Role of nanomaterials in water treatment applications: a review.

Graphene, an atomically thin two-dimensional carbonaceous material, has attracted tremendous attention in the scientific community, due to its exceptional electronic, electrical, and mechanical properties. Indeed, with the recent explosion of methods for a large-scale synthesis of graphene, the number of publications related to graphene and other graphene based materials has increased exponentially. Particularly the development of easy preparation methods for graphene like materials, such as highly reduced graphene oxide (HRG) via reduction of graphite oxide (GO), offers a wide range of possibilities for the preparation of graphene based inorganic nanocomposites by the incorporation of various functional nanomaterials for a variety of applications. In this review, we discuss the current development of graphene based metal and metal oxide nanocomposites, with a detailed account of their synthesis and properties. Specifically, much attention has been given to their wide range of applications in various fields, including electronics, electrochemical and electrical fields. Overall, by the inclusion of various references, this review covers in detail the aspects of graphene-based inorganic nanocomposites.

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Graphene based metal and metal oxide nanocomposites: synthesis, properties and their applications

Spinel ferrite magnetic adsorbents: Alternative future materials for water purification?

Functional graphene nanomaterials (FGNs) are fast emerging materials with extremely unique physical and chemical properties and physiological ability to interfere and/or interact with bioorganisms; as a result, FGNs present manifold possibilities for diverse biological applications. Beyond their use in drug/gene delivery, phototherapy, and bioimaging, recent studies have revealed that FGNs can significantly promote interfacial biointeractions, in particular, with proteins, mammalian cells/stem cells, and microbials. FGNs can adsorb and concentrate nutrition factors including proteins from physiological media. This accelerates the formation of extracellular matrix, which eventually promotes cell colonization by providing a more beneficial microenvironment for cell adhesion and growth. Furthermore, FGNs can also interact with cocultured cells by physical or chemical stimulation, which significantly mediate their cellular signaling and biological performance. In this review, we elucidate FGNs–bioorganism int...

Functional Graphene Nanomaterials Based Architectures: Biointeractions, Fabrications, and Emerging Biological Applications

Antibacterial applications of graphene-based nanomaterials: Recent achievements and challenges.

Graphene and its derivatives have typical physicochemical properties that show strong cytotoxic effects on bacterial cell lines. In this study, we have investigated the antibacterial activity of a nanohybrid of three-dimensional Mg–Al layered double hydroxide–reduced graphene oxide (LDH–rGO) on the Gram negative coccobacilli bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). A biocompatibility test by a sulphorhodamine-B (SRB) assay inferred that LDH–rGO is biocompatible up to a concentration of 2 mg mL−1. The concentration and time-dependent antibacterial studies confirmed that 125 μg mL−1 of LDH–rGO is sufficient to inhibit 95.4 ± 1.1% E. coli cells in 60 min. A systematic study shows that the nanohybrid is capable of developing oxidative stress by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), while LDH and rGO does not. However, both rGO and the nanohybrid are capable of developing oxidative stress by oxidizing glutathione. Further, the effect of oxidative stress on one of the biological entities (protein) of E. coli was also studied. We thereby propose the antibacterial mechanism of the nanohybrid on the basis of size, morphology, glutathione loss, and protein degradation.

Efficient antibacterial activity via protein degradation of a 3D layered double hydroxide–reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid

Cancer remains one of the biggest threats to human society. There are massive demands for compounds to selectively kill cancerous cells. Earlier studies have shown that bovine α -lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (BAMLET) becomes cytotoxic against cancer cells in complex with oleic acid {Hoque, M. et. al., PLoSOne 8, e68390 (2013)}. In our study, we obtained bovine α-lactalbumin complexed with lanthanum ion (La3+-B-α-LA) and determined its high resolution crystal structure. The natural calcium binding site of bovine α-lactalbumin is replaced by lanthanum. The La3+ complex formation by B-α-apo-LA was also supported by various biophysical methods. Interestingly, our complex, La3+-B-α-LA exhibits much greater anticancer activity against breast cancer cells as compared to the reported BAMLET-oleic acid complex. This study shows that La3+-B-α-LA complex is preferentially more toxic to MCF-7 cells as compared to KB (oral cancer) and HeLa (cervical) cells, while almost non-toxic to the healthy cells that we studied. Our data indicates that the cytotoxicity of La3+-B-α-LA against cancer cells is through apoptotic path way. The higher anticancer activity of La3+-B-α-LA is attributable to the requisite structural changes induced in the protein by La3+ binding as supported by the crystal structure of the complex.

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Cytotoxicity of apo bovine alpha-lactalbumin complexed with La3+on cancer cells supported by its high resolution crystal structure.

Colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of Hg 2+ and Cr 3+ by boronic acid conjugated rhodamine derivatives: Mechanistic aspects and their bio-imaging application in bacterial cells.

Recent investigations have demonstrated that nickel ferrite nanoparticles and their derivatives have toxicity effects on bacterial cells. In this study, we have prepared nickel ferrite nanoparticles (Ni/NiFe2O4) and nickel/nickel ferrite graphene oxide (Ni/NiFe2O4–GO) nanocomposite and evaluated their toxic effects on E. coli cells ATCC 25922. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry techniques. The toxicity was evaluated using variations in cell viability, cell morphology, protein degradation, and oxidative stress. Ni/NiFe2O4–GO nanocomposites likewise prompt oxidative stress proved by the age of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exhaustion of antioxidant glutathione. This is the first report indicating that Ni/NiFe2O4–GO nanocomposite-initiated cell death in E. coli through ROS age and oxidative stress.

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/1810/342097/2/article.pdf

Sejal Doshi

Papers

Efficient antibacterial activity via protein degradation of a 3D layered double hydroxide–reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid

Cytotoxicity of apo bovine alpha-lactalbumin complexed with La3+on cancer cells supported by its high resolution crystal structure.

Colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of Hg 2+ and Cr 3+ by boronic acid conjugated rhodamine derivatives: Mechanistic aspects and their bio-imaging application in bacterial cells.

Effect of the Graphene- Ni/NiFe2O4 Composite on Bacterial Inhibition Mediated by Protein Degradation