Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• damage to surrounding tissues due to inadequate control over the heat distribution [100][101][102][103][104][105]. Innovations in this field have led to the development of transparent polylactic acid (PLA) thin films with embedded iron oxide nanoclusters prepared via spin coating [51]. The efficient

• photothermal conversion of iron oxide minimizes the necessary laser energy. The mechanical force generated by laser-induced VNBs enables the selective destruction of single corneal cells. The PLA films aid in precisely positioning the photothermal therapy, restrain the dispersion of iron oxide nanoclusters

Realizing active targeting in cancer nanomedicine with ultrasmall nanoparticles

• André F. Lima,
• Giselle Z. Justo and
• Alioscka A. Sousa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1208–1226, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.98

• . Keywords: active targeting; cancer; nanoclusters; renal clearance; ultrasmall nanoparticles; Review 1 Introduction Nanotechnology has opened new avenues for tackling unmet challenges in medicine [1][2][3]. In the field of oncology, a notable application involves the use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs

• ][32][33][34][35]. Additionally, certain types of usNPs, especially gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), manifest molecule-like physical and chemical properties, such as luminescence [36][37]. Simultaneously, usNPs – whether used alone or conjugated to drugs, diagnostic probes, and targeting ligands – can

• functionalized to bind to target receptors without interference from nonspecific protein interactions. Figure 2A, 2C, and 2D were adapted from [58]. (“Biomolecular interactions of ultrasmall metallic nanoparticles and nanoclusters“, © 2021 Alioscka A. Sousa et al., published by the Royal Society of Chemistry

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

• , leading to superior functionality and enhanced metal sensing capabilities [111]. He et al. developed fluorescent fibers from alginate reinforced with gold (Au) nanoclusters by using a wet-spinning technique [112]. The fluorescent fibers exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity towards Cu2+ and Hg2

Atomistic insights into the morphological dynamics of gold and platinum nanoparticles: MD simulations in vacuum and aqueous media

• Evangelos Voyiatzis,
• Eugenia Valsami-Jones and
• Antreas Afantitis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 995–1009, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.81

• carried out by Wen et al. [41]. Wang et al. employed ab initio MD to describe the melting of icosahedral Au nanoclusters [42]. The structural and thermal stability of high-index-faceted Pt NPs was addressed by Zeng et al. [43]. Similarly, the thermal stability of unsupported Au NPs was investigated by

• [53]. A combined molecular dynamics and X-ray diffraction analysis of gold NPs has been carried out by Kamiński et al. [54]. The dynamical stability and vibrational properties of Pt nanoclusters by ab initio methods were investigated by Maldonado et al. [55]. A comprehensive review of Pt NPs has been

Radiofrequency enhances drug release from responsive nanoflowers for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

• Yanyan Wen,
• Ningning Song,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Weiwei Wu,
• Qixiong Lin,
• Minjie Cui,
• Rongrong Li,
• Qiufeng Yu,
• Sixue Wu,
• Yongkang Liang,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 569–579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.49

• solubility limit its functionality. In this study, radiofrequency- (RF) enhanced responsive nanoflowers (NFs), containing superparamagnetic ferric oxide nanoclusters (Fe3O4 NCs), – CUR layer, – and MnO2 (CUR-Fe@MnO2 NFs), were verified to have a thermal therapeutic effect. Transmission electron microscopy

• ]. Radiofrequency-induced hyperthermia has been confirmed to augment the permeability of the plasma membrane, facilitating the entry of drugs into tumor cells to kill them [28][29]. In this study, we present the synthesis of an intelligent TME-responsive nanomaterial, superparamagnetic ferric oxide nanoclusters

New application of bimetallic Ag/Pt nanoplates in a colorimetric biosensor for specific detection of E. coli in water

• Azam Bagheri Pebdeni,
• Mohammad N. AL-Baiati and
• Morteza Hosseini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 95–103, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.9

• ]. Nanomaterials have improved the ability to detect pathogens in water and food by enhancing signals and sensitivity. These materials, which encompass nanoparticles, nanorods, nanowires, and nanoclusters, can be combined with aptamers, antibodies, enzymes, and other ligands to display unique physical, chemical

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials as opto-electrochemical sensors for the detection of antibiotics and hormones: A review

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo,
• Saba Derakhshan Oskouei and
• Mustafa Gazi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 631–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.52

Plasmonic nanotechnology for photothermal applications – an evaluation

• A. R. Indhu,
• L. Keerthana and
• Gnanaprakash Dharmalingam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 380–419, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.33

Facile preparation of Au- and BODIPY-grafted lipid nanoparticles for synergized photothermal therapy

• Yuran Wang,
• Xudong Li,
• Haijun Chen and
• Yu Gao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1432–1444, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.118

• nanoparticles limit their therapeutic applications. Previously, gold nanoclusters carrying lipid nanoparticles (Au-LNPs) have been reported after simply mixing Au3+ with preformed diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid lipid nanoparticles to solve this contradiction. Au-LNPs demonstrated enhanced photothermal

• that received a single intravenous dose of commercial AuNPs still showed high gold concentrations in the liver at day 28 [5]. To reduce tissue retention of AuNPs, ultrasmall gold nanoclusters with renal clearance ability were developed for imaging and sensing [6][7]. Nevertheless, they were not

• reported for PTT use. In a previous reported work, we synthesized tiny gold nanoclusters by simply mixing Au3+ with preformed lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) containing diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) [8]. The Au-grafted LNPs (Au-LNPs) showed significantly enhanced photothermal effects in comparison

Supramolecular assembly of pentamidine and polymeric cyclodextrin bimetallic core–shell nanoarchitectures

• Alexandru-Milentie Hada,
• Nina Burduja,
• Marco Abbate,
• Claudio Stagno,
• Guy Caljon,
• Louis Maes,
• Nicola Micale,
• Massimiliano Cordaro,
• Angela Scala,
• Antonino Mazzaglia and
• Anna Piperno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1361–1369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.112

• classifying them in plasmonic NPs (size > 5 nm) and nanoclusters (size < 5 nm). When dimensions exceed 5 nm, NPs exhibit a unique optical phenomenon called localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) which represents the collective oscillation of conduction band electrons after interaction between NPs and an

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• semiconductor surface. SPRs can potentially boost quantum yield by broadening the spectral response range of semiconductors. Fe, Au, Co, Ag, Ni, Bi, Al, and other metallic elements are often deposited and doped. For example, a nanostructure composite based on plasmonic Ag metal nanoclusters and monoclinic BiVO4

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• resolution and durability or wear and tear and conductivity requirements must be considered before selecting a probe. Metal-coated probes are generally suitable for high-resolution or high conductivity test experiments. Metal nanoclusters adsorbed on two-dimensional materials grown on metal substrates are an

• disadvantages of the improved probes compared with ordinary probes by comparing the differences in performance in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity, and imaging, and finally provides an outlook on the future development of AFM probes. Review Metal probe Metal nanocluster probe Metal nanoclusters contain

• a few to several hundred atoms that fill the gaps between nanoparticles and molecular compounds and often exhibit molecule-like electrical and optical properties because their size is close to the Fermi wavelength of electrons [15][16][17]. Metal nanoclusters have size-dependent luminescence

Comparative molecular dynamics simulations of thermal conductivities of aqueous and hydrocarbon nanofluids

• Adil Loya,
• Antash Najib,
• Fahad Aziz,
• Asif Khan,
• Guogang Ren and
• Kun Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 620–628, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.54

• system was used for comparison with the nanocluster modified system. As shown in Figure 3, the addition of CuO nanoclusters in the hydrocarbon fluid drastically increases the heat transfer capability. The MDS results demonstrate nearly a 150–200% increase in thermal conductivity properties of the

Photothermal ablation of murine melanomas by Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle clusters

• Xue Wang,
• Lili Xuan and
• Ying Pan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 255–264, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.20

• nanoclusters as PTT agents both in vitro and in vivo, and finally explored the putative molecular mechanisms underlying the observed therapeutic effects. Results and Discussion Properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticle clusters (NPCs) The as-synthesized individual Fe3O4 nanoparticles were evenly dispersed in chloroform

• line and in vivo research using xenografted BALB/c mice model confirmed these nanoclusters, under NIR irradiation, led to overt cellular apoptosis and halted growth of implanted tumor xenografts at concentrations that did not elicit cytotoxicity when administered alone. Mechanistically, we discovered

Sputtering onto liquids: a critical review

• Anastasiya Sergievskaya,
• Adrien Chauvin and
• Stephanos Konstantinidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 10–53, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.2

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• . Consequently, the electrocatalysts accelerate the reaction kinetics, improving the electrochemical performance of Na–S batteries. Different compounds were shown to have this property such as cobalt nanoparticles [34][45][46], iron nanoclusters [47] and iron disulfide [48], gold nanodots [49], nickel sulfide

• ). This performance was attributed to the enhanced reaction kinetics caused by the incorporated CoNPs and the accommodation of volume changes enabled by the flexible aerogel. Also, transition metal nanoclusters that are smaller than nanoparticles were shown to enhance sulfur reactivity and avoid the

• shuttle effect. Zhang et al. [47] studied iron, copper, and nickel nanoclusters (ca 1.2 nm) loaded onto hollow carbon nanospheres. On the one hand, the chemical coupling between nanocluster and sulfur assists in sulfur immobilization and enhances conductivity and reactivity. On the other hand, the

Prediction of Co and Ru nanocluster morphology on 2D MoS₂ from interaction energies

• Cara-Lena Nies and
• Michael Nolan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 704–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.56

• typically adsorbs more strongly than Ru to the MoS2 ML by up to 2.0 eV, while adsorption is stronger by up to 5.0 eV compared to Cu. For two- and three-atom nanoclusters on perfect MoS2, we find that the preferred adsorption configuration is determined by the adsorption site at the monolayer. Run adsorption

• is accompanied by notable surface distortions in the monolayer, in particular the migration of sulfur atoms off their original sites as Ru atoms incorporate into the S layer of MoS2. Such rearrangements are not seen for Cu or Co. The binding of Cu and Co nanoclusters appears to be driven by the

• formation of metal–metal and metal-surface bonds, whereas for Ru, the adsorption configuration is the dominant factor. The four-atom nanoclusters are the first clusters where 2D and 3D configurations can be compared. Co4 structures prefer to adsorb in tetrahedral 3D geometries, as is evident from the

Local stiffness and work function variations of hexagonal boron nitride on Cu(111)

• Abhishek Grewal,
• Yuqi Wang,
• Matthias Münks,
• Klaus Kern and
• Markus Ternes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 559–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.46

• transfer [41]. Additionally, this leads to in-plane electric fields, which have been shown to trap atoms, molecules, and nanoclusters [11][13][42]. To map the local Φ fluctuations and to correlate them with the structural properties of the surface, we use two complementary methods: The first method is

Spontaneous shape transition of Mn_xGe_1−x islands to long nanowires

• S. Javad Rezvani,
• Luc Favre,
• Gabriele Giuli,
• Yiming Wubulikasimu,
• Isabelle Berbezier,
• Augusto Marcelli,
• Luca Boarino and
• Nicola Pinto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 366–374, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.30

• ]. Several studies have been published on manganese germanide systems, from deposited films to free-standing nanoclusters and Mn embedded in a Ge matrix, but only few works have been devoted to one-dimensional Mn–Ge systems [11][12][13][20][21][22][23][27]. Semiconducting and alloyed nanowires can be

Characterization, bio-uptake and toxicity of polymer-coated silver nanoparticles and their interaction with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

• Sahar Pourhoseini,
• Reilly T. Enos,
• Angela E. Murphy,
• Bo Cai and
• Jamie R. Lead

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 282–294, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.23

• cytotoxicity effects of Ag nanoclusters (smaller than 2 nm) on PBMCs [25]. The concentrations of Ag tested in this study were much lower than the doses tested in previously published papers (up to 200 µg·L−1) [27][30][54]. LDH and MTS results are in agreement after exposure to PVP-AgNPs, AgNO3, and AgNO3-PVP

TiO_x/Pt₃Ti(111) surface-directed formation of electronically responsive supramolecular assemblies of tungsten oxide clusters

• Marco Moors,
• Yun An,
• Agnieszka Kuc and
• Kirill Yu. Monakhov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 203–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.16

• ) ternary oxide layer [19], which is based on a mixed Cu–O top layer with an alignment of Cu atoms along the [100] direction [20]. The Cu surface rows were shown to act as preferential adsorption sites for W3O9 nanoclusters. In all the above-mentioned studies, the W3O9 clusters were imaged with submolecular

• W3O9. To stabilize and utilize different charge states of the cluster outside the gas phase, we have prepared a substrate material, which, on the one hand, offers a sufficient template effect for the self-organization of the nanoclusters and, on the other hand, exhibits a rather low electronic surface

• control in ultrathin film growth is usually challenging by classical deposition methods. Conclusion We showcased the ordered growth of W3O9 nanoclusters on different ultrathin films of titanium oxide formed by a controlled oxidation of the bimetallic Pt3Ti(111) alloy surface. Depending on the

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• the resulting silk fiber with a mechanical strength of 1.07 GPa and a strain of 16.8% [170]. The effects of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-stabilized gold nanoclusters (BSA-Au NCs) at different concentrations (9.38, 1.88, 0.938, and 0.188 µg) inserted via intravascular injection in the silkworm was

The role of gold atom concentration in the formation of Cu–Au nanoparticles from the gas phase

• Yuri Ya. Gafner,
• Svetlana L. Gafner,
• Darya A. Ryzkova and
• Andrey V. Nomoev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 72–81, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.6

• nanoparticles and on the analysis of the chemical composition of the resulting nanoclusters. The modeled region had a cubic shape with a face length of 1350 Bohr radii and contained a total of 91125 copper and gold atoms uniformly distributed in space. The initial temperature was set to Ti = 1000 K, which

• copper and gold are practically equal (Tm = 1358 K and Tm = 1337 K, respectively). However, this is no longer true in the nanoscale case. The MD modeling [21][23] showed that at an equal size (D < 10 nm), the melting temperature of copper nanoclusters is 30–40% higher than that of gold clusters, which

• heating of Cu3Au nanoclusters, typical changes called “order–disorder transition” occur in the nanocluster structure, leading to the decomposition of the initial L12 crystal structure. This leads to a transition to the FCC structure with a random atomic distribution in the long-range coordination spheres

Photothermally active nanoparticles as a promising tool for eliminating bacteria and biofilms

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Laura D’Alfonso,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1134–1146, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.98

• S. aureus and E. coli. In a recent study, poly(5-(2-ethyl acrylate)-4-methylthiazole-g-butyl)/copper sulfide nanoclusters were prepared to efficiently capture and eliminate levofloxacin-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria upon NIR laser irradiation [83]. The authors demonstrated that

• the conjugated nanoclusters significantly inhibited the levofloxacin-resistant bacteria after 5 min of 980 nm NIR laser exposure (1.5 W/cm2). In another recent publication, a dual-functional nanosystem based on ultrasmall CuS nanodots (≈6 nm) was developed to heal multidrug-resistant bacteria-infected

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 533–546, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.42

• , semiconductor quantum dots suffer from toxicity and are susceptible to oxidation. In this context, atomically precise gold nanoclusters protected by thiol monolayers have emerged as a new class of luminescent nanomaterials. Low toxicity, bioavailability, photostability as well as tunable size, composition, and

• optoelectronic properties make them suitable for bioimaging and biosensing applications. In this review, an overview of the sensing of pathogens, and of in vitro and in vivo bioimaging using luminescent gold nanoclusters along with the limitations with selected examples are discussed. Keywords: bioimaging

• ; biosensing; gold nanoclusters; immunoassay; luminescence; self-assembly; theranostics; Introduction Imaging methods play a central role in understanding the structural and functional biological processes of biomolecules, cells, tissues, organs, and even entire living organisms [1][2]. The importance of