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Picollo F, Battiato A, Bosia F, Scaffidi Muta F, Olivero P, Rigato V, Rubanov S. Creation of pure non-crystalline diamond nanostructures via room-temperature ion irradiation and subsequent thermal annealing. Nanoscale Adv 2021; 3:4156-4165. [PMID: 36132848 PMCID: PMC9419479 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00136a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Carbon exhibits a remarkable range of structural forms, due to the availability of sp3, sp2 and sp1 chemical bonds. Contrarily to other group IV elements such as silicon and germanium, the formation of an amorphous phase based exclusively on sp3 bonds is extremely challenging due to the strongly favored formation of graphitic-like structures at room temperature and pressure. As such, the formation of a fully sp3-bonded carbon phase requires an extremely careful (and largely unexplored) definition of the pressure and temperature across the phase diagram. Here, we report on the possibility of creating full-sp3 amorphous nanostructures within the bulk crystal of diamond with room-temperature ion-beam irradiation, followed by an annealing process that does not involve the application of any external mechanical pressure. As confirmed by numerical simulations, the (previously unreported) radiation-damage-induced formation of an amorphous sp2-free phase in diamond is determined by the buildup of extremely high internal stresses from the surrounding lattice, which (in the case of nanometer-scale regions) fully prevent the graphitization process. Besides the relevance of understanding the formation of exotic carbon phases, the use of focused/collimated ion beams discloses appealing perspectives for the direct fabrication of such nanostructures in complex three-dimensional geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Picollo
- Physics Department and "NIS Inter-departmental Centre", University of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Section of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
| | - A Battiato
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Section of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
| | - F Bosia
- Physics Department and "NIS Inter-departmental Centre", University of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
- Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino Torino 10129 Italy
| | - F Scaffidi Muta
- Physics Department and "NIS Inter-departmental Centre", University of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
| | - P Olivero
- Physics Department and "NIS Inter-departmental Centre", University of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Section of Torino Torino 10125 Italy
| | - V Rigato
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Laboratories of Legnaro Legnaro 35020 Italy
| | - S Rubanov
- Ian Holmes Imaging Centre, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
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Guarina L, Calorio C, Gavello D, Moreva E, Traina P, Battiato A, Ditalia Tchernij S, Forneris J, Gai M, Picollo F, Olivero P, Genovese M, Carbone E, Marcantoni A, Carabelli V. Nanodiamonds-induced effects on neuronal firing of mouse hippocampal microcircuits. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2221. [PMID: 29396456 PMCID: PMC5797106 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20528-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) are carbon-based nanomaterials that can efficiently incorporate optically active photoluminescent centers such as the nitrogen-vacancy complex, thus making them promising candidates as optical biolabels and drug-delivery agents. FNDs exhibit bright fluorescence without photobleaching combined with high uptake rate and low cytotoxicity. Focusing on FNDs interference with neuronal function, here we examined their effect on cultured hippocampal neurons, monitoring the whole network development as well as the electrophysiological properties of single neurons. We observed that FNDs drastically decreased the frequency of inhibitory (from 1.81 Hz to 0.86 Hz) and excitatory (from 1.61 to 0.68 Hz) miniature postsynaptic currents, and consistently reduced action potential (AP) firing frequency (by 36%), as measured by microelectrode arrays. On the contrary, bursts synchronization was preserved, as well as the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory events. Current-clamp recordings revealed that the ratio of neurons responding with AP trains of high-frequency (fast-spiking) versus neurons responding with trains of low-frequency (slow-spiking) was unaltered, suggesting that FNDs exerted a comparable action on neuronal subpopulations. At the single cell level, rapid onset of the somatic AP (“kink”) was drastically reduced in FND-treated neurons, suggesting a reduced contribution of axonal and dendritic components while preserving neuronal excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Guarina
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - C Calorio
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - D Gavello
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - E Moreva
- Istituto Nazionale Ricerca Metrologica, Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - P Traina
- Istituto Nazionale Ricerca Metrologica, Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - A Battiato
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - S Ditalia Tchernij
- Department of Physics and "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - J Forneris
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - M Gai
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - F Picollo
- Department of Physics and "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - P Olivero
- Department of Physics and "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - M Genovese
- Istituto Nazionale Ricerca Metrologica, Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135, Torino, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - E Carbone
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - A Marcantoni
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - V Carabelli
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, "NIS" inter-departmental centre, University of Torino, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy.
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Lazzarini A, Piovano A, Pellegrini R, Leofanti G, Agostini G, Rudić S, Chierotti MR, Gobetto R, Battiato A, Spoto G, Zecchina A, Lamberti C, Groppo E. A comprehensive approach to investigate the structural and surface properties of activated carbons and related Pd-based catalysts. Catal Sci Technol 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cy00159a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Activated carbons and related Pd-based catalysts are investigated with a multi-techniques approach, which allows correlating structure and performance.
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