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From Molecules to Nanomaterials
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From Molecules to Nanomaterials

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2011) | Viewed by 41543

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jiye (James) Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
Interests: synthesis of shape- and size-controlled metallic nanocrystals and their electrocatalytic applications in fuel cells (both anode and cathode); self-assembly and superstructure of nanopolyhedra (both single- and binary compositions); synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals and their thermoelectric/photovoltaic applications; synthesis of 1D and core-shell structured functional nanomaterials; high-pressure exploration of nanopolyhedron-based superlattices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomaterials cross a bridge between bulk materials and substances on atomic/molecular scale. With dimensions generally between 1 and 100 nanometres, nanomaterials have shown various novel and interesting characteristics. The chemical and physical properties of nanomaterials may differ significantly from those of bulk materials, but they may also ‘inherit’ properties from atoms/molecules. There has been a tremendous research interest in studying the scale between molecules and nanomaterials. The combined special issue on “From Molecules to Nanomaterials” for the journals International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) and Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991) will focus on this transition area. We invite submissions of original research articles or comprehensive reviews on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • novel characterization method in molecular science and nanomaterials
  • computation and computer modelling of molecules, clusters and/or nanostructures
  • molecular and polymer self-assembly
  • new developments of molecular science in biological, medical and chemical applications (with link to nanomaterials)
  • new synthesis and processing methods for nanostructured materials from molecular precursors
  • manipulation and patterning of low-dimensional materials
  • functionalization and new applications of nanomaterials (with link to molecular sciences)
  • energy-related nanomaterials and hybrid nanocomposite materials
  • novel concepts for nanomaterials and/or molecular sciences

Associate Professor Jiye (James) Fang
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • molecules
  • nanostructures (nanocrystals, nanowires, …)
  • nanocomposite
  • molecular and polymer self-assembly
  • characterization
  • functionalization
  • computation
  • modelling
  • synthesis and nano-manipulation
  • quantum dots

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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318 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Different Functionalized Lipidic Nanocapsules as Potential Drug Carriers
by Paola Sánchez-Moreno, Juan Luis Ortega-Vinuesa, Antonio Martín-Rodríguez, Houría Boulaiz, Juan Antonio Marchal-Corrales and José Manuel Peula-García
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(2), 2405-2424; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms13022405 - 22 Feb 2012
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 9492
Abstract
Lipid nanocapsules (LNC) based on a core-shell structure consisting of an oil-filled core with a surrounding polymer layer are known to be promising vehicles for the delivery of hydrophobic drugs in the new therapeutic strategies in anti-cancer treatments. The present work has been [...] Read more.
Lipid nanocapsules (LNC) based on a core-shell structure consisting of an oil-filled core with a surrounding polymer layer are known to be promising vehicles for the delivery of hydrophobic drugs in the new therapeutic strategies in anti-cancer treatments. The present work has been designed as basic research about different LNC systems. We have synthesized—and physico-chemically characterized—three different LNC systems in which the core was constituted by olive oil and the shell by different phospholipids (phosphatidyl-serine or lecithin) and other biocompatible molecules such as Pluronic® F68 or chitosan. It is notable that the olive-oil-phosphatidyl-serine LCN is a novel formulation presented in this work and was designed to generate an enriched carboxylic surface. This carboxylic layer is meant to link specific antibodies, which could facilitate the specific nanocapsule uptake by cancer cells. This is why nanoparticles with phosphatidyl-serine in their shell have also been used in this work to form immuno-nanocapsules containing a polyclonal IgG against a model antigen (C-reactive protein) covalently bounded by means of a simple and reproducible carbodiimide method. An immunological study was made to verify that these IgG-LNC complexes showed the expected specific immune response. Finally, a preliminary in vitro study was performed by culturing a breast-carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) with Nile-Red-loaded LNC. We found that these cancer cells take up the fluorescent Nile-Red molecule in a process dependent on the surface properties of the nanocarriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Molecules to Nanomaterials)
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919 KiB  
Article
Voltage Gated Ion Channel Function: Gating, Conduction, and the Role of Water and Protons
by Alisher M. Kariev and Michael E. Green
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(2), 1680-1709; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms13021680 - 6 Feb 2012
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 7053
Abstract
Ion channels, which are found in every biological cell, regulate the concentration of electrolytes, and are responsible for multiple biological functions, including in particular the propagation of nerve impulses. The channels with the latter function are gated (opened) by a voltage signal, which [...] Read more.
Ion channels, which are found in every biological cell, regulate the concentration of electrolytes, and are responsible for multiple biological functions, including in particular the propagation of nerve impulses. The channels with the latter function are gated (opened) by a voltage signal, which allows Na+ into the cell and K+ out. These channels have several positively charged amino acids on a transmembrane domain of their voltage sensor, and it is generally considered, based primarily on two lines of experimental evidence, that these charges move with respect to the membrane to open the channel. At least three forms of motion, with greatly differing extents and mechanisms of motion, have been proposed. There is a “gating current”, a capacitative current preceding the channel opening, that corresponds to several charges (for one class of channel typically 12–13) crossing the membrane field, which may not require protein physically crossing a large fraction of the membrane. The coupling to the opening of the channel would in these models depend on the motion. The conduction itself is usually assumed to require the “gate” of the channel to be pulled apart to allow ions to enter as a section of the protein partially crosses the membrane, and a selectivity filter at the opposite end of the channel determines the ion which is allowed to pass through. We will here primarily consider K+ channels, although Na+ channels are similar. We propose that the mechanism of gating differs from that which is generally accepted, in that the positively charged residues need not move (there may be some motion, but not as gating current). Instead, protons may constitute the gating current, causing the gate to open; opening consists of only increasing the diameter at the gate from approximately 6 Å to approximately 12 Å. We propose in addition that the gate oscillates rather than simply opens, and the ion experiences a barrier to its motion across the channel that is tuned by the water present within the channel. Our own quantum calculations as well as numerous experiments of others are interpreted in terms of this hypothesis. It is also shown that the evidence that supports the motion of the sensor as the gating current can also be consistent with the hypothesis we present. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Molecules to Nanomaterials)
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343 KiB  
Article
Plasmonic Molecular Nanohybrids—Spectral Dependence of Fluorescence Quenching
by Maria Olejnik, Łukasz Bujak and Sebastian Mackowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(1), 1018-1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms13011018 - 18 Jan 2012
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 8836
Abstract
We demonstrate strong spectral dependence of the efficiency of fluorescence quenching in molecular systems composed of organic dyes and gold nanoparticles. In order to probe the coupling with metallic nanoparticles we use dyes with varied spectral overlap between the plasmon resonance and their [...] Read more.
We demonstrate strong spectral dependence of the efficiency of fluorescence quenching in molecular systems composed of organic dyes and gold nanoparticles. In order to probe the coupling with metallic nanoparticles we use dyes with varied spectral overlap between the plasmon resonance and their absorption. Hybrid molecular structures were obtained via conjugation of metallic nanoparticles with the dyes using biotin-streptavidin linkage. For dyes featuring absorption above the plasmon excitation in gold nanoparticles, laser excitation induces minute changes in the fluorescence intensity and its lifetime for both conjugated and non-conjugated mixtures, which are the reference. In contrast, when the absorption of the dye overlaps with the plasmon resonance, the effect is quite dramatic, reaching 85% and 95% fluorescence quenching for non-conjugated and conjugated mixtures, respectively. The degree of fluorescence quenching strongly depends upon the concentration of metallic nanoparticles. Importantly, the origin of the fluorescence quenching is different in the case of the conjugated mixture, as evidenced by time-resolved fluorescence. For conjugated mixtures of dyes resonant with plasmon, excitation features two-exponential decay. This is in contrast to the single exponential decay measured for the off-resonant configuration. The results provide valuable insight into spectral dependence of the fluorescence quenching in molecular assemblies involving organic dyes and metallic nanoparticles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Molecules to Nanomaterials)
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Review

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721 KiB  
Review
Functionalized Nanostructures with Application in Regenerative Medicine
by Macarena Perán, María A. García, Elena López-Ruiz, Milán Bustamante, Gema Jiménez, Roberto Madeddu and Juan A. Marchal
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(3), 3847-3886; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms13033847 - 22 Mar 2012
Cited by 76 | Viewed by 15590
Abstract
In the last decade, both regenerative medicine and nanotechnology have been broadly developed leading important advances in biomedical research as well as in clinical practice. The manipulation on the molecular level and the use of several functionalized nanoscaled materials has application in various [...] Read more.
In the last decade, both regenerative medicine and nanotechnology have been broadly developed leading important advances in biomedical research as well as in clinical practice. The manipulation on the molecular level and the use of several functionalized nanoscaled materials has application in various fields of regenerative medicine including tissue engineering, cell therapy, diagnosis and drug and gene delivery. The themes covered in this review include nanoparticle systems for tracking transplanted stem cells, self-assembling peptides, nanoparticles for gene delivery into stem cells and biomimetic scaffolds useful for 2D and 3D tissue cell cultures, transplantation and clinical application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Molecules to Nanomaterials)
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