Fundamentals of self-assembly. . Intermolecular forces. Micelles, liposomes, inorganic nanoparticles. Nanosystems for drug delivery, plant adjuvant delivery and gene therapy. Characterization of nanostructured systems by thermodynamic and spectroscopic techniques (diffraction, calorimetry, and electronic microscopy). Sustainability of nanotechnologies
In the laboratory sessions, nanosystems of biomedical interest, i.e. liposomes and gold nanoparticles, will be prepared and characterized
- "Fundamentals of Soft Matter Science" di Linda Hirsh, CRC Press, 2012
- "The Colloidal Domain: Where Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Technology Meet" di D. Fennel Evans e Hakan. Wennerstrom, Wiley VHC, 1999
Learning Objectives
General knowledge: physico-chemical properties of nanostructured systems.
Ability to ascertain the properties of different nanosystems in biotechnological applications, such drug delivery, biosensors and nanomedicine.
Prerequisites
Basic knowlege of chemistry and physics
Teaching Methods
Class lessons (4 FCU) and laboratory experiments (2FCU)
Further information
During the class sessions students will be encoraged to prepare brief reports on scientific articles describing innovative findings in biotechnology.
Type of Assessment
Report on the lab experiences and on the exercises done in the classroom.
Final oral exams. After discussing the report on the experiments performed in the chemistry lab, some questions will be sked to the student in order to verify her/his knowledge about the systems and the characterzation techniques illustrated during the class lessons.
Course program
Fundamentals of self-assembly. Intermolecular forces and soft matter. The structure of water and the hydrophobic effect. The role of Entropy and Entalpy in self-assembly, with particular reference to aggregates formed by amphiphilic molecules. Definition of contact angle e surface wetting. Surface tension: methods for measuring it. Cooperative phenomena and critical micellar concentration.
Structure and properties of micelles. Possible applications of micelles in biolotecnology and environmental sciences.
Birth of Nanotechnologies. Fundamental properties characterizing systems with nanoscopic size in comparison to bulk systems. Potentials of nanosystems for applications in biotechnology.
Different types of surfactants.
The structure of biological membranes and of other lyotropic liquid crystals. Brief history of different models and current knowledge.
Liposomes: their structure, properties and preparation methods. Reasons why liposomes are so interesting as carriers for biologically active molecules. Giant liposomes as models for biological membranes. Opsonization in vivo and "stealth" liposomes.
Introduction to polymeric materials. Interesting polymer systems in the field of nanotechnology. Examples of polymeric nano-aggregates which can act as drug carriers with special reference to dendrimers.
Metal nanoparticles: brief history of their different uses and of how control over their size and shape has been reached. The Tyndall effect. Sterical and electrostatic stabilization in aqueous media. Functionalization of metal nanoparticles. Chemical and physical methods for their preparation. Reducing and capping agents. Anisotropic metal nanoparticles and their application in biomedical fields. Nanoparticles obtained with methods of green synthesis, with special focus on plant extracts as reducing and capping agents. Nucleation and growth processes. Examples taken from recent scientific litterature.
Ostwald ripening. Surface plasmon resonance: the case of gold and silver nanoparticles.
Dependence of surface plasmon properties on the size and shape of metal nanoparticles. Solid supported nanoparticles in the fabrication of sensors.
Nanoparticles as nano-crystals. Brief description of crystal structures and Bravais lattices. Methods for the characterization of crystalline solids with particular reference to X-ray diffaction (XRD)
Calorimetric techniques in the study of nanomaterials. Short description of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) and of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Range of application for these techniques and examples taken from recent scientific literature.
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS): fundamentals and application of this methods to the characterization of nano-objects in solution. Advantages and possible drawbacks for structural studies.
Hints to some surface techniques in the study of nanosystems: Scanning Tunnel Microscopy (STM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry(SIMS) e X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM): Fundamentals and applicability of this technique to the study of metal nanoparticles. Why conventional TEM is not suited to study soft matter systems. Cryo-TEM: description and use in the study of soft matter nanostructures.
Principles of small angle scattering techniques: SAXS (Small Angle Scattering) and SANS (Small Angle Neutron Scattering). Potential of these methods for the high-resolution structural study of nanosystems in solution. Large scale facilities: main research centers in Europe and the world.
The importance of developing sustainable nanotechnologies, with special focus on the scalability of preparation processes used to obtain nanosystems.