the best performance among all samples under identical conditions with a degradation efficiency of 99.3% for MB after 85 min. The optimum photocatalytic activity of the sample with ZnO : Fe2O3 = 3 : 2 was nearly 3.6% higher than that of the pure ZnO sample and 1.12 times more than that of the pristine Fe2O3 sample. Moreover, the highest photo-degradation was obtained at a photocatalyst dosage of 0.25 g l-1 in dye solution.

RESUMEN

Performing effective fluorescence quenching based on a metal nanomaterial is essential to construct fluorescence sensors. Silver nanomaterials are well known as an excellent candidate for an absorber in fluorescence sensing systems. Herein, we investigated the fluorescence quenching of rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of triangular silver nanodisks in which perfect overlap between the absorption of the absorber and the fluorescence of the fluorophore was observed. The fluorescence quenching mechanism of RhB was investigated under various excitation wavelengths, together with measurement of the fluorescence lifetime. The quenching efficiency of RhB was proportional to the wavelength excitation. Remarkably, the highest efficiency of fluorescence quenching of RhB was achieved (∼60%). The quenching mechanism was investigated and revealed to be mostly due to the inner filter effect (IFE) mechanism, without the contribution of energy transfer. This result shows a completely different story from most previous studies based on silver nanoparticles, where energy transfer was reported to play a significant role.

RESUMEN

CuO/ZnO nanocomposites with different components can overcome the drawbacks of previously used photocatalysts owing to their promotion in charge separation and transportation, light absorption, and the photo-oxidation of dyes. In this study, CuO nanoplates were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, while ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated by the precipitation method. A series of CuO/ZnO nanocomposites with different ZnO-to-CuO weight ratios, namely, 2 : 8, 4 : 6, 5 : 5, 6 : 4, and 8 : 2 were obtained via a mixing process. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the presence of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO and monoclinic CuO in the synthesized CuO/ZnO nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy showed the dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles on the surface of CuO nanoplates. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra exhibited a slight red-shift in the absorption edge of binary oxides relative to pure ZnO or CuO. All samples were employed for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The composite samples exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance compared with pristine CuO or ZnO. This study aimed to examine the effect of the ZnO-to-CuO weight ratio on their photocatalytic performance. The results indicated that among all the synthesized nanocomposites and pristine oxides, the nanocomposite with ZnO and CuO in a proportion of 4 : 6 shows the highest photodegradation activity for the removal of MB with 93% MB photodegraded within 60 min at an initial MB concentration of 5 ppm. The photocatalytic kinetic data were described well by the pseudo-first-order model with a high correlation coefficient of 0.95. The photocatalytic mechanism of the mixed metal oxide was proposed and discussed in detail. The photodegradation characteristic of CuO/ZnO nanostructures is valuable for methylene blue degradation from aqueous solutions as well as environmental purification in various fields.

RESUMEN

Recently, there have been publications on preparing hybrid materials between noble metal and semiconductor for applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates to detect some toxic organic dyes. However, the use of cuprous oxide/silver (Cu2O/Ag) to measure the trace amounts of methyl orange (MO) has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, the trace level of MO in water solvent was determined using a SERS substrate based on Cu2O microcubes combined with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Herein, a series of Cu2O/Agx (x= 1-5) hybrids with various Ag amounts was synthesized via a solvothermal method followed by a reduction process, and their SERS performance was studied in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy results confirmed that 10 nm Ag NPs were well dispersed on 200-500 nm Cu2O microcubes to form Cu2O/Ag heterojunctions. Using the as-prepared Cu2O and Cu2O/Agx as MO probe, the Cu2O/Ag5 nanocomposite showed the highest SERS activity of all samples with the limit of detection as low to 1 nM and the enhancement factor as high as 4 × 108. The logarithm of the SERS peak intensity at 1389 cm-1 increased linearly with the logarithm of the concentration of MO in the range from 1 nM to 0.1 mM.

RESUMEN

Decorating two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with nanoparticles provides an effective method to integrate their physicochemical properties. In this work, we present the hydrothermal growth process of 2D zinc oxide nanoplates (ZnO NPls), then silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were uniformly distributed on the surface of ZnO NPls through the reduction procedure of silver nitrate with sodium borohydride to create a metal-semiconductor hybrid. The amount of AgNPs on the ZnO NPls' surface was carefully controlled by varying the volume of silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution. Moreover, the effect of AgNPs on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) property of ZnO NPls was thoroughly investigated by using methylene blue (MB) as the target molecule. After calculation, the maximum enhancement factor value for 10-4 M of MB reached 6.2 × 106 for the peak at 1436 cm-1 and the limit of detection was 10-9 M. In addition, the hybrid nanosystem could distinguish MB with good reproducibility over a wide range of concentrations, from 10-9 to 10-4 M. The SERS mechanism is well elucidated based on the chemical and electromagnetic mechanisms related to the synergism of ZnO and Ag in the enhancement of Raman signal. Abundant hot spots located at the gap between adjacent separate Ag nanoparticles and ZnO nanoplates which formed a strong local electromagnetic field and electron transfer between ZnO and Ag are considered to be the key factors affecting the SERS performance of our prepared ZnO/Ag substrates. In this research, we found high sensitivity of ZnO nanoplates/Ag nanoparticles in detecting MB molecules. This unique metal-semiconductor hybrid nanosystem is advantageous for the formation of Raman signals and is thus suitable for the trace detection of methylene blue.

RESUMEN

The movement of individual molecules inside living cells has recently been resolved by single particles tracking (SPT) method which is a powerful tool for probing the organization and dynamics of the plasma membrane constituents. Effective treatment of metastatic cancers requires the toxic chemotherapy, however this therapy leads to the multidrug resistance phenomenon of the cancer cells, in which the cancer cells resist simultaneously to different drugs with different targets and chemical structures. P-glycoprotein molecules which are responsible for multidrug resistance of many cancer cells have been studied by cancer biologists during past haft of century. Recently, advances in laser and detector technologies have enabled single fluorophores to be visualized in aqueous solution. The development of the total internal reflection fluorescent microscope (TIRFM) provided means to monitor dynamic molecular localization in living cells. In this paper, P-glycoproteins (PGP) were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in living cell membrane of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and the TIRFM method was used to characterize the dynamics of individual protein molecules on the surface of living cells. An evanescent field was produced by a totally internally reflected and a laser beam was illuminated the glass-water interface. GFP-PGP proteins that entered the evanescent field appeared as individual spots of light which were slighter than background fluorescence. We obtained high-resolution images and diffusion maps of membrane proteins on cell surface and showed the local diffusion properties of specific proteins on single cells. We also determined the diffusion coefficient, the mean square displacement and the average velocity of the tracked particles, as well as the heterogeneity of the cell environment. This study enabled us to understand single-molecule features in living cell and measure the diffusion kinetics of membrane-bound molecules.

Asunto(s)

Miembro 1 de la Subfamilia B de Casetes de Unión a ATP/metabolismo , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/metabolismo , Animales , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Difusión , Perros , Células de Riñón Canino Madin Darby , Microscopía Fluorescente/métodos

RESUMEN

To treating Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in the human body by using cooked pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR), a randomized control trial was done in Vietnam. 80 subjects (65.1 ± 3.81 years old) separated into two groups in pairs were assigned a daily intake of 200 g PGBR, and the subjects in the placebo group were kept in normal living ways (consuming white rice). Before baseline and after 3 months of the intervention, anthropometric measurements, blood chemical examinations, a nutrition survey, and physical activity measurements were conducted. The main finding showed that the percentages of patients with MetS in the PGBR group were reduced significantly compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). Serum HDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly increased from 1.11 (mmol/l) to 1.44 (mmol/l) compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that PGBR may affect HDL cholesterol, PGBR might be considered in reducing the risk of MetS in Vietnam.

RESUMEN

It is well-known that Ag-Au bimetallic nanoplates have attracted significant research interest due to their unique plasmonic properties and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In recent years, there have been many studies on the fabrication of bimetallic nanostructures. However, controlling the shape, size, and structure of bimetallic nanostructures still has many challenges. In this work, we present the results of the synthesis of silver nanoplates (Ag NPls), and Ag-Au bimetallic core/shell and alloy nanostructures, using seed-mediated growth under green LED excitation and a gold salt (HAuCl4) as a precursor of gold. The results show that the optical properties and crystal structure strongly depend on the amount of added gold salt. Interestingly, when the amount of gold(x) in the sample was less than 0.6 µmol (x < 0.6 µmol), the structural nature of Ag-Au was core/shell, in contrast x > 0.6 µmol gave the alloy structure. The morphology of the obtained nanostructures was investigated using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) technique. The UV-Vis extinction spectra of Ag-Au nanostructures showed localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands in the spectral range of 402-627 nm which changed from two peaks to one peak as the amount of gold increased. Ag-Au core/shell and alloy nanostructures were utilized as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates to detect methylene blue (MB) (10-7 M concentration). Our experimental observations indicated that the highest enhancement factor (EF) of about 1.2 × 107 was obtained with Ag-Au alloy. Our detailed investigations revealed that the Ag-Au alloy exhibited significant EF compared to pure metal Ag and Ag-Au core/shell nanostructures. Moreover, the analysis of the data revealed a linear dependence between the logarithm of concentration (log C) and the logarithm of SERS signal intensity (log I) in the range of 10-7-10-4 M with a correlation coefficient (R 2) of 0.994. This research helps us understand better the SERS mechanism and the application of Raman spectroscopy on a bimetallic surface.

RESUMEN

In this work, we have carried out systematic studies on the critical role of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and citrate in the well-known chemical reduction route to synthesize silver nanodecahedra (AgND). Silver nitrate (AgNO3) was used as silver source, which can be directly converted to metallic silver after being reduced by sodium borohydride (NaBH4) under blue light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation (λ max = 465 nm), and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent to assist the growth of AgND. The obtained products were silver nanodecahedra of excellent uniformity and stability with high efficiency and yield. The results showed that PVP acted as a capping agent to stabilize the silver nanoparticles, prolonging the initiation time required for nanodecahedra nucleation, thus inducing anisotropic growth, allowing the size and morphology of the AgND to be controlled successfully. This improved understanding allows a consistent process for the synthesis of AgND with significantly enhanced reproducibility to be developed and the formation mechanism of these nanostructures to be elucidated. This is a simple, cost-effective and easily reproducible method for creating AgND. The typical absorption maxima in the UV-vis spectroscopy of Ag seeds was λ max ∼400 nm and that of AgND was λ max ∼480 nm. The size of the prepared AgND was in the range of 60-80 nm. SEM images confirmed the uniform and high density of AgND when the concentration of PVP was 0.5 mM. The XRD pattern showed that the final product of AgND was highly crystallized. In addition, the prepared AgND can be used to detect methylene blue (MB) in a sensitive manner with good reproducibility and stability using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) phenomenon. Out of the obtained products, the AgND prepared with 50 min blue LED light irradiation (AgND-50) displayed the strongest SERS signal. Interestingly, MB in diluted solution can be detected with a concentration as low as 10-7 M (the limit of detection, LOD) and the linear dependence between SERS intensity and the MB concentration occurred in the range from 10-7 to 10-6 M. The enhancement factor (EF) of the SERS effect was about 1.602 × 106 with a MB concentration of 10-7 M using 532 nm laser excitation.