Quantum Leap from Gold and Silver to Aluminum Nanoplasmonics for Enhanced Biomedical Applications

Ultrafast-UV laser integrating cavity device for inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-based methods used for viral inactivation have provided an important avenue targeting severe acute respiratory-syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. A major problem with state-of-the-art UV inactivation technology is that it is based on UV lamps, which have limited efficiency, require high power, large doses, and long irradiation times. These drawbacks limit the use of UV lamps in air filtering systems and other applications. To address these limitations, herein we report on the fabrication of a device comprising a pulsed nanosecond 266 nm UV laser coupled to an integrating cavity (LIC) composed of a UV reflective material, polytetrafluoroethylene. Previous UV lamp inactivation cavities were based on polished walls with specular reflections, but the diffuse reflective UV ICs were not thoroughly explored for virus inactivation. Our results show that LIC device can inactivate several respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2, at ~ 1 ms effective irradiation time, with > 2 orders of magnitude higher efficiency compared to UV lamps. The demonstrated 3 orders of magnitude cavity enhancement relative to direct exposure is crucial for the development of efficient real-time UV air and water purification systems. To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of LIC application for broad viral inactivation with high efficiency.

Nonchemical integration of Au/Ag-based reduced graphene nanohybrid combined with 5-Fluorouracil drug to treat cancer cells

The perpetual lack of advanced strategies to prevent aggressive breast cancer with multiple categories represents challenging scientific society problems. Reduced graphene oxide- can treat disease, which was recently investigated due to its ability to induce apoptosis-based death. This research tested the chemotherapeutics in vitro efficacy of reduced graphene oxide embedded with gold and silver nanoparticles toward drug-sensitive breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and their cytotoxicity. Synthesis of the Au-Ag/rGO-5FU nanocomposites has been conducted using a wet chemical approach with chitosan aid as a pore directing and capping agent. The particle structure and morphology well characterized using different systems. HR-TEM shows a narrow-sized distribution of less than 100 nm, which is proper for cell membranes and medical use. The physical combination of the nanocomposite and 5-FU drug has been conducted mechanically using wet chemistry. The Au/Ag/rGO-5FU material's high activity enables it to produce reactive oxygen radicals, which display a potential against MCF-7 cell lines. All the results, including those obtained via cytometry, use the combination of Au/Ag/rGO-5FU to show a more substantial anticancer influence and more drug stability than pure 5-FU.