Kamal Abderrafi

Switchable Bactericidal Effects from Novel Silica-Coated Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Light Irradiation

Here we report on the triggering of antibacterial activity by a new type of silver nanoparticle coated with porous silica, Ag@silica, irradiated at their surface plasmon resonant frequency. The nanoparticles are able to bind readily to the surface of bacterial cells, although this does not affect bacterial growth since the silica shell largely attenuates the intrinsic toxicity of silver. However, upon simultaneous exposure to light corresponding to the absorption band of the nanoparticles, bacterial death is enhanced selectively on the irradiated zone. Because of the low power density used for the treatments, we discard thermal effects as the cause of cell killing. Instead, we propose that the increase in toxicity is due to the enhanced electromagnetic field in the proximity of the nanoparticles, which indirectly, most likely through induced photochemical reactions, is able to cause cell death.

Optical properties of different polymer thin films containing in situ synthesized Ag and Au nanoparticles

Here we report on the in situ synthesis of Ag and Au nanoparticles inside several polymer matrixes by solid-state chemical reduction of a metallic salt. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI), poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), novolak, poly(4-vinylphenol) (P4VP), poly(4-vinylphenol)-co-(methyl methacrylate) (P4VP-co-MMA) and poly(styrene-co-allyl alcohol) (PS-co-AA) were able to reduce Ag(I) and Au(III) to the corresponding nanoparticles during the baking process. The nanoparticle diameters of Ag and Au were found to range from 2 to 25 nm. TEM also indicated a uniform distribution of nanoparticles embedded in the thin film. This approach is suitable for controlling the size of the nanoparticles and its homogeneous distribution in the polymer matrix.

Scalable heterogeneous synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and aggregates with polyvinyl alcohol

Here we report on a new route to synthesize colloidal silver and gold nanoparticles, potentially scalable for massive nanoparticle-production. This method is based on the microwave-assisted heterogeneous reduction of the metal salts with polyvinylalcohol. The reaction is carried out in alcohols, which are non-solvents for polyvinylalcohol. Nanoparticles can be very easily separated by filtration. The reaction kinetics are extremely fast. Size-controlled formation of nanoparticle agglomerates is accomplished with a seed-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles upon MW exposure.

Molecular-mediated assembly of silver nanoparticles with controlled interparticle spacing and chain length

In the present work, we report on a one-pot method for the assembly of noble metal nanoparticles with tunable optical properties, assembly length and interparticle spacing. The synthetic colloidal route is based on the covalent binding among OH-terminated silver nanoparticles by means of dicarboxylic acids with a defined molecular length. As a result, the initially symmetric plasmon band of silver nanoparticles splits into two plasmonic modes when nanoparticles are assembled due to the strong near-field plasmon coupling. We noticed a very good correlation between the plasmon wavelength shift and the interparticle spacing that is represented by the universal scaling law of the surface plasmon resonance in metal nanoparticle dimers. A relationship between the plasmon coupling and the assembly size (represented by the number of nanoparticles) for two different interparticle distances has been experimentally found. Such a correlation has revealed the additional effect of the electronic polarizability of the linker on the propagation of the plasmon coupling between NPs.

Laser ablation of a silicon target in chloroform: formation of multilayer graphite nanostructures

With the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methods of analysis we show that the laser ablation of a Si target in chloroform (CHCl3) by nanosecond UV pulses (40 ns, 355 nm) results in the formation of about 50–80 nm core–shell nanoparticles with a polycrystalline core composed of small (5–10 nm) Si and SiC mono-crystallites, the core being coated by several layers of carbon with the structure of graphite (the shell). In addition, free carbon multilayer nanostructures (carbon nano-onions) are also found in the suspension. On the basis of a comparison with similar laser ablation experiments implemented in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), where only bare (uncoated) Si nanoparticles are produced, we suggest that a chemical (solvent decomposition giving rise to highly reactive CH-containing radicals) rather than a physical (solvent atomization followed by carbon nanostructure formation) mechanism is responsible for the formation of graphitic shells. The silicon carbonization process found for the case of laser ablation in chloroform may be promising for silicon surface protection and functionalization.

Photoswitchable bactericidal effects from novel silica-coated silver nanoparticles

The enhancement of the electromagnetic field in the surroundings of nanoparticles via surface plasmon resonance offers promising possibilities for biomedical applications. Here we report on the selective triggering of antibacterial activity using a new type of silver nanoparticles coated with silica, Ag@silica, irradiated at their surface plasmon frequency. The nanoparticles are able to bind readily to the surface of bacterial cells, although this does not affect bacterial growing since the silica shell largely attenuates the intrinsic toxicity of silver. However, upon simultaneous exposure to light corresponding to the absorption band of the nanoparticles, bacterial death is triggered selectively on the irradiated zone. Because of the low power density used in the treatments, we discard thermal effects as the cause of cell killing. Instead, we propose that the switched toxicity is due to the enhanced electromagnetic field in the proximity of the nanoparticles, which either directly (through membrane perturbation) or indirectly (through induced photochemical reactions) is able to cause cell death.

A Simple Procedure to Assemble Silver and Gold Noble Metal Nanoparticles

In this study, we are going to report a simple procedure to prepare and assemble noble metal nanoparticle chains using in situ synthesis of dicarboxylic acid (tartaric acid). The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of tartaric acid on silver and gold Nanoparticles (NPs). To address this issue, the optical properties, the morphology of silver, gold nanoparticles and their assemblies were investigated by Ultraviolet–Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In addition, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) was also used to assure the formation of metal nanoparticles assemblies by means of esterification reaction. Gold and silver NPs colloids showed the typical local surface Plasmon resonance of isolated NPs with a symmetric absorption curve. This symmetry did not hold after the addition of the cross link. Moreover, two Plasmon modes were observed for both NPs, the one with longer wavelengths is a characteristic of the assembled NPs due to the near field Plasmon coupling. Furthermore, we observed a great correlation between concentration crosslink, reaction time and Surface Plasmon Band Absorption (SPBA).