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Aziz IA, Gabirondo E, Flores A, Posadas P, Sardon H, Mecerreyes D, Criado-Gonzalez M. Nanostructured films from poly(3-hexylthiophene)- graft-poly(ε-caprolactone) as light-responsive generators of reactive oxygen species. NANOSCALE 2025; 17:10677-10684. [PMID: 40202768 DOI: 10.1039/d5nr00027k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2025]
Abstract
The design of smart photoelectrodes is used to modulate and control the spatio-temporal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this work, we develop photoactive films with tunable nanostructured morphologies to favor ROS production via photostimulation. To that aim, we synthesized graft copolymers, made of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), P3HT-g-PCL, which were employed to fabricate compact films by drop casting. The films were further subjected to a thermo-oxidative treatment in the presence of H2O2 at 42 °C. This led to nanostructured films with a porosity (∼500 nm diameter and ∼70 nm height) controlled at specific copolymer compositions, as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanostructured P3HT films possess higher storage moduli (E') than flat P3HT films, as determined by nanoindentation measurements. Finally, the performance of nanostructured P3HT films as photoelectrodes is assessed in a three-electrode electrochemical cell upon visible-light irradiation (λ = 467 nm), leading to the spatiotemporal production of H2O2 at non-cytotoxic levels for future non-invasive redox medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Abdel Aziz
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center, Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Elena Gabirondo
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center, Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Araceli Flores
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pilar Posadas
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Haritz Sardon
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center, Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - David Mecerreyes
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center, Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Miryam Criado-Gonzalez
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center, Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain.
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Abalos RN, Aziz IA, Caverzan M, Lochedino AS, Ibarra LE, Gallastegui A, Chesta CA, Gómez ML, Mecerreyes D, Palacios RE, Criado-Gonzalez M. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles as visible-light photoinitiators and photosensitizers in 3D printable acrylic hydrogels for photodynamic therapies. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2025; 12:2524-2534. [PMID: 40052897 DOI: 10.1039/d4mh01802h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2025]
Abstract
The design of smart photoelectrodes capable of stimulating the localized production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on demand is of great interest for redox medicine therapies. In this work, poly(3-hexylthiophene) semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (P3HT SPNs) are used with a dual role to fabricate light-responsive hydrogels. First, P3HT SPNs act as visible-light photoinitiators to induce the photopolymerization of acrylic monomers such as acrylamide (AAm), 2-(hydroxyethyl) acrylate (HEA), and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). This leads to the formation of acrylic hydrogels loaded with the P3HT SPNs, as demonstrated by photo-rheology and infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, P3HT SPNs are also successfully used as photoinitiators for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing purposes to fabricate shape-defined intelligent hydrogels. Interestingly, P3HT SPNs retain their photoelectrochemical properties when embedded within the polymer hydrogels, showing photocurrent densities that range from ∼0.2 to ∼1.1 μA cm-2 depending on the intensity of the visible light-lamp (λ = 467 nm). Second, they can be used as photosensitizers (PS) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), 12-15 μM H2O2, on demand. The acrylic hydrogels containing P3HT SPNs do not exhibit cytotoxic effects under normal physiological conditions in the darkness against mouse glioma 261 (GL261) cells and S. aureus bacteria. However, they induce a ∼50% reduction GL261 cancer cell viability and a ∼99% S. aureus cell death in contact with them upon illumination (λ = 467 nm) due to the localized overproduction of ROS, which makes them attractive candidates for photodynamic therapies (PDT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Natera Abalos
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - Ilaria Abdel Aziz
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center. Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
| | - Matías Caverzan
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - Arianna Sosa Lochedino
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - Luis E Ibarra
- Instituto de Biotecnología Ambiental y Salud (INBIAS), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina
| | - Antonela Gallastegui
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center. Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
| | - Carlos A Chesta
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - M Lorena Gómez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - David Mecerreyes
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center. Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Rodrigo E Palacios
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnologías Energéticas y Materiales Avanzados (IITEMA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Campus Universitario, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - Miryam Criado-Gonzalez
- POLYMAT, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Joxe Mari Korta Center. Avda. Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
- Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Stanca SE, Diegel M, Dellith J, Zieger G, Hübner U, Ihring A, Krüger H. Electrochemically grown porous platinum for electrocatalysis and optical applications. Commun Chem 2025; 8:93. [PMID: 40158030 PMCID: PMC11954909 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-025-01476-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2025] [Indexed: 04/01/2025] Open
Abstract
Localized electrochemically grown porous platinum layers on 2D and 3D microstructured materials enable a wide range of applications from electrocatalysis to optoelectronics. These layers exhibit a thickness gradient and surface corner overloading due to electric charge accumulation at the sharp corners. On one hand, these effects can be applied to create ultra-large surface area catalysts or electrocatalysts. On the other hand, they can be mitigated by guiding the electric field at the nanoscale. Here, we show that porous platinum grown on rough conductive silicon synergistically catalyses the electroreduction of CO2 in a humid gaseous atmosphere, overcoming the disadvantage of CO2´s low water solubility. In addition, using template-directed growth of porous platinum, we tuned the optical response of an infrared (IR) metamaterial fabricated by micropatterning on Si/NiCr/Ti substrates and constructed a broad absorber on potential IR-functional microcomponents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Diegel
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jan Dellith
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Uwe Hübner
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Heidemarie Krüger
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany
- Institute for Solid State Physics, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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Winter-Hjelm N, Isdal L, Köllensperger PA, Sandvig A, Sandvig I, Sikorski P. Nanoporous platinum microelectrode arrays for neuroscience applications. RSC Adv 2025; 15:5822-5836. [PMID: 39981000 PMCID: PMC11841673 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra08957j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2025] [Indexed: 02/22/2025] Open
Abstract
Microelectrode arrays are invaluable tools for investigating the electrophysiological behaviour of neuronal networks with high spatiotemporal precision. In recent years, it has become increasingly common to functionalize such electrodes with highly porous platinum to increase their effective surface area, and hence their signal-to-noise ratio. Although such functionalization significantly improves the electrochemical performance of the electrodes, the impact of various electrode morphologies on biocompatibility and electrophysiological performance in cell cultures remains poorly understood. In this study, we introduce reproducible protocols for depositing highly porous platinum with varying morphologies on microelectrodes designed for neural cell cultures. We also evaluate the impact of morphology and electrode size on the signal-to-noise ratio in recordings from rat cortical neurons cultured on these electrodes. Our results indicate that electrodes with a uniform layer of highly nanoporous platinum offer the best trade-off between biocompatibility, electrochemical, and electrophysiological performance. While more microporous electrodes exhibited lower impedance, nanoporous electrodes detected higher extracellular signal amplitudes from neurons, suggesting reduced distance between perisomatic neuronal areas and the electrodes. Additionally, these nanoporous electrodes showed fewer thickness variations at their edges compared to the more porous electrodes. Such edges can be mechanically broken off during cell culturing and contribute to long-term cytotoxic effects, which is highly undesirable. We hope this work will contribute to better standardization in creating and utilizing nanoporous platinum microelectrodes for neuroscience applications. Improving the accessibility and reproducibility of this technology is crucial for enhancing the quality of electrophysiological data and advancing our understanding of neuronal network function and dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Winter-Hjelm
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Norway
| | - Leik Isdal
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim Norway
| | - Peter A Köllensperger
- NTNU NanoLab, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim Norway
| | - Axel Sandvig
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Norway
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St. Olav's University Hospital Trondheim Norway
| | - Ioanna Sandvig
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Norway
| | - Pawel Sikorski
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim Norway
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Stanca SE, Rayapati VR, Chakraborty A, Dellith J, Fritzsche W, Zieger G, Schmidt H. NIR-ViS-UV broadband absorption in ultrathin electrochemically-grown, graded index nanoporous platinum films. Sci Rep 2024; 14:22709. [PMID: 39349574 PMCID: PMC11442651 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73204-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Nanoporous platinum broadband absorber has attracted interest in thermosensorics and IR photodetection due to its unique properties. In this work we report the physical mechanism underlying broadband absorption in electrochemically-grown, nanoporous Pt films by analyzing NIR-ViS-UV spectral ellipsometry data of nanoporous Pt films in dependence on the Pt film thickness (27, 35, 38, 48 nm). For the two thinner films a single layer model with a graded optical index Pt surface layer was used. For the two thicker films a two-layer optical model with a constant optical index Pt substrate layer and a graded optical index Pt surface layer was used. The graded optical index of the Pt surface layer reduces surface reflectivity and the constant optical index Pt substrate layer supports multiple reflections in the Pt film. Finally, we relate the thickness dependent optical index with the nanostructure of the nanoporous Pt film, which can be controlled in the electrochemical growth process. We observed that while in the transverse plane the multilayer exhibits graded refractive index, in the top horizontal planes the multilayer assembly exhibits discontinuous refractive index values due to the distribution of platinum crystal islands in air, which allows a metamaterial behavior of the whole system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarmiza-Elena Stanca
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - Venkata R Rayapati
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Friedrich-Schiller- Universität Jena, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
| | - Abhik Chakraborty
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Friedrich-Schiller- Universität Jena, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Jan Dellith
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fritzsche
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Gabriel Zieger
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Heidemarie Schmidt
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Friedrich-Schiller- Universität Jena, Helmholtzweg 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
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Electrochemical biosensor with aptamer/porous platinum nanoparticle on round-type micro-gap electrode for saxitoxin detection in fresh water. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 210:114300. [PMID: 35489276 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cyanotoxins are toxins produced by cyanobacteria; they negatively impact water resources used by humans and disrupt ecosystems worldwide. Among cyanotoxins, saxitoxin (STX) is a small molecule that causes paralysis in humans and contamination in freshwater resources. To monitor low concentration of STX levels, a sensitive and high fidelity detection system is required. In this study, a round-type micro-gap electrode (RMGE) was fabricated that provides the high signal fidelity for STX detection in real freshwater sample. The RMGE has the 15 pairs of identical electrode wire length between gap that gives the high signal fidelity. In addition, the sensitivity for STX detection was improved by introducing the porous platinum nanoparticle (pPtNP) that enahced the electrochemical sensitivity and the STX aptamer was used as the bioprobe. An electrochemical measurement method (square wave voltammetry (SWV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)) was introduced to construct STX biosensor. To evaluate the biosensor performance, the limit of detection (LOD) and selectivity test were performed on real freshwater samples. The biosensor demonstrated high selectivity even in freshwater samples over a wide linear concentration range of 10 pg/mL to 1 μg/mL and a detection limit of 4.669 pg/mL. These results suggest that the designed biosensor shows a wide range of possibilities for the detection of toxicants in freshwater that provide the new direction to the biosensor electrode design.
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