110 results about "Nanoshell" patented technology

Methods for forming nanostructures of various shapes are disclosed. Nanocubes, nanowires, nanopyramids and multiply twinned particles of silver may by formed by combining a solution of silver nitrate in ethylene glycol with a solution of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) in ethylene glycol. Hollow nanostructures may be formed by reacting a solution of solid nanostructures comprising one of a first metal and a first metal alloy with a metal salt that can be reduced by the first metal or first metal alloy. Nanostructures comprising a core with at least one nanoshell may be formed by plating a nanostructure and reacting the plating with a metal salt.

The present invention relates to polymeric nanoshells. In certain embodiments, the polymeric nanoshells comprise one or more polymeric shells around a hollow core. In other embodiments, the present invention provides nanoshells useful for the delivery of agents such as, for example, various diagnostic and therapeutic agents.

The present invention is for particulate compositions and methods for producing them that can absorb or scatter electromagnetic radiation. The particles are homogeneous in size and are comprised of a nonconducting inner layer that is surrounded by an electrically conducting material. The ratio of the thickness of the nonconducting layer to the thickness of the outer conducting shell is determinative of the wavelength of maximum absorbance or scattering of the particle. Unique solution phase methods for synthesizing the particles involve linking clusters of the conducting atoms, ions, or molecules to the nonconducting inner layer by linear molecules. This step can be followed by growth of the metal onto the clusters to form a coherent conducting shell that encapsulates the core.

The present invention provides nanoshell particles (“nanoshells”) for use in biosensing applications, along with their manner of making and methods of using the nanoshells for in vitro and in vivo detection of chemical and biological analytes, preferably by surface enhanced Raman light scattering. The preferred particles have a non-conducting core and a metal shell surrounding the core. For given core and shell materials, the ratio of the thickness (i.e., radius) of the core to the thickness of the metal shell is determinative of the wavelength of maximum absorbance of the particle. By controlling the relative core and shell thicknesses, biosensing metal nanoshells are fabricated which absorb light at any desired wavelength across the ultraviolet to infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The surface of the particles are capable of inducing an enhanced SERS signal that is characteristic of an analyte of interest. In certain embodiments a biomolecule is conjugated to the metal shell and the SERS signal of a conformational change or a reaction product is detected.

Nano-constructs comprising nanoshells and methods of using the nano-constructs for treating or ameliorating a medical condition are provided.

This invention provides melanin nanoshells and their use for protection against radiation, particularly ionizing radiation, and electronic pulses, and methods of making materials comprising melanin nanoshells.

Disclosed herein are novel targeted drug delivery and controlled release methods and compositions where optically absorbing nanoparticles, such as nanoshells, are functionalized on their surfaces with thermolabile molecules that bind the drug molecules to be delivered. The linkage between the thermolabile moiety on the nanoparticles and the drug is deliberately designed or selected to be temperature sensitive, so that upon illumination of the nanoparticle at a wavelength of light, the drug molecules on the nanoparticles will be released. Targeting molecules, such as antibodies, aptamers or other molecules like folic acid, can be concurrently bound to the nanoparticle surface to deliver the nanoparticle to specifically targeted cells or tissues prior to the photothermally induced drug release. In this way the nanoparticles can be advantageously concentrated on the target prior to illumination, which makes the disclosed compositions both a targeted delivery and a controllable drug release vehicle.

Metal and semiconductor nanoshells, particularly transition metal nanoshells, are fabricated using dendrimer molecules. Metallic colloids, metallic ions or semiconductors are attached to amine groups on the dendrimer surface in stabilized solution for the surface seeding method and the surface seedless method, respectively. Subsequently, the process is repeated with additional metallic ions or semiconductor, a stabilizer, and NaBH₄ to increase the wall thickness of the metallic or semiconductor lining on the dendrimer surface. Metallic or semiconductor ions are automatically reduced on the metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles causing the formation of hollow metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles. The void size of the formed hollow nanoparticles depends on the dendrimer generation. The thickness of the metallic or semiconductor thin film around the dendrimer depends on the repetition times and the size of initial metallic or semiconductor seeds.

A method for purifying a suspension containing colloid-seeded nanoparticles and excess colloids is provided that includes adding to the suspension a filter aid comprising a salt. The method further includes filtering the suspension with a filter of a pore size intermediate between the average colloid-seeded nanoparticle size and the average excess colloid size, so as to form a retentate that includes the majority of the colloid-seeded nanoparticles and a filtrate that includes the majority of the excess colloids. Still further, the method includes collecting the retentate. The method may be incorporated into a method of making metallized nanoparticles, such as nanoshells, by reduction of metal ions onto the purified colloid-seed nanoparticles so as to form the metallized nanoparticles.

The present invention includes compositions and methods of making an activated polymeric nanoparticle for targeted drug delivery that includes a biocompatible polymer and an amphiphilic stabilizing agent non-covalently associated with a spacer compound that includes at least one electrophile that selectively reacts with any nucleophilic on a targeting agent and places the targeting agent on the exterior surface of a biodegradable nanoshell, wherein an active agent is loaded with the nanoshell.

The present invention provides biomimetic contrast agents, dual functional contrast agents effective for therapeutic gene delivery and magnetic nanoparticles which comprise functionalized iron oxide nanoparticle cores, one of an inert gold layer, a layer of inert metal seeds or a silica layer and, optionally, one or both of an outer gold-silver nanoshell or a targeting ligand attached to the inert gold layer or the gold-silver nanoshell. Also provided are methods of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging, of treating primary or metastatic cancers or of ablating atherosclerotic plaque using the contrast agents and magnetic particles. In addition, kits comprising the biomimetic contrast agents, dual contrast agents and magnetic nanoparticles.

A new hybrid nanoparticle, i.e., a nanorice particle, which combines the intense local fields of nanorods with the highly tunable plasmon resonances of nanoshells, is described herein. This geometry possesses far greater structural tunability than previous nanoparticle geometries, along with much larger local field enhancements and far greater sensitivity as a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) nanosensor than presently known dielectric-conductive material nanostructures. In an embodiment, a nanoparticle comprises a prolate spheroid-shaped core having a first aspect ratio. The nanoparticle also comprises at least one conductive shell surrounding said prolate spheroid-shaped core. The nanoparticle has a surface plasmon resonance sensitivity of at least 600 nm RIU⁻¹. Methods of making the disclosed nanorice particles are also described herein.

Metal nanostructures formed by photocatalytic interfacial synthesis using a porphyrin-stabilized emulsion template and the method for making the nanostructures. Catalyst-seeded emulsion droplets are employed as templates for hollow-nanoshell growth. The hollow metal nanospheres may be formed with or without inclusions of other materials.

An arrangement of elongated nanowires that include titanium silicide or tungsten silicide may be grown on the exterior surfaces of many individual electrically conductive microfibers of much larger diameter. Each of the nanowires is structurally defined by an elongated, centralized titanium silicide or tungsten silicide nanocore that terminates in a distally spaced gold particle and which is co-axially surrounded by a removable amorphous nanoshell. A gold-directed catalytic growth mechanism initiated during a low pressure chemical vapor deposition process is used to grow the nanowires uniformly along the entire length and circumference of the electrically conductive microfibers where growth is intended. The titanium silicide- or tungsten silicide-based nanowires can be used in a variety electrical, electrochemical, and semiconductor applications.

The invention relates to a preparation method for a carbon fiber material with a composite nano structure. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: pretreating carbon fiber cloth, adhering a layer of thin iron film catalyst on the carbon fiber cloth by a liquid-phase method or a physical deposition method, in a chemical gas-phase reaction chamber, carrying out in-situ growth of carbon nanotubes on the carbon fiber cloth by using argon or nitrogen as a carrier gas, ethylene or acetylene gas as a carbon source gas, and hydrogen as a reducing gas, then carrying a gas containing titanium organism into the chemical gas-phase deposition reaction chamber through the carrier gas, growing titanium dioxide at the peripheries of the carbon nanotubes to form titanium dioxide nanoshells which wrap the carbon nanotubes, thus obtaining the carbon fiber material with the composite nano structure. The carbon fiber material obtained by the preparation method has the advantages of high mechanical strength, high thermal stability, good chemical inertness and high adsorption property, supernormal strength of carbon nanotubes, large length-diameter ratio, high thermal conductivity, good catalytic activity, high chemical stability, non-toxicity and super-hydrophilicity. The carbon fiber material with the composite nano structure can have important applications in photocatalysis, electrocatalysis and other aspects.

A manufacturing method of a nanostructure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: adhering a plurality of first nanoparticles on a substrate to form a nanoseed layer; growing the nanoseed layer on the substrate to form a plurality of nanowires; adhering a plurality of second nanoparticles to the side surface of the nanowires to form a nanoshell layer; and growing the nanoshell layer to form a plurality of nanobranches.