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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials
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Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanofabrication and Nanomanufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 7289

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Domenico Lombardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Processi Chimico-Fisici, (CNR–IPCF), 98158 Messina, Italy
Interests: structure and interactuion in nano-colloids (polymers and block copolymers; dendrimers; lipids; proteins); self-assembly in nanostructured (and hybrid) materials; interaction of nanoparticles with model bio-membranes and biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, the synthesis of novel chemical structures and the efficient use of soft and supramolecular interactions can generate novel structural properties and new protocols for the design of novel materials with nanoscale ordered morphologies suitable for advanced applications in nanotechnology. Leading examples of self-assembly processes can be found in biological systems where assemblies of different components and their integrated actions allow the performance of highly specific functions in living organisms. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that investigate the self-assembly processes involving macromolecules block units that can be considered prominent example of the bottom-up approach in modern nanotechnology. This Special Issue aims to cover a broad range of subjects from nanomaterials synthesis, characterization, and applications of macromolecules that, with the exhibition of various self-assembled nanostructures, may stimulate the development of a new generation of advanced functional materials in a wide range of disciplines including pharmaceutical, nanomedicine, food, cosmetics, agriculture, catalysis, and environment science.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. Basic properties and self-assembly processes of macromolecular in bulk phases, surfaces, and interfaces
  2. Synthesis and characterization of novel (macro)molecules and smart materials
  3. Novel supramolecular assemblies for nanoarchitectonics material application
  4. Nanomaterial-based technologies for sustainability, renewable energy and environmental issues
  5. Application of amphiphilic macromolecules and supramolecular nanostructures to industrial processes
  6. Theoretical modelling and computer simulation studies of new problems in nanomaterial self-assembly

Dr. Domenico Lombardo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Self-assembly
  • Supramolecular chemistry
  • Synthesis of nanoparticles and smart materials
  • Surfactants, amphiphiles, and liquid crystals
  • Tissue engineering
  • Drug delivery
  • Modeling and simulation of nanomaterials
  • Self-assembly of Hybrid (organic-inorganic) materials
  • Complex systems

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 4993 KiB  
Article
Mesoporous Silica Materials Loaded with Gallic Acid with Antimicrobial Potential
by Gabriela Petrisor, Denisa Ficai, Ludmila Motelica, Roxana Doina Trusca, Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă, Bogdan Stefan Vasile, Georgeta Voicu, Ovidiu Cristian Oprea, Augustin Semenescu, Anton Ficai, Mircea Ionut Popitiu, Irina Fierascu, Radu Claudiu Fierascu, Elena Lacramioara Radu, Lilia Matei, Laura Denisa Dragu, Ioana Madalina Pitica, Mihaela Economescu and Coralia Bleotu
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(10), 1648; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12101648 - 12 May 2022
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3220
Abstract
This paper aimed to develop two types of support materials with a mesoporous structure of mobile crystalline matter (known in the literature as MCM, namely MCM-41 and MCM-48) and to load them with gallic acid. Soft templating methodology was chosen for the preparation [...] Read more.
This paper aimed to develop two types of support materials with a mesoporous structure of mobile crystalline matter (known in the literature as MCM, namely MCM-41 and MCM-48) and to load them with gallic acid. Soft templating methodology was chosen for the preparation of the mesoporous structures—the cylindrical micelles with certain structural characteristics being formed due to the hydrophilic and hydrophobic intermolecular forces which occur between the molecules of the surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide—CTAB) when a minimal micellar ionic concentration is reached. These mesoporous supports were loaded with gallic acid using three different types of MCM—gallic acid ratios (1:0.41; 1:0.82 and 1:1.21)—and their characterizations by FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET and drug release were performed. It is worth mentioning that the loading was carried out using a vacuum-assisted methodology: the mesoporous materials are firstly kept under vacuum at ~0.1 barr for 30 min followed by the addition of the polyphenol solutions. The concentration of the solutions was adapted such that the final volume covered the wet mesoporous support and—in this case—upon reaching normal atmospheric pressure, the solution was pushed inside the pores, and thus the polyphenols were mainly loaded inside the pores. Based on the SBET data, it can be seen that the specific surface area decreased considerably with the increasing ratio of gallic acid; the specific surface area decreased 3.07 and 4.25 times for MCM-41 and MCM-48, respectively. The sample with the highest polyphenol content was further evaluated from a biological point of view, alone or in association with amoxicillin administration. As expected, the MCM-41 and MCM-48 were not protective against infections—but, due to the loading of the gallic acid, a potentiated inhibition was recorded for the tested gram-negative bacterial strains. Moreover, it is important to mention that these systems can be efficient solutions for the recovery of the gut microbiota after exposure to antibiotics, for instance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials)
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19 pages, 5983 KiB  
Article
Microwave-Assisted Sol–Gel Preparation of the Nanostructured Magnetic System for Solid-Phase Synthesis
by Daniela Istrati, Alina Moroșan, Raluca Stan, Bogdan Ștefan Vasile, Gabriel Vasilievici, Ovidiu Oprea, Georgiana Dolete, Bogdan Purcăreanu and Dan Eduard Mihaiescu
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(12), 3176; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11123176 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2181
Abstract
This work describes a new synthesis method for core–shell magnetite nanoparticles with a secondary silica shell, functionalized with a linker system (Fe3O4-PABA-SiO2-linker) using a microwave-assisted heating technique. The functionalized solid nanomaterial was used for the nanophase synthesis [...] Read more.
This work describes a new synthesis method for core–shell magnetite nanoparticles with a secondary silica shell, functionalized with a linker system (Fe3O4-PABA-SiO2-linker) using a microwave-assisted heating technique. The functionalized solid nanomaterial was used for the nanophase synthesis of peptides (Fmoc route) as a solid support. The co-precipitation method was selected to obtain magnetite nanoparticles and sol–gel technique for silica coating using a microwave-assisted (MW) procedure. The magnetic properties of the nanoparticle core offer the advantage of a quick and easy alternative for the magnetic separation of the product from the reaction mixture, facilitating all the intermediary washing and separation operations. The intermediate and final materials were analyzed by advanced characterization methods. The effectiveness of the nanophase peptide synthesis using this nanostructured material as solid support was demonstrated for a short peptide sequence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials)
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7 pages, 432 KiB  
Article
Electrical Excitation Decay Time in Chains of Nanoscale Non-Point Dipoles
by Evgeny G. Fateev
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(1), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11010074 - 31 Dec 2020
Viewed by 1692
Abstract
On the basis of a previously developed model of disperse systems containing non-point dipole particles self-assembled into chains inside a liquid substrate, the decay time of electrical excitations induced in dipoles by an external field is investigated. It was shown that when the [...] Read more.
On the basis of a previously developed model of disperse systems containing non-point dipole particles self-assembled into chains inside a liquid substrate, the decay time of electrical excitations induced in dipoles by an external field is investigated. It was shown that when the external field is completely turned off (from 10−6 V / m to 106 V / m levels) at biologically significant low frequencies (for example, 13 Hz), the decay time of the excitations of nanoscale dipoles nonlinearly depends on the chain length. It was found that the decay time of excitations increases sharply (by four to five orders of magnitude), with an increase in the chain length more than 19–20 dipoles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials)
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Review

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19 pages, 8435 KiB  
Review
Experimental Advances in Nanoparticle-Driven Stabilization of Liquid-Crystalline Blue Phases and Twist-Grain Boundary Phases
by George Cordoyiannis, Marta Lavrič, Vasileios Tzitzios, Maja Trček, Ioannis Lelidis, George Nounesis, Samo Kralj, Jan Thoen and Zdravko Kutnjak
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2968; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11112968 - 5 Nov 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
Recent advances in experimental studies of nanoparticle-driven stabilization of chiral liquid-crystalline phases are highlighted. The stabilization is achieved via the nanoparticles’ assembly in the defect lattices of the soft liquid-crystalline hosts. This is of significant importance for understanding the interactions of nanoparticles with [...] Read more.
Recent advances in experimental studies of nanoparticle-driven stabilization of chiral liquid-crystalline phases are highlighted. The stabilization is achieved via the nanoparticles’ assembly in the defect lattices of the soft liquid-crystalline hosts. This is of significant importance for understanding the interactions of nanoparticles with topological defects and for envisioned technological applications. We demonstrate that blue phases are stabilized and twist-grain boundary phases are induced by dispersing surface-functionalized CdSSe quantum dots, spherical Au nanoparticles, as well as MoS2 nanoplatelets and reduced-graphene oxide nanosheets in chiral liquid crystals. Phase diagrams are shown based on calorimetric and optical measurements. Our findings related to the role of the nanoparticle core composition, size, shape, and surface coating on the stabilization effect are presented, followed by an overview of and comparison with other related studies in the literature. Moreover, the key points of the underlying mechanisms are summarized and prospects in the field are briefly discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly and Applications of Soft Nanomaterials)
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