Silicon nanowires have great potential for applications in electronics, photovoltaics and biomedical applications, but as of yet, silicon nanowires are not used in any commercial application. More characterization is needed to better understand and control their surfaces and electronic properties. Here, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is used to characterize silicon nanowires made by the supercritical-fluid-liquid-solid process. EELS is able to analyze the elemental composition of core and shell structures with high spatial resolution. Additionally, the biocompatibility and antibacterial properties of silicon nanowires are assessed for potential bioapplications. Preliminary investigations suggest that nanowires have an anti-proliferative effect on E. coli and discourage adhesion of mammalian cells. Future investigations may prove that silicon nanowires are a promising material for biomedical implant coatings to prevent biofouling. / text

Nanostructured thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering and gas aggregation sources of nanoparticles are studied especially with regards to their use in biomedical applications. The possibility of using plasma polymers for the preparation of antibacterial coatings is tested first. It is presented that sputtered nylon 6,6 films may be impregnated by antibiotics. The subsequent release of antibiotics from such prepared reservoirs may be tuned by their thickness, chemical composition, or by an additional barrier layer. The second studied type of antibacterial coatings is based on metallic nanoparticles overcoated with sputtered PTFE. It is shown that by a proper choice of the number of nanoparticles and thickness of fluorocarbon overlayer, a significant antibacterial effect can be achieved while maintaining the biocompatibility of produced nanocomposite coatings. The possibility to enhance the antibacterial effect by impregnation of plasma polymer/nanoparticle nanocomposites by antibiotics is also verified. Nanoparticle sources are used to study two-component films with 2D gradient character, too. A simple analytical model is developed allowing description and design of such nanomaterials. Its suitability is experimentally verified on 2D gradients combining Ag and Cu nanoparticles. Finally, an original...

No description available.

A range of microgels with two different functionalities were synthesized, and their utility in novel bioapplications was examined. Cationic microgels with varying properties were developed by tuning synthesis conditions. Their size and primary amine content was analyzed, and one microgel system was selected as a model construct. Its primary amine groups were conjugated to two dyes with properties favorable for utilization as contrast agents in photoacoustic imaging. The concentration of contrast agent in single particles was determined. The implications of a high local dye concentration in the generation of high intensity photoacoustic signals, are discussed. The second bioapplication involved the targeted delivery of fibrinolytics to fibrin clots, in order to bring about dissolution of abnormal thrombi. For this purpose, core/shell microgels with carboxylic acid groups in their shells were synthesized in three size ranges. Following this, their dimension based differential localization in and around porous fibrin clots was examined. Fibrin-specific peptides were then conjugated onto the shells of these particles and the conjugates were shown to demonstrate strong interactions with the fibrin clots. The microgels conjugated to the peptide with the highest binding affinity to fibrin, were observed to bring about disruption of fibrin clots, merely through interference in the dynamic interactions among clot fibers, due to the equilibrium nature of the fibrin polymer. The implications of these novel results and future studies required to facilitate a better understanding of the phenomena involved, are discussed.

This thesis is focused on synthesis of quantum dots (QDs) for protein detection. It comprises three parts. The first part summaries the theory of QDs, their synthesis, functionalization, interactions and applications in medicine. In the second part synthesis of CdTe/ZnS core/shell QDs modified by glutathione (GSH) is described, followed by the conjugation with biomolecules BSA and IgG. Several coupling agents such as EDC with NHS and CDI were used. In the last part, the final products were characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis. The results show the dependence of the fluorescence intensity of the QDs on pH range, concentration of BSA and IgG concentrations using different crosslinkers.