Bio-inspired assembly of nanoparticle building blocks
November 27, 2006
V-shaped amphiphilic molecules containing gold nanoparticles form cylindrical micelles when exposed to water. Credit: Eugene Zubarev/Rice University
Chemists at Rice University have discovered how to assemble gold and silver nanoparticle building blocks into larger structures based on a novel method that harkens back to one of nature's oldest known chemical innovations – the self-assembly of lipid membranes that surround every living cell.
The research appears in the Nov. 29 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS 2006, 128, 15098).
Researchers believe the new method will allow them to create a wide variety of useful materials, including extra-potent cancer drugs and more efficient catalysts for the chemical industry.
The method makes use of the hydrophobic effect, a biochemical phenomena that all living creatures use to create membranes, ultra-thin barriers of fatty acids that form a strong yet dynamic sack around the cell, sealing it from the outside world. Cell membranes are one example of a micelle, a strong bilayer covering that is made of two sheets of lipid-based amphiphiles, molecules that have a water-loving, or hydrophilic, end, and a water-hating, or hydrophobic, end. Like two pieces of cellophane tape being brought together, the hydrophobic sides of the amphiphilic sheets stick to one another, forming the bilayered micelle.

This electron microscope image clearly shows the tightly packed cylinders of gold nanoparticles. Credit: Eugene Zubarev/Rice University
"When the micelle forms, the process drives the packing of all the junction points, which connect the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic part of an amphiphile, into a high-density array," said Eugene Zubarev, the Norman Hackerman-Welch Young Investigator and assistant professor of chemistry. "By attaching a nanoparticle to the junction point of an amphiphile, we can, in effect, use micellization as a means to assemble billions and billions of individual nanoparticles into well-defined one-dimensional superstructures that are soluble in water."Zubarev and colleagues synthesized V-shaped amphiphiles of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) and attached two-nanometer diameter gold particles at the focal point of the V. Upon adding water and inducing micelle formation, the team found it could create tightly packed cylinders of gold nanoparticles measuring just 18 nanometers in diameter.
All micelles form in three allowable shapes – spheres, cylinders and sack-like vesicles. By varying the length of the polystyrene arm, the solvents used and the size of the gold particles, Zubarev and colleagues were able to form spheres, vesicles and vary the diameter of their cylinders, some of which grew to well-over 1,000 nanometers in length.
"We believe further manipulation of these parameters may provide an opportunity to control the optical and catalytic properties of these nanoassemblies," Zubarev said.
Source: Rice University
-
New nanoassembly technique is created
Nov 27, 2006 |
4.4 / 5 (228) |
0
-
Graphene enhances many materials, but leaves them wettable
Jan 23, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (12) |
1
-
Microcantilevers are masters of measurement
Jun 01, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Paper highlight: Solvent-mediated end-to-end assembly of gold nanorods
Sep 23, 2010 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
0
-
Nanoscale 'stealth' probe slides into cell walls seamlessly
Apr 01, 2010 |
4.8 / 5 (31) |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Stem cell question.
21 hours ago
-
Protease cleavage
Feb 10, 2012
-
Pertubance in a model
Feb 10, 2012
-
Cancer drugs and Alzheimer's, Oh my!
Feb 09, 2012
-
Squishing cells
Feb 09, 2012
-
Any books/articles for evolutionary stable strategy models in humans?
Feb 09, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Biology
More news stories
New kind of solar cell could capture significantly more energy than current cells
New solar cells could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25%, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge.
Feb 08, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (12) |
14
|
Nanoshell whispering galleries improve thin solar panels
Visitors to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building may have experienced a curious acoustic feature that allows a person to whisper softly at one side of the cavernous, half-domed room and for another on ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 07, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
6
|
'Dark plasmons' transmit energy
Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.
Feb 09, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
1
|
Revealing how a battery material works
Since its discovery 15 years ago, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) has become one of the most promising materials for rechargeable batteries because of its stability, durability, safety and ability to deliver ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 08, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Nanotube therapy takes aim at breast cancer stem cells
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers have again proven that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Feb 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket
A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.
Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...
Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings
(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.