These days, explorations have focused on designing two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with useful (photo)catalytic and environmental applications. Among them, MXene-based composites have garnered great attention owing to their unique optical, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electronic properties. Various MXene-based photocatalysts have been inventively constructed for a variety of photocatalytic applications ranging from pollutant degradation to hydrogen evolution. They can be applied as co-catalysts in combination with assorted common photocatalysts such as metal sulfide, metal oxides, metal-organic frameworks, graphene, and graphitic carbon nitride to enhance the function of photocatalytic removal of organic/pharmaceutical pollutants, nitrogen fixation, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, and carbon dioxide conversion, among others. High electrical conductivity, robust photothermal effects, large surface area, hydrophilicity, and abundant surface functional groups of MXenes render them as attractive candidates for photocatalytic removal of pollutants as well as improvement of photocatalytic performance of semiconductor catalysts. Herein, the most recent developments in photocatalytic degradation of organic and pharmaceutical pollutants using MXene-based composites are deliberated, with a focus on important challenges and future perspectives; techniques for fabrication of these photocatalysts are also covered.
SARS-CoV-2 claimed numerous lives and put nations on high alert. The lack of antiviral medications and the small number of approved vaccines, as well as the recurrence of adverse effects, necessitates the development of novel treatment ways to combat COVID-19. In this context, using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, we gathered information about nanotechnology's involvement in the prevention, diagnosis and virus-like particle vaccine development. This review revealed that various nanomaterials like gold, polymeric, graphene and poly amino ester with carboxyl group coated magnetic nanoparticles have been explored for the fast detection of SARS-CoV-2. Personal protective equipment fabricated with nanoparticles, such as gloves, masks, clothes, surfactants, and Ag, TiO2 based disinfectants played an essential role in halting COVID-19 transmission. Nanoparticles are used not only in vaccine delivery, such as lipid nanoparticles mediated transport of mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but also in the development of vaccine as the virus-like particles elicit an immune response. There are now 18 virus-like particle vaccines in pre-clinical development, with one of them, developed by Novavax, reported being in phase 3 trials. Due to the probability of upcoming COVID-19 waves, and the rise of new diseases, the future relevance of virus-like particles is imperative. Furthermore, psychosocial variables linked to vaccine reluctance constitute a critical problem that must be addressed immediately to avert pandemic.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Precise detection of important pharmaceuticals with narrow therapeutic index (NTI) is very critical as there is a small window between their effective dose and the doses at which the adverse reactions are very likely to appear. Regarding the fact that various pharmacokinetics will be plausible while considering pharmacogenetic factors and also differences between generic and brand name drugs, accurate detection of NTI will be more important. Current routine analytical techniques suffer from many drawbacks while using novel biosensors can bring up many advantages including fast detection, accuracy, low cost with simple and repeatable measurements. Recently the well-known carbon Nano-allotropes including carbon nanotubes and graphenes have been widely used for development of different Nano-biosensors for a diverse list of analytes because of their great physiochemical features such as high tensile strength, ultra-light weight, unique electronic construction, high thermo-chemical stability, and an appropriate capacity for electron transfer. Because of these exceptional properties, scientists have developed an immense interest in these nanomaterials. In this case, there are important reports to show the effective Nano-carbon based biosensors in the detection of NTI drugs and the present review will critically summarize the available data in this field.
The supply of safe drinking and clean water is becoming increasingly challenging proposition throughout the world. The deployment of environmentally sustainable nanomaterials with unique advantages namely high efficiency and selectivity, earth-abundance, recyclability, low-cost of production processes, and stability, has been a priority although several important challenges and constraints still remained unresolved. Carbon nanomaterials namely activated carbon, multi-walled- and single-walled carbon nanotubes, have been developed and applied as adsorbents for wastewater treatment and purification; graphene and graphene oxide-based nanomaterials as well as carbon and graphene quantum dots-derived nanomaterials have shown significant promise for water and wastewater treatment and purification, especially, for industrial- and pharmaceutical-laden wastes. This review encompasses advanced carbonaceous nanomaterials and methodologies that are deployed for the elimination of contaminants and ionic metals in aqueous media, and as novel nanosorbents for wastewater, drinking and ground water treatment. Additionally, recent trends and challenges pertaining to the sustainable carbon and graphene quantum dots-derived nanomaterials and their appliances for treating and purifying wastewater are highlighted.
- MeSH
- Water Purification * MeSH
- Nanostructures * MeSH
- Nanotubes, Carbon * MeSH
- Wastewater MeSH
- Water MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Graphene-based bionanocomposites are employed in several ailments, such as cancers and infectious diseases, due to their large surface area (to carry drugs), photothermal properties, and ease of their functionalization (owing to their active groups). Modification of graphene-derivatives with polysaccharides is a promising strategy to decrease their toxicity and improve target ability, which consequently enhances their biotherapeutic efficacy. Herein, functionalization of graphene-based materials with carbohydrate polymers (e.g., chitosan, starch, alginate, hyaluronic acid, and cellulose) are presented. Subsequently, recent advances in graphene nanomaterial/polysaccharide-based bionanocomposites in infection treatment and cancer therapy are comprehensively discussed. Pharmacogenomic and toxicity assessments for these bionanocomposites are also highlighted to provide insight for future optimized and smart investigations and researches.
- MeSH
- Pharmacogenetics * MeSH
- Graphite chemistry MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Neoplasms drug therapy genetics pathology MeSH
- Nanocomposites administration & dosage chemistry MeSH
- Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions etiology pathology MeSH
- Polysaccharides chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Antineoplastic Agents chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Our recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of easy-to-use, quick, cheap, sensitive and selective detection of virus pathogens for the efficient monitoring and treatment of virus diseases. Early detection of viruses provides essential information about possible efficient and targeted treatments, prolongs the therapeutic window and hence reduces morbidity. Graphene is a lightweight, chemically stable and conductive material that can be successfully utilized for the detection of various virus strains. The sensitivity and selectivity of graphene can be enhanced by its functionalization or combination with other materials. Introducing suitable functional groups and/or counterparts in the hybrid structure enables tuning of the optical and electrical properties, which is particularly attractive for rapid and easy-to-use virus detection. In this review, we cover all the different types of graphene-based sensors available for virus detection, including, e.g., photoluminescence and colorimetric sensors, and surface plasmon resonance biosensors. Various strategies of electrochemical detection of viruses based on, e.g., DNA hybridization or antigen-antibody interactions, are also discussed. We summarize the current state-of-the-art applications of graphene-based systems for sensing a variety of viruses, e.g., SARS-CoV-2, influenza, dengue fever, hepatitis C virus, HIV, rotavirus and Zika virus. General principles, mechanisms of action, advantages and drawbacks are presented to provide useful information for the further development and construction of advanced virus biosensors. We highlight that the unique and tunable physicochemical properties of graphene-based nanomaterials make them ideal candidates for engineering and miniaturization of biosensors.
- MeSH
- Betacoronavirus genetics isolation & purification pathogenicity MeSH
- Biosensing Techniques * instrumentation methods trends MeSH
- Equipment Design MeSH
- DNA, Viral analysis genetics MeSH
- Electrochemical Techniques MeSH
- Graphite * chemistry MeSH
- Nucleic Acid Hybridization MeSH
- Clinical Laboratory Techniques * instrumentation methods statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Colorimetry MeSH
- Coronavirus Infections diagnosis epidemiology virology MeSH
- Quantum Dots chemistry MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Luminescence MeSH
- Nanostructures chemistry MeSH
- Pandemics MeSH
- Surface Plasmon Resonance MeSH
- Spectrum Analysis, Raman MeSH
- Antigen-Antibody Reactions MeSH
- Virology methods MeSH
- Pneumonia, Viral diagnosis epidemiology virology MeSH
- Viruses genetics isolation & purification pathogenicity MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
The carbon nanomaterials and congeners, e.g., graphene or graphene oxide (GO), dispose of numerous unique properties, which are not necessarily intrinsic but might be related to a content of impurities. The oxidation step of GO synthesis introduces a considerable amount of metallic species. Therefore, large-scale purification is an actual scientific challenge. Here we describe new purification technique (salt‑washing), which is based on three consecutive steps: (a) aggregation of GO sheets with NaCl (b) washing of the aggregates and (c) removing of the salt to afford purified GO (swGO). The considerably improved purity of swGO was demonstrated by ICP and EPR spectroscopy. The microscopic methods (TEM with SEAD, AFM) proved that the salt-washing does not affect the morphology or concentration of defects, showing the aggregation of GO with NaCl is fully reversible. The eligibility of swGO for biomedical applications was tested using fibroblastic cell cultures. The determined IC50 values clearly show a strong correlation between the purity of samples and cytotoxicity. Although the purification decreases cytotoxicity of GO, the IC50 values are still low proving that cytotoxic effect is not only impurities-related but also an intrinsic property. These findings may represent a serious limitation for usage of GO in biomedical applications.
- MeSH
- Sodium Chloride toxicity MeSH
- Graphite * toxicity MeSH
- Nanostructures * MeSH
- Oxidation-Reduction MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Carbon-based nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been shown to trigger inflammation. However, how these materials are 'sensed' by immune cells is not known. Here we compared the effects of two carbon-based nanomaterials, single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO), on primary human monocyte-derived macrophages. Genome-wide transcriptomics assessment was performed at sub-cytotoxic doses. Pathway analysis of the microarray data revealed pronounced effects on chemokine-encoding genes in macrophages exposed to SWCNTs, but not in response to GO, and these results were validated by multiplex array-based cytokine and chemokine profiling. Conditioned medium from SWCNT-exposed cells acted as a chemoattractant for dendritic cells. Chemokine secretion was reduced upon inhibition of NF-κB, as predicted by upstream regulator analysis of the transcriptomics data, and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their adaptor molecule, MyD88 were shown to be important for CCL5 secretion. Moreover, a specific role for TLR2/4 was confirmed by using reporter cell lines. Computational studies to elucidate how SWCNTs may interact with TLR4 in the absence of a protein corona suggested that binding is guided mainly by hydrophobic interactions. Taken together, these results imply that CNTs may be 'sensed' as pathogens by immune cells.
- MeSH
- Chemokines metabolism MeSH
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic MeSH
- Gene Regulatory Networks MeSH
- Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions MeSH
- Host-Pathogen Interactions immunology MeSH
- Cells, Cultured MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Macrophages physiology ultrastructure MeSH
- Molecular Conformation MeSH
- Models, Molecular MeSH
- Nanotubes, Carbon * chemistry MeSH
- Reproducibility of Results MeSH
- Signal Transduction MeSH
- Gene Expression Profiling MeSH
- Toll-Like Receptors chemistry metabolism MeSH
- Transcriptome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
This review summarizes and discusses electrophoretic methods for the fabrication deposited graphene and graphene-based structures. Graphenes are commonly dispersed in organic solvents or in water. Deposition procedures are performed mostly under constant voltage and deposition time seems to be an important parameter for influence prepared graphene structures. It was shown that electrophoretically deposited graphene layers have excellent properties suitable for electrochemical sensors and biosensors construction, e.g. high electrical conductivity and large surface area. Electrophoretic deposition enables also preparation of material which combines graphene with metal nanoparticles or polymers.
