Seeded growth of ultrathin gold nanoshells using polymer additives and microwave radiation

Nanoshells made of a silica core and a gold shell possess an optical response that is sensitive to nanometer-scale variations in shell thickness. The exponential red shift of the plasmon resonance with decreasing shell thickness makes ultrathin nanoshells (less than 10 nm) particularly interesting for broad and tuneable ranges of optical properties. Nanoshells are generally synthesised by coating gold onto seed-covered silica particles, producing continuous shells with a lower limit of 15 nm, due to an inhomogeneous droplet formation on the silica surface during the seed regrowth. In this paper, we investigate the effects of three variations of the synthesis protocol to favour ultrathin nanoshells: seed density, polymer additives and microwave treatment. We first maximised gold seed density around the silica core, but surprisingly its effect is limited. However, we found that the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone during the shell synthesis leads to higher homogeneity and a thinner shell and that a post-synthetic thermal treatment using microwaves can further smooth the particle surface. This study brings new insights into the synthesis of metallic nanoshells, pushing the limits of ultrathin shell synthesis.

Toward Ultrathin Gold Nanoshells: Exploring Seed Density, Polymer Additives and Microwave Radiation Effects

Nanoshells made of a silica core and a gold shell possess an optical response that is sensitive to nanometre-scale variations in shell thickness. The exponential red shift of the plasmon resonance with decreasing shell thickness makes ultrathin nanoshells (less than 10 nm) particularly interesting for broad and tuneable ranges of optical properties. Nanoshells are generally synthesised by coating gold onto seed-covered silica particles, producing continuous shells with a lower limit of 15 nm, as a result of an inhomogeneous droplet formation on the silica surface during the seed regrowth. In this paper, we investigate the effects of three variations of the synthesis protocol to favour ultrathin nanoshells: seed density, polymer additives and microwave treatment. We first maximised gold seed density around the silica core but surprisingly its effect is limited. However, we found that the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone during the shell synthesis leads to higher homogeneity and a thinner shell and that a post-synthetic thermal treatment using microwaves can further smooth the particle surface. This study brings new insights into the synthesis of metallic nanoshells, pushing the limits of ultrathin shell synthesis.

Role of fiducial markers in the assessment of prostate bed motion in post-prostatectomy patients treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy

Aim:Accurate localisation of target position is crucial when using techniques with sharp dose fall off such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Gold seed fiducial markers have been used for target localisation in image-guided radiation therapy for various tumors including intact prostate cancers. However, their role for target localisation in post-prostatectomy radiotherapy is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of gold seed fiducial markers in patients undergoing prostate bed VMAT.Materials and methods:The institutional radiation oncology database was used to analyse the treatment data of 18 post-prostatectomy patients with implanted gold seed fiducial markers. The shifts of the fiducial markers were reviewed, tabulated and statistically analysed.Results:Three hundred and eighty-six orthogonal pair images for 18 patients were reviewed. Specifically, the average gold seed fiducial shifts were 0·34 cm in the superior–inferior (S/I) axis (0·31 SD), 0·31 cm (0·29 SD) in the anterior–posterior (A/P) axis and 0·28 cm (0·25 SD) in the lateral axis (R/L). As a result, the 95% probability of fiducial marker displacement was 0·96 cm in the S/I, 0·89 cm in the A/P and 0·78 cm in the R/L axes. The most frequent shifts occurred in the inferior, left and posterior directions. The percentage of shifts more than 0·5 cm were 19·74, 21·56 and 12·47% for the S/I, A/P and R/L axes, respectively.Conclusion:In the absence of fiducial markers, non-uniform planning target volume (PTV) margins of 1 cm for S/I, 9 mm for A/P and 8 mm for the lateral direction are necessary for target localisation in post-prostatectomy radiotherapy. By improving prostate bed localisation, gold seed fiducial markers can decrease PTV margins, reduce normal tissue radiation exposure and allow for dose-escalated and/or hypofractionated radiotherapy to be considered in appropriate clinical scenarios.

Surface Modification of Gold Nanostars Through the Changes on Gold Seed Concentrations

Due to its excellent optical properties, gold nanomaterials with anisotropic morphology are playing an important role in biomedical applications, specifically in the use of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) technique for biological assays. In this work, we verified the behavior of the star shape nanoparticle peaks obtained by chemical synthesis (precursor reactant: HAuCl4, cationic surfactant: CTAB) and whose peaks were formed from the different concentrations of gold seeds (55, 65, 75 and 85 ul) which were added to the total solution (5.275 ml). The shape and size of the nanoparticles was verified with a Hitachi S-5500 microscope with a BF & DF SEM / STEM detector, and for the diameter distribution (hydrodynamic) was carried out by the dynamic light distribution technique with a Malvern DLS system Zetasizer Nano ZS. Particle sizes (peak-to-peak considering) were obtained with variations from 107 to 166 nm. The results suggest adding 75 ul of gold seeds to obtain uniform nanostars with well defined peaks. These gold nano-stars could be applied for identification of specific membrane markers for the study of different types of cancer by the SERS technique.

Response of Vegetable Seedling Emergence to Mustard (Sinapis alba ‘IdaGold’ and Brassica juncea ‘Pacific Gold’) Seed Meal

Mustard Seed Meals (MSMs) are by-products of biodiesel and an alternative to conventional herbicides for organic farming. However, MSMs might also suppress the emergence of vegetable seedlings. The objective of this study was to determine the response of vegetable seedling emergence to different MSM types and rates applied as an alternative herbicide. Six types of vegetable seeds, onion (Allium cepa), two cultivars of lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ and ‘Buttercrunch’), mustard (Brassica juncea), kale (Brassica oleracea), and Mizuna (Brassica rapa var. japonica), were sowed in petri dishes containing germination mix. MSMs (Sinapis alba ‘IdaGold’ and B. juncea ‘Pacific Gold’) were incorporated into the germination mix at 0, 88, 176, or 265 g·m−2. Petri dishes were sealed for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days after sowing. For onion, ‘Pacific Gold’ had a greater suppressive effect on seedling emergence than ‘IdaGold’. For kale and mustard, ‘IdaGold’ and ‘Pacific Gold’ had similar suppressive effects on seedling emergence, but ‘Pacific Gold’ delayed emergence of kale at 88 g·m−2 when sealed for 3, 5, and 7 days. For Mizuna, ‘IdaGold’ had more suppressive effects than ‘Pacific Gold’ on seedling emergence, while sealing delayed but did not decrease emergence percentage (EP) at the lower rate (88 g·m−2) compared with the control treatment. For ‘Buttercrunch’ lettuce, there were no differences in the suppressive effects between the two MSMs. For ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ lettuce, ‘Pacific Gold’ had more suppressive effects on seedling emergence than ‘IdaGold’ when sealed at the lower rate (88 g·m−2) for longer durations (7 days) or at higher rates (176 and 265 g·m−2) for shorter durations (1 and 3 days). These results suggest that MSMs might suppress vegetable seedling emergence when applied at high rates (176 and 265 g·m−2), and sealing for more than 7 days after sowing may strengthen the suppressive effect. Extending sealing duration at the medium rates could achieve similar weed control results to high rates without sealing.