Facile Method for Preparation of Silica Coated Monodisperse Superparamagnetic Microspheres

This paper presents a facile method for preparation of silica coated monodisperse superparamagnetic microsphere. Herein, monodisperse porous polystyrene-divinylbenzene microbeads were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization and subsequently sulfonated with acetic acid/H2SO4. The as-prepared sulfonated macroporous beads were magnetized in presence of Fe2+/Fe3+ under alkaline condition and were subjected to silica coating by sol-gel process, providing water compatibility, easily modifiable surface form, and chemical stability. FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR, and TGA were employed to characterize the silica coated monodisperse magnetic beads (~7.5 μm). The proposed monodisperse magnetic beads can be used as mobile solid phase particles candidate for protein and DNA separation

Au–Ag assembled on silica nanoprobes for visual semiquantitative detection of prostate-specific antigen

Background Blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for prostate cancer. Lateral-flow immunoassay (LFIA)-based PSA detection can overcome the limitations associated with other methods. LFIAbased PSA detection in clinical samples enables prognosis and early diagnosis owing to the use of high-performance signal reporters. Results Here, a semiquantitative LFIA platform for PSA detection in blood was developed using Au–Ag nanoparticles (NPs) assembled on silica NPs (SiO2@Au–Ag NPs) that served as signal reporters. Synthesized SiO2@Au–Ag NPs exhibited a high absorbance at a wide wavelength range (400–800 nm), with a high scattering on nitrocellulose membrane test strips. In LFIA, the color intensity of the test line on the test strip differed depending on the PSA concentration (0.30–10.00 ng/mL), and bands for the test line on the test strip could be used as a standard. When clinical samples were assessed using this LFIA, a visual test line with particular color intensity observed on the test strip enabled the early diagnosis and prognosis of patients with prostate cancer based on PSA detection. In addition, the relative standard deviation of reproducibility was 1.41%, indicating high reproducibility, and the signal reporter showed good stability for 10 days. Conclusion These characteristics of the signal reporter demonstrated the reliability of the LFIA platform for PSA detection, suggesting potential applications in clinical sample analysis.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. NRF2020R1F1A1072702). This study was also supported by the WTU Joint Research Grant of Konkuk University in 2017 (2017-A019-0334)

High-quantum yield alloy-typed core/shell CdSeZnS/ZnS quantum dots for bio-applications

Abstract Background Quantum dots (QDs) have been used as fluorophores in various imaging fields owing to their strong fluorescent intensity, high quantum yield (QY), and narrow emission bandwidth. However, the application of QDs to bio-imaging is limited because the QY of QDs decreases substantially during the surface modification step for bio-application. Results In this study, we fabricated alloy-typed core/shell CdSeZnS/ZnS quantum dots (alloy QDs) that showed higher quantum yield and stability during the surface modification for hydrophilization compared with conventional CdSe/CdS/ZnS multilayer quantum dots (MQDs). The structure of the alloy QDs was confirmed using time-of-flight medium-energy ion scattering spectroscopy. The alloy QDs exhibited strong fluorescence and a high QY of 98.0%. After hydrophilic surface modification, the alloy QDs exhibited a QY of 84.7%, which is 1.5 times higher than that of MQDs. The QY was 77.8% after the alloy QDs were conjugated with folic acid (FA). Alloy QDs and MQDs, after conjugation with FA, were successfully used for targeting human KB cells. The alloy QDs exhibited a stronger fluorescence signal than MQD; these signals were retained in the popliteal lymph node area for 24h. Conclusion The alloy QDs maintained a higher QY in hydrophilization for biological applications than MQDs. And also, alloy QDs showed the potential as nanoprobes for highly sensitive bioimaging analysis. Graphical Abstrac

Highly sensitive near-infrared SERS nanoprobes for in vivo imaging using gold-assembled silica nanoparticles with controllable nanogaps

Abstract Background To take advantages, such as multiplex capacity, non-photobleaching property, and high sensitivity, of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based in vivo imaging, development of highly enhanced SERS nanoprobes in near-infrared (NIR) region is needed. A well-controlled morphology and biocompatibility are essential features of NIR SERS nanoprobes. Gold (Au)-assembled nanostructures with controllable nanogaps with highly enhanced SERS signals within multiple hotspots could be a breakthrough. Results Au-assembled silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) (SiO2@Au@Au NPs) as NIR SERS nanoprobes are synthesized using the seed-mediated growth method. SiO2@Au@Au NPs using six different sizes of Au NPs (SiO2@Au@Au50–SiO2@Au@Au500) were prepared by controlling the concentration of Au precursor in the growth step. The nanogaps between Au NPs on the SiO2 surface could be controlled from 4.16 to 0.98nm by adjusting the concentration of Au precursor (hence increasing Au NP sizes), which resulted in the formation of effective SERS hotspots. SiO2@Au@Au500 NPs with a 0.98-nm gap showed a high SERS enhancement factor of approximately 3.8 × 106 under 785-nm photoexcitation. SiO2@Au@Au500 nanoprobes showed detectable in vivo SERS signals at a concentration of 16μg/mL in animal tissue specimen at a depth of 7mm. SiO2@Au@Au500 NPs with 14 different Raman label compounds exhibited distinct SERS signals upon subcutaneous injection into nude mice. Conclusions SiO2@Au@Au NPs showed high potential for in vivo applications as multiplex nanoprobes with high SERS sensitivity in the NIR region. Graphical Abstrac

Silver Nano/Microparticles: Modification and Applications 2.0

Currently, nano/microparticles are widely used in various fields [...

Synthesis of Finely Controllable Sizes of Au Nanoparticles on a Silica Template and Their Nanozyme Properties

The precise synthesis of fine-sized nanoparticles is critical for realizing the advantages of nanoparticles for various applications. We developed a technique for preparing finely controllable sizes of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on a silica template, using the seed-mediated growth and interval dropping methods. These Au NPs, embedded on silica nanospheres (SiO2@Au NPs), possess peroxidase-like activity as nanozymes and have several advantages over other nanoparticle-based nanozymes. We confirmed their peroxidase activity; in addition, factors affecting the activity were investigated by varying the reaction conditions, such as concentrations of tetramethyl benzidine and H2O2, pH, particle amount, reaction time, and termination time. We found that SiO2@Au NPs are highly stable under long-term storage and reusable for five cycles. Our study, therefore, provides a novel method for controlling the properties of nanoparticles and for developing nanoparticle-based nanozymes

Synthesis of Gold-Platinum Core-Shell Nanoparticles Assembled on a Silica Template and Their Peroxidase Nanozyme Properties

Bimetallic nanoparticles are important materials for synthesizing multifunctional nanozymes. A technique for preparing gold-platinum nanoparticles (NPs) on a silica core template (SiO2@Au@Pt) using seed-mediated growth is reported in this study. The SiO2@Au@Pt exhibits peroxidase-like nanozyme activity has several advantages over gold assembled silica core templates (SiO2@Au@Au), such as stability and catalytic performance. The maximum reaction velocity (Vmax) and the Michaelis–Menten constants (Km) were and 2.1 × 10−10 M−1∙s−1 and 417 µM, respectively. Factors affecting the peroxidase activity, including the quantity of NPs, solution pH, reaction time, and concentration of tetramethyl benzidine, are also investigated in this study. The optimization of SiO2@Au@Pt NPs for H2O2 detection obtained in 0.5 mM TMB; using 5 µg SiO2@Au@Pt, at pH 4.0 for 15 min incubation. H2O2 can be detected in the dynamic liner range of 1.0 to 100 mM with the detection limit of 1.0 mM. This study presents a novel method for controlling the properties of bimetallic NPs assembled on a silica template and increases the understanding of the activity and potential applications of highly efficient multifunctional NP-based nanozymes

Glucose Detection of 4-Mercaptophenylboronic Acid-Immobilized Gold-Silver Core-Shell Assembled Silica Nanostructure by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

The importance of glucose in many biological processes continues to garner increasing research interest in the design and development of efficient biotechnology for the sensitive and selective monitoring of glucose. Here we report on a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid (4-MPBA)-immobilized gold-silver core-shell assembled silica nanostructure (SiO2@Au@Ag@4-MPBA) for quantitative, selective detection of glucose in physiologically relevant concentration. This work confirmed that 4-MPBA converted to 4-mercaptophenol (4-MPhOH) in the presence of H2O2. In addition, a calibration curve for H2O2 detection of 0.3 µg/mL was successfully detected in the range of 1.0 to 1000 µg/mL. Moreover, the SiO2@Au@Ag@4-MPBA for glucose detection was developed in the presence of glucose oxidase (GOx) at the optimized condition of 100 µg/mL GOx with 1-h incubation time using 20 µg/mL SiO2@Au@Ag@4-MPBA and measuring Raman signal at 67 µg/mL SiO2@Au@Ag. At the optimized condition, the calibration curve in the range of 0.5 to 8.0 mM was successfully developed with an LOD of 0.15 mM. Based on those strategies, the SERS detection of glucose can be achieved in the physiologically relevant concentration range and opened a great promise to develop a SERS-based biosensor for a variety of biomedicine applications

Nonenzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide Detection Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Gold–Silver Core–Shell-Assembled Silica Nanostructures

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays important roles in cellular signaling and in industry. Thus, the accurate detection of H2O2 is critical for its application. Unfortunately, the direct detection of H2O2 by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is not possible because of its low Raman cross section. Therefore, the detection of H2O2 via the presence of an intermediary such as 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) has recently been developed. In this study, the peroxidase-mimicking activity of gold–silver core–shell-assembled silica nanostructures (SiO2@Au@Ag alloy NPs) in the presence of TMB was investigated using SERS for detecting H2O2. In the presence of H2O2, the SiO2@Au@Ag alloy catalyzed the conversion of TMB to oxidized TMB, which was absorbed onto the surface of the SiO2@Au@Ag alloy. The SERS characteristics of the alloy in the TMB–H2O2 mixture were investigated. The evaluation of the SERS band to determine the H2O2 level utilized the SERS intensity of oxidized TMB bands. Moreover, the optimal conditions for H2O2 detection using SiO2@Au@Ag alloy included incubating 20 µg/mL SiO2@Au@Ag alloy NPs with 0.8 mM TMB for 15 min and measuring the Raman signal at 400 µg/mL SiO2@Au@Ag alloy NPs

Synthesis, Properties, and Biological Applications of Metallic Alloy Nanoparticles

Metallic alloy nanoparticles are synthesized by combining two or more different metals. Bimetallic or trimetallic nanoparticles are considered more effective than monometallic nanoparticles because of their synergistic characteristics. In this review, we outline the structure, synthesis method, properties, and biological applications of metallic alloy nanoparticles based on their plasmonic, catalytic, and magnetic characteristics