Objective(s): Carbon nanotube (CNT) has been widely applied at molecular and cellular levels due to its exceptional properties. Studies based on conjugation of CNTs with biological molecules indicated that biological activity is preserved. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is explored in designing novel gene delivery vectors due to its ability to condense plasmid DNA through electrostatic attraction. In t...

Due to the good photocatalytic activity, the TiO2@CNTs thin film is highly desirable to apply to the self-cleaning glass for green intelligent building. Here, the TiO2@CNTs thin film has been successfully achieved by polymer-assisted approach of an aqueous chemical solution method. The polymer, polyethylenimine, aims to combine the Ti4+ with CNTs for film formation of TiO2@CNTs. The resultant t...

Efficient high-throughput expression of genes in mammalian cells can facilitate large-scale functional genomic studies. Towards this aim, we developed a simple yet powerful method to deliver genes into cells by cationic polymers on the surface of substrates. Transfection can be achieved by directly contacting nucleic acid-cell mixtures with the cationic substrates, e.g. polyethylenimine/collage...

A polymer-based gene delivery system, denoted as “DNA/polycation/polyanion”, is designed based on the concept of polyelectrolyte multilayer fabrication by the layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte self-assembly technology. The comparisons of the physicochemical properties between ‘core’ DNA/branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and DNA/chitosan complexes suggest that DNA/PEI complexes form as colloidally st...

Nanoparticles represent an alternative to viral vectors for genetic material transfer to the nervous system. However, to increase transfection efficiency in the central nervous system and to decrease toxicity, the design of nanoparticles needs to be improved to enhance blood-brain barrier crossing and endosomal escape. This paper reviews the strategies used to solve these difficulties and cover...

Anatase (TiO₂) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes bearing polyethylenimine (PEI) anchored on their surface were hybridized in different proportions according to a sol-gel method. The resulting nanocomposites (TiO₂@PEI-MWCNTs), characterized by BET, XRD, XPS, SEM, and UV techniques, were found efficient catalysts for CO₂ photoreduction into formic and acetic acids in water suspension and under vis...

Chemically ordered, self-assembled FePt nanoparticle arrays with high magnetic anisotropy are considered a candidate medium for data storage beyond 1 Tbit/in. We report comprehensive structural and magnetic studies on thin (3 layer) assemblies of polyethylenimine (PEI) and 4 nm Fe58Pt42 nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction, small angle neutron scattering and magnetometry. We show that prior to...