Emerging applications of nanotechnologies to probiotics and prebiotics

Fervid interests on nanoparticles are increasing within the scientific and non-scientific communities, as they are utilised in food and non-food applications. The versatility of emerging applications of nanoparticles makes them potentially harmful to the food, healthcare and environment sectors, and thus necessitates the development of nanonutraceuticals from nutritional substances such as antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids, fibres, probiotics and prebiotics. This review excavated state of the art on nanotechnology applications such as gold and selenium particles, nanolayers, nanobeads, nanoemulsions and nanofibers to probiotics and prebiotics for the synthesis of anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant and photo-reactive products among others, and finally delved into other noteworthy considerations like safety. It is concluded that available literature on the current status of nanoprobiotics and prebiotics are exhaustive, despite their huge potentials and applications.     

Control of self-assembly in micro- and nano-scale systems

Control of self-assembling systems at the micro- and nano-scale provides new opportunities for the engineering of novel materials in a bottom-up fashion. These systems have several challenges associated with control including high-dimensional and stochastic nonlinear dynamics, limited sensors for real-time measurements, limited actuation for control, and kinetic trapping of the system in undesirable configurations. Three main strategies for addressing these challenges are described, which include particle design (active self-assembly), open-loop control, and closed-loop (feedback) control. The strategies are illustrated using a variety of examples such as the design of patchy and Janus particles, the toggling of magnetic fields to induce the crystallization of paramagnetic colloids, and high-throughput crystallization of organic compounds in nanoliter droplets. An outlook of the future research directions and the necessary technological advancements for control of micro- and nano-scale self-assembly is provided.     

Dynamic Stabilization of DNA Assembly by Using Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide

We used N-methylpyrrole (Py)-N-methylimidazole-(Im) polyamide as an exogenous agent to modulate the formation of DNA assemblies at specific double-stranded sequences. The concept was demonstrated on the hybridization chain reaction that forms linear DNA. Through a series of melting curve analyses, we demonstrated that the binding of Py−Im polyamide positively influenced both the HCR initiation and elongation steps. In particular, Py−Im polyamide was found to drastically stabilize the DNA duplex such that its thermal stability approached that of an equivalent hairpin structure. Also, the polyamide served as an anchor between hairpin pairs in the HCR assembly, thus improving the originally weak interstrand stability. We hope that these proof-of-concept results can inspire future use of Py−Im polyamide as a molecular tool to modulate the formation of DNA assemblies.     

Bilayer-mediated assembly of cationic nanoparticles adsorbed to lipid bilayers: Insights from molecular simulations

Understanding interactions between functionalized gold nanoparticles (NPs) and lipid bilayers is essential for biomedical applications. Experiments have shown that NPs that are stable in solution can assemble into clusters when adsorbed to a lipid bilayer, suggesting that bilayer-mediated interactions facilitate assembly. In this work, we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to study bilayer-mediated interactions between NPs adsorbed to single- and multicomponent lipid bilayers. We perform unbiased simulations and umbrella sampling calculations using an implicit solvent force field to determine the thermodynamic contributions to assembly. We show that bilayer-mediated interactions drive the assembly of NPs into linear aggregates on liquid-disordered bilayers, which we attribute to a reduction in bilayer curvature. Similar bilayer-mediated interactions induce the alignment of NP clusters with phase boundaries in phase-separated bilayers. Together, these simulation results provide new physical insight into the balance of forces that dictate the assembly of charged NPs at multicomponent lipid bilayer interfaces.     

纳米光电子器件的最新进展及发展趋势

主要介绍了纳米光电子学的基本概念、发展模式以及纳米光电子器件的最新进展和发展趋势。     

飞行时间二次离子质谱--强有力的表面、界面和薄膜分析手段

二次离子质谱（Secondary ion mass spectrometry，简称SIMS）是一种对表面灵敏的质谱技术，建立在表面各种类型带正、负电荷原子或分子发射的基础上。用飞行时间（Time of flight，简称TOF）仪器对这些二次离子进行质量分析，能确保并行质量登录、高质量范围、高流通率下的高分辨和精确质量测定这些优异性能。配合细聚焦扫描一次离子束，可在优于1nm的高深度分辨和优于50nm的横向分辨本领下，实现对表面优于单层ppm(百万分之一）量级的极高检测灵敏度。当今TOF－SIMS已发展为一种成熟且完善的表面分析技术。极高的灵敏度，再加上即使对大分子及不易挥发性分子都独具的敏感性，使它成为很多高技术领域不可缺少的分析手段，这些领域包括微电子学、化学和材料科学以至纳米技术和生命科学等。本文简述了TOF－SIMS的原理、仪器及其多方面的应用和展望。     

纳米技术在中药开发中的应用

本文综述了纳米科技与中药制剂相结合的发展，阐述了纳米中药的概念、特性，介绍了纳米中药的制备技术，另外探讨了收集纳米粒子的方法，最后，着重展望了纳米技术在中药制剂中广泛的应用前景。     

纳米技术及其在新材料领域中的应用与展望

本文对作为21世纪高新技术之一的纳米技术进行了阐述,并对其在新材料中的应用进行了阐述和展望。     

Intercalated clays from pentaerythritol stearate for use in polymer nanocomposites

Smectite clays treated with quaternary ammonium salts have been utilized for decades in paints, greases, cosmetics, and personal care products as rheological modifiers. They have also been used in industrial wastewater treatment extensively. In more recent times these surface modified clays have demonstrated benefits in polymer/clay nanocomposites. The use of quaternary ammonium modifiers limits the usefulness of these composites in food packaging because they are not approved for direct food contact. It would be advantageous to have surface modifying chemicals acceptable for direct food contact in these composites. This article reports research conducted on a promising surface modifier pentaerythritol stearate (PS), which is approved by the FDA for inclusion in food as a preservative. The surface modification of montmorillonite with PS is reported in detail as well as the production of nanocomposites with selected polymers made with the modified clay. Molecular modeling and purification of commercial PS samples indicate that the mono‐ and diesters are the critical surface modifiers, although the as received commercial material works well in forming intercalated clay complexes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Enabling factors toward production of nanostructured steel on an industrial scale

Utilizing the existing properties of steel, a modern technological society has been constructed. While there are over 25,000 worldwide equivalent steels based on manipulating the eutectoid transformation, there exist only a handful of commercial nanostructured steel alloys based on manipulating the more complex glass devitrification transformation. Thus, research on nanostructured steels is in its infancy, and many further developments are expected with the demonstrated promise of developing new combinations of superior properties. In this article, seven enabling metallurgical factors are presented that ultimately allow a variety of nanostructured steel products to be produced in an ever-increasing array of industrial processing techniques. Additionally, a case example of the formation of nanostructured steel are given showing how these factors can be harnessed on an industrial scale.