Electron Spin Selective Iridium Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Highly efficient electrocatalysts for water electrolysis are crucial to the widespread commercialization of the technology and an important step forward toward a sustainable energy future. In this study, an alternative method for boosting the electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of a well-known electrocatalyst (iridium) is presented. Iridium nanoparticles (2.1 ± 0.2 nm in diameter) functionalized with chiral molecules were found to markedly enhance the activity of the OER when compared to unfunctionalized and achiral functionalized iridium nanoparticles. At a potential of 1.55 V vs Reference Hydrogen Electrode (RHE), chiral functionalized iridium nanoparticles exhibited an average 85% enhancement in activity with respect to unfunctionalized iridium nanoparticles compared to an average 13% enhancement for the achiral functionalized iridium nanoparticle. This activity enhancement is attributed to a spin-selective electron transfer mechanism taking place on the chiral functionalized catalysts, a characteristic induced by the chirality of the ligand. This alternative path for the OER drastically reduces the production of hydrogen peroxide, which was confirmed via a colorimetric method.

Dimension-Dependent Magnetic Behavior of Manganese-Cysteine Inorganic Complex Nanoparticles

A cysteine-based complex of Mn²⁺ led to the formation of nanoparticles in aqueous medium under ambient conditions. The formation and evolution of the nanoparticles in the medium were followed by ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy that also revealed a first-order process. The magnetic properties of the nanoparticles isolated as solid powders exhibited strong crystallite and particle size dependence. At low crystallite size, as well as particle size, the complex nanoparticles showed superparamagnetic behavior similar to other magnetic inorganic nanoparticles. The magnetic nanoparticles were found to undergo a superparamagnetic to ferromagnetic transition, and then to paramagnetic transition with a gradual increase in either their crystallite size or particle size. The discovery of dimension-dependent magnetic property of inorganic complex nanoparticles may usher in a superior option for tuning the magnetic behavior of nanocrystals, depending on the component ligands and metal ions.

Tracking the Growth of Chiral Plasmonic Nanocrystals at Molybdenum Disulfide Heterostructural Interfaces

The way of accurately regulating the growth of chiral plasmonics is of great importance for exploring the chirality information and improving its potential values. Herein, cysteine enantiomers modulate the anisotropic and epitaxial growth of gold nanoplasmonics on seeds of exfoliated MoS₂ nanosheets. The heterostructural Au and MoS₂ hybrids induced by enantiomeric cysteine are presented with chiroptical characteristics, dendritic morphologies, and plasmonic performances. Moreover, the synthesis, condition optimization, formation mechanism, and plasmonic properties of Au and MoS₂ dendritic nanostructures are studied. The chirality characteristics are identified using the circular dichroism spectra and scanning electron microscopy. Time-resolved transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis spectra of the intermediate products captured are analyzed to confirm the formation mechanism of dendritic plasmonic nanostructures at heterostructural surfaces. The specific dendritic morphologies originate from the synergistic impacts of heterostructural MoS₂ interfaces and enantiomeric cysteine-induced anisotropic manipulation. Significantly, the developed synthesis strategy of chiral nanostructures at heterostructural interfaces is highly promising in promoting the understanding of the plasmonic function and crucial chirality bioinformation.

Three-Photon AIE Pt(II) Complexes as Cysteine-Targeting Theranostic Agents for Tumor Imaging and Chemotherapy

Herein, we have synthesized a series of three-photon fluorescent Pt(II) complexes targeting a tumor-associated biothiol, cysteine (Cys), which allows it to be detected without any interference from other intracellular proteins. We focused on how to significantly improve the fluorescence response of Cys via regulating the recognition units in probes. The reaction of K₂PtCl₄ with L-CH₃ or L-COOEt in DMSO solution gave Lyso-Pt-CH₃ and Lyso-Pt-COOEt, respectively, which present four-coordinated square-planar geometries in mononuclear structures. Lyso-Pt-CH₃ consists of a Cys aptamer labeled with typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics, which shows strong three-photon absorption cross section (3PA) only in the presence of Cys. It was found that Lyso-Pt-CH₃ displayed a perfect signal-to-noise ratio for imaging lysosomes and for rapid detection of Cys. Using Lyso-Pt-CH₃, Cys-related cellular mechanisms were proposed. We confirm that cystine (Cyss) could be absorbed in cells through cystine/glutamate antiporters (system x_c^-) and is then converted to Cys under the effect of enzymes. All of these suggest that Lyso-Pt-CH₃ might be a potential candidate as a simple and straightforward biomarker of lysosome-related Cys in vitro. Lyso-Pt-CH₃ can effectively identify tumor tissues with excessive levels of Cys. Lyso-Pt-CH₃ also showed excellent antitumor activity than cisplatin. This work provides a novel strategy for the rational design of controllably activated and Cys-targeted Pt(II) anticancer prodrugs for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Data-Driven Prediction of Circular Dichroism-Based Calibration Curves for the Rapid Screening of Chiral Primary Amine Enantiomeric Excess Values

Here, we describe the prediction of the circular dichroism (CD) response of a three-component chiroptical sensor for enantiomeric excess (ee) determination of chiral amines using a multivariate fit to electronic and steric parameters. These computationally derived parameters can be computed for nearly any amine and correlate well with the CD response of the 12 amines comprising the training set. The resulting model was used to accurately predict the CD response of a test set of chiral amines. Theoretical calibration curves were then created and used to determine the ee of solutions of unknown ee. Using this method, the error in ee determination differed by less than 10% compared to experimentally generated calibration curves.

Chiral biosensing at both interband transition and plasmonic extinction regions using twisted-stacked nanowire arrays

Chiral metal nanostructures that exhibit strong chiroptical properties and enhanced light-matter interactions have recently attracted great interest due to their potential applications including chiral sensing and asymmetric synthesis. Most studies in this field focused on chiral sensing using circular dichroism (CD) responses at the plasmonic extinction region. In comparison, little is known about their CD responses at interband transition regions and their utility in chiral biosensing. Herein, we constructed a series of twisted-stacked silver nanowire arrays (TNAs) featuring CD signals at both the interband transition and plasmonic extinction regions and that are independently controllable. These TNAs are highly sensitive towards protein secondary structures. Proteins containing more β-sheets are more sensitive toward strong chiral plasmonic fields, whereas proteins rich in α-helices tend to generate larger CD shifts at the interband transition region of TNAs. The mutually independent optical activities at the interband transition and plasmonic extinction regions complement each other, providing more sensitivity and reliability in chiral biosensing.

Interaction Mechanisms and Interface Configuration of Cysteine Adsorbed on Gold, Silver, and Copper Nanoparticles

Cysteine-protected metal nanoparticles (NPs) have shown interesting physicochemical properties of potential utility in biomedical applications and in the understanding of protein folding. Herein, cysteine interaction with gold, silver, and copper NPs is characterized by Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to elucidate the molecular conformation and adsorption sites for each metal. The experimental analysis of Raman spectra upon adsorption with respect to free cysteine indicates that while the C-S bond and carboxyl group are similarly affected by adsorption on the three metal NPs, the amino group is sterically influenced by the electronegativity of each metal, causing a greater modification in the case of gold NPs. A theoretical approach that takes into consideration intermolecular interactions using two cysteine molecules is proposed using a S-metal-S interface motif anchored to the metal surface. These interactions generate the stabilization of an organo-metallic complex that combines gauche (P_H) and anti (P_C) rotameric conformers of cysteine on the surface of all three metals. Similarities between the calculated Raman spectra and experimental data confirm the thiol and carboxyl as adsorption groups for gold, silver, and copper NPs and suggest the formation of monomeric "staple motifs" that have been found in the protecting monolayer of atomic-precise thiolate-capped metal nanoclusters.

The Introduction of a Cysteine Residue Modulates The Mechanical Properties of Aromatic-Based Solid Aggregates and Self-Supporting Hydrogels

Peptide-based hydrogels, originated by multiscale self-assembling phenomenon, have been proposed as multivalent tools in different technological areas. Structural studies and molecular dynamics simulations pointed out the capability of completely aromatic peptides to gelificate if hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces are opportunely balanced. Here, the effect produced by the introduction of a Cys residue in the heteroaromatic sequence of (FY)3 and in its PEGylated variant was evaluated. The physicochemical characterization indicates that both FYFCFYF and PEG8-FYFCFYF are able to self-assemble in supramolecular nanostructures whose basic cross-β motif resembles the one detected in the ancestor (FY)3 assemblies. However, gelification occurs only for FYFCFYF at a concentration of 1.5 wt%. After cross-linking of cysteine residues, the hydrogel undergoes to an improvement of the rigidity compared to the parent (FY)3 assemblies as suggested by the storage modulus (G') that increases from 970 to 3360 Pa. The mechanical properties of FYFCFYF are compatible with its potential application in bone tissue regeneration. Moreover, the avalaibility of a Cys residue in the middle of the peptide sequence could allow the hydrogel derivatization with targeting moieties or with biologically relevant molecules.

The biochemical fate of Ag+ ions in Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and biological media

Silver is commonly included in a range of household and medical items to provide bactericidal action. Despite this, the chemical fate of the metal in both mammalian and bacterial systems remains poorly understood. Here, we applied a metallomics approach using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and size-exclusion chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) to advance our understanding of the biochemical fate of silver ions in bacterial culture and cells, and the chemistry associated with these interactions. When silver ions were added to lysogeny broth, silver was exclusively associated with moderately-sized species (~30 kDa) and bound by thiolate ligands. In two representative bacterial pathogens cultured in lysogeny broth including sub-lethal concentrations of ionic silver, silver was found in cells to be predominantly coordinated by thiolate species. The silver biomacromolecule-binding profile in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was complex, with silver bound by a range of species spanning from 20 kDa to >1220 kDa. In bacterial cells, silver was nonuniformly colocalised with copper-bound proteins, suggesting that cellular copper processing may, in part, confuse silver for nutrient copper. Notably, in the treated cells, silver was not detected bound to low molecular weight compounds such as glutathione or bacillithiol.

Effect of the Metal-Ligand Interface on the Chiroptical Activity of Cysteine-Protected Nanoparticles

Gold, silver, and copper small nanoparticles (NPs), with average size ≈2 nm, are synthesized and afterward protected with l- and d-cysteine, demonstrating emergence of chiroptical activity in the wavelength range of 250-400 nm for all three metals with respect to the bare nanoparticles and ligands alone. Silver-cysteine (Ag-Cys) NPs display the higher anisotropy factor, whereas gold-cysteine (Au-Cys) NPs show optical and chiroptical signatures slightly more displaced to the visible range. A larger number of circular dichroism (CD) bands with smaller intensity, as compared to gold and silver, is observed for the first time for copper-cysteine (Cu-Cys) NPs. The manifestation of optical and chiroptical responses upon cysteine adsorption and the differences between the spectra corresponding to each metal are mainly dictated by the metal-ligand interface, as supported by a comparison with calculations of the oscillatory and rotatory strengths based on time-dependent density functional theory, using a metal-ligand interface motif model, which closely resembles the experimental absorption and CD spectra. These results are useful to demonstrate the relevance of the interface between chiral ligands and the metal surfaces of Au, Ag, and Cu NPs, and provide evidence and further insights into the origin of the transfer mechanisms and induction of extrinsic chirality.

Silver in biology and medicine: opportunities for metallomics researchers

The antibacterial properties of silver have been known for centuries and the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to renewed focus on the noble metal. Silver is now commonly included in a range of household and medical items to imbue them with bactericidal properties. Despite this, the chemical fate of the metal in biological systems is poorly understood. Silver(I) is a soft metal with high affinity for soft donor atoms and displays much similarity to the chemistry of Cu(I). In bacteria, interaction of silver with the cell wall/membrane, DNA, and proteins and enzymes can lead to cell death. Additionally, the intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species by silver is posited to be a significant antimicrobial action. While the antibacterial action of silver is well known, bacteria found in silver mines display resistance against it through use of a protein ensemble thought to have been specifically developed for the metal, highlighting the need for judicious use. In mammals, ∼10-20% of ingested silver is retained by the body and thought to predominantly localize in the liver or kidneys. Chronic exposure can result in argyria, a condition characterized by blue staining of the skin, resulting from subdermal deposition of silver [as Ag(0)/sulfides], but more insidious side effects, such as inclusions in the brain, seizures, liver/kidney damage, and immunosuppression, have also been reported. Here, we hope to highlight the current understanding of the biological chemistry of silver and the necessity for continued study of these systems to fill existing gaps in knowledge.

Artificial Chiral Probes and Bioapplications

The development of artificial chiral architectures, especially chiral inorganic nanostructures, has greatly promoted research into chirality in nanoscience. The nanoscale chirality of artificial chiral nanostructures offers many new application opportunities, including chiral catalysis, asymmetric synthesis, chiral biosensing, and others that may not be allowed by natural chiral molecules. Herein, the progress achieved during the past decade in chirality-associated biological applications (biosensing, biolabeling, and bioimaging) combined with individual chiral nanostructures (such as chiral semiconductor nanoparticles and chiral metal nanoparticles) or chiral assemblies is discussed.

Synthesis, Structures, and Photoluminescence of Elongated Face-Centered-Cubic Ag14 Clusters Containing Lipoic Acid and Its Amide Analogue

Three face-centered-cubic (fcc) silver clusters-namely, [Ag₁₄(LA)₂(HLA)₄(PPh₃)₈]^2- (1), [Ag₁₄(HLA)₆(PPh₃)₈] (2), and [Ag₁₄(NLA)₆(PPh₃)₈] (3)-that are coprotected by lipoic acid (or its amide derivative) and phosphine ligands have been synthesized and structurally characterized (HLA = (±)-α-lipoic acid, LA = (±)-α-lipoate, and NLA = d,l-6,8-thioctamide). These clusters possess two superatomic electrons (the Jellium model), in harmony with a bonding octahedral Ag₆ core capped with 8 Ag atoms. Alternatively, the metal framework of 1-3 can be described as adopting a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure elongated along one of the 3-fold axes. The 12 S atoms from the six bioligands bridge the 12 edges of the (fcc) cube, forming a distorted icosahedron. The counterions, solvent or guest molecules play an important role in dictating the crystal lattices of the products. This is the first report of atom-precise structures of Ag-lipoic acid (or its derivatives) clusters, paving the way for further study of structure-property relationships of these bioligand protected metal nanoclusters. Photoluminescence was observed for cluster 3 with complex temperature-dependent emission patterns and efficiencies.

Pyrolysis of Helical Coordination Polymers for Metal-Sulfide-Based Helices with Broadband Chiroptical Activity

Fabrication of chiroptical materials with broadband response in the visible light region is vital to fully realize their potential applications. One way to achieve broadband chiroptical activity is to fabricate chiral nanostructures from materials that exhibit broadband absorption in the visible light region. However, the compounds used for chiroptical materials have predominantly been limited to materials with narrowband spectral response. Here, we synthesize Ag₂S-based nanohelices derived from helical coordination polymers. The right- and left-handed coordination helices used as precursors are prepared from l- and d-glutathione with Ag⁺ and a small amount of Cu²⁺. The pyrolysis of the coordination helices yields right- and left-handed helices of Cu_0.12Ag_1.94S/C, which exhibit chiroptical activity spanning the entire visible light region. Finite element method simulations substantiate that the broadband chiroptical activity is attributed to synergistic broadband light absorption and light scattering. Furthermore, another series of Cu_0.10Ag_1.90S/C nanohelices are synthesized by choosing the l- or d-Glu-Cys as starting materials. The pitch length of nanohelicies is controlled by changing the peptides, which alters their chiroptical properties. The pyrolysis of coordination helices enables one to fabricate helical Ag₂S-based materials that enable broadband chiroptical activity but have not been explored owing to the lack of synthetic routes.

How to control optical activity in organic-silver hybrid nanoparticles

The mechanisms that originate and control optical activity in organic-metal hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) are identified using a time-perturbed density functional theory. Electronic circular dichroism (CD) is studied in terms of the intrinsic chirality of the ligands, the number of ligands and the induced chirality by the arrangement of the ligands on the NP. Left-handed cysteine and achiral methylthio ligands adsorbed on an icosahedral silver NP are investigated. The analysis of CD allows the identification of the spectral regions when the induced chirality by the ligand array dominates over the intrinsic chirality of the ligands, determining conditions for CD control and enlargement. These results would be significant in the discussion of experimental CD spectra of organic-metal hybrid NPs, which might allow the development of new strategies to improve the sensitivity of chiroptical spectroscopies for the identification of bio and organic molecules.

Spin Selective Charge Transport through Cysteine Capped CdSe Quantum Dots

This work demonstrates that chiral imprinted CdSe quantum dots (QDs) can act as spin selective filters for charge transport. The spin filtering properties of chiral nanoparticles were investigated by magnetic conductive-probe atomic force microscopy (mCP-AFM) measurements and magnetoresistance measurements. The mCP-AFM measurements show that the chirality of the quantum dots and the magnetic orientation of the tip affect the current-voltage curves. Similarly, magnetoresistance measurements demonstrate that the electrical transport through films of chiral quantum dots correlates with the chiroptical properties of the QD. The spin filtering properties of chiral quantum dots may prove useful in future applications, for example, photovoltaics, spintronics, and other spin-driven devices.

Silver release and antimicrobial properties of PMMA films doped with silver ions, nano-particles and complexes

Materials prepared on the base of bioactive silver compounds have become more and more popular due to low microbial resistance to silver. In the present work, the efficiency of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) thin films doped with silver ions, nanoparticles and silver-imidazole polymer complex was studied by a combination of AAS, XPS and AFM techniques. The biological activities of the proposed materials were discussed in view of the rate of silver releasing from the polymer matrix. Concentrations of Ag active form were estimated by its ability to interact with l-cysteine using electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Rates of the released silver were compared with the biological activity in dependence on the form of embedded silver. Antimicrobial properties of doped polymer films were studied using two bacterial strains: Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. It was found that PMMA films doped with Ag(+) had greater activity than those doped with nanoparticles and silver-imidazole polymeric complexes. However, the antimicrobial efficiency of Ag(+) doped films was only short-term. Contrary, the antimicrobial activity of silver-imidazole/PMMA films increased in time of sample soaking.

Rates and stoichiometries of metal ion probes of cysteine residues within ion channels

Metal ion probes are used to assess the accessibility of cysteine side chains in polypeptides lining the conductive pathways of ion channels and thereby determine the conformations of channel states. Despite the widespread use of this approach, the chemistry of metal ion-thiol interactions has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigate the modification of cysteine residues within a protein pore by the commonly used Ag(+) and Cd(2+) probes at the single-molecule level, and provide rates and stoichiometries that will be useful for the design and interpretation of accessibility experiments.

Optical activity of achiral ligand SCH3 adsorbed on achiral Ag55 clusters: relationship between adsorption site and circular dichroism

The electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra of a methyl-thiol adsorbed at different sites on an icosahedral silver nanoparticle is studied by using time-perturbed density functional theory. Despite that separately molecule and nanoparticle are achiral and consequently optically inactive, the Ag(55)-SCH(3) compound emerges with a new symmetry, which may be chiral or not depending on the adsorption site and orientation of the molecule. It is found that chirality is favored when the thiol is adsorbed between two atoms of different coordination number. Chiral compounds have characteristic CD spectra in the UV-visible region, where Ag(55) shows optical absorption but SCH(3) does not; revealing that highly degenerated molecular-like electronic states of Ag(55) are modified by the presence of the molecule inducing optical activity. It is concluded that CD line-shapes and magnitude strongly depend on the site where the adsorption takes place, while its intensity is modulated by the molecule orientation.

Manipulation of collective optical activity in one-dimensional plasmonic assembly

The manipulation of the chirality and corresponding optical activity in the visible-near-infrared (NIR) light region is significant to realize applications in the fields of chemical sensing, enantioselective separation, chiral nanocatalysis, and optical devices. We studied the plasmon-induced circular dichroism (CD) response by one-dimensional (1D) assembly of cysteine (CYS) and gold nanorods (GNRs). Typically, GNRs can form end-to-end assembly through the electrostatic attraction of CYS molecules preferentially attached on the ends of different GNRs. CD responses are observed at both the UV and visible-NIR light region in the 1D assembly, which are assigned to the CYS molecules and the GNRs, respectively. In addition, the wavelength of the CD responses can be manipulated from 550 nm to more than 900 nm through altering the aspect ratios of GNRs in 1D assembly. Anisotropic enhancement of optical activity is discovered, suggesting that the enhancement of the longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of GNRs in the CD response is much more apparent than that of the transverse LSPR. The CD responses of individual CYS-attached GNRs and CYS-assembled gold nanoparticles (GNPs) substantiate that the form of assembly and the shape of building blocks are significant not only for the intensity but for the line shape of the CD signals.

New pyranonaphthoquinones and a phenazine alkaloid isolated from Streptomyces sp. IFM 11307 with TRAIL resistance-overcoming activity

Four new pyranonaphthoquinones (1-4) were isolated from the liquid culture of Streptomyces sp. IFM 11307. Additionally, one new phenazine derivative (5), along with the known phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid (6) were identified. The chemical structure of compounds 1-6 was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy together with CD spectral analysis. Compounds 1-4 significantly overcame tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand resistance in human gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Metal-metal-interaction-facilitated coordination polymer as a sensing ensemble: a case study for cysteine sensing

A detailed investigation of the absorption and CD signals of Ag(I)-cysteine (Cys) aqueous solutions at buffered or varying pH has allowed us to suggest that coordination polymers are formed upon mixing Ag(I) and Cys bearing a Ag(I)-Cys repeat unit. The formation of the coordination polymers are shown to be facilitated by both the Ag(I)···Ag(I) interaction and the interaction between the side chains in the polymeric backbone. The former allows for an immediate spectral sensing of Cys with enantiomeric discrimination capacity with both high sensitivity and selectivity, and the contribution of the side-chain/side-chain interaction serves to guide extended sensing applications by means of modulating this interaction. With our preliminary data on the corresponding Cu(I)-Cys and Au(I)-Cys systems that exhibited similar spectral signals, we conclude that the M(I)-SR coordination polymers (M = Cu, Ag, or Au) could in general function as spectral sensing ensembles for extended applications. This sensing ensemble involves the formation of coordination polymers with practically no spectral background, thus affording high sensing sensitivity and selectivity.