Current Nanoscience - Volume 3, Issue 4, 2007

Quantum dots (QDs) have rapidly emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional organic fluorophores in a variety of biological imaging applications. Their improved photostability allows for long-term dynamic imaging of cellular processes and their narrow, size-tunable emission permits unprecedented multiplexing capabilities. Additionally, the inherent brightness of core/shell QDs, with quantum yields capable of Read More

Development of renewable energy resources in the near future is an urgent issue. One attractive strategy is the development of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs); they are extremely promising, because they are made of low-cost materials and do not need elaborate apparatus to manufacture. Titania is the most promising material for the electrode of DSSCs, and then morphological control and carrier transport op Read More

Photonic crystals offer unprecedented opportunities for the realization of all-optical integrated circuits and optical computation. Colloidal self-assembly provides a much cheaper and simpler alternative to complex nanolithography in creating three-dimensional photonic crystals operating at visible and telecommunication wavelengths. The self-organized colloidal arrays can also be used as templates in fabricating nanostru Read More

The improvement of materials performance and their respective processing routes ever has been the driving force for material science and engineering. For the preparation of non-metallic inorganic materials the synthesis from chemical precursors is a field of steadily increasing scientific and industrial importance: Products in a broad variety of compositions can be obtained by sol-gel techniques. The shaping of in Read More

Drug delivery systems largely contribute to cancer therapy in terms of tumor targeting and controlled release of cargo molecules. While targeting of tumor “tissue” has been achieved using nanocarriers, delivery of cargo molecules into tumor cells is still challenging. Intracellular delivery of nanocarriers is an essential process to overcome multi-drug resistance and for the delivery of cargo molecules for both therapy and vac Read More

Absorption of carbamazepine (CBZ) from gastrointestinal tract is slow and erratic. In order to improve oral absorption of CBZ, 1-O-alkylglycerol/lecithin stabilized o/w nanoemulsions incorporating CBZ in oil phase were prepared and characterized. Nanoemulsions had a size around 200 nm. Their oral bioavailability in rabbits and in situ intestinal absorption in rats were evaluated. In in situ studies, the test and Read More

When diagnosing human bone as Osteoporotic, the quantity of bone, assessed by measurement of the bone mineral density (BMD), is often used in the estimate of fracture resistance. However, bone quantity is only one of the factors that determine the ability of bone to resist fracture. Bone quality describes the remaining characteristics and traits that determine the fracture resistance of bone. Bone is a composite material, Read More