Competition Between Protein and DNA for Binding to Natural Sepiolite Nanofibers.

Introduction: Sepiolite nanofibers, which are natural silicates belonging to the clay mineral family, could be promising potential nanocarriers for the nonviral transfer of biomolecules. The physicochemical characteristics of sepiolite make it capable of binding various types of biological molecules, including polysaccharides, lipids, proteins and viruses. Sepiolite nanofibers have also been shown to bind effectively to various types of DNA molecules through electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, cationic bridges and van der Waals forces.

Silica-TiCT MXene Nanoarchitectures with Simultaneous Adsorption and Photothermal Properties.

Layered TiCT MXene has been successfully intercalated and exfoliated with the simultaneous generation of a 3D silica network by treating its cationic surfactant intercalation compound (MXene-CTAB) with an alkoxysilane (TMOS), resulting in a MXene-silica nanoarchitecture, which has high porosity and specific surface area, together with the intrinsic properties of MXene (e.g., photothermal response).

Correction: MXenes clays: emerging and traditional 2D layered nanoarchitectonics.

Correction for 'MXenes clays: emerging and traditional 2D layered nanoarchitectonics' by Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky , , 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3nr03037g.

Magnetic Chitosan Bionanocomposite Films as a Versatile Platform for Biomedical Hyperthermia.

Responsive magnetic nanomaterials offer significant advantages for innovative therapies, for instance, in cancer treatments that exploit on-demand delivery on alternating magnetic field (AMF) stimulus. In this work, biocompatible magnetic bionanocomposite films are fabricated from chitosan by film casting with incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) produced by facile one pot synthesis. The influence of synthesis conditions and MNP concentration on the films' heating efficiency and heat dissipation are evaluated through spatio-temporal mapping of the surface temperature changes by video-thermography.

MXenes clays: emerging and traditional 2D layered nanoarchitectonics.

Although MXene materials are considered an emerging research topic, they are receiving considerable interest because, like metals and graphene, they are good electronic conductors but with the particularity that they have a marked hydrophilic character. Having a structural organization and properties close to those of clay minerals (natural silicates typically with a lamellar morphology), they are sometimes referred to as "conducting clays" and exhibit colloidal, surface and intercalation properties also similar to those of clay minerals. The present contribution aims to inform and discuss the nature of MXenes in comparison with clay phyllosilicates, taking into account their structural analogies, outstanding surface properties and advanced applications.

Magnetite-sepiolite nanoarchitectonics for improving zein-based bionanocomposite foams.

Magnetic nanoarchitectures have been used to introduce multifunctionality in biopolymeric matrices. Bionanocomposite foams based on the corn protein zein were prepared for the first time using the hydrophobic properties of zein in a sequential treatment consisting of the removal of ethanol-soluble fractions, followed by the water swelling of the remaining phase and a further freeze-drying process. When this protocol is applied to zein pellets, they can be consolidated as porous monoliths.

Effect of the combined addition of ultrasonicated kraft lignin and montmorillonite on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose bionanocomposites.

Although hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) has been proposed as renewable substitute for traditional plastic, its barrier and active properties need to be improved. Thus, the combination of an organic residue such as kraft lignin (0-10% w/w) and a natural clay such as montmorillonite (3% w/w) by application of ultrasound can significantly improve HPMC properties. This is most likely due to the close interaction between lignin and montmorillonite, which leads to delamination of the clay and improves its dispersion within the HPMC matrix.

Nanoarchitectonics to entrap living cells in silica-based systems: encapsulations with yolk-shell and sepiolite nanomaterials.

In the present work, the bottom-up fabrication of biohybrid materials using a nanoarchitectonics approach has been applied to entrap living cells. Unicellular microorganisms, that is, cyanobacteria and yeast cells, have been immobilized in silica and silicate-based substrates organized as nanostructured materials. In a first attempt, matrices based on bionanocomposites of chitosan and alginate incorporating sepiolite clay mineral and shaped as films, beads, or foams have been explored for the immobilization of cyanobacteria.

Nacre-inspired biodegradable nanocellulose/MXene/AgNPs films with high strength and superior gas barrier properties.

Super strength and high barrier properties are the bottleneck of the application of cellulose film materials. Herein, it is reported a flexible gas barrier film with nacre-like layered structure, in which 1D TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose (TNF) and 2D MXene self-assembled to form an interwoven stack structure with 0D AgNPs filling the void space. The strong interaction and dense structure endowed TNF/MX/AgNPs film with mechanical properties far superior to PE films and acid-base stability.

Impact of Increased Sonication-Induced Dispersion of Sepiolite on Its Interaction with Biological Macromolecules and Toxicity/Proliferation in Human Cells.

Sepiolite is a natural clay silicate that is widely used, including biomedical applications; notably sepiolite shows promising features for the transfer of biological macromolecules into mammalian cells. However, before its use, such an approach should address the efficiency of binding to biological macromolecules and cell toxicity. Because sepiolite spontaneously forms aggregates, its disaggregation can represent an important challenge for improving the suspension performance and the assembly with biological species.

MXene-Enhanced Chitin Composite Sponges with Antibacterial and Hemostatic Activity for Wound Healing.

This study shows the effective use of MXene-based nanomaterials to improve the performance of biocomposite sponges in wound healing. In this way, diverse chitin/MXene composite sponges are fabricated by incorporating MXene-based nanomaterials with various morphology (accordion-shaped, intercalated, single-layer, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-loaded single-layer) into the network of chitin sponge (CH), which can prevent massive blood losses and promote the healing process of bacterial-infected wounds. With the addition of MXene-based nanomaterials, the hemostatic efficacy of CH is enhanced due to the improved hemophilicity and accelerated blood coagulation kinetics.

Green Carbon Nanostructures for Functional Composite Materials.

Carbon nanostructures are widely used as fillers to tailor the mechanical, thermal, barrier, and electrical properties of polymeric matrices employed for a wide range of applications. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO), a carbon nanostructure from the graphene derivatives family, has been incorporated in composite materials due to its remarkable electrical conductivity, mechanical strength capacity, and low cost. Graphene oxide (GO) is typically synthesized by the improved Hummers' method and then chemically reduced to obtain rGO.

Sepiolite-Hydrogels: Synthesis by Ultrasound Irradiation and Their Use for the Preparation of Functional Clay-Based Nanoarchitectured Materials.

Sepiolite and palygorskite fibrous clay minerals are 1D silicates featuring unique textural and structural characteristics useful in diverse applications, and in particular as rheological additives. Here we report on the ability of grinded sepiolite to generate highly viscous and stable hydrogels by sonomechanical irradiation (ultrasounds). Adequate drying of such hydrogels leads to low-density xerogels that show extensive fiber disaggregation compared to the starting sepiolite-whose fibers are agglomerated as bundles.

Hydrophobic composite foams based on nanocellulose-sepiolite for oil sorption applications.

TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl)-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were assembled to fibrous clay sepiolite (SEP) by means of a high shear homogenizer and an ultrasound treatment followed by lyophilization using three different methods: normal freezing, directional freezing, and a sequential combination of both methods. Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) was grafted to the foam surface by the vapor deposition method to introduce hydrophobicity to the resulting materials. Both the SEP addition (for the normal and directional freezing methods) and the refreezing preparation procedure enhanced the compressive strength of the foams, showing compressive moduli in the range from 28 to 103 kPa for foams loaded with 20% w/w sepiolite.

Joining Caffeic Acid and Hydrothermal Treatment to Produce Environmentally Benign Highly Reduced Graphene Oxide.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is a promising graphene-based material, with transversal applicability to a wide range of technological fields. Nevertheless, the common use of efficient-but hazardous to environment and toxic-reducing agents prevents its application in biological and other fields. Consequently, the development of green reducing strategies is a requirement to overcome this issue.

Graphene Derivatives in Biopolymer-Based Composites for Food Packaging Applications.

This review aims to showcase the current use of graphene derivatives, graphene-based nanomaterials in particular, in biopolymer-based composites for food packaging applications. A brief introduction regarding the valuable attributes of available and emergent bioplastic materials is made so that their contributions to the packaging field can be understood. Furthermore, their drawbacks are also disclosed to highlight the benefits that graphene derivatives can bring to bio-based formulations, from physicochemical to mechanical, barrier, and functional properties as antioxidant activity or electrical conductivity.

Research and Patents on Coronavirus and COVID-19: A Review.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem that requires the point of view of basic sciences and medicine as well as social, economics and politics disciplines. Viral particles of coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 as well as other enveloped viruses like influenza virus could be considered as an approximation to functional core-shell nanoparticles and therefore, their study enters the realm of nanotechnology. In this context, nanotechnology can contribute to alleviate some of the current challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

Nanotechnology Responses to COVID-19.

Researchers, engineers, and medical doctors are made aware of the severity of the COVID-19 infection and act quickly against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 using a large variety of tools. In this review, a panoply of nanoscience and nanotechnology approaches show how these disciplines can help the medical, technical, and scientific communities to fight the pandemic, highlighting the development of nanomaterials for detection, sanitation, therapies, and vaccines. SARS-CoV-2, which can be regarded as a functional core-shell nanoparticle (NP), can interact with diverse materials in its vicinity and remains attached for variable times while preserving its bioactivity.

Zein-layered hydroxide biohybrids: strategies of synthesis and characterization.

This work constitutes a basic study about the first exploration on the preparation of biohybrids based on the corn protein zein and layered metal hydroxides, such as layered double hydroxides (LDH) and layered single hydroxides (LSHs). For this purpose, MgAl layered double hydroxide and the Co(OH) layered single hydroxide were selected as hosts, and various synthetic approaches were explored to achieve the formation of the zein-layered hydroxide biohybrids, profiting from the presence of negatively charged groups in zein in basic medium. Zein-based layered hydroxide biohybrids were characterized by diverse physicochemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), solid state C cross-polarization magical angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS NMR), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), etc.

Multicomponent bionanocomposites based on clay nanoarchitectures for electrochemical devices.

Based on the unique ability of defibrillated sepiolite (SEP) to form stable and homogeneous colloidal dispersions of diverse types of nanoparticles in aqueous media under ultrasonication, multicomponent conductive nanoarchitectured materials integrating halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and chitosan (CHI) have been developed. The resulting nanohybrid suspensions could be easily formed into films or foams, where each individual component plays a critical role in the biocomposite: HNTs act as nanocontainers for bioactive species, GNPs provide electrical conductivity (enhanced by doping with MWCNTs) and, the CHI polymer matrix introduces mechanical and membrane properties that are of key significance for the development of electrochemical devices. The resulting characteristics allow for a possible application of these active elements as integrated multicomponent materials for advanced electrochemical devices such as biosensors and enzymatic biofuel cells.

Photoactive nanoarchitectures based on clays incorporating TiO and ZnO nanoparticles.

Thought as raw materials clay minerals are often disregarded in the development of advanced materials. However, clays of natural and synthetic origin constitute excellent platforms for developing nanostructured functional materials for numerous applications. They can be easily assembled to diverse types of nanoparticles provided with magnetic, electronic, photoactive or bioactive properties, allowing to overcome drawbacks of other types of substrates in the design of functional nanoarchitectures.

Interdiffusive Surfactant Procedure for the Preparation of Nanoarchitectured Porous Films: Application to the Growth of Titania Thin Films on Silicon Substrates.

Herein is reported the preparation of nanostructured mesoporous supported films, in this case, titanium dioxide nanoparticles on silicon wafer, according to a new approach taking place in two consecutive deposition steps: (i) coating of a homogeneous and continuous layer of a surfactant on the selected support and (ii) building up of a second layer of the fresh metal-oxide gel precursor, followed by thermal treatment to generate porosity. This approach represents an alternative way to soft-template procedures, as for instance, the largely applied evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method, which typically consists of a single-step deposition of the mixture of gel precursor and surfactant used as a soft template to create porosity. The main advantage of the procedure reported here compared to the EISA method is the possibility of reaching tunable textural characteristics along the growing film (pore size, shape, and distribution of pores) by using gels with nanoparticles preformed at different stages via a simple regulation of the residence time of the precursors deposited on the support containing the surfactant.