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Nanoparticle size characterization. a) Spherical particles are described by a single size parameter. However, for nonspherical nanoparticles, several dimensions are needed to fully report their dimensions; b) the calculation of the effective radius is based on nanoparticle behavior or on the method of detection. The definition of this quantity might differ considerably from the physical nanoparticle dimensions; c) different mean sizes can be calculated for a nanoparticle population according to the weighting factors assigned to the population components.
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What to measure? is a key question in nanoscience, and it is not straightforward to address as different physicochemical properties define a nanoparticle sample. Most prominent among these properties are size, shape, surface charge, and porosity. Today researchers have an unprecedented variety of measurement techniques at their disposal to assign p...
Citations
... On the other hand, the atomic weight of zinc was 37.16%, while its weight present was 65.35%, while the other minor constituents present in the ZnO-NPs were due to the presence of the rhamnolipids constituents. The previous workers also mentioned that the range of particle size was from 10 to 150 nm [12]. The highest frequency of the investigated particle sizes ranged from 15 to 40 nm. ...
Rhamnolipids has been used as capping agent for ZnO nanoparticles to improving the plant micronutrition. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation method, and the prepared nanoparticles were capped with Rhamnolipids. The structural, morphological, optical, and particle stability characteristics of the chelated ZnO nanoparticles were investigated. UV–vis spectroscopy was used to investigate the optical properties of ZnO and Rhamnolipids capped ZnO nanoparticles. The stability of Rhamnolipids capped ZnO nanoparticles is higher (38.45 mV) than that of ZnO nanoparticles alone (32.3 mV). The Zn mineral nutrition in plants is improved by Rhamnolipids capped ZnO nanoparticles. In order to get a broad understanding of the binding of capped ZnO nanoparticles, a detailed molecular docking analysis was taken up. Molecular docking analysis reveals that the binding of Zn atom to LasI protein receptor has more neighboring group amino acid residues and greater binding affinity than the binding to LasR receptor.
... Although morphology of some nanocapsules could be improved, most formulations showed satisfactory particle sizes (confirmed by SEM imageing) and zeta-potenitals, and so, release and absorption of PLGA nanocapsules may still be suitable for a proper delivey of encapsulated cannabinoids [83,84]. However, the use of lower cannabis extract loading ratios is recommended to assure the integrity of PLGA nanocapsules structure and the effectivity of the functionalization if chitosan is used. ...
Cannabinoids, such as ∆ ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), are effective bioactive compounds that improve the quality of life of patients with certain chronic conditions. The copolymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has been used to encapsulate such compounds separately, providing pharmaceutical grade edible products with unique features. In this work, a variety of PLGA based nanoformulations that maintain the natural cannabinoid profile found in the plant (known as full-spectrum) are proposed and evaluated. Three different cannabis sources were used, representing the three most relevant cannabis chemotypes. PLGA nanocapsules loaded with different amounts of cannabinoids were prepared by nanoemulsion, and were then functionalized with three of the most common coating polymers: pectin, alginate and chitosan. In order to evaluate the suitability of the proposed formulations, all the synthesized nanocapsules were characterized, and their cannabinoid content, size, zeta-potential, morphology and in vitro bioaccessibility was determined. Regardless of the employed cannabis source, its load and the functionalization, high cannabinoid content PLGA nanocapsules with suitable particle size and zeta-potential were obtained. Study of nanocapsules’ morphology and in vitro release assays in gastro-intestinal media suggested that high cannabis source load may compromise the structure of nanocapsules and their release properties, and hence, the use of lower content of cannabis source is recommended.
Graphical Abstract
... 6 Hence, understanding and controlling nanoparticles' structural variations is an important aspect of synthesis. 7 Commonly used post-synthesis characterization techniques (like UV−vis, 8 small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) 9 ), however, mostly measure the mean of and standard deviation of the size of nanoparticles. ...
... This set of facet-areas is not only invariant under rotations and translations but is also conveniently related to each model's surface free energy. 7 To simplify our analysis of the estimated posterior, we "hard-assigned" each diffraction pattern K only to its most probable model in the Monte Carlo FFTO model pool. Each time an FFTO model is deemed most likely for a pattern, we projected this FFTO model into its 14-dimensional facet-area feature space and then appended this facet-area model to a growing list. ...
Nanoparticles, exhibiting functionally relevant structural heterogeneity, are at the forefront of cutting-edge research. Now, high-throughput single-particle imaging (SPI) with X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) creates opportunities for recovering the shape distributions of millions of particles that exhibit functionally relevant structural heterogeneity. To realize this potential, three challenges have to be overcome: (1) simultaneous parametrization of structural variability in real and reciprocal spaces; (2) efficiently inferring the latent parameters of each SPI measurement; (3) scaling up comparisons between 105 structural models and 106 XFEL-SPI measurements. Here, we describe how we overcame these three challenges to resolve the nonequilibrium shape distributions within millions of gold nanoparticles imaged at the European XFEL. These shape distributions allowed us to quantify the degree of asymmetry in these particles, discover a relatively stable “shape envelope” among nanoparticles, discern finite-size effects related to shape-controlling surfactants, and extrapolate nanoparticles’ shapes to their idealized thermodynamic limit. Ultimately, these demonstrations show that XFEL SPI can help transform nanoparticle shape characterization from anecdotally interesting to statistically meaningful.
... [10,[24][25][26] Measurement of even conceptually simple properties like size distribution can be low-throughput and require the use of proxy metrics. [27] The difficulty in establishing widely applicable data-driven models creates demand for physically motivated models like DFT surrogates that can describe trends in materials independently of real-world benchmarks. However, modern discovery campaigns that utilize both DFT and experiments tend to use DFT just to corroborate phenomena discovered by experimentation, [28] and purely computational campaigns can search broad regions of materials space but are difficult to connect to experimental outcomes. ...
Surface segregation, whereby the surface composition of an alloy differs systematically from the bulk, has historically been hard to study, because it requires experimental and modeling methods that span alloy composition space. In this work, we study surface segregation in catalytically relevant noble and platinum‐group metal alloys with a focus on three ternary systems: AgAuCu, AuCuPd, and CuPdPt. We develop a data set of 2478 fcc slabs with those compositions including all three low‐index crystallographic orientations relaxed with Density Functional Theory using the PBEsol functional with D3 dispersion corrections. We fine‐tune a machine learning model on this data and use the model in a series of 1800 Monte Carlo simulations spanning ternary composition space for each surface orientation and ternary chemical system. The results of these simulations are validated against prior experimental surface segregation data collected using composition spread alloy films for AgAuCu and AuCuPd. Our findings reveal that simulations conducted using the (110) orientation most closely match experimentally observed surface segregation trends, and while predicted trends qualitatively match observation, biases in the PBEsol functional limit numeric accuracy. This study advances understanding of surface segregation and the utility of computational studies and highlights the need for further improvements in simulation accuracy.
... The XRD is a rapid test providing information on crystal size and structure [35]. In Figure 6, the XRD analysis confirmed that the diffraction peak planes of the precipitated ZnO-NPs were matched well with the quartzite ZnO reported in the joint committee on powder diffraction standards (JCPDS) data [36]. ...
Salinity reduces crop yields and quality, causing global economic losses. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) improve plant physiological and metabolic processes and abiotic stress resistance. This study examined the effects of foliar ZnO-NPs at 75 and 150 mg/L on tomato Kecskeméti 549 plants to alleviate salt stress caused by 150 mM NaCl. The precipitation procedure produced ZnO-NPs that were characterized using UV-VIS, TEM, STEM, DLS, EDAX, Zeta potential, and FTIR. The study assessed TPCs, TFCs, total hydrolyzable sugars, total free amino acids, protein, proline, H2O2, and MDA along with plant height, stem width, leaf area, and SPAD values. The polyphenolic burden was also measured by HPLC. With salt stress, plant growth and chlorophyll content decreased significantly. The growth and development of tomato plants changed by applying the ZnO-NPs. Dosages of ZnO-NPs had a significant effect across treatments. ZnO-NPs also increased chlorophyll, reduced stress markers, and released phenolic chemicals and proteins in the leaves of tomatoes. ZnO-NPs reduce salt stress by promoting the uptake of minerals. ZnO-NPs had beneficial effects on tomato plants when subjected to salt stress, making them an alternate technique to boost resilience in saline soils or low-quality irrigation water. This study examined how foliar application of chemically synthesized ZnO-NPs to the leaves affected biochemistry, morphology, and phenolic compound synthesis with and without NaCl.
... The successful synthesis and characterization of PGZ-loaded PLGA NPs set the stage for a deeper investigation into the drug's intrinsic fluorescence signals. Among all the methods available for the polymeric NPs characterization [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62], FLIM can play an important role in terms of manufacturing process control, and also explain drug pharmacokinetics properties. ...
Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) has proven to be a useful method for analyzing various aspects of material science and biology, like the supramolecular organization of (slightly) fluorescent compounds or the metabolic activity in non-labeled cells; in particular, FLIM phasor analysis (phasor-FLIM) has the potential for an intuitive representation of complex fluorescence decays and therefore of the analyzed properties. Here we present and make available tools to fully exploit this potential, in particular by coding via hue, saturation, and intensity the phasor positions and their weights both in the phasor plot and in the microscope image. We apply these tools to analyze FLIM data acquired via two-photon microscopy to visualize: (i) different phases of the drug pioglitazone (PGZ) in solutions and/or crystals, (ii) the position in the phasor plot of non-labelled poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), and (iii) the effect of PGZ or PGZ-containing NPs on the metabolism of insulinoma (INS-1 E) model cells. PGZ is recognized for its efficacy in addressing insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and polymeric nanoparticles offer versatile platforms for drug delivery due to their biocompatibility and controlled release kinetics. This study lays the foundation for a better understanding via phasor-FLIM of the organization and effects of drugs, in particular, PGZ, within NPs, aiming at better control of encapsulation and pharmacokinetics, and potentially at novel anti-diabetics theragnostic nanotools.
... In this framework, nanoparticle characterization is of paramount importance in evaluating the outcome of production processes in a timely and convenient way, adjusting the fabrication parameters in a tight loop to obtain the desired characteristics. However, exploring the nanoscale to determine properties such as particle size, size distribution, surface charge, or shape is not a trivial task [18]. In an extensive review, Mourdikoudis et al. summarized the whole toolbox of techniques to characterize nanoparticles [19]. ...
Metallic nanoscale particles attract a growing interest in several fields, thanks to their unique bonding characteristics; applications are appearing in the literature in the fields of, for example, sensor coatings and biochemical compound detection. However, the controlled fabrication of such nanopowders is often cumbersome, especially because their characterization is normally slow, involving procedures such as electron microscopy. On the other hand, microwave sensors based on near-field effects on materials are being developed with high sensitivity and show promising characteristics. In this paper, the authors show how a microwave sensor based on a Square Spiral Resonator can be used to characterize paraffin dispersions of nanoparticles conveniently and cost-effectively.
... This is due to a limitation of DLS, which is a bias towards larger particle sizes and a larger error for polydispersity. [74,75] For a more comprehensive insight the dispersions were analyzed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) (see SI for comprehensive data set and analysis: Figures S13-S34 and Tables S1-S22) and cryoTEM. First, the samples comprising HEA polymers were investigated, which are facilitated with the shortest side chain. ...
Hydrogen bonds are a versatile tool for creating fibrous, bottlebrush‐like assemblies of polymeric building blocks. However, a delicate balance of forces exists between the steric repulsion of the polymer chains and these directed supramolecular forces. In this work we have systematically investigated the influence of structural parameters of the attached polymers on the assembly behaviour of benzene trisurea (BTU) and benzene tris(phenylalanine) (BTP) conjugates in water. Polymers with increasing main chain lengths and different side chain sizes were prepared by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization of hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), tri(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (TEGA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (OEGA). The resulting structures were analyzed using small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both BTU and BTP formed fibres with PHEA attached, but a transition to spherical morphologies was observed at degrees of polymerisation (DP) of 70 and above. Overall, the main chain length appeared to be a dominating factor in inducing morphology transitions. Increasing the side chain size generally had a similar effect but mainly impeded any aggregation as is the case of POEGA. Interestingly, BTP conjugates still formed fibres, suggesting that the stronger intermolecular interactions can compensate partially for the steric repulsion.
... Concerning NPs size, Fig. 4 c proved that the size of biosynthesized ZnO-NPs ranged between 20 and 35 nm, this diminishing in size improved the cytotoxic effect due to increasing their specific surface area, which promotes reactivity and strengthens interactions between NPs and biomolecules [48,49]. GT extract functionalizes the biosynthesized NPs, as confirmed in Fig. 2, with bioactive compounds which have a remarkable physiological effect on treatment of different pathogenic diseases including cancer [50]. Previous studies have indicated that the cytotoxicity of ZnO-NPs within cells primarily stems from three main mechanisms. ...
This study is an attempt to utilize green tea [GT] extract and pomegranate peel [PP] for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The selected plants are rich in phenols therefore are awaited to successfully synthesize ZnO nanoparticles without the need for an alkylating agent. In addition, these extracts contain various functional groups that confer colloidal stability for nanoparticles and ameliorate their biocompatibility via a one pot synthesis route. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques are used to investigate both structural and morphological properties of the obtained nanoparticles [Zn-GT and Zn-PP]. To confirm the presence of functional groups adsorbed on the surface of biogenic-NPs, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed. The outcomes demonstrated that only the use of green tea extract was successful in synthesizing zinc oxide from the zinc acetate dihydrate precursor, producing particles with an average size of approximately 25 nm. Anticancer activity and cytotoxicity of the biosynthesized Zn-GT nanoparticles were assessed against human breast cancer [MCF7] and colorectal carcinoma [HCT116] cell lines. The cytotoxicity of ZnO nanoparticles is presented with reference to normal skin [BJ1] cell line subjected to similar concentrations of the NPs. The obtained results verified a discriminative inhibition of both MCF7 and HCT116 cancer cell growth upon using Zn-GT, which completely succeeded in preventing cancer cell growth.
... Surface charge, in addition to affecting stability and aggregation propensity of a colloidal suspension, has a significant impact on interaction between nanoparticles and their surroundings (Christiansen et al., 2020). For a nanoparticle, size can refer to i) its overall physical dimension(s) defined by atomic structure; ii) an effective size of particle in a certain matrix according to its diffusion/ sedimentation behaviour, conceivably including adsorption of matrix constituents to nanoparticle surface, agglomeration or aggregation of particles in matrix; iii) an effective size of nanoparticle, weighted by its mass/electron distribution (Modena et al., 2019). The size and shape of nanomaterials can affect their stability in solution and their ability to penetrate cell membranes. ...
... Light scattering, diffusion, and sedimentation methods are routinely used for regular colloidal suspension analysis. Typically, these methodologies provide no direct information on nanoparticle shape, but an analogous diameter, equal to that of a sphere behaving similarly to material under evaluation, is returned as a characteristic size (Modena et al., 2019). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) uses an accelerated electron beam and electrostatic or electromagnetic lenses to provide a larger depth of field and higher magnification (100,000). ...
... Knowledge about nanoparticle shape is required to translate this information into actual nanoparticle dimensions and hence, indirectly, on form of nanoparticles. However, these techniques typically have a low throughput, are not ensemble techniques (which raises questions about how representative and statistically relevant obtained data is), and are performed under highvacuum conditions or by placing sample on a hard substrate, which can lead to the neglect of important phenomena that can occur in suspension, such as swelling or aggregation (Modena et al., 2019). To quantify toxicological endpoints, starting point must be thoroughly defined and characterised. ...
