Name: generation of scalable, metallic high-aspect ratio nanocomposites in a biological liquid medium
Uploaded: 2015-07-08T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Generation of Scalable, Metallic High-Aspect Ratio Nanocomposites in a Biological Liquid Medium at JoVE.com

The authors would like to acknowledge the technical assistance of Alfred Gunasekaran in electron microscopy studies at the Institute of Micromanufacturing at Louisiana Tech University, and Dr. Jim McNamara for assistance with additional microscopy studies. The work described was supported in part by Louisiana board of Regents PKSFI Contract No. LEQSF (2007-12)-ENH-PKSFI-PRS-04 and the James E. Wyche III Endowed Professorship from Louisiana Tech University (to M.D.).

1. Planning of Experiments
<ol>
	<li>Determine the volume of copper nanocomposites needed for synthesis. On that basis, choose a number of small volume flasks (25 cm2), or larger flasks as indicated below in preparation of materials.</li>
	<li>For this synthesis, use a 37 &#176;C incubator with 5% CO2 and at least 40% humidity. Ensure that such an incubator is available and that it will not be repeatedly disturbed over the period of synthesis (approximately 24 hr). 
	CAUTION: Repeated opening...

<ol>
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While evaluating potential toxic effects of nanomaterials including CNPs, it was observed that over the long-term, CNPs were transformed from an initially more dispersed particulate distribution to a larger, aggregated form (Figure 2). In some cases, these highly aggregated formations which were produced in the cell culture dish, under biological conditions, formed highly linear projections from the central aggregate, reminiscent of previously described copper- containing &#8220;urchins&#8221; 6</su...

Copper is a highly reactive metal that in the biological world is essential in some enzyme functions 1,2, but in higher concentrations is potently toxic including in the nanoparticulate form 3,4. Concern over copper toxicity has become more relevant as CNPs and other copper-based nanomaterials are utilized, due to the increased surface area/mass for nanostructures. Thus, even a small mass of copper, in nanoparticle form, could cause local toxicity due to its ability to penetrate the cell and be broken down into reactive forms. Some biological species can complex with and chelate metal ions, and even incorporate them into biological structures as has been described in marine mussels 5. In studying the potential toxic effects of nanomaterials 4, it was discovered that over time, and under biological conditions used for typical cell culturing (37 &#176;C and 5% CO2), stable copper biocomposites could be formed with a high-aspect ratio (linear) structure.
By a process of elimination, the initial discovery of these linear biocomposites, which occurred in complete cell culture media, was simplified to a defined protocol of essential elements needed for the biocomposites to self-assemble. Self-assembly of two types of highly linear biocomposites was discovered to be possible with two starting metal components: 1) CNPs and 2) copper sulfate, with the common biological component being cystine. Although more complex, so called &#8220;urchin&#8221; and &#8220;nanoflower&#8221; type copper-containing structures with nanoscale and microscale features have been previously reported, these were produced under non-biological conditions, such as temperatures of 100 &#176;C or greater 6-8. To our knowledge, synthesis of individual, linear copper-containing nanostructures that are scalable in liquid phase under biological conditions has not been previously described. 
One of the starting materials utilized for synthesis of nanocomposites, namely CNPs, has been reported previously to be very toxic to cells 4. It has recently been reported that after the nanocomposites are formed, these structures are less toxic on a per mass basis than the starting NPs 9. Thus, the synthesis described here may be derived from a biological and biochemical reaction that has utility in stabilizing reactive copper species, both in the sense of transforming the NP form into larger structures and in producing composites less toxic to cells. 
In contrast to many other nanomaterial forms which are known to aggregate or clump upon interaction with biological liquid media 10,11, once formed, the highly linear composites described here avoid aggregation, possibly due to a redistribution of charge which has been previously reported 9. As detailed in the current work, this avoidance of aggregation is convenient for the purposes of working with the structures once formed for at least 3 reasons: 1) composite structures once formed may be concentrated using centrifugation and then easily dispersed again using vortex mixing; 2) formed structures can be decreased in average size by sonication for different periods of time; and 3) the formed linear structures may provide an additional tool for avoiding the recently described &#8220;coffee ring effect&#8221; 12 and thus provide a dopant for creating more evenly distributed coatings of materials, especially those containing spherical particulates.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Mini Vortexer</td>
			<td>VWR (https://us.vwr.com)</td>
			<td>58816-121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CO2 Incubator Model # 2425-2</td>
			<td>VWR (https://us.vwr.com)</td>
			<td>Contact vendor</td>
			<td>Current model calalog # 98000-360</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eppendorf Centrifuge (Refrigerated Microcentrifuge)</td>
			<td>Labnet (http://labnetinternational.com/)</td>
			<td>C2500-R</td>
			<td>Model Prism R</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell Culture Centrifuge Model Z323K</td>
			<td>Labnet (http://labnetinternational.com/)</td>
			<td>Contact vendor</td>
			<td>Current model Z206A catalog # C0206-A</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sonicator (Ultrasonic Cleaner)</td>
			<td>Branson Ultrasonics Corporation (http://www.bransonic.com/)</td>
			<td>1510R-MTH</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Balance</td>
			<td>Sartorius (http://dataweigh.com)</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Model CP225D similar model CPA225D</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Olympus IX51 Inverted Light Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus (http://olympusamerica.com</td>
			<td>Contact vendor</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Olympus DP71 microscope digital camera</td>
			<td>Olympus (http://olympusamerica.com</td>
			<td>Contact vendor</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>external power supply unit- white light for Olympus microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus (http://olympusamerica.com</td>
			<td>TH4-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10x, 20, and 40x microscope objectives</td>
			<td>Olympus (http://olympusamerica.com</td>
			<td>Contact vendor</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scanning Electron Microscope</td>
			<td>Hitachi (http://hitachi-hitec.com/global/em/sem/sem_index.html)</td>
			<td>model S-4800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transmission Electron Microscope</td>
			<td>Zeiss (http://zeiss.com/microscopy/en_de/products.html)</td>
			<td>model Libra 120</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Table Top Work Station Unidirectional Flow Clean Bench</td>
			<td>Envirco (http://envirco-hvac.com)</td>
			<td>model PNG62675</td>
			<td>Used for sterile cell culture technique</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

generation of scalable, metallic high-aspect ratio nanocomposites in a biological liquid medium

The goal of this protocol is to describe the synthesis of two novel biocomposites with high-aspect ratio structures. The biocomposites consist of copper and cystine, with either copper nanoparticles (CNPs) or copper sulfate contributing the metallic component. Synthesis is carried out in liquid under biological conditions (37 &#176;C) and the self-assembled composites form after 24 hr. Once formed, these composites are highly stable in both liquid media and in a dried form. The composites scale from the nano- to micro- range in length, and from a few microns to 25 nm in diameter. Field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) demonstrated that sulfur was present in the NP-derived linear structures, while it was absent from the starting CNP material, thus confirming cystine as the source of sulfur in the final nanocomposites. During synthesis of these linear nano- and micro-composites, a diverse range of lengths of structures is formed in the synthesis vessel. Sonication of the liquid mixture after synthesis was demonstrated to assist in controlling average size of the structures by diminishing the average length with increased time of sonication. Since the formed structures are highly stable, do not agglomerate, and are formed in liquid phase, centrifugation may also be used to assist in concentrating and segregating formed composites.

Figure 1 shows a flow-chart schematic of the synthesis steps to form the linear biocomposites described in this work. CNPs or copper sulfate as starting materials are combined with sterile water to form a 2 mg/ml solution, this solution is mixed and sonicated to provide an even mixture, and this copper solution is then mixed in the following ratio for synthesis: 949 parts sterile water: 50 parts copper mixture: 1 part cystine stock solution. The actual volumes may be increased or decreased according to t...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Generation of Scalable, Metallic High-Aspect Ratio Nanocomposites in a Biological Liquid Medium at JoVE.com

Generation of Scalable, Metallic High-Aspect Ratio Nanocomposites in a Biological Liquid Medium

Here we present a protocol to synthesize novel, high-aspect ratio biocomposites under biological conditions and in liquid media. The biocomposites scale from nanometers to micrometers in diameter and length, respectively. Copper nanoparticles (CNPs) and copper sulfate combined with cystine are the key components for the synthesis.

The goal of this protocol is to describe the synthesis of two novel biocomposites with high-aspect ratio structures. The biocomposites consist of copper ...

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