Profile Prediction and Fabrication of Wet-Etched Gold Nanostructures for Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance

Dispersed nanosphere lithography can be employed to fabricate gold nanostructures for localized surface plasmon resonance, in which the gold film evaporated on the nanospheres is anisotropically dry etched to obtain gold nanostructures. This paper reports that by wet etching of the gold film, various kinds of gold nanostructures can be fabricated in a cost-effective way. The shape of the nanostructures is predicted by profile simulation, and the localized surface plasmon resonance spectrum is observed to be shifting its extinction peak with the etching time

From lamins to lamina: a structural perspective

Lamin proteins are the major constituents of the nuclear lamina, a proteinaceous network that lines the inner nuclear membrane. Primarily, the nuclear lamina provides structural support for the nucleus and the nuclear envelope; however, lamins and their associated proteins are also involved in most of the nuclear processes, including DNA replication and repair, regulation of gene expression, and signaling. Mutations in human lamin A and associated proteins were found to cause a large number of diseases, termed 'laminopathies.' These diseases include muscular dystrophies, lipodystrophies, neuropathies, and premature aging syndromes. Despite the growing number of studies on lamins and their associated proteins, the molecular organization of lamins in health and disease is still elusive. Likewise, there is no comprehensive view how mutations in lamins result in a plethora of diseases, selectively affecting different tissues. Here, we discuss some of the structural aspects of lamins and the nuclear lamina organization, in light of recent results

Robust Polymer-Coated Diamond Supports for Noble-Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts

Much research has been done using polymer and silica particles as support materials for catalytically active noble metal nanoparticles, but these materials have limited stability in organic solvents or under extreme reaction conditions such as high pH. Here we present a robust and versatile composite polymer-diamond support for ultrasmall noble metal nanoparticles combining chemical and mechanical stability of diamond with the chemical versatility of a polymer. By exploiting the rich surface chemistry of nanodiamond and incorporating a reactive thiol–ene polymer, a thinly coated polymer-diamond composite was formed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed the presence of the polymer. High resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) analysis showed that <i>in situ</i> growth of gold, platinum and palladium nanoparticles produced high density coverage at the polymer-diamond support surface. Energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping and S/TEM imaging indicated spatial alignment of nanoparticles with chemical groups present in the polymer used for particle tethering. The polymer-diamond supported nanoparticles catalyze the NaBH₄ reduction of para-nitrophenol to para-aminophenol and possess better stability than silica supports which dissolve at high pH resulting in nanoparticle aggregation. With the high robustness of the diamond and the ability to tailor the monomer combinations, this polymer-diamond support system may be expanded to a wide range of nanoparticle compositions suitable for various reaction conditions

Label-free and dynamic detection of biomolecular interactions for high-throughput microarray applications

Direct monitoring of primary molecular-binding interactions without the need for secondary reactants would markedly simplify and expand applications of high-throughput label-free detection methods. A simple interferometric technique is presented that monitors the optical phase difference resulting from accumulated biomolecular mass. As an example, 50 spots for each of four proteins consisting of BSA, human serum albumin, rabbit IgG, and protein G were dynamically monitored as they captured corresponding antibodies. Dynamic measurements were made at 26 pg/mm2 SD per spot and with a detectable concentration of 19 ng/ml. The presented method is particularly relevant for protein microarray analysis because it is label-free, simple, sensitive, and easily scales to high-throughput

Profile simulation and fabrication of gold nanostructures by separated nanospheres with oblique deposition and perpendicular etching

10.1007/s11468-007-9040-0Plasmonics24217-23