Subnanogram Mass Measurements on Plasmonic Nanoparticles for Temperature-Programmed Thermal Analysis

Ultrasensitive thermogravimetric analysis of adsorbed organic molecules has been achieved on an ordered array of gold nanoparticles used as a novel plasmonic nanobalance. The extinction peaks of the resonating surface plasmon of nanoparticle arrays shift upon loading molecules and return to the original position after a linear temperature rise process. A good correlation exists between the film thickness and magnitude of peak shifts. The detection range of plasmonic nanobalance derived from our results can reach a subnanogram level (1.8 pg on an active area of 100 μm²), which is much lower than those of mechanical or electronic mass-measuring devices. Such high mass sensitivity, combined with the remote detection capability and high-temperature operation of plasmonic sensors, allows the in situ detections of the masses of loaded material and thermally desorbed molecules

Three-Dimensional Microtissue Assay for High-Throughput Cytotoxicity of Nanoparticles

Traditional in vitro nanotoxicity researches are conducted on cultured two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cells and thereby cannot reflect organism response to nanoparticle toxicities at tissue levels. This paper describes a new, high-throughput approach to test in vitro nanotoxicity in three-dimensional (3D) microtissue array, where microtissues are formed by seeding cells in nonsticky microwells, and cells are allowed to aggregate and grow into microtissues with defined size and shape. Nanoparticles attach and diffuse into microtissues gradually, causing radial cytotoxicity among cells, with more cells being killed on the outer layers of the microtissue than inside. Three classical toxicity assays [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6DP), and calcein AM and ethidium homodimer (calcein AM/EthD-1)] have been adopted to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach. Results show that the nanotoxicities derived from this method are significantly lower than that from traditional 2D cultured monolayer cells (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Equipped with a microplate reader or a microscope, the nanotoxicity assay could be completed automatically without transferring the microtissue, ensuring the reliability of toxicity assay. The proposed approach provides a new strategy for high-throughput, simple, and accurate evaluation of nanoparticle toxicities by combining 3D microtissue array with a panel of classical toxicity assays

Visible-Light-Driven, Radical-Triggered Tandem Cyclization of <i>o</i>‑Hydroxyaryl Enaminones: Facile Access to 3‑CF₂ /CF₃‑Containing Chromones

A practical and straightforward synthetic route to construct a variety of 3-CF₂/CF₃-containing chromones via photoredox catalysis was developed. This novel protocol features a visible-light-induced radical-triggered tandem cyclization