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Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a common subtype of lung cancer, and there is currently no established method for the early identification of SCLC. We prepared a novel rare-earth near-infrared (NIR) downconversion nanoprobe to identify SCLC cells., Methods: The shell precursors Gd-OA and Na-TFA-OA were prepared, and the NaYF 4 :Nd@NaGdF 4 -ProGRP antibody probe was obtained after synthesizing downconversion fluorescent nanocrystals. The probe was used for NIR identification of cancer cells and subcutaneous tumors in nude mice. The biotoxicity of the probe to SCLC cells and nude mice was studied., Results: The NaYF 4 :Nd@NaGdF 4 -ProGRP antibody probe was successfully prepared, with a size of 44 nm, an NIR emission peak at approximately 1060 nm, and a concentration of 40 μmol/mL. The probe could achieve accurate NIR identification of SCLC cells and subcutaneous tumors in nude mice. Optimal images of the subcutaneous tumor model were obtained approximately 10 minutes after probe injection. There was no significant change in the hematology indices, respiratory rate, or heart rate of nude mice after the probe was injected (all P > 0.05)., Conclusion: We have successfully prepared a low-toxicity probe that can identify SCLC cells, which may be useful for the early detection of SCLC. And conduct theoretical exploration for non-invasive identification and identification of some early metastatic lesions without pathological sampling in the future., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest regarding this article., (© 2023 Xu et al.)

The anticancer treatment is largely affected by the microenvironment of the tumors, which not only resists the tumors to the thermo/chemo-therapy, but also promotes their growth and invasion. In this work, the angiogenesis factor is balanced by combining with the breathing hyperoxygen, for regulating the tumor microenvironment and also for relieving hypoxia and high tissue interstitial pressure, which promote drug delivery to tumor tissues by increasing the in vivo perfusion and reversing the immunosuppressive tumor. In addition, the designed multifunctional nanoparticles have a great potential for applications to the tumor dual-mode imaging including magnetic resonance (MR) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging. This work proposes a promising strategy to enhance the thermo/chemo-therapy efficacy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment, which would provide an alternative to prolong the lifetime of tumor patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The development of novel nanoparticles as a new generation therapeutic drug platform is an active field of chemistry and cancer research. In recent years, fullerene nanoparticles have received extensive attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Properly modified fullerene nanoparticles have excellent biocompatibility and significant anti-tumor activity, which makes them have broad application prospects in the field of cancer therapy. Therefore, understanding the anti-tumor mechanism of fullerene nanoparticles is of great significance for the design and development of anti-tumor drugs with low toxicity and high targeting. This review has focused on various anti-tumor mechanisms of fullerene derivatives and discusses their toxicity and their distribution in organisms. Finally, the review points out some urgent problems that need solution before fullerene derivatives as a new generation of anti-tumor nano-drug platform enter clinical research.

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) has been considered as a powerful technique in the fabrication of biosensor, however, high-toxicity of heavy metal ion containing in QDs severely limits their further applications, and the search for the alternative benign nanomaterials with high ECL efficiency is urgent. Herein, ECL behavior of eco-friendly silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) was reported in neutral aqueous condition. Stable and intense cathodic ECL emission was obtained in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) with K 2 S 2 O 8 as coreactant. ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) system was established with SiQDs ECL as energy donor and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as energy acceptor, based on which a novel ECL biosensor was fabricated. AuNPs was connected at the terminal of hairpin DNA to form a signal probe. When the probe was modified on SiQDs, ECL-RET occurred due to the short distance between AuNPs and SiQDs, resulting in the apparent decrease of ECL signal. Target DNA can open the loop of hairpin DNA, and move AuNPs away from the electrode surface. As a result, the ECL-RET process was hampered, and the ECL emission resumed. The increased ECL signals varied linearly with the target DNA concentrations in the range of 0.1fM to 1pM with the detection limit of 0.016fM (3σ). The proposed ECL sensor exhibited highly sensitivity and good selectivity in the detection of target DNA., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The recognition of cancer cells is a key for cancer diagnosis and therapy, but the specificity highly relies on the use of biorecognition molecules particularly antibodies. Because biorecognition molecules suffer from some apparent disadvantages, such as hard to prepare and poor storage stability, novel alternatives that can overcome these disadvantages are highly important. Here we present monosaccharide-imprinted fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) for targeting and imaging of cancer cells. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) probe was fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) doped silica NPs with a shell imprinted with sialic acid, fucose or mannose as the template. The monosaccharide-imprinted NPs exhibited high specificity toward the target monosaccharides. As the template monosaccharides used are over-expressed on cancer cells, these monosaccharide-imprinted NPs allowed for specific targeting cancer cells over normal cells. Fluorescence imaging of human hepatoma carcinoma cells (HepG-2) over normal hepatic cells (L-02) and mammary cancer cells (MCF-7) over normal mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A) by these NPs was demonstrated. As the imprinting approach employed herein is generally applicable and highly efficient, monosaccharide-imprinted NPs can be promising probes for targeting cancer cells.

A sensitive colorimetric detection for biomolecules based on aptamer was described. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) composite film was used as a platform for immobilizing anti-target aptamer. PDMS-AuNPs composite film only covered with aptamer showed high inhibiting ability towards silver reduction, after target molecules were conjugated on the modified surface, the catalytic efficiency of AuNPs for silver reduction was increased. In this system, the darkness density of silver enhancement was applied for target quantitative measurement. Lysozyme and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) were tested as the models, quantitative measurements with imaging software or semiquantitative measurements with naked eyes were carried out in the range of 1×10(-2)-1 μg/mL and 1×10(-4)-1×10(3) μg/mL, the volume of reagent using in each assay is 15 μL or less. We speculated that aptamer-target conjugates' inhibition ability for AuNPs' catalytic efficiency toward silver reduction might come from charge and spatial effects. This study can offer a completely novel and relatively general approach for colorimetrical aptamer sensors with good analytical properties and potential applications. The sensor could be coupled with digital transmission of images for remote monitoring system in diagnosis, food control, and environmental analysis., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes the combination of electrochemical immunosensor using gold nanoparticles (GNPs)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hybrids platform with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-functionalized gold nanoparticle label for the sensitive detection of human IgG (HIgG) as a model protein. The GNPs/CNTs nanohybrids covered on the glass carbon electrode (GCE) constructed an effective antibody immobilization matrix and made the immobilized biomolecules hold high stability and bioactivity. Enhanced sensitivity was obtained by using bioconjugates featuring HRP labels and secondary antibodies (Ab(2)) linked to GNPs at high HRP/Ab(2) molar ratio. The approach provided a linear response range between 0.125 and 80ng/mL with a detection limit of 40pg/mL. The immunosensor showed good precision, acceptable stability and reproducibility and could be used for the detection of HIgG in real samples, which provided a potential alternative tool for the detection of protein in clinical laboratory.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with an average diameter of 5nm were assembled on the surface of silver chloride@polyaniline (PANI) core-shell nanocomposites (AgCl@PANI). Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) suggested that AuNPs were incorporated on AgCl@PANI through coordination bonds instead of electrostatic interaction. The resulting AuNPs-AgCl@PANI hybrid material exhibited good electroactivity at a neutral pH environment. An amperometric glucose biosensor was developed by adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOx) on an AuNPs-AgCl@PANI modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. AuNPs-AgCl@PANI could provide a biocompatible surface for high enzyme loading. Due to size effect, the AuNPs in the hybrid material could act as a good catalyst for both oxidation and reduction of H(2)O(2). As the measurement of glucose was based on the electrochemical detection of H(2)O(2) generated by enzyme-catalyzed-oxidation of glucose, the biosensor exhibited a super highly sensitive response to the analyte with a detection limit of 4 pM. Moreover, the biosensor showed good reproducibility and operation stability. The effects of some factors, such as temperature and pH value, were also studied.

The nanocomposite composed of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and gold nanoparticles was successfully prepared by a novel and in situ process. It was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR). The nanocomposite was hydrophilic even in neutral solutions, stable and inherited the properties of the AuNPs and CMCS, which make it biocompatible for enzymes immobilization. HRP, as a model enzyme, was immobilized on the silica sol-gel matrix containing the nanocomposite to construct a novel H(2)O(2) biosensor. The direct electron transfer of HRP was achieved and investigated. The biosensor exhibited a fast amperometric response (5s), a good linear response over a wide range of concentrations from 5.0 x 10(-6) to 1.4 x 10(-3)M, and a low detection limit of 4.01 x 10(-7)M. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) for the biosensor was 5.7 x 10(-4)M. Good stability and sensitivity were assessed for the biosensor.

Malachite green (MG) is a water pollutant that is difficult to detect rapidly. In this study, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used to detect the presence of MG in water. Three kinds of gold nanoparticles with different sizes were prepared via a traditional sodium citrate reduction method and used for the SERS detection of MG standard samples. Optimally sized gold nanoparticles were used as the SERS substrate for the detection of MG in simulated real water samples. The SERS enhancement effect was the greatest when using gold nanoparticles with sizes of 36[+ or -]4 nm. In the simulated real water samples, the minimum detection limit of MG was [10.sup.-7] M., Fish in a culture fishery have a higher risk of infection by various bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Water mildew, cucurbitacin, and various high-risk diseases threaten the growth of fish (1-3). [...]

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common gynecological malignancy worldwide whose therapy mainly depends on chemotherapy. In past years, an increasing number of studies indicate that hollow MnO2 could serve as a nanoplatform in the drug delivery system. The Brucea javanica oil emulsion (BJOE) has been illustrated to play a vital role in cancers. However, knowledge about the combined effect of H-MnO2-PEG/BJOE in endometrial cancer remains ambiguous up to now. In the present work, we prepared a drug-delivery vector H-MnO2-PEG by chemical synthesis and found that H-MnO2-PEG significantly inhibited cell proliferation in endometrial cancer cells. Moreover, the combination of H-MnO2-PEG/BJOE could repress cell proliferation more efficiently and promote cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, we found that BJOE exerted its role as a promoter of endometrial apoptosis by regulating relative protein expressions. In general, the present study demonstrates that H-MnO2-PEG functions as a critical vector in the tumor microenvironment of endometrial cancer and the significant effect of H-MnO2-PEG/BJOE on cancer cells, suggesting a new paradigm for the treatment of endometrial cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siberian ginseng, perennial herb belongs to Araliaceae family used in traditional medicines to treat hypertension, thrombus, inflammation and cancer. In the present study, we biosynthesized goldnanoparticles using Siberian ginseng aqeous extract in a cost effective manner. The synthesized Siberian ginseng gold nanoparticle (SG-GNPs) were characterized using UV-Vis spec, HR-TEM, XRD, FTIR, SAED analysis. UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis showed a surface Plasmon resonance peak at 538 nm which does not reduce till 30 days of incubation. The results of HR-TEM, XRD and SAED confirm the spherical shape, crystalline nature and the size of the synthesized gold nanoparticles. The FTIR results prove that the biological components present in the Siberian ginseng had reduced the gold ions to synthesis gold nanoparticles. After characterization, the efficacy of SG-GNPS against the melanoma, a deadliest skin carcinoma, was assessed in vitro using B16 murine melanoma cells. The CC50 dose of SG-GNPs against B16 cells were assessed with MTT assay and the anticancer activity was evaluated using Rhodamine 123, H2DCFDA and dual staining techniques. The induction of apoptosis by SG-GNPs against melanoma cells were confirmed with q-PCR analysis. The results of staining techniques prove that SG-GNPs increase the reactive oxygen species and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential. It is further confirmed by the results of q-PCR analysis which shows increased apoptotic Bid, Bad, Casp3, Casp 9 genes and decreased antiapoptotic Bcl2 gene expression in SG-GNPs treated cells. Our results authentically prove the biosynthesized SG-GNPs induces apoptosis in melanoma cells and it possesses anticancer property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel few-layer MoS/SiO/Si heterojunction is fabricated via DC magnetron sputtering technique, and Pd nanoparticles are further synthesized on the device surface. The results demonstrate that the fabricated sensor exhibits highly enhanced responses to H at room temperature due to the decoration of Pd nanoparticles. For example, the Pd-decorated MoS/SiO/Si heterojunction shows an excellent response of 9.2 × 10% to H, which is much higher than the values for the Pd/SiO/Si and MoS/SiO/Si heterojunctions. In addition, the H sensing properties of the fabricated heterojunction are dependent largely on the thickness of the Pd-nanoparticle layer and there is an optimized Pd thickness for the device to achieve the best sensing characteristics. Based on the microstructure characterization and electrical measurements, the sensing mechanisms of the Pd-decorated MoS/SiO/Si heterojunction are proposed. These results indicate that the Pd decoration of few-layer MoS/SiO/Si heterojunctions presents an effective strategy for the scalable fabrication of high-performance H sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous ZnInS/g-CN hybrid composites, as highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts, were designed and fabricated by a simple one-step hydrothermal route for the first time, wherein the cubic ZnInS nanoparticles were in situ immobilized on the surface of porous g-CN nanosheets (NSs). The resultant composites exhibit efficient photocatalytic activities, excellent photo-stability, and versatile photocatalytic abilities towards organic dye degradation, Cr(VI) reduction, and water splitting for H evolution. The significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the effective separation of photo-generated charge carrier pairs based on the construction of close heterogeneous interface and well-matched band structure, which can obviously lengthen the life span of holes and electrons pairs. Besides, the effective charge transfer from cubic ZnInS to ultrathin g-CN NSs was confirmed by photoluminescence spectra, transient photocurrent-time ( I- t) curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy Nyquist plots. This research provides a new sight in designing the highly efficient visible light responsive photocatalysts for environmental remediation and energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin oxide (SnO2) nanomaterials are of great interest in many fields such as catalytic, electrochemical, and biomedical applications, due to their low cost, suitable stability characteristics, high photosensitivity, etc. In this contribution, SnO2 NPs were facilely fabricated by calcination of tin (II) oxalate in air, followed by a liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) method. Size-selected SnO2 NPs were easily obtained using a liquid cascade centrifugation (LCC) technique. The as-obtained SnO2 NPs displayed strong absorption in the UV region (~300 nm) and exhibited narrower absorption characteristics with a decrease in NP size. The as-fabricated SnO2 NPs were, for the first time, directly deposited onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film with a regular Ag lattice to fabricate a flexible working electrode for a photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetector. The results demonstrated that the SnO2-NP-based electrode showed the strongest photoresponse signal in an alkaline electrolyte compared with those in neutral and acidic electrolytes. The maximum photocurrent density reached 14.0 μA cm−2, significantly outperforming black phosphorus nanosheets and black phosphorus analogue nanomaterials such as tin (II) sulfide nanosheets and tellurene. The as-fabricated SnO2 NPs with relatively larger size had better self-powered photoresponse performance. In addition, the as-fabricated SnO2-NP-based PEC photodetector exhibited strong cycling stability for on/off switching behavior under ambient conditions. It is anticipated that SnO2 nanostructures, as building blocks, can offer diverse availabilities for high-performance self-powered optoelectronic devices to realize a carbon-neutral or carbon-free environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) were deposited onto N-(trimethoxy-silylpropyl) ethylenediamine triacetic acid (EDTA-silane) modified reduced graphene oxide (EDTA-RGO). The EDTA-RGO/Pt-NPs were coated onto a glass carbon electrode and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and electrochemical tests. The chelating groups create a micro-environment that is suitable for the catalytic behavior of Pt-NPs. Compared with traditional carbon-based Pt catalysts, EDTA-RGO/Pt-NPs exhibit great tolerance towards poisoning by CO. Graphene-supported Pt nanoparticles can be used for the fabrication of fuel cell electrodes and other catalytic devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, we proposed 'switching ultrasonic amplitude' as a new strategy of applying ultrasonic energy to prepare a hybrid of buckminsterfullerene (C 60) and gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3), C 60 /Ga 2 O 3. In the proposed method, we switched the ultrasonic amplitude from 25% to 50% (by 5% amplitude per 10 min, within 1 h of ultrasonic irradiation) for the sonochemical treatment of a heterogeneous aqueous mixture of C 60 and Ga 2 O 3 by a probe-type ultrasonic horn operating at 20 kHz. We found that compared to the conventional techniques associated with high amplitude oriented ultrasonic preparation of functional materials, switching ultrasonic amplitude can better perform in preparing C 60 /Ga 2 O 3 with respect to avoiding titanium (Ti) as an impurity generating from the tip erosion of a probe-type ultrasonic horn during high amplitude ultrasonic irradiation in an aqueous medium. Based on SEM/EDX analysis, the quantity of Ti (wt.%) in C 60 /Ga 2 O 3 prepared by the proposed technique of switching ultrasonic amplitude was found to be 1.7% less than that prepared at 50% amplitude of ultrasonic irradiation. The particles of C 60 /Ga 2 O 3 prepared by different modes of amplitude formed large (2–12 μm) aggregates in their solid phase.Whereas, in the aqueous medium, they were found to disperse in their nano sizes. The minimum particle size of the as-synthesized C 60 /Ga 2 O 3 in an aqueous medium prepared by the proposed method of switching ultrasonic amplitude reached to approximately 467 nm. Comparatively, the minimum particle sizes were approximately 658 nm and 144 nm, using 25% and 50% amplitude, respectively. Additionally, Ga 2 O 3 went under hydration during ultrasonic irradiation. Moreover, due to the electron cloud interference from C 60 in the hybrid structure of C 60 /Ga 2 O 3 , the vibrational modes of Ga 2 O 3 were Raman inactive in C 60 /Ga 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive and flexible hydrogen sensor based on organic nanofibers decorated by Pd nanoparticles (NPs) was designed and fabricated for low-concentration hydrogen detection. Pd NPs were deposited on organic nanofiber materials by DC magnetron sputtering. The temperature dependence of the sensitivity at 25 ppm H2 was characterized and discussed, and the maximum response of the sensor increased linearly with increasing measurement temperature. Performances of the hydrogen sensor were investigated with hydrogen concentration ranging from 5 ppm to 50 ppm. This sensor exhibits high sensitivity, with the response up to 6.55% for H2 as low as 5 ppm, and the output response of the hydrogen sensor increased linearly with the square root of hydrogen concentration. A cycling test between pure nitrogen and 25 ppm hydrogen concentration was performed, and the hydrogen sensor exhibited excellent consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The strategies for eliminating excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) or suppressing inflammatory responses on the wound bed have proven effective for diabetic wound healing. In this work, a zinc-based nanoscale metal-organic framework (NMOF) functions as a carrier to deliver natural product berberine (BR) to form BR@Zn-BTB nanoparticles, which was, in turn, further encapsulated by hydrogel with ROS scavenging ability to yield a composite system of BR@Zn-BTB/Gel (denoted as BZ-Gel). The results show that BZ-Gel exhibited the controlled release of Zn2+ and BR in simulated physiological media to efficiently eliminated ROS and inhibited inflammation and resulted in a promising antibacterial effect. In vivo experiments further proved that BZ-Gel significantly inhibited the inflammatory response and enhanced collagen deposition, as well as to re-epithelialize the skin wound to ultimately promote wound healing in diabetic mice. Our results indicate that the ROS-responsive hydrogel coupled with BR@Zn-BTB synergistically promotes diabetic wound healing.

Abstract: Composition of nanostructured metal particles on oxide tubes (TiO2 and ZrO2) were fabricated and characterized. The composite materials were examined by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR absorption, and UV–visible absorption spectra. The results of characterization showed that the composites indeed contained both oxide tubes and gold nanoparticles and that the gold nanoparticles were intimately associated with the nanotubes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• This study explores the free vibration and bending of FG-GPLRC spherical shells based on the three-dimensional elasticity theory. • The analytical solutions are obtained. • Further illustrative parametric investigations are performed with respect to the distribution pattern, the weight fraction, and the geometric parameters of GPLs. • For free vibration, the FG-A, FG-O and FG-X increase the natural frequencies of breathing, torsional and fundamental modes more effectively, respectively; While for bending, FG-X possesses the smallest displacement, and FG-V holds the lowest stress. This paper presents analytical investigations on the free vibration and static bending of functionally graded graphene-reinforced nanocomposite (FG-GPLRC) spherical shells. The GPL nanofillers are dispersed into polymer matrix uniformly and un-uniformly in the thickness direction with a piece-wise type, and UD, FG-O, FG-X, FG-V and FG-A types of GPL distribution patterns are taken into account. The effective material properties of graphene-reinforced nanocomposites are estimated by using the modified Halpin-Tsai multi-scaled model and the rule of mixtures. Governing differential equations for free vibration and bending of the FG-GPLRC spherical shells are derived based on the three-dimensional elasticity theory with the aid of the state space method, and the layer-wise model is employed to obtain the analytical solutions. The validity of the present method is first examined, followed by the illustrative parametric studies to further scrutinize the free vibration and static bending behaviors of the FG-GPLRC spherical shells with the various reinforcement schemes, including the distribution pattern, the weight fraction, and geometric parameter of GPLs in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate therapeutic evaluation for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) drug is of great importance to minimize side effects and enhance efficacy. Herein, a facile and precise surface-enhanced scattering (SERS) approach based on coupled plasmonic field has been introduced to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of antileukemia drug through ultrasensitive assay of caspase-3 activity in apoptotic cells. Caspase-3 as an apoptosis indicator could specifically cleave the N-terminus of biotinylated DEVD-peptide (biotin-Gly-Asp-Gly-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-Gly-Cys) immobilized on the Au nanoparticle-decorated TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 /Au NTAs) substrate. After the enzyme cleavage with caspase-3, Raman-labelled Au nanostar (AuNS) probes captured the residual DEVD-peptides via the recognition between streptavidin and biotin, thus resulting in an enhanced Raman response on the SERS platform. The variation of Raman intensity revealed caspase-3 activity that reflected the chemotherapeutic effect. On this platform, AuNS nanoprobes offered a large number of binding sites and intrinsic “hot spots” for Raman reporters, while TiO 2 /Au NTAs rendered a homogenously coupled electromagnetic field between the adjacent repeated units over the large area. In particular, a spatially expanding plasmonic field formed by coupling AuNSs with TiO 2 /Au NTAs would further heighten Raman enhancement. Taking these advantages, the strong and uniform Raman signals were achieved. Furthermore, the practicability investigation witnessed that the proposed SERS strategy was available to evaluate the therapeutic effect of dasatinib on CML K562 cells. The developed method possesses fascinating advantages of cost-effectiveness, excellent reproducibility and high sensitivity, which endows it with promising potential in apoptosis monitoring and anticancer drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO oxidation has been performed on Co 3 O 4 nanocubes and Co(OH) 2 nanosheets as model catalysts. The reaction rate of CO on Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 nanocomposites obtained by one-pot synthesis is about ~ two orders of magnitude higher than that on Co 3 O 4 nanomaterials. The catalytic behaviors of different nanomaterials revealed that the assembly with nano building blocks cause the catalytic sites much more active for CO oxidation. The kinetic data showed that the activation energy for CO oxidation over Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 nanocomposites was lower than that of other nanomaterials. Since Co(OH) 2 nanosheets can prevent Co 3 O 4 nanocubes aggregating, nanocomposites kept good catalytic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]