Verónica Salgueiriño-Maceira

Cobalt and silica based core–shell structured nanospheres

This article presents state-of-art strategies for engineering particle structure using colloidal chemistry in such a way that environmentally stable silica-coated cobalt nanoparticles and cobalt-coated silica spheres were prepared combining sodium borohydride reduction in aqueous solution, the Stober method, and/or the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. We highlight the synthesis and manipulation of cobalt clusters in aqueous solution producing monodisperse building blocks. Silica-coated cobalt nanoparticles, whose core and shell can be tuned depending on the experimental conditions, were also found to organize into chains when driven by a weak external magnetic field and strong dipole–dipole magnetic interactions are believed to be the driving force for the self-organization. The same cobalt clusters were used for the preparation of cobalt-coated silica spheres taking advantage of the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. The nanoscale engineering of this type of colloids is expected to extend the spectrum of magnetic effects and functionalities.

Optical Strain Detectors based on Gold/Elastomer Nanoparticulated Films

The application of two different optical effects is demonstrated for the detection of strain applied to elastomeric films. On one hand, dense coatings made of silica-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@SiO2 NPs), which are built up onto poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomeric films, using the layer-by-layer (LbL) method, provide intense surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption. On the other hand, polystyrene spheres can be deposited as ordered monolayers to create patterned PDMS films with well-defined light diffraction. Both effects were used to monitor the structural damage of such PDMS films upon stretching, remaining both physical phenomena (absorption from the gold film and diffraction from the ordered structure) active for optical sensing applications in the early detection of structural damage in critical infrastructures.

Magnificent Sea-Anemone-Like Magnetic Silica Capsules Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes**

We report in thiscommunication the fabrication of novel nanostructures thatresemble magnificent sea anemones (heteractis magnifica),aiming at increasing the rigidity and the available surface ofmagnetic and reinforced CNTs-based hollow capsules. Theobtained final morphology comprises rigid hollow silicacapsules reinforced with CNTs, which can be easily assembledby means of an external magnetic field upon loading withmagnetic nanoparticles. We foresee potential applications forthese structures such as reinforced capsules with increasedmechanical stability for use as nanoreactors, in drug deliveryor as catalyst supports with increased surface area. Themagnetic functionality additionally allows improved externalmanipulation of these anemone-like capsules for theirassembly on surfaces or within tissues.Theconstructionofthesecomplexnanostructuresinvolvesan initial layer-by-layer (LbL)