Transition Metals Doped Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

Abstract

Doping is a technique that makes it possible to incorporate substitutional ions into the crystalline structure of materials, generating exciting properties. This book chapter will comment on the transition metals (TM) doped nanocrystals (NCs) and how doping and concentration influence applications and biocompatibility. In the NCs doped with TM, there is a strong interaction of sp-d exchange between the NCs’ charge carriers and the unpaired electrons of the MT, generating new and exciting properties. These doped NCs can be nanopowders or be embedded in glass matrices, depending on the application of interest. Therefore, we show the group results of synthesis, characterization, and applications of iron or copper-doped ZnO nanopowders and chromium-doped Bi2S3, nickel-doped ZnTe, and manganese-doped CdTe quantum dots in the glass matrices.

Tuning Biocompatibility and Bactericidal Efficacy as a Function of Doping of Gold in ZnO Nanocrystals

“…Therefore, ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) doped with 1.0 and 5.0 Au demonstrated higher biocompatibility compared to pure ZnO at concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 mg/mL. Similar delays in postembryonic development have also been reported in other studies where larvae were exposed to varying concentrations of ZnO NCs, metal NPs, and TiO 2 in the anatase phase . Larvae can ingest approximately 3 microliters of food per day (almost twice their weight) to compensate for the energy spent in the development process and to accumulate energy for the metamorphosis process .…”

“…Similar delays in postembryonic development have also been reported in other studies where larvae were exposed to varying concentrations of ZnO NCs, 53 metal NPs, 54 and TiO 2 in the anatase phase. 34 Larvae can ingest approximately 3 microliters of food per day (almost twice their weight) to compensate for the energy spent in the development process and to accumulate energy for the metamorphosis process. 55 Therefore, the toxicity observed at this stage of larval development can be highly relevant since animals accumulate large amounts of NCs.…”

“…Thus, these characteristics make D. melanogaster a great model for biocompatibility studies ,− such as biocompatibility assessment of nanomaterials. , In addition, D. melanogaster is also considered an animal model that aligns with the concept of the three Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) as recommended by the European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) …”

Transferrin Immobilized Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Targeted Cancer Chemodynamic Therapy via Increasing Intracellular Labile Fe2+ Concentration

“…Again, the activity of NDRG1, a protein which is involved in the tubulin acetylation process, has been found to decrease under enhanced labile iron concentration. 38,39 With an aim to monitor the effect of Tfn@GO APTES on tubulin acetylation in HeLa cells we carried out Western blot analysis and the results suggested decreased (∼4 fold) expression level of alpha-Tubulin (acetyl K40) for Tfn@GO APTES treated cells compared to control untreated HeLa cells (Figure 6c). This suggested increased tubulin stiffness in HeLa cells after Tfn@ GO APTES treatment, which may finally lead to cell death.…”

Spatial-temporal variation and source analysis of heavy metal in urban and peri-urban soils：The case study of Beilun District (Ningbo, China) from 2015 to 2022

“…Heavy metals have attracted widespread attention due to their toxicity, bioaccumulation and persistence, which decrease the environmental soil quality and atmosphere and jeopardize human and animal health through the food cycle and dust inhalation [2,6,7] . Some scholars have investigated the concentrations of soil heavy metals in national forest parks [8] , agricultural lands [9] , peri-urban areas [10] and urban areas [11] . The degree of anthropogenic heavy metal pollution in soil differs from national forest parks to urban areas, and the more economically developed the study area is, the more severe the pollution.…”