Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.8
3.1
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
Surface Modification of Nanoparticles
materials-logo
Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Surface Modification of Nanoparticles

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (16 March 2018) | Viewed by 41827

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pablo del Pino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BioNanoTools lab at CIQUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
Interests: inorganic nanoparticles; nanobiotechnology; biomimetic nanotechnology; porous nanomaterials; MOFs; drug release; plasmonics; nanomagnetism; bioimaging; nanomedicines
Dr. Beatriz Pelaz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BioNanoTools lab at CIQUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
Interests: surface modification of nanomaterials
Dr. Ester Polo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BioNanoTools lab at CIQUS, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: biochemistry; molecular and cellular biology; nanomaterial synthesis; bionano-interface; bionanointerface
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology has provided novel tools for engineering inorganic and organic nanomaterials with special properties, due to the intrinsic physicho-chemical properties of the material, and tunable features, such as size, shape, and surface chemistry. A plethora of existing surface nanoparticle functionalization strategies allows designing multifunctional platform as promising solutions for diagnostics and therapeutics. Surface modification with different polymers, ligands, biomolecules, etc., enable to increase the solubility and stability properties, avoid nonspecific biomolecules adsorption, and develop multifunctional nanomaterials introducing targeting motives (such as peptides, sugars, nucleic acids, or proteins), as well as decorating with fluorescent labels or incorporating drugs.

Nevertheless, independently of the surface functionality, when nanomaterials are in contact with biological fluids, the surface is immediately covered and modified by endogenous biomolecules giving them a new identity, which dictates the final biological response. The organization of certain biomolecules and the exposure of specific protein domains or sequences on the nanoparticle surface can trigger specific cellular recognition pathways, therefore, the environment plays a key role in the recognition event itself and has to be taken into account. It is imperative to seek for characterization techniques capable of assessing the availability and accessibility of the active target on the nanoparticle surface giving insights on the surface geometry and functionality, and for methodologies that enable to acquire molecular information in a realistic biological scenario.

New emerging design strategies move towards functionality biomimetic designs, by using nature components from cells to introduce natural targeting specificities on the nanoparticle surface. It then becomes possible to design the nanoparticles surface to engineer predicable biological responses avoiding undesirable effects.

A complete understanding of the molecular interactions at the nanointerface would provide the tools to design smart nanoscale materials that efficiently regulate their interactions with complex biological systems (cells and biological barriers)

Dr. Pablo del Pino
Dr. Beatriz Pelaz
Dr. Ester Polo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanoparticles
  • multivalency
  • multifuncional nanocapsules
  • protein corona
  • biomimetic
  • theranostic

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 2409 KiB  
Communication
Study of Fluorinated Quantum Dots-Protein Interactions at the Oil/Water Interface by Interfacial Surface Tension Changes
by Carolina Carrillo-Carrión, Marta Gallego, Wolfgang J. Parak and Mónica Carril
Materials 2018, 11(5), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11050750 - 8 May 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4466
Abstract
Understanding the interaction of nanoparticles with proteins and how this interaction modifies the nanoparticles’ surface is crucial before their use for biomedical applications. Since fluorinated materials are emerging as potential imaging probes and delivery vehicles, their interaction with proteins of biological interest must [...] Read more.
Understanding the interaction of nanoparticles with proteins and how this interaction modifies the nanoparticles’ surface is crucial before their use for biomedical applications. Since fluorinated materials are emerging as potential imaging probes and delivery vehicles, their interaction with proteins of biological interest must be studied in order to be able to predict their performance in real scenarios. It is known that fluorinated planar surfaces may repel the unspecific adsorption of proteins but little is known regarding the same process on fluorinated nanoparticles due to the scarce examples in the literature. In this context, the aim of this work is to propose a simple and fast methodology to study fluorinated nanoparticle-protein interactions based on interfacial surface tension (IFT) measurements. This technique is particularly interesting for fluorinated nanoparticles due to their increased hydrophobicity. Our study is based on the determination of IFT variations due to the interaction of quantum dots of ca. 5 nm inorganic core/shell diameter coated with fluorinated ligands (QD_F) with several proteins at the oil/water interface. Based on the results, we conclude that the presence of QD_F do not disrupt protein spontaneous film formation at the oil/water interface. Even if at very low concentrations of proteins the film formation in the presence of QD_F shows a slower rate, the final interfacial tension reached is similar to that obtained in the absence of QD_F. The differential behaviour of the studied proteins (bovine serum albumin, fibrinogen and apotransferrin) has been discussed on the basis of the adsorption affinity of each protein towards DCM/water interface and their different sizes. Additionally, it has been clearly demonstrated that the proposed methodology can serve as a complementary technique to other reported direct and indirect methods for the evaluation of nanoparticle-protein interactions at low protein concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2761 KiB  
Article
C60 Bioconjugation with Proteins: Towards a Palette of Carriers for All pH Ranges
by Matteo Di Giosia, Francesco Valle, Andrea Cantelli, Andrea Bottoni, Francesco Zerbetto and Matteo Calvaresi
Materials 2018, 11(5), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11050691 - 27 Apr 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5288
Abstract
The high hydrophobicity of fullerenes and the resulting formation of aggregates in aqueous solutions hamper the possibility of their exploitation in many technological applications. Noncovalent bioconjugation of fullerenes with proteins is an emerging approach for their dispersion in aqueous media. Contrary to covalent [...] Read more.
The high hydrophobicity of fullerenes and the resulting formation of aggregates in aqueous solutions hamper the possibility of their exploitation in many technological applications. Noncovalent bioconjugation of fullerenes with proteins is an emerging approach for their dispersion in aqueous media. Contrary to covalent functionalization, bioconjugation preserves the physicochemical properties of the carbon nanostructure. The unique photophysical and photochemical properties of fullerenes are then fully accessible for applications in nanomedicine, sensoristic, biocatalysis and materials science fields. However, proteins are not universal carriers. Their stability depends on the biological conditions for which they have evolved. Here we present two model systems based on pepsin and trypsin. These proteins have opposite net charge at physiological pH. They recognize and disperse C60 in water. UV-Vis spectroscopy, zeta-potential and atomic force microscopy analysis demonstrates that the hybrids are well dispersed and stable in a wide range of pH’s and ionic strengths. A previously validated modelling approach identifies the protein-binding pocket involved in the interaction with C60. Computational predictions, combined with experimental investigations, provide powerful tools to design tailor-made C60@proteins bioconjugates for specific applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

28 pages, 5197 KiB  
Review
Surface Modifications of Nanoparticles for Stability in Biological Fluids
by Luca Guerrini, Ramon A. Alvarez-Puebla and Nicolas Pazos-Perez
Materials 2018, 11(7), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11071154 - 6 Jul 2018
Cited by 398 | Viewed by 13667
Abstract
Due to the high surface: volume ratio and the extraordinary properties arising from the nanoscale (optical, electric, magnetic, etc.), nanoparticles (NPs) are excellent candidates for multiple applications. In this context, nanoscience is opening a wide range of modern technologies in biological and biomedical [...] Read more.
Due to the high surface: volume ratio and the extraordinary properties arising from the nanoscale (optical, electric, magnetic, etc.), nanoparticles (NPs) are excellent candidates for multiple applications. In this context, nanoscience is opening a wide range of modern technologies in biological and biomedical fields, among others. However, one of the main drawbacks that still delays its fast evolution and effectiveness is related to the behavior of nanomaterials in the presence of biological fluids. Unfortunately, biological fluids are characterized by high ionic strengths which usually induce NP aggregation. Besides this problem, the high content in biomacromolecules—such as lipids, sugars, nucleic acids and, especially, proteins—also affects NP stability and its viability for some applications due to, for example, the formation of the protein corona around the NPs. Here, we will review the most common strategies to achieve stable NPs dispersions in high ionic strength fluids and, also, antifouling strategies to avoid the protein adsorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 7769 KiB  
Review
Hyperspectral-Enhanced Dark Field Microscopy for Single and Collective Nanoparticle Characterization in Biological Environments
by Paula Zamora-Perez, Dionysia Tsoutsi, Ruixue Xu and Pilar Rivera_Gil
Materials 2018, 11(2), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11020243 - 6 Feb 2018
Cited by 73 | Viewed by 9903
Abstract
We review how the hyperspectral dark field analysis gives us quantitative insights into the manner that different nanoscale materials interact with their environment and how this relationship is directly expressed in an optical readout. We engage classification tools to identify dominant spectral signatures [...] Read more.
We review how the hyperspectral dark field analysis gives us quantitative insights into the manner that different nanoscale materials interact with their environment and how this relationship is directly expressed in an optical readout. We engage classification tools to identify dominant spectral signatures within a scene or to qualitatively characterize nanoparticles individually or in populations based on their composition and morphology. Moreover, we follow up the morphological evolution of nanoparticles over time and in different biological environments to better understand and establish a link between the observed nanoparticles’ changes and cellular behaviors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

2516 KiB  
Review
Applications, Surface Modification and Functionalization of Nickel Nanorods
by Stefan Schrittwieser, Daniela Reichinger and Joerg Schotter
Materials 2018, 11(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11010045 - 28 Dec 2017
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6798
Abstract
The growing number of nanoparticle applications in science and industry is leading to increasingly complex nanostructures that fulfill certain tasks in a specific environment. Nickel nanorods already possess promising properties due to their magnetic behavior and their elongated shape. The relevance of this [...] Read more.
The growing number of nanoparticle applications in science and industry is leading to increasingly complex nanostructures that fulfill certain tasks in a specific environment. Nickel nanorods already possess promising properties due to their magnetic behavior and their elongated shape. The relevance of this kind of nanorod in a complex measurement setting can be further improved by suitable surface modification and functionalization procedures, so that customized nanostructures for a specific application become available. In this review, we focus on nickel nanorods that are synthesized by electrodeposition into porous templates, as this is the most common type of nickel nanorod fabrication method. Moreover, it is a facile synthesis approach that can be easily established in a laboratory environment. Firstly, we will discuss possible applications of nickel nanorods ranging from data storage to catalysis, biosensing and cancer treatment. Secondly, we will focus on nickel nanorod surface modification strategies, which represent a crucial step for the successful application of nanorods in all medical and biological settings. Here, the immobilization of antibodies or peptides onto the nanorod surface adds another functionality in order to yield highly promising nanostructures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Nanoparticles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop