Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons^™

Surface Modification Of Noble Metal Nanostructures Toward Biomedical Applications, Samir V. Jenkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Noble metal nanostructures have seen a steady increase in biomedical application over the last several decades; new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are under intense investigation. Many of these applications are possible because of post-synthetic modifications to the particle surface. These modifications take a variety of forms and can significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of these particles. In this work, various surface modifications were investigated. Particle agglomeration, which occurs when particle surfaces remain in contact, can significantly affect the toxicity and efficacy of a nanomedicine. Darkfield microscopy and single-particle ICP-MS were developed as complementary methods to detect agglomeration in blood, with the …

Inertial Force-Driven Synthesis Of Near-Infrared Plasmonic Nanosphere Composites: Physicochemical Characterizations, Joseph Noel Batta-Mpouma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Near-infrared (NIR) responsive nanoparticles (NPs) like gold nanorods (GNRs) are important in biomedical fields because of their transparency for biological tissues. Although GNRs are sought after as contrast agents for theranostics in cancer studies, capping ligands like cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for the GNR synthesis are toxic for biological tissues. The need for an alternative to toxic GNRs is of interest to alleviate the problem.

This work aimed to optimize the synthesis of NIR responsive nanosphere composites (NSCs) by inertial force (g-force) using colloidal gold NPs as model, elucidate the mechanism for the NSC formation, and study their detailed physicochemical characteristics. …