Chang-Hai Wang

Enhancement of cell radiation sensitivity by pegylated gold nanoparticles

Biocompatible Au nanoparticles with surfaces modified by PEG (polyethylene glycol) were developed in view of possible applications for the enhancement of radiotherapy. Such nanoparticles exhibit preferential deposition at tumor sites due to the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Here, we systematically studied their effects on EMT-6 and CT26 cell survival rates during irradiation for a dose up to 10 Gy with a commercial biological irradiator (E(average) = 73 keV), a Cu-Kalpha(1) x-ray source (8.048 keV), a monochromatized synchrotron source (6.5 keV), a radio-oncology linear accelerator (6 MeV) and a proton source (3 MeV). The percentage of surviving cells after irradiation was found to decrease by approximately 2-45% in the presence of PEG-Au nanoparticles ([Au] = 400, 500 or 1000 microM). The cell survival rates decreased as a function of the dose for all sources and nanoparticle concentrations. These results could open the way to more effective cancer irradiation therapies by using nanoparticles with optimized surface treatment. Difficulties in applying MTT assays were also brought to light, showing that this approach is not suitable for radiobiology.

The effect of thermal annealing on the Ni/Au contact of p-type GaN

In this study, the Ni/Au layers prepared by electron beam evaporation and thermal alloying were used to form Ohmic contacts on p-type GaN films. Before thermal alloying, the current–voltage (I–V) characteristic of Ni/Au contact on p-type GaN film shows non-Ohmic behavior. As the alloying temperature increases to 700 °C, the I–V curve shows a characteristic of Ohmic contact. The Schottky barrier height reduction may be attributed to the presence of Ga–Ni and Ga–Au compounds, such as Ga4Ni3, Ga3Ni2, GaAu, and GaAu2, at the metal-semiconductor interface. The diffusing behavior of both Ni and Au have been studied by using Auger electron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. In addition, x-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the Ni3N and Ga4Ni3 compounds were formed at the metal-semiconductor interface.

Heusler compounds as ternary intermetallic nanoparticles: Co2FeGa

This work describes the preparation of ternary nanoparticles based on the Heusler compound Co2FeGa. Nanoparticles with sizes of about 20?nm were synthesized by reducing a methanol impregnated mixture of CoCl2 ? 6H2O, Fe(NO3)3 ? 9H2O and Ga(NO3)3 ? xH2O after loading on fumed silica. The dried samples were heated under pure H2 gas at 900??C. The obtained nanoparticles?embedded in silica?were investigated by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, temperature dependent magnetometry and M??bauer spectroscopy. All methods clearly revealed the Heusler-type L21 structure of the nanoparticles. In particular, anomalous XRD data demonstrate the correct composition in addition to the occurrence of the L21 structure. The magnetic moment of the particles is about 5?B at low temperature in good agreement with the value of bulk material. This suggests that the half-metallic properties are conserved even in particles on the 10?nm scale.

Optimizing the size and surface properties of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-gold nanoparticles by intense x-ray irradiation

The polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified gold nanoparticle complex was synthesized by a one-solution synchrotron x-ray irradiation method. The impact on the structure and morphology of the gold nanoparticles of process parameters such as the PEG molecular weight, the PEG/gold molar ratio and the x-ray dosage were investigated. The size of PEG modified gold particles was found to decrease with increasing PEG addition and x-ray dosage. With the capability to monitor the absorption spectra in situ during the fast synthesis process, this opens the way to accurate control of the size and distribution. PEG chains with an intermediate length (MW6000) were found optimal for size control and colloidal stability in biologically relevant media. Our x-ray synthesized PEG-gold nanoparticles could find interesting applications in nanoparticle-enhanced x-ray tumour imaging and therapy.

Enhancement of irradiation effects on cancer cells by cross-linked dextran-coated iron oxide (CLIO) nanoparticles

We investigated iron oxide nanoparticles with two different surface modifications, dextran coating and cross-linked dextran coating, showing that their different internalization affects their capability to enhance radiation damage to cancer cells. The internalization was monitored with an ultrahigh resolution transmission x-ray microscope (TXM), indicating that the differences in the particle surface charge play an essential role and dominate the particle-cell interaction. We found that dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles cannot be internalized by HeLa and EMT-6 cells without being functionalized with amino groups (the cross-linked dextran coating) that modify the surface potential from -18 mV to 13.4 mV. The amount of cross-linked dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles uptaken by cancer cells reached its maximum, 1.33 x 10(9) per HeLa cell, when the co-culture concentration was 40 microg Fe mL(-1) or more. Standard tests indicated that these internalized nanoparticles increased the damaging effects of x-ray irradiation, whereas they are by themselves biocompatible. These results could lead to interesting therapy applications; furthermore, iron oxide also produces high contrast for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis and therapy stages.

Photosynthesis and structure of electroless Ni–P films by synchrotron x-ray irradiation

The authors describe an electroless deposition method for thin films, based on the irradiation by an x-ray beam emitted by a synchrotron source. Specifically, Ni–P films were deposited at room temperature. This synthesis is a unique combination of photochemical and electrochemical processes. The influence of the pH value on the formation and structural properties of the films was examined by various characterization tools including scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Real time monitoring of the deposition process by coherent x-ray microscopy reveals that the formation of hydrogen bubbles leads to a self-catalysis effect without a preexisting catalyst. The mechanisms underlying the deposition process are discussed in details.

Structural and magnetic properties of Fe2CoGa Heusler nanoparticles

Fe2CoGa Heusler nanoparticles are synthesized by a chemical method. The structure and magnetic properties of Fe2CoGa Heusler nanoparticles are investigated by x-ray diffraction, extended x-ray absorption fine structure and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The crystal structure of Fe2CoGa nanoparticles is described by the X-type structure (prototype: Li2AgSb). Magnetic measurements reveal the presence of small Fe2CoGa nanoparticles and lower magnetic moments compared with the theoretically predicted values.

Resolving the phase structure of nonstoichiometric Co2FeGa Heusler nanoparticles

Heusler nanocrystals, i.e., Heusler compounds with dimensions in nanometer range are promising materials for next-generation spin-related devices. Recently, we have developed a chemical approach to prepare L21 ordered Heusler nanoparticles and characterized their size-related structure and magnetic properties. In this work, effect of precursor composition is investigated in terms of their importance in controlling the phase structure of Co2FeGa nanoparticles. The formation of the L21 ordered Co2FeGa phase is evidenced by combining X-ray diffraction (XRD) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and Mossbauer spectroscopy measurements. From XRD, precursor compositions of low Co and high Fe are associated with decreasing amounts and even disappearance of fcc Co and fcc Fe impurities. We also find that, even though the XRD data indicate only pure Co2FeGa phase in sample with excess Fe, EXAFS and Mossbauer spectroscopy data unambiguously reveal the co-existence of bcc Fe with Co2FeGa ...

Uncapped Au–Pd colloidal nanoparticles show catalytic enhancement

The catalytic properties of Pd have triggered a strong interest in the related catalysis by Au–Pd nanoparticles. However, the analysis of such phenomena has been complicated so far due to the presence of capping. Using X-ray irradiation, we produced uncapped Au–Pd nanoparticles and studied their catalytic features, finding in particular their relationship to the Pd content. Furthermore, the fabrication process is per se interesting, yielding excellent and flexibly controllable nanoparticles with a rather simple procedure.