Successful development of ultra-sensitive molecular imaging nanoprobes for the detection of targeted biological objects is a challenging task. Although magnetic nanoprobes have the potential to perform such a role, the results from probes that are currently available have been far from optimal. Here we used artificial engineering approaches to develop innovative magnetic nanoprobes, through a process that involved the systematic evaluation of the magnetic spin, size and type of spinel metal ferrites. These magnetism-engineered iron oxide (MEIO) nanoprobes, when conjugated with antibodies, showed enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sensitivity for the detection of cancer markers compared with probes currently available. Also, we successfully visualized small tumors implanted in a mouse. Such high-performance, nanotechnology-based molecular probes could enhance the ability to visualize other biological events critical to diagnostics and therapeutics.

The conversion of electromagnetic energy into heat by nanoparticles has the potential to be a powerful, non-invasive technique for biotechnology applications such as drug release, disease treatment and remote control of single cell functions, but poor conversion efficiencies have hindered practical applications so far. In this Letter, we demonstrate a significant increase in the efficiency of magnetic thermal induction by nanoparticles. We take advantage of the exchange coupling between a magnetically hard core and magnetically soft shell to tune the magnetic properties of the nanoparticle and maximize the specific loss power, which is a gauge of the conversion efficiency. The optimized core-shell magnetic nanoparticles have specific loss power values that are an order of magnitude larger than conventional iron-oxide nanoparticles. We also perform an antitumour study in mice, and find that the therapeutic efficacy of these nanoparticles is superior to that of a common anticancer drug.

With the aim of controlling nanoscale magnetism, we demonstrate an approach encompassing concepts of surface and exchange anisotropy while reflecting size, shape, and structural hybridization of nanoparticles. We visualize that cube has higher magnetization value than sphere with highest coercivity at 60 nm. Its hybridization into core-shell (CS) structure brings about a 14-fold increase in the coercivity with an exceptional energy conversion of magnetic field into thermal energy of 10600 W/g, the largest reported to date. Such capability of the CS-cube is highly effective for drug resistant cancer cell treatment.

The preparation of 2D layered SnS2 nanoplates with nanoscale lateral confinement (less than 150 nm) is described (see figure). Their unique nanoscale characteristics, including finite lateral 2D morphology, make the discharge capacity of Li ion batteries remarkably high‐almost close to the theoretical possible value.

Doped up: The incorporation of Zn(2+) dopants in tetrahedral sites leads to the successful magnetism tuning of spinel metal ferrite nanoparticles (see picture). (Zn(0.4)Mn(0.6))Fe(2)O(4) nanoparticles exhibit the highest magnetization value among the metal ferrite nanoparticles. Such high magnetism results in the largest MRI contrast effects (r2=860 mm(-1) s(-1)) reported to date and also huge hyperthermic effects.

While interesting and unprecedented material characteristics of two dimensionality (2-D) layered nanomaterials are emerging, their reliable synthetic methodologies are not well developed. In this study we demonstrate general applicability of synthetic protocols to a wide range of colloidal 2-D layered transition-metal chalcogenide (TMC) nanocrystals. As distinctly different from other nanocrystals, we discovered that 2-D layered TMC nanocrystals are unstable in the presence of reactive radicals from elemental chalcogen during the crystal formation. We first introduce the synthesis of titanium sulfide and selenide where well-defined single crystallinity and lateral size controllability are verified, and then such synthetic protocols are extended to all of group IV and V transition-metal sulfide (TiS(2), ZrS(2), HfS(2), VS(2), NbS(2), and TaS(2)) and selenide (TiSe(2), ZrSe(3), HfSe(3), VSe(2), NbSe(2), and TaSe(2)) nanocrystals. The use of appropriate chalcogen source is found to be critical for the successful synthesis of 2-D layered TMC nanocrystals. CS(2) is an efficient chalcogen precursor for metal sulfide nanocrystals, whereas elemental Se is appropriate for metal selenide nanocrystals. We briefly discuss the effects of reactive radical characteristics of elemental S and Se on the formation of 2-D layered TMC nanocrystals.

We present a colloidal route for the synthesis of ultrathin ZrS(2) (UT-ZrS(2)) nanodiscs that are ~1.6 nm thick and consist of approximately two unit cells of S-Zr-S. The lateral size of the discs can be tuned to 20, 35, or 60 nm while their thickness is kept constant. Under the appropriate conditions, these individual discs can self-assemble into face-to-face-stacked structures containing multiple discs. Because the S-Zr-S layers within individual discs are held together by weak van der Waals interactions, each UT-ZrS(2) disc provides spaces that can serve as host sites for intercalation. When we tested UT-ZrS(2) discs as anodic materials for Li(+) intercalation, they showed excellent nanoscale size effects, enhancing the discharge capacity by 230% and greatly improving the stability in comparison with bulk ZrS(2). The nanoscale size effect was especially prominent for their performance in fast charging/discharging cycles, where an 88% average recovery of reversible capacity was observed for UT-ZrS(2) discs with a lateral diameter of 20 nm. The nanoscale thickness and lateral size of UT-ZrS(2) discs are critical for fast and reliable intercalation cycling because those dimensions both increase the surface area and provide open edges that enhance the diffusion kinetics for guest molecules.

Recently a memristor ( Chua, L. O. IEEE Trans. Circuit Theory 1971 , 18 , 507 ), the fourth fundamental passive circuit element, has been demonstrated as thin film device operations ( Strukov, D. B.; Snider, G. S.; Stewart, D. R.; Williams, R. S. Nature (London) 2008 , 453 , 80 ; Yang, J. J.; Pickett. M. D.; Li, X.; Ohlberg, D. A. A.; Stewart, D. R.; Williams, R. S. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2008 , 3 , 429 ). A new addition to the memristor family can be nanoparticle assemblies consisting of an infinite number of monodispersed, crystalline magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) particles. Assembly of nanoparticles that have sizes below 10 nm, exhibits at room temperature a voltage-current hysteresis with an abrupt and large bipolar resistance switching (R(OFF)/R(ON) approximately 20). Interestingly, observed behavior could be interpreted by adopting an extended memristor model that combines both a time-dependent resistance and a time-dependent capacitance. We also observed that such behavior is not restricted to magnetites; it is a general property of nanoparticle assemblies as it was consistently observed in different types of spinel structured nanoparticles with different sizes and compositions. Further investigation into this new nanoassembly system will be of importance to the realization of the next generation nanodevices with potential advantages of simpler and inexpensive device fabrications.