Synthesis, properties, and optical applications of noble metal nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates

Noble metal nanoparticles, such as gold or silver nanoparticles and nanorods, exhibit unique photonic, electronic and catalytic properties. Functionalization of noble metal nanoparticles with biomolecules (e.g., protein and DNA) produces systems that possess numerous applications in catalysis, delivery, therapy, imaging, sensing, constructing nanostructures and controlling the structure of biomolecules. In this paper, the recent development of noble metal nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates is reviewed from the following three aspects: (1) synthesis of noble metal nanoparticle-biomolecule systems by electrostatic adsorption, direct chemisorption of thiol derivatives, covalent binding through bifunctional linkers and specific affinity interactions; (2) the photonic properties and bioactivation of noble metal nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates; and (3) the optical applications of such systems in biosensors, and medical imaging, diagnosis, and therapy. The conjugation of Au and Ag nanoparticles with biomolecules and the most recent optical applications of the resulting systems have been focused on.     

Structure design,controllable synthesis,and application of metalsemiconductor heterostructure nanoparticles

Metal-semiconductor heterostructure nanoparticles(NPs) have attracted much interest and extensively been investigated due to their promising potentials in the fields of catalysis,energy conversion and storage.Due to the synergistic effect and coupling effect between metal and semiconductor,designing and controlling the interface structure of metal-semiconductor NPs and understanding the structure-property relationship have great significance for optimizing their physicochemical performances.Metal NPs coupled with semiconductors forming several kinds of interface structures,including core-shell,yolk-shell,Janus and oligomer-like structures are summarized in this review.The controllable synthesis methods to obtain metal-semiconductor heterostructure NPs with fantastic properties are presented in detail.Moreover,the structure-property relationship and their applications in the fields of catalysis,energy conversion and storage are also exhibited.A brief outlook is given on the challenges and possible solutions in future development of metal-semiconductor NPs.     

Immobilized ZnO based nanostructures and their environmental applications

In the research of semiconductor metal oxides, zinc oxide(ZnO) nanomaterials have been committed to design and exploration because of their unique physical and chemical properties. ZnO has many structural characteristics and has considerable practical applications in the field of environmental technology. However, ZnO nanomaterials used for environmental functions are often presented in the form of powders. After use, they need to go through recovery processes such as centrifugation and filtrati...     

Programmed self-assembly of DNA origami nanoblocks into anisotropic higher-order nanopatterns

Anisotropic nanopatterns have potentials in constructing novel plasmonic structures which have various applications in such as super-resolution microscopy, medicine, and sensors. However, it remains challenging to build big anisotropic nanopatterns that are suitable for big noble metal nanoparticles. Herein, we report a simple and reliable strategy for constructing DNA origami-based big anisotropic nanopatterns with controlled size and shape, nanoscale resolution, and fully addressability. Two kinds of basic DNA origami nanoblocks-cross-shaped and rectangular DNA origami units were used. We have demonstrated that by encoding nanoblocks’ edges, anisotropic higher-order nanopatterns, such as dimer, trimer, tetramer and mini "windmill" like pentamer nanopatterns could be constructed. To show the potential use as template to direct the assembly of anisotropic nanoparticles arrays, a proof of concept work was conducted by anchoring streptavidin nanoparticles on the "windmill" template to form a chiral array. Significantly, these nanopatterns have the sizes of hundreds of nanometers, which are in principle also suitable for big noble metal nanoparticles arrays.     

Chiral inorganic nanostructures for theranostics

Inorganic chiral nanomaterials have attracted wide attention because of their superior physical properties and chiroptical activities. Great progress in chiral nanostructure preparation has been made, such as noble metals and semiconductors. In this review, we introduce several chiral nanomaterials with feasible biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity that are promising candidates for biological applications, and we focus on their preparation in terms of their circular dichroism (CD) effects and circular luminescence properties. Additionally, we summarize the working function of chiral nanostructures toward some common diseases with high prevalence, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), diabetes and even cancers. The introduction of inorganic chirality will provide a novel way to diagnose and treat these diseases.     

Single scattering particles based analytical techniques

Single scattering particles,especially noble metal(plasmonic) nanoparticles,based analytical techniques are attractive recently and becoming the research focus of the light scattering analytical techniques.In this mini review,we summarize the single scattering particles based analytical techniques in the past decade including single scattering particles counting,single plasmonic nanoparticles sensing,and single plasmonic nanoparticles tracking/imaging.We emphasize the discussion on the single plasmonic nanoparticles sensing that combines with dark-field microscopy and resonant Rayleigh scattering spectroscopy.     

Controlled fabrication of fullerene derivative one-dimensional nanostructures via electrophoretic deposition of its clusters

Well-defined and controllable one-dimensional(ID) nanostructures of fullerene derivative have been prepared by an electrophoretic template synthesis method. The clusters of fullerene derivative formed in mixed solvents are introduced into the channels of porous alumina templates through a dc electric field. Four types of ID nanostructures(solid nanowires, solid-wall nanotubes, porous nanowires and porous-wall nanotubes) have been obtained by changing the deposition parameters. This,approach opens a new avenue to assemble fullerene derivatives, endohedral fullerenes, as well as other functional organic compounds, which can form clusters in ID nanostructure arrays for applications in chemical sensors, light energy conversion devices and nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices.     

SnO2基锂离子电池负极材料研究进展

 作为一种N型半导体,二氧化锡基负极材料由于其拥有较高的理论比容量（782 mA·h·g^-1）、高能量密度等优势受到了广泛关注。然而,由于二氧化锡负极材料在充放电过程中的体积效应和本身导电性较差等导致的其循环性能和倍率性能较差,从而制约了其作为锂离子电池负极材料的应用。本文从二氧化锡的纳米化及复合化（包括其与金属氧化物、无定型碳、碳纳米管和石墨烯等复合）2 方面综述了二氧化锡基锂离子电池负极材料的研究进展,同时对SnO₂基锂离子电池负极材料的发展方向进行了展望。     

Controlled Growth and Field-emission Application of 1D ZnS Nanostructures

1 Results One-dimensional (1D) nanostructures have recently stimulated great interest due to their potential value for understanding fundamental physical concepts and for applications in constructing nanoscale electric and optoelectronic devices since the discovery of carbon nanotubes[1]. ZnS is one of the first semiconductors discovered and probably one of the most important materials in the electronics industry with a wide range of applications[2]. Controllable growth of nanostructures is a crucial is...     

Advances in TiS2 for energy storage,electronic devices,and catalysis: A review

As the lightest family member of the transition metal disulfides(TMDs), TiS₂ has attracted more and more attention due to its large specific surface area, adjustable band gap, good visible light absorption, and good charge transport properties. In this review, the recent state-of-the-art advances in the syntheses and applications of TiS₂ in energy storage, electronic devices, and catalysis have been summarized. Firstly, according to the physical presentation of the TiS_...     

Solving surface plasmon resonances and near field in metallic nanostructures: Green’s matrix method and its applications

With the development of nanotechnology, many new optical phenomena in nanoscale have been demonstrated. Through the coupling of optical waves and collective oscillations of free electrons in metallic nanostructures, surface plasmon polaritons can be excited accompanying a strong near field enhancement that decays in a subwavelength scale, which have potential applications in the surface-enhanced Raman scattering, biosensor, optical communication, solar cells, and nonlinear optical frequency mixing. In the present article, we review the Green’s matrix method for solving the surface plasmon resonances and near field in arbitrarily shaped nanostructures and in binary metallic nanostructures. Using this method, we design the plasmonic nanostructures whose resonances are tunable from the visible to near-infrared, study the interplay of plasmon resonances, and propose a new way to control plasmonic resonances in binary metallic nanostructures.     

贵金属纳米粒子的制备、结构和应用

贵金属纳米粒子因其特有的光学以及化学和催化性能，正引起科技界越来越浓厚的兴趣。通常这些特性决定于这些金属粒子的粒径和形态。由于非球形粒子比各向同性的球形粒子具有更优越的性能，它们已经成为研究的焦点，人们正在努力寻找粒子形状如何影响粒子理化性能的答案。贵金属纳米粒子的形状可控合成技术已经取得了明显进展。本文就贵金属纳米粒子的形状可控合成及其应用研究的当前进展进行综合评述。     

Preparation and properties of CdS/Au composite nanorods and hollow Au tubes

1-dimensional (1D) metal-semiconductor nano-scale composite superstructures based on Au nanoparticles and CdS nanorods were prepared.The outer surface of CdS nanorods was modified with mercapto-ethylamine (MEA) in advance.With the aid of MEA,dense and uniform Au nanoparticles were deposited onto the external wall of CdS nanorods through in situ chemical reduction of AuCl4-ions.Those Au nanoparticles induced further electroless deposition and a continuous layer of Au was formed on CdS nanorods.Stable hollow ...     

Single-crystal metallic nanowires and metal/semiconductor nanowire heterostructures

Substantial effort has been placed on developing semiconducting carbon nanotubes and nanowires as building blocks for electronic devices--such as field-effect transistors--that could replace conventional silicon transistors in hybrid electronics or lead to stand-alone nanosystems. Attaching electric contacts to individual devices is a first step towards integration, and this step has been addressed using lithographically defined metal electrodes. Yet, these metal contacts define a size scale that is much larger than the nanometre-scale building blocks, thus limiting many potential advantages. Here we report an integrated contact and interconnection solution that overcomes this size constraint through selective transformation of silicon nanowires into metallic nickel silicide (NiSi) nanowires. Electrical measurements show that the single crystal nickel silicide nanowires have ideal resistivities of about 10 microOmega cm and remarkably high failure-current densities, >10(8) A cm(-2). In addition, we demonstrate the fabrication of nickel silicide/silicon (NiSi/Si) nanowire heterostructures with atomically sharp metal-semiconductor interfaces. We produce field-effect transistors based on those heterostructures in which the source-drain contacts are defined by the metallic NiSi nanowire regions. Our approach is fully compatible with conventional planar silicon electronics and extendable to the 10-nm scale using a crossed-nanowire architecture.     

Porous Fe-Mn-O nanocomposites: Synthesis and supercapacitor electrode application

Transition metal oxide micro-/nanostructures demonstrate high potential applications in energy storage devices. Here, we report a facile synthesis of highly homogeneous oxide composites with porous structure via a coordination polymer precursor, which was prepared with the assistance of tartaric acid.The typical product, Fe-Mn-O composite was demonstrated here. The obtained Fe-Mn-O product was systemically characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elemental mapping analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the Fe-Mn-O nanocomposite shows interconnected porous structure, in which iron,manganese, and oxygen are uniformly distributed. In addition, the Fe-Mn-O nanocomposite was then fabricated as capacitor electrodes. Operating in an aqueous neutral solution, the Fe-Mn-O composite electrodes showed an wide working potential window from 0.2 to 1.0 V(vs. SCE), and a specific capacitance of 86.7 Fg~(-1)or 0.4 Fcm~(-2)at a constant current density of 1 Ag~(-1)with good cycle life. This study offers a new precursor approach to prepare porous metal oxide composites, which would be applied in energy-storage/conversion devices, catalysts, sensors, and so on.     

One Dimensional Nanostructures for Lithium-ion Batteries, Gas Sensors and Optoelectronics Applications

1 Results One dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanowires,nanotubes,nanorods and nanoribbons have been extensively investigated for a wide range of applications[1].Here,we present the synthesis,characterization and technological applications of several 1D nanostructures including SnO2 nanowires,CuO nanoribbons,CdSe nanowires and In2O3 nanowires.SnO2 nanowires were synthesized by thermal evaporation combined with a self-catalyzed growth procedure.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation shows...     

Ge纳米结构的制备技术与发光特性研究进展

Si基纳米发光材料与器件的研究是目前半导体光电子技术领域中的一个活跃前沿.除了Si纳米晶粒、Si量子点和Si/SiO2超晶格等Si纳米结构之外,属于同族元素的Ge纳米结构也因其所具有的优异特性,而呈现出良好的发光性能.评述了Ge纳米结构的制备方法与发光特性在近年内取得的研究进展.     

高密度有序银纳米球阵列的模板辅助退火制备

纳米结构的有序性对表面拉曼增强光谱（SERS）的均匀性起决定性作用,然而如何大面积制备有序的超高密度贵金属纳米结构依旧是个挑战. 文中提出了一种通过模板辅助退火方法,用于大面积制备结构可控、高密度有序的银纳米球阵列,研究了退火温度、压强和银膜厚度对银纳米球阵列形貌结构的影响. 制备的高密度有序银纳米球阵列可以进一步应用于SRES基底.     

Bimetallic nanostructures with magnetic and noble metals and their physicochemical applications

Bimetallic nanomaterials consisting of magnetic metals and noble metals have attracted much interest for their promising potentials in fields such as magnetic sensors, catalysts, optical detection and biomedical applications. Bimetallic nanomaterials synthesized by wet-chemical methods with different architectures including nanoparticles, nanowires or nanotubes and their assemblies are summarized in this review. The particular properties of bimetallic nanomaterials, especially their magnetic, catalytic and optical properties, are presented. The advance in electron microscopy makes it possible to understand the nanostructural materials at much higher level than before, which helps to disclose the relationship between the microstructures and properties qualitatively and quantitatively.     

Controlling anisotropic nanoparticle growth through plasmon excitation

Inorganic nanoparticles exhibit size-dependent properties that are of interest for applications ranging from biosensing and catalysis to optics and data storage. They are readily available in a wide variety of discrete compositions and sizes. Shape-selective synthesis strategies now also yield shapes other than nanospheres, such as anisotropic metal nanostructures with interesting optical properties. Here we demonstrate that the previously described photoinduced method for converting silver nanospheres into triangular silver nanocrystals--so-called nanoprisms--can be extended to synthesize relatively monodisperse nanoprisms with desired edge lengths in the 30-120 nm range. The particle growth process is controlled using dual-beam illumination of the nanoparticles, and appears to be driven by surface plasmon excitations. We find that, depending on the illumination wavelengths chosen, the plasmon excitations lead either to fusion of nanoprisms in an edge-selective manner or to the growth of the nanoprisms until they reach their light-controlled final size.