An improved method for the preparation of graphene oxide (GO) is described. Currently, Hummers' method (KMnO(4), NaNO(3), H(2)SO(4)) is the most common method used for preparing graphene oxide. We have found that excluding the NaNO(3), increasing the amount of KMnO(4), and performing the reaction in a 9:1 mixture of H(2)SO(4)/H(3)PO(4) improves the efficiency of the oxidation process. This improved method provides a greater amount of hydrophilic oxidized graphene material as compared to Hummers' method or Hummers' method with additional KMnO(4). Moreover, even though the GO produced by our method is more oxidized than that prepared by Hummers' method, when both are reduced in the same chamber with hydrazine, chemically converted graphene (CCG) produced from this new method is equivalent in its electrical conductivity. In contrast to Hummers' method, the new method does not generate toxic gas and the temperature is easily controlled. This improved synthesis of GO may be important for large-scale production of GO as well as the construction of devices composed of the subsequent CCG.

Many diseases are associated with oxidative stress, which occurs when the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overwhelms the scavenging ability of an organism. Here, we evaluated the carbon nanoparticle antioxidant properties of poly(ethylene glycolated) hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCCs) by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, oxygen electrode, and spectrophotometric assays. These carbon nanoparticles have 1 equivalent of stable radical and showed superoxide (O 2•− ) dismutase-like properties yet were inert to nitric oxide (NO • ) as well as peroxynitrite (ONOO − ). Thus, PEG-HCCs can act as selective antioxidants that do not require regeneration by enzymes. Our steadystate kinetic assay using KO 2 and direct freeze-trap EPR to follow its decay removed the rate-limiting substrate provision, thus enabling determination of the remarkable intrinsic turnover numbers of O 2 •− to O 2 by PEG-HCCs at >20,000 s −1 . The major products of this catalytic turnover are O 2 and H 2 O 2 , making the PEG-HCCs a biomimetic superoxide dismutase.superoxide | antioxidant | carbon nanoparticles | hydrophilic carbon clusters | superoxide dismutase mimetic R eactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide (O 2 •− ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), organic peroxides, and hydroxyl radical ( • OH), are a consequence of aerobic metabolism (1, 2). These ROS are necessary for the signaling pathways in biological processes (3, 4) such as cell migration, circadian rhythm, stem cell proliferation, and neurogenesis (5). In healthy systems, ROS are efficiently regulated by the defensive enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and by antioxidants such as glutathione, vitamin A, ascorbic acid, uric acid, hydroquinones, and vitamin E (6). When the production of ROS overwhelms the scavenging ability of the defense system, oxidative stress occurs, causing dysfunctions in cell metabolism (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).In addition to ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS) such as nitric oxide (NO • ), nitrogen dioxide, and dinitrogen trioxide can be found in all organisms. NO • can act as an oxidizing or reducing agent depending on the environment (17), is more stable than other radicals (half-life 4-15 s) (18), and is synthesized in small amounts in vivo (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). NO • is a potent vasodilator and has an important role in neurotransmission and cytoprotection (17,18,22,23). Owing to its biological importance and the low concentration found normally in vivo, it is often important to avoid alteration of NO • levels in biological systems to prevent aggravation of acute pathologies including ischemia and reperfusion.One way to treat these detrimental pathologies is to supply antioxidant molecules or particles that renormalize the disturbed oxidative condition. We recently developed a biocompatible carbon nanoparticle, the poly(ethylene glycolated) hydrophilic carbon cluster (PEG-HCC), which has shown ability to scavenge oxyradicals and protect against oxyradical damage in rodent models and thus far h...

The controllable and reversible modification of graphene by chemical functionalization can modulate its optical and electronic properties. Here we demonstrate the controlled patterning of graphane/graphene superlattices within a single sheet of graphene. By exchanging the sp 3 C-H bonds in graphane with sp 3 C-C bonds through functionalization, sophisticated multifunctional superlattices can be fabricated on both the macroscopic and microscopic scales. These patterns are visualized using fluorescence quenching microscopy techniques and confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. By tuning the extent of hydrogenation, the density of the sp 3 C functional groups on graphene's basal plane can be controlled from 0.4% to 3.5% with this two-step method. using such a technique, which allows for both spatial and density control of the functional groups, a route to multifunctional electrical circuits and chemical sensors with specifically patterned recognition sites might be realized across a single graphene sheet, facilitating the development of graphene-based devices.

The usefulness of graphene for electronics has been limited because it does not have an energy bandgap. Although graphene nanoribbons have non-zero bandgaps, lithographic fabrication methods introduce defects that decouple the bandgap from electronic properties, compromising performance. Here we report direct measurements of a large intrinsic energy bandgap of approximately 50 meV in nanoribbons (width, approximately 100 nm) fabricated by high-temperature hydrogen-annealing of unzipped carbon nanotubes. The thermal energy required to promote a charge to the conduction band (the activation energy) is measured to be seven times greater than in lithographically defined nanoribbons, and is close to the width of the voltage range over which differential conductance is zero (the transport gap). This similarity suggests that the activation energy is in fact the intrinsic energy bandgap. High-resolution transmission electron and Raman microscopy, in combination with an absence of hopping conductance and stochastic charging effects, suggest a low defect density.

Injury to the neurovasculature is a feature of brain injury and must be addressed to maximize opportunity for improvement. Cerebrovascular dysfunction, manifested by reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF), is a key factor that worsens outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI), most notably under conditions of hypotension. We report here that a new class of antioxidants, poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCCs), which are nontoxic carbon particles, rapidly restore CBF in a mild TBI/hypotension/resuscitation rat model when administered during resuscitation—a clinically relevant time point. Along with restoration of CBF, there is a concomitant normalization of superoxide and nitric oxide levels. Given the role of poor CBF in determining outcome, this finding is of major importance for improving patient health under clinically relevant conditions during resuscitative care and it has direct implications for the current TBI/hypotension war-fighter victims in the Afghanistan and Middle East theaters. The results also have relevancy in other related acute circumstances such as stroke and organ transplantation.

Presently, eye injuries are treated by topical eye drop therapy. Because of the ocular surface barriers, topical eye drops must be applied several times in a day, causing side effects such as glaucoma, cataract, and poor patient compliance. This article presents the development of a nanowafer drug delivery system in which the polymer and the drug work synergistically to elicit an enhanced therapeutic efficacy with negligible adverse immune responses. The nanowafer is a small transparent circular disc that contains arrays of drug-loaded nanoreservoirs. The slow drug release from the nanowafer increases the drug residence time on the ocular surface and its subsequent absorption into the surrounding ocular tissue. At the end of the stipulated period of drug release, the nanowafer will dissolve and fade away. The in vivo efficacy of the axitinib-loaded nanowafer was demonstrated in treating corneal neovascularization (CNV) in a murine ocular burn model. The laser scanning confocal imaging and RT-PCR study revealed that once a day administered axitinib nanowafer was therapeutically twice as effective, compared to axitinib delivered twice a day by topical eye drop therapy. The axitinib nanowafer is nontoxic and did not affect the wound healing and epithelial recovery of the ocular burn induced corneas. These results confirmed that drug release from the axitinib nanowafer is more effective in inhibiting CNV compared to the topical eye drop treatment even at a lower dosing frequency.

Smoking-related emphysema is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by T helper 17 (TH17) cells through molecular mechanisms that remain obscure. Here we have explored the role of microRNA-22 (miR-22) in emphysema. MiR-22 was upregulated in lung myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) of smokers with emphysema and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of mice exposed to smoke or nanoparticulate carbon black (nCB) through a mechanism involving NF-κB. MiR-22-deficient mice, but not wild-type, showed attenuated TH17 responses and failed to develop emphysema after exposure to either smoke or nCB. We further show that miR-22 controls APC activation and TH17 responses through activation of AP-1 transcription factor complexes and histone deacetylase (HDAC) 4. Thus, miR-22 is a critical regulator of both emphysema and TH17 responses.

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