scholarly journals Carbon Nanomaterials as Versatile Platforms for Biosensing Applications

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Hye Suk Hwang ◽  
Jae Won Jeong ◽  
Yoong Ahm Kim ◽  
Mincheol Chang

A biosensor is defined as a measuring system that includes a biological receptor unit with distinctive specificities toward target analytes. Such analytes include a wide range of biological origins such as DNAs of bacteria or viruses, or proteins generated from an immune system of infected or contaminated living organisms. They further include simple molecules such as glucose, ions, and vitamins. One of the major challenges in biosensor development is achieving efficient signal capture of biological recognition-transduction events. Carbon nanomaterials (CNs) are promising candidates to improve the sensitivity of biosensors while attaining low detection limits owing to their capability of immobilizing large quantities of bioreceptor units at a reduced volume, and they can also act as a transduction element. In addition, CNs can be adapted to functionalization and conjugation with organic compounds or metallic nanoparticles; the creation of surface functional groups offers new properties (e.g., physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties) to the nanomaterials. Because of these intriguing features, CNs have been extensively employed in biosensor applications. In particular, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanodiamonds, graphene, and fullerenes serve as scaffolds for the immobilization of biomolecules at their surface and are also used as transducers for the conversion of signals associated with the recognition of biological analytes. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review on the synthesis of CNs and their potential application to biosensors. In addition, we discuss the efforts to improve the mechanical and electrical properties of biosensors by combining different CNs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 06 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pravan Omprakash ◽  
Udaya Bhat K ◽  
Devadas Bhat Panemangalore

: Strain gauges are devices whose electrical resistances vary proportionately with the amount of strain applied on the device. They can be used for real-time applications in the aerospace sector, as a geotechnical tool in tunnels and bridges, in rail monitoring and health monitoring sectors. Nanomaterials have been widely used for this application because they can be flexible, stretchable and have high strength. Several researchers have used numerous carbon-based and metallic nanostructures to develop functionally graded materials. Among carbon-based materials, graphene has been widely researched as a viable material for strain sensors due to its superior mechanical and electrical properties. Also, many metallic nanoparticles have been investigated to design strain sensors that are highly sensitive at a wide range of strains. In this article, a review of carbon and metallic nanomaterial-based strain sensors is presented, with emphasis on applications pertaining to structural health monitoring and wearable devices.


Author(s):  
Amer Imraish ◽  
Afnan Al-Hunaiti ◽  
Tuqa Abu-Thiab ◽  
Abed Al-Qader Ibrahim ◽  
Eman Hwaitat ◽  
...  

Background: The growing unsatisfaction toward the available traditional chemotherapeutic agents enhanced the need to develop new methods for obtaining materials with more effective and safe anti-cancer properties. Over the past few years, usage of metallic nanoparticles has been a target for researchers of different scientific and commercial fields due to their tiny sizes, environment friendly properties and wide range applications. To overcome the obstacles of traditional physical and chemical methods for synthesis of such nanoparticles, a new less expensive and eco-friendly method has been adopted using natural existing organisms as a reducing agent to mediate synthesis of the desired metallic nanoparticles from their precursors, a process called green biosynthesis of nanoparticles. Objective: Here in the present study, zinc iron bimetallic nanoparticles (ZnFe2O4) were synthesized via an aqueous extract of Boswellia Carteri resin mixed with zinc acetate and iron chloride precursors, and they were tested for their anticancer activity. Methods: Various analytic methods were applied for the characterization of the Phyto synthesized ZnFe2O4 and they were tested for their anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231, K562, MCF-7 cancer cell lines and normal fibroblasts. Results: Our results demonstrate the synthesis of cubic structured bimetallic nanoparticles ZnFe2O4 with an average diameter 10.54 nm. MTT cytotoxicity assay demonstrate that our phyto-synthesized ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles exhibited a selective and potent anticancer activity against K562 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines with IC50 values 4.53 µM and 4.19 µM, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, our bio synthesized ZnFe2O4 nano particles show a promising environmentally friendly of low coast chemotherapeutic approach against selective cancers with a predicted low adverse side effect toward normal cells. Further in vivo advanced animal research should be done to execute their applicability in living organisms.


Arthroplasty ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Wendler ◽  
Torsten Prietzel ◽  
Robert Möbius ◽  
Jean-Pierre Fischer ◽  
Andreas Roth ◽  
...  

Abstract Background All current total hip arthroplasty (THA) systems are modular in design. Only during the operation femoral head and stem get connected by a Morse taper junction. The junction is realized by hammer blows from the surgeon. Decisive for the junction strength is the maximum force acting once in the direction of the neck axis, which is mainly influenced by the applied impulse and surrounding soft tissues. This leads to large differences in assembly forces between the surgeries. This study aimed to quantify the assembly forces of different surgeons under influence of surrounding soft tissue. Methods First, a measuring system, consisting of a prosthesis and a hammer, was developed. Both components are equipped with a piezoelectric force sensor. Initially, in situ experiments on human cadavers were carried out using this system in order to determine the actual assembly forces and to characterize the influence of human soft tissues. Afterwards, an in vitro model in the form of an artificial femur (Sawbones Europe AB, Malmo, Sweden) with implanted measuring stem embedded in gelatine was developed. The gelatine mixture was chosen in such a way that assembly forces applied to the model corresponded to those in situ. A study involving 31 surgeons was carried out on the aforementioned in vitro model, in which the assembly forces were determined. Results A model was developed, with the influence of human soft tissues being taken into account. The assembly forces measured on the in vitro model were, on average, 2037.2 N ± 724.9 N, ranging from 822.5 N to 3835.2 N. The comparison among the surgeons showed no significant differences in sex (P = 0.09), work experience (P = 0.71) and number of THAs performed per year (P = 0.69). Conclusions All measured assembly forces were below 4 kN, which is recommended in the literature. This could lead to increased corrosion following fretting in the head-neck interface. In addition, there was a very wide range of assembly forces among the surgeons, although other influencing factors such as different implant sizes or materials were not taken into account. To ensure optimal assembly force, the impaction should be standardized, e.g., by using an appropriate surgical instrument.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1183-1191
Author(s):  
Xinlin Li ◽  
Rixuan Wang ◽  
Leilei Wang ◽  
Aizhen Li ◽  
Xiaowu Tang ◽  
...  

AbstractDevelopment of stretchable wearable devices requires essential materials with high level of mechanical and electrical properties as well as scalability. Recently, silicone rubber-based elastic polymers with incorporated conductive fillers (metal particles, carbon nanomaterials, etc.) have been shown to the most promising materials for enabling both high electrical performance and stretchability, but the technology to make materials in scalable fabrication is still lacking. Here, we propose a facile method for fabricating a wearable device by directly coating essential electrical material on fabrics. The optimized material is implemented by the noncovalent association of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), carbon black (CB), and silicon rubber (SR). The e-textile sensor has the highest gauge factor (GF) up to 34.38 when subjected to 40% strain for 5,000 cycles, without any degradation. In particular, the fabric sensor is fully operational even after being immersed in water for 10 days or stirred at room temperature for 8 hours. Our study provides a general platform for incorporating other stretchable elastic materials, enabling the future development of the smart clothing manufacturing.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Megawati Zunita

Mercury (Hg) is one of heavy metals with the highest toxicity and negative impact on the biological functions of living organisms. Therefore, many studies are devoted to solving the problem of Hg separation from wastewater. Membrane-based separation techniques have become more preferable in wastewater treatment area due to their ease of operation, mild conditions and also more resistant to toxic pollutants. This technique is also flexible and has a wide range of possibilities to be integrated with other techniques. Graphene oxide (GO) and derivatives are materials which have a nanostructure can be used as a thin and flexible membrane sheet with high chemical stability and high mechanical strength. In addition, GO-based membrane was used as a barrier for Hg vapor due to its nano-channels and nanopores. The nano-channels of GO membranes were also used to provide ion mobility and molecule filtration properties. Nowadays, this technology especially nanofiltration for Hg removal is massively explored. The aim of the review paper is to investigate Hg removal using functionalized graphene oxide nanofiltration. The main focus is the effectiveness of the Hg separation process.


Friction ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhai Wang ◽  
Weipeng Zhuang ◽  
Wenfeng Liang ◽  
Tingting Yan ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this paper, we review recent research developments regarding the tribological performances of a series of inorganic nano-additives in lubricating fluids. First, we examine several basic types of inorganic nanomaterials, including metallic nanoparticles, metal oxides, carbon nanomaterials, and “other” nanomaterials. More specifically, the metallic nanoparticles we examine include silver, copper, nickel, molybdenum, and tungsten nanoparticles; the metal oxides include CuO, ZnO, Fe3O4, TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, and several double-metal oxides; the carbon nanomaterials include fullerene, carbon quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxides, graphite, and diamond; and the “other” nanomaterials include metal sulfides, rare-earth compounds, layered double hydroxides, clay minerals, hexagonal boron nitride, black phosphorus, and nanocomposites. Second, we summarize the lubrication mechanisms of these nano-additives and identify the factors affecting their tribological performance. Finally, we briefly discuss the challenges faced by inorganic nanoparticles in lubrication applications and discuss future research directions. This review offers new perspectives to improve our understanding of inorganic nano-additives in tribology, as well as several new approaches to expand their practical applications.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Αιμιλία Ψαρούλη

Recent developments in the fields of bioanalytical chemistry and microelectronics have resulted in a growing trend of transferring the classical analytical methods from the laboratory bench to the field through the development of portable devices or microsystems based on biosensors. Biosensors are self-contained integrated devices capable to provide analytical information using biological recognition molecules in direct spatial contact with a transducer. Biosensors using antibodies or antigens as biological recognition elements are termed as immunosensors and they are based on the same principle as the classical solid-phase immunoassays.The aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate an optical immunosensor based on Mach-Zehnder Interferometry and integrated on silicon substrate for the immunochemical determination of clinical analytes. The optical sensor developed is fabricated entirely by mainstream silicon technology by the Optical Biosensors group of the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of NCSR “Demokritos” and combines arrays of ten sensors in a single silicon chip. Each sensor consists of an integrated on silicon light source that emits a broad spectrum in visible-near ultraviolet range and it is coupled to an integrated silicon nitride waveguide which has been patterned into Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The signal is recorded either through a photodetector monolithically integrated onto the same silicon chip (fully integrated configuration) or through an external spectrometer (semi-integrated configuration). In the fully integrated configuration, the signal recorded is the total photocurrent across the whole spectral range, while in semi-integrated configuration the whole transmission spectrum is continuously recorded and is mathematically transformed (Fourier Transform) to phase shift. As in the classical Mach-Zehnder interferometers, the waveguide in the proposed sensor is split into two arms, the sensing one which is appropriately modified with recognition biomolecule and the reference arm that is covered by a protective layer. The specific binding of the analyte with the immobilized onto the surface recognition biomolecule causes an effective refractive index change at the surface of the sensing arm thus affecting the phase of the waveguided light with respect to the reference arm. Thus, when the two arms converge again, an interference spectrum is generated that is altered during bioreaction providing the ability of monitoring in real-time and without using labels. The main difference of the sensor developed with respect to classical Mach-Zehnder interferometers is that the light source is monolithically integrated on the same silicon substrate with the waveguides and the waveguided light is not monochromatic, but broad spectrum.At first in this study, the method for chemical activation of biofunctionalization of chips was optimized. It was found that the highest signals were obtained when chips where activated by (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and deposition of biomolecules solutions using a microarray spotter. Then, a comparison of the two sensor configurations, i.e. the fully and the semi-integrated configuration was performed using a model binding assay namely the streptavidin-biotin reaction. Semi-integrated configuration provided higher detection sensitivities mainly due to lower between-sensor signal variation in the same chip and between different chips. Thus, this configuration was selected for further evaluation with respect to the determination of analytes of clinical interest and especially of immunochemical determination of C-reactive protein in human serum samples. CRP is a marker of inflammation widely used in everyday clinical practice for diagnosis and therapy monitoring of inflammatory situations. Nevertheless, CRP has been also proposed as a prognostic marker of myocardial infraction and three risk levels have been established; low risk for serum CRP concentrations < 1 μg/mL; medium risk for concentrations in the range 1-3 μg/mL; and high risk for concentrations >3 μg/mL. In the frame of the present thesis, enzyme immunoassays for the determination of CRP in microtitration plates both competitive and non-competitive were developed in order to select the most appropriate reagents and define the immunoassay conditions. Then both assay format were transferred and evaluated on the sensor. It was found that the non-competitive format offered higher responses and ability for regeneration of immobilized onto the sensor antibody against CRP and was therefore selected for the final sensor evaluation. The assay developed following the competitive format was sensitive and accurate as was demonstrated through recovery and dilution linearity experiments, and provided for analysis of samples with a wide range of CRP concentrations since it was immune to the presence of serum. In addition, the CRP values determined with the immunosensor developed in serum samples from unknown donors were in good agreement with those determined for the same samples by commercially available kits and instruments showing the reliability of the determinations performed with the immunosensor developed and its potential for analysis of clinical samples.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Joko Tri Wibowo ◽  
Matthias Y. Kellermann ◽  
Lars-Erik Petersen ◽  
Yustian R. Alfiansah ◽  
Colleen Lattyak ◽  
...  

Melanin is a widely distributed and striking dark-colored pigment produced by countless living organisms. Although a wide range of bioactivities have been recognized, there are still major constraints in using melanin for biotechnological applications such as its fragmentary known chemical structure and its insolubility in inorganic and organic solvents. In this study, a bacterial culture of Streptomyces cavourensis SV 21 produced two distinct forms of melanin: (1) a particulate, insoluble form as well as (2) a rarely observed water-soluble form. The here presented novel, acid-free purification protocol of purified particulate melanin (PPM) and purified dissolved melanin (PDM) represents the basis for an in-depth comparison of their physicochemical and biological properties, which were compared to the traditional acid-based precipitation of melanin (AM) and to a synthetic melanin standard (SM). Our data show that the differences in solubility between PDM and PPM in aqueous solutions may be a result of different adjoining cation species, since the soluble PDM polymer is largely composed of Mg2+ ions and the insoluble PPM is dominated by Ca2+ ions. Furthermore, AM shared most properties with SM, which is likely attributed to a similar, acid-based production protocol. The here presented gentler approach of purifying melanin facilitates a new perspective of an intact form of soluble and insoluble melanin that is less chemical altered and thus closer to its original biological form.


2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (20) ◽  
pp. 3019-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Bailly

Abstract Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are versatile compounds which can have toxic or signalling effects in a wide range living organisms, including seeds. They have been reported to play a pivotal role in the regulation of seed germination and dormancy but their mechanisms of action are still far from being fully understood. In this review, we sum-up the major findings that have been carried out this last decade in this field of research and which altogether shed a new light on the signalling roles of ROS in seed physiology. ROS participate in dormancy release during seed dry storage through the direct oxidation of a subset of biomolecules. During seed imbibition, the controlled generation of ROS is involved in the perception and transduction of environmental conditions that control germination. When these conditions are permissive for germination, ROS levels are maintained at a level which triggers cellular events associated with germination, such as hormone signalling. Here we propose that the spatiotemporal regulation of ROS production acts in concert with hormone signalling to regulate the cellular events involved in cell expansion associated with germination.


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