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Owing to the localized plasmon resonance of an ensemble of interacting plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs), there has been a tremendous drive to conceptualize complex optical nanocircuits with versatile functionalities. In comparison to modern research, there is still not a sufficient level of sophistication to treat the nanostructures as lumped circuits that can be adjusted into complex systems on the basis of a metatronic touchstone. Here, we present the design, assembly, and characterization of single relatively complex photonic nanocircuits by accurately positioning several metallic and dielectric nanoparticles acting as modular lumped elements. In this research, Au NPs along with silica NPs were used to compare the proficiency and precision of our lumped circuit model analytically. On increasing the size of an individual Au NP, the spectral peak resonance not only modifies but also causes more scattering efficiency which increases the fringe capacitance linearly and decreases the nanoinductance of lumped circuit element. The NPs-based assembly induced the required spectral resonance ascribed by simple circuit methods and are depicted to be actively reconfigurable by tuning the direction or polarization of input signals. Our work demonstrates a vital step toward developing the modern modular designing tools of complex electronic circuits into nanophotonic-related applications.

The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets, aerosols, and contaminated surfaces. In addition to antiviral drugs, the decontamination of surfaces and personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial to mitigate the spread of infection. Conventional approaches, including ultraviolet radiation, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, heat and liquid chemicals, can damage materials or lack comprehensive, effective disinfection. Consequently, alternative material-compatible and sustainable methods, such as nanomaterial coatings, are needed. Therefore, the antiviral activity of two novel zinc-oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) against SARS-CoV-2 was investigated in vitro. Each nanoparticle was produced by applying highly efficient “green” synthesis techniques, which are free of fossil derivatives and use nitrate, chlorate and sulfonate salts as starting materials and whey as chelating agents. The two “green” nanomaterials differ in size distribution, with ZnO-NP-45 consisting of particles ranging from 30 nm to 60 nm and ZnO-NP-76 from 60 nm to 92 nm. Human lung epithelial cells (Calu-3) were infected with SARS-CoV-2, pre-treated in suspensions with increasing ZnO-NP concentrations up to 20 mg/mL. Both “green” materials were compared to commercially available ZnO-NP as a reference. While all three materials were active against both virus variants at concentrations of 10–20 mg/mL, ZnO-NP-45 was found to be more active than ZnO-NP-76 and the reference material, resulting in the inactivation of the Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants by a factor of more than 106. This effect could be due to its greater total reactive surface, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Higher variations in virus inactivation were found for the latter two nanomaterials, ZnO-NP-76 and ZnO-NP-ref, which putatively may be due to secondary infections upon incomplete inactivation inside infected cells caused by insufficient NP loading of the virions. Taken together, inactivation with 20 mg/mL ZnO-NP-45 seems to have the greatest effect on both SARS-CoV-2 variants tested. Prospective ZnO-NP applications include an antiviral coating of filters or PPE to enhance user protection.

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