Picosecond Laser based Additive Manufacturing of Hydroxyapatite Coatings on Cobalt Chromium Surfaces

We report high repetition rate picosecond laser based additive manufacturing process to coat nanoscale rough hydroxyapatite (HA) on cobalt chromium plates (CoCr). Nanoscale rough coatings of hydroxyapatite are desirable as they mimic the naturally formed hydroxyapatite and in addition provide very high surface area and surface roughness, which leads to better cell adhesion and cell-matrix interaction. Nanoscale HA powders are synthesized using sol-gel procedure and ball milling. Ball-milled powders are suspended in volatile solvents and coated on the CoCr surface using picosecond laser irradiation. The chemical composition and morphology of the coated material was characterized using electron microscopy. The laser-assisted fusion process results in HA coatings that have hierarchical surface roughness down to nanometer scale which may enhance the biocompatibility of the CoCr implants

Formation of Size and Density Controlled Nanostructures by Galvanic Displacement

Gold (Au) and copper (Cu)-based nanostructures are of great interest due to their applicability in various areas including catalysis, sensing and optoelectronics. Nanostructures synthesized by the galvanic displacement method often lead to non-uniform density and poor size distribution. Here, density and size-controlled synthesis of Au and Cu-based nanostructures was made possible by galvanic displacement with limited exposure to hydrofluoric (HF) acid and the use of surfactants like L-cysteine (L-Cys) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). An approach involving cyclic exposure to HF acid regulated the nanostructure density. Further, the use of surfactants generated monodisperse nanoparticles in the initial stages of the deposition with increased density. The characterization of Au and Cu-based nanostructures was performed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic measurements demonstrated an increase in the Raman intensity by two to three orders of magnitude for analyte molecules like Rhodamine 6G dye and paraoxon

Two C-terminal Sequence Variations Determine Differential Neurotoxicity Between Human and Mouse α-synuclein

BACKGROUND: α-Synuclein (aSyn) aggregation is thought to play a central role in neurodegenerative disorders termed synucleinopathies, including Parkinson\u27s disease (PD). Mouse aSyn contains a threonine residue at position 53 that mimics the human familial PD substitution A53T, yet in contrast to A53T patients, mice show no evidence of aSyn neuropathology even after aging. Here, we studied the neurotoxicity of human A53T, mouse aSyn, and various human-mouse chimeras in cellular and in vivo models, as well as their biochemical properties relevant to aSyn pathobiology. METHODS: Primary midbrain cultures transduced with aSyn-encoding adenoviruses were analyzed immunocytochemically to determine relative dopaminergic neuron viability. Brain sections prepared from rats injected intranigrally with aSyn-encoding adeno-associated viruses were analyzed immunohistochemically to determine nigral dopaminergic neuron viability and striatal dopaminergic terminal density. Recombinant aSyn variants were characterized in terms of fibrillization rates by measuring thioflavin T fluorescence, fibril morphologies via electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and protein-lipid interactions by monitoring membrane-induced aSyn aggregation and aSyn-mediated vesicle disruption. Statistical tests consisted of ANOVA followed by Tukey\u27s multiple comparisons post hoc test and the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by a Dunn\u27s multiple comparisons test or a two-tailed Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: Mouse aSyn was less neurotoxic than human aSyn A53T in cell culture and in rat midbrain, and data obtained for the chimeric variants indicated that the human-to-mouse substitutions D121G and N122S were at least partially responsible for this decrease in neurotoxicity. Human aSyn A53T and a chimeric variant with the human residues D and N at positions 121 and 122 (respectively) showed a greater propensity to undergo membrane-induced aggregation and to elicit vesicle disruption. Differences in neurotoxicity among the human, mouse, and chimeric aSyn variants correlated weakly with differences in fibrillization rate or fibril morphology. CONCLUSIONS: Mouse aSyn is less neurotoxic than the human A53T variant as a result of inhibitory effects of two C-terminal amino acid substitutions on membrane-induced aSyn aggregation and aSyn-mediated vesicle permeabilization. Our findings highlight the importance of membrane-induced self-assembly in aSyn neurotoxicity and suggest that inhibiting this process by targeting the C-terminal domain could slow neurodegeneration in PD and other synucleinopathy disorders

Proteins and natural biopolymers as templates for inorganic nanomaterial synthesis

The synthesis of one dimensional (1D) structures, using the bottom up technique has gained much attention in the past few years. This is due to the unique advantages of the synthesis method. The bottom up synthesis route for the fabrication of 1D structures utilizes mild experimental conditions, short experimental time, relatively inexpensive precursors and does not require a precise control of process variables. Moreover, the biotemplate can be functionalized which helps in the proper positioning of the 1D structures in complex circuits. In the present work, alpha synuclein protein was used as a model template for the fabrication of metallic (silver, platinum) and semiconducting (cadmium sulfide, lead sulfide, zinc sulfide) nanowires. The lateral dimensions of the nanowires could be controlled by varying the process variables. Further, this work was extended on to a cellulose template. The cellulose template is an inexpensive template, compared to proteins, and is abundantly available in various forms. Later, the biotemplated Silica and Titania nanowires were utilized for a biosensing application. The synthesized 1D structures show promise in various fields ranging from electronics, catalysis to biosensing

Exploring the Efficacy of Platinum and Palladium Nanostructures for Organic Molecule Detection via Raman Spectroscopy

Noble transition metals, like palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt), have been well-known for their excellent catalytic and electrochemical properties. However, they have been considered non-active for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this work, we explore the scattering contributions of Pd and Pt for the detection of organic molecules. The Pd and Pt nanostructures were synthesized on silicon substrate using a modified galvanic displacement method. The results show Pt nanoparticles and dendritic Pd nanostructures with controlled density and size. The influence of surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, on the size and morphology of the nanostructures was investigated. The Pd and Pt nanostructures with a combination of large size and high density were then used to explore their applicability for the detection of 10−5 M Rhodamine 6G and 10−2 M paraoxon

Size Controlled Copper (I) Oxide Nanoparticles Influence Sensitivity of Glucose Biosensor

Copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) is an appealing semiconducting oxide with potential applications in various fields ranging from photovoltaics to biosensing. The precise control of size and shape of Cu2O nanostructures has been an area of intense research. Here, the electrodeposition of Cu2O nanoparticles is presented with precise size variations by utilizing ethylenediamine (EDA) as a size controlling agent. The size of the Cu2O nanoparticles was successfully varied between 54.09 nm to 966.97 nm by changing the concentration of EDA in the electrolytic bath during electrodeposition. The large surface area of the Cu2O nanoparticles present an attractive platform for immobilizing glucose oxidase for glucose biosensing. The fabricated enzymatic biosensor exhibited a rapid response time of <2 s. The limit of detection was 0.1 μM and the sensitivity of the glucose biosensor was 1.54 mA/cm2. mM. The Cu2O nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction

The Effect of Agglomeration Reduction on the Tribological Behavior of WS₂ and MoS₂ Nanoparticle Additives in the Boundary Lubrication Regime

This study investigates the impact of different surfactants and dispersion techniques on the friction and wear behavior of WS2 and MoS2 nanoparticles additives in a Polyalphaolefin (PAO) base oil under boundary lubrication conditions. The nanoparticles were dispersed using Oleic acid (OA) and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to investigate their impact on particle agglomeration. The size distribution of the dispersed nanoparticles in PAO was measured by dynamic light scattering. The nanoparticles treated using PVP resulted in the most stable particle size. Friction studies showed that nanoparticle agglomeration reduction and the homogeneity of the suspension did not significantly impact the friction reduction behavior of the lubricant. Reciprocating wear experiments showed that, for our test conditions, both WS2 and MoS2 nano additives exhibited maximum wear depth reduction (45%) when using the PVP surface treatment compared to base oil. The wear results confirmed the significance of minimizing agglomeration and promoting high dispersion in promoting favorable wear resistance under boundary lubricant conditions. Analysis of the wear surfaces showed that a tribofilm formation was the primary wear reduction mechanism for WS2 particles treated by PVP while, in the case of MoS2 treated by PVP, the mechanism was load sharing via particles rolling and/or sliding at the interface

Sensitive Biosensor Based on Shape-Controlled ZnO Nanostructures Grown on Flexible Porous Substrate for Pesticide Detection

Developing an inexpensive, sensitive, and point-of-use biosensor for pesticide detection is becoming an important area in sensing. Such sensors can be used in food packaging, agricultural fields, and environmental monitoring of pesticides. The present investigation has developed a zinc oxide (ZnO)-based biosensor on porous, flexible substrates such as carbon paper and carbon cloth to detect organophosphates such as paraoxon (OP). Here, the influence of morphology and underlying substrate on biosensor performance was studied. The biosensors were fabricated by immobilizing the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme on ZnO, which is directly grown on the flexible substrates. The ZnO biosensors fabricated on the carbon cloth demonstrated good performance with the detection limit of OP in the range of 0.5 nM–5 µM, higher sensitivity, and greater stability

Picosecond Laser based Additive Manufacturing of Hydroxyapatite Coatings on Cobalt Chromium Surfaces

We report high repetition rate picosecond laser based additive manufacturing process to coat nanoscale rough hydroxyapatite (HA) on cobalt chromium plates (CoCr). Nanoscale rough coatings of hydroxyapatite are desirable as they mimic the naturally formed hydroxyapatite and in addition provide very high surface area and surface roughness, which leads to better cell adhesion and cell-matrix interaction. Nanoscale HA powders are synthesized using sol-gel procedure and ball milling. Ball-milled powders are suspended in volatile solvents and coated on the CoCr surface using picosecond laser irradiation. The chemical composition and morphology of the coated material was characterized using electron microscopy. The laser-assisted fusion process results in HA coatings that have hierarchical surface roughness down to nanometer scale which may enhance the biocompatibility of the CoCr implants.This article is published as Redhwi, I., T. Lan, S. Padalkar, and P. Shrotriya. "Picosecond Laser based Additive Manufacturing of Hydroxyapatite Coatings on Cobalt Chromium Surfaces." Procedia Manufacturing 26 (2018): 125-131. DOI: 10.1016/j.promfg.2018.07.015. Posted with permission.</p