Pengyu Wang

Mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles: A new material for biolistic bombardment

To date, only solid heavy metals such as gold or tungsten have been used as DNA carriers in biolistic bombardment of algae. In this study, we show that even a metal oxide of lower density can act as a DNA carrier. We investigated the potency of size‐controlled mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles. Among the six tested gas pressures, TiO2 particles best facilitated transformation of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at 1100 psi (approximately 7.6 MPa) and 2000 psi (approximately 14 MPa). Surprisingly, a mesoporous metal oxide with a density of approximately only one‐tenth that of gold or tungsten could be effective as a DNA carrier in biolistic bombardment of a rigid cell wall‐containing alga. In addition, we found two peaks of gas pressures in the transformation ratio irrespective of whether the particles were made of gold, tungsten, or TiO2.

Synthetic versatility of nanoparticles: A new, rapid, one-pot, single-step synthetic approach to spherical mesoporous (metal) oxide nanoparticles using supercritical alcohols

Abstract A simple, rapid (10 min), one-pot, single-step method for the preparation of solid and hollow spherical porous TiO2 nanoparticles with large surface areas (100–211 m2/g) was developed in supercritical alcohols using carboxylic acids as organic additives. The shell thickness of the hollow TiO2 nanoparticles (20–280 nm) was controlled by adjusting the heating rate (2.0–10.0 °C/min). The preparation of different spherical porous metal oxide nanoparticles, including CeO2, SiO2, TiO2, ZrO2, and ZnO, demonstrated the versatility of the synthetic approach. In addition, several rare earth-doped spherical mesoporous metal oxide nanoparticles, including CeO2:Er, CeO2:Er,Yb, ZrO2:Er, and TiO2:Er, which exhibit energy upconversion emission, were successfully prepared using this one-pot, single-step, supercritical methanol method. The obtained spherical mesoporous CeO2:Er and CeO2:Er,Yb nanoparticles emit green light upon excitation, even when irradiated with a low-power IR laser (980 nm, 10 mW) without calcination. Several other (metal) elements were also easily doped into spherical, mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles, such as Eu, Ce, Yb, Fe, and N, using a similar procedure. Furthermore, the spherical mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully applied as a new material for the transport of DNA via biolistic bombardment.

Water-triggered macroscopic structural transformation of a metal–organic framework

A millimeter-long metal–organic framework fiber has been successfully constructed. The fiber structure was unexpectedly found via the solvent vaporization process of a dispersion of a Zn-based MOF crystal. Detailed experiments and structural analysis indicate that a humid environment is a key to the growth of the fiber structure, inducing drastic transformation of the MOF crystal morphology from the nanoscopic to macroscopic scale. Synchrotron X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis reveals that the complete crystal transformation from the Zn-MOF sheet to Zn-MOF fiber is accompanied by water coordination and ligand rearrangement. The highly anisotropic MOF fiber is easily converted to an electro-conductive fiber while maintaining the long-fiber morphology.