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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Involvement of two uptake mechanisms of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles in a co-exposure scenario using mouse macrophages
    (Frankfurt am Main : Beilstein-Institut, 2017) Vanhecke, Dimitri; Kuhn, Dagmar A.; de Aberasturi, Dorleta Jimenez; Balog, Sandor; Milosevic, Ana; Urban, Dominic; Peckys, Diana; de Jonge, Niels; Parak, Wolfgang J.; Petri-Fink, Alke; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara
    Little is known about the simultaneous uptake of different engineered nanoparticle types, as it can be expected in our daily life. In order to test such co-exposure effects, murine macrophages (J774A.1 cell line) were incubated with gold (AuNPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (FeOxNPs) either alone or combined. Environmental scanning electron microscopy revealed that single NPs of both types bound within minutes on the cell surface but with a distinctive difference between FeOxNPs and AuNPs. Uptake analysis studies based on laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry revealed intracellular appearance of both NP types in all exposure scenarios and a time-dependent increase. This increase was higher for both AuNPs and FeOxNPs during co-exposure. Cells treated with endocytotic inhibitors recovered after co-exposure, which additionally hinted that two uptake mechanisms are involved. Cross-talk between uptake pathways is relevant for toxicological studies: Co-exposure acts as an uptake accelerant. If the goal is to maximize the cellular uptake, e.g., for the delivery of pharmaceutical agents, this can be beneficial. However, co-exposure should also be taken into account in the case of risk assessment of occupational settings. The demonstration of co-exposure-invoked pathway interactions reveals that synergetic nanoparticle effects, either positive or negative, must be considered for nanotechnology and nanomedicine in particular to develop to its full potential.
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    The role of ligands in coinage-metal nanoparticles for electronics
    (Frankfurt, M. : Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften, 2017) Kanelidis, Ioannis; Kraus, Tobias
    Coinage-metal nanoparticles are key components of many printable electronic inks. They can be combined with polymers to form conductive composites and have been used as the basis of molecular electronic devices. This review summarizes the multidimensional role of surface ligands that cover their metal cores. Ligands not only passivate crystal facets and determine growth rates and shapes; they also affect size and colloidal stability. Particle shapes can be tuned via the ligand choice while ligand length, size, ω-functionalities, and chemical nature influence shelf-life and stability of nanoparticles in dispersions. When particles are deposited, ligands affect the electrical properties of the resulting film, the morphology of particle films, and the nature of the interfaces. The effects of the ligands on sintering, cross-linking, and self-assembly of particles in electronic materials are discussed.
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    A correlative analysis of gold nanoparticles internalized by A549 cells
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2014) Böse, Katharina; Koch, Marcus; Cavelius, Christian; Kiemer, Alexandra K.; Kraegeloh, Annette
    Fluorescently labeled nanoparticles are widely used to investigate nanoparticle cell interactions by fluorescence microscopy. Owing to limited lateral and axial resolution, nanostructures (<100 nm) cannot be resolved by conventional light micro­scopy techniques. Especially after uptake into cells, a common fate of the fluorescence label and the particle core cannot be taken for granted. In this study, a correlative approach is presented to image fluorescently labeled gold nanoparticles inside whole cells by correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). This approach allows for detection of the fluorescently labeled particle shell as well as for the gold core in one sample. In this setup, A549 cells are exposed to 8 nm Atto 647N-labeled gold nanoparticles (3.3 × 109 particles mL−1, 0.02 μg Au mL−1) for 5 h and are subsequently imaged by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Eight fluorescence signals located at different intracellular positions are further analyzed by TEM. Five of the eight fluorescence spots are correlated with isolated or agglomerated gold nanoparticles. Three fluorescence signals could not be related to the presence of gold, indicating a loss of the particle shell.
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    Ageing of alkylthiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2015) Lacava, Johann; Weber, Anika; Kraus, Tobias
    The ageing of spherical gold nanoparticles having 6-nm-diameter cores and a ligand shell of dodecanethiol is investigated under different storage conditions. Losses caused by agglomeration and changes in optical particle properties are quantified. Changes in colloidal stability are probed by analytical centrifugation in a polar solvent mixture. Chemical changes are detected by elementary analysis of particles and solvent. Fractionation occurs under all storage conditions. Ageing is not uniform but broadens the property distributions of the particles. Small-number statistics in the ligand shell density and the morphological heterogeneity of particles are possible explanations. Washing steps exacerbate ageing, a process that could not be fully reversed by excess ligands. Dry storage is not preferable to storage in solvent. Storage under inert argon atmosphere reduces losses more than all other conditions but could not prevent it entirely.
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    X-ray imaging with scintillator-sensitized hybrid organic photodetectors
    (London : Nature Publishing Group, 2015) Büchele, Patric; Richter, Moses; Tedde, Sandro F.; Matt, Gebhard J.; Ankah, Genesis N.; Fischer, Rene; Biele, Markus; Metzger, Wilhelm; Lilliu, Samuele; Bikondoa, Oier; Macdonald, J. Emyr; Brabec, Christoph J.; Kraus, Tobias; Lemmer, Uli; Schmidt, Oliver
    Medical X-ray imaging requires cost-effective and high-resolution flat-panel detectors for the energy range between 20 and 120 keV. Solution-processed photodetectors provide the opportunity to fabricate detectors with a large active area at low cost. Here, we present a disruptive approach that improves the resolution of such detectors by incorporating terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide scintillator particles into an organic photodetector matrix. The X-ray induced light emission from the scintillators is absorbed within hundreds of nanometres, which is negligible compared with the pixel size. Hence, optical crosstalk, a limiting factor in the resolution of scintillator-based X-ray detectors, is minimized. The concept is validated with a 256 × 256 pixel detector with a resolution of 4.75 lp mm−1 at a MTF = 0.2, significantly better than previous stacked scintillator-based flat-panel detectors. We achieved a resolution that proves the feasibility of solution-based detectors in medical applications. Time-resolved electrical characterization showed enhanced charge carrier mobility with increased scintillator filling, which is explained by morphological changes.