Dean Ho, Ph.D.

Nanodiamonds have emerged as promising candidates for clinical drug delivery due to their ability to carry a wide range of candidate therapies, unique surface properties, and biological tolerability. This lecture will highlight our recent clinical trial to validate a nanodiamond-embedded biomaterial for root canal therapy indications [1]. We will discuss the broad spectrum of efficacy, safety, characterization, and other studies that bridged in vitro with preclinical and downstream in-human studies. This lecture will also discuss upcoming clinical nanodiamond-based drug carrier studies, as well as our work in augmented artificial intelligence (AI) to develop globally optimized nanodiamond-modified therapy. Pairing nanodiamond platforms with augmented AI will lead to major advances in drug development and markedly improve response rates and treatment outcomes for a broad spectrum of disorders. Our recent clinical trials using these powerful combination therapy optimization technologies and digital health platforms to scale their implementation to usher in a new era of nanomedicine-based treatment will also be discussed [2].

1. Lee et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017

2. Zarrinpar et al., Science Translational Medicine, 2016

Highly sensitive large-scale tin oxide (SnO₂) nanostructures were grown on a glass substrate by vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process using a mixture of anhydrous tin (II) chloride (SnCl₂) and zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) powders. We demonstrate a new kind of single cell vapor deposition system to precisely control nanostructural morphology by changing the weight ratio of SnCl₂ and ZnCl₂ and growth temperature. The morphology and structural property of as-grown nanostructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SEM images revealed that the SnO₂ nanostructures with different densities, sizes, and shapes can be achieved by adjusting the weight ratio of SnCl₂ and ZnCl₂. SnO₂ nanostructures with diameter ~20 nm and length ~100 nm showed ~85% sensitivity and 53 seconds of response time, whereas the nanorods with diameter ~100 nm and length ~ 1mm showed ~50% sensitivity with 198 seconds response time. The nanostructured material with small size and shape showed better sensitivity on sensing at room temperature compared to previously reported SnO₂ based sensors.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based sensors, whose resonance absorbance wavelength responds to the change in the local dielectric environment have attracted great attention and have been widely studied over the past decade. These sensors are traditionally improved by modifying the shape, size, and gap in the plasmonic nanostructure of the sensor. The sensitivity can also be tuned by the dielectric constant of the plasmonic material, such as noble metal alloys, but the improvements are not significant. Here we show that using a metal-dielectric composite, one can significantly improve the sensitivity of a LSPR sensor. Regular nanotriangle pattern samples composed of a mixture of Ag and MgF₂ with different composition ratios are prepared by combining nanosphere lithography and electron beam co-deposition. The plasmon resonance of these composite nanostructures at high Ag composition (C_Ag)are shown to redshift with C_Ag until a composition threshold (C_Ag ≤ 90%) is met, where the resonance wavelength is nearly constant, slightly blue shifting. Multiple morphological and compositional characterization techniques are used to confirm that the shifts in the plasmonic properties are due to the change in composition and not a change in the morphology. The resulting LSPR sensor at C_Ag = 90 at.% can achieve a sensitivity of 696 RIU/nm, as compared to 312 RIU/nm for the same nanotriangle with pure Ag. This significantly improved sensitivity is due to the modified dispersion relationship of the dielectric constant by the composite and will play an important role in future plasmonic material design and applications.

Metal oxide nanomaterials are desirable for solid-state gas sensors because of their ability to detect a wide variety of gases through changes in resistance resulting from gas-surface interactions. When optimizing these sensors, the supporting substrate is rarely considered, resulting in devices that are often brittle and have a fixed amount of nanomaterial that can be exposed to target analytes. Recent work using paper as the supporting substrate yields more affordable sensors that are flexible, allowing for a more robust device. Furthermore, the porous morphology of the paper also provides a larger surface area to attach metal oxides when compared to a traditional flat substrate of the same dimensions. Another limitation of these metal oxide sensors is inherent in the detection method. The lack of selectivity and required operating temperature of ≥300 °C limits the widespread use of metal oxide sensors. Dopants or the addition of a filter in the device design are typical approaches to address these problems; however, this increases fabrication complexity and cost. Plasma processing is a promising strategy to address these issues because it maintains desirable bulk properties but modifies the surface of the material to enhance gas sensor performance.

The light-harvesting capacity of plasmonic nanoparticles has recently garnered attention in the synthesis of nanoantennas for photocatalysis. Aluminum, gold, and silver have been used to successfully drive hydrogen dissociation and CO oxidation reactions by injecting hot electrons into chemically active catalysts —such as platinum and palladium— adsorbed to their surface. However, the low response of aluminum at visible-near infrared (vis-NIR) wavelengths, the high cost of silver and gold, and the low thermal stability of these three metals, inspire the quest for alternative plasmonic materials that could potentially expand the field towards more ambitious and cost-effective applications. Titanium nitride (TiN) is a conductive ceramic with high hardness and bulk melting point (2930 °C). Its plasmon resonance located in the vis-NIR region, low cost relative to gold and silver, and well-understood properties as a thin film in the semiconductor industry, make it a strong alternative to mainstream plasmonic metals. The present work encompasses a comprehensive study of the oxidation kinetics of TiN particles at the nanoscale and an exploration of its role as nanoantennas for light-induced methanol reformation. TiN particles are synthesized via a scalable, modular, non-thermal plasma method. Titanium and nitrogen precursors are transported into a RF frequency plasma where TiN particles nucleate and grow. The high surface area and nitrogen deficiency of the particles facilitate the oxidation of the material and weaken its plasmonic response. The introduction of a secondary reactor with an input of SiH₄ as precursor gas leads to the formation of a Si₃N₄ coating. STEM and XPS analyses show that Si₃N₄ acts as a diffusion barrier, dramatically reducing the oxidation of the ~8 nm TiN particles. UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometry data show that the core-shell heterostructures experience a substantial blue-shift of the plasmon peak and an increase in intensity compared to the bare TiN. Platinum nanoparticles were subsequently deposited on the TiN@Si₃N₄ by photo-induced reduction of an aqueous solution of chlorplatinic acid. After rinsing and centrifuging, the Pt/TiN@Si₃N₄ heterostructures were diluted in a 50:50 water/methanol solution. Upon photoexcitation via white light illumination, hydrogen generation was readily detected by gas chromatography. This work also highlights the wide range of applications available for light-induced processes, ranging from materials processing (deposition of Pt particles) to photocatalysis (methanol reforming). It also strengthens the case for alternative plasmonic materials in a field dominated by precious metals.

With the increased portfolio of materials deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD) there has been an increased interest in infiltrated metal oxides such as zinc oxide for novel applications. We find that ZnO metal oxide ALD infiltration can be useful for nanoscale resolution imaging of biological samples and to fabricate novel UV and gas nanosensors with high sensitivity. The ALD infiltration utilizes similar concepts of the ALD coating process with the significant difference in process exposure times, pressure, and purpose. The purpose is to allow the precursor gases infiltrate a porous media (such as a dry biological sample or a photoresist polymer) and allow the reaction to occur inside the material matrix.

In terms of device fabrication we use SU8 as a negative resist that allows for localization of the infiltration process. We have used this property to make a device that is UV sensitive, and that is sensitive to ppm concentrations of gases by using infiltrated zinc oxide. The large bandgap and semiconductor properties of ZnO allow for a visible-blind ultra violet light sensor. We used a standard UV flashlight that emits at 408 nm as the UV source. We also tested the same device for sensing gases like nitrous oxide and formaldehyde. We show that the device can detect these gases with concentrations of 5 ppm. The change in current for such low concentrations was measured to be between 25% and 35 %.

With the purpose of investigating quantum applications of infiltrated ZnO, we also have characterized the growth of ZnO in PS-b-PMMA block copolymers (BCP) of spherical and cylindrical sub-20 nm morphologies and studied how the photoluminescence of these nanostructures varies per its seed layer. We report blue-shifted photoemission at 335nm (3.70eV), suggesting quantum confinement effects. Samples of ZnO prepared with an alumina seed layer showed additional defect state photoemission at 470nm and 520nm for spherical and cylindrical BCP morphologies, respectively. Defect photoemission was not observed in samples prepared without a seed layer. No Raman peaks were observed for any samples with less than four cycles of ZnO, implying the absence of phonons and the functionality of these ZnO nanostructures as isolated emitters. To that effect we have demonstrated a fabrication path to isolate single infiltrated cylinders, paving the way for further studies of optical properties of individual 20 nm ZnO nanostructures.

- Use of the Center for Nanoscale Materials an Office of Science user facility, was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

The study of metal nanoclusters has revealed quantum nanoscale effects unique to the fully size-resolved regime. A highly notable example is electronic shell structure, akin to that in atoms and nuclei, which arises when confined conduction electrons organize into discrete energy levels. One consequence is the possibility of dramatic enhancement in electron Cooper pairing. Recent research from our group has provided evidence of this enhancement in certain free Al nanoclusters, with the electronic transition taking place at a temperature two orders of magnitude above that of bulk aluminum. We now aim to take advantage of this phenomenon by exploring the pairing transition in size-selected nanoclusters soft-landed on an appropriate substrate. Of particular interest are graphene and nanotube device architectures which provide unique templates for organizing nanocluster arrays. For example, a network of such superconducting nanoislands may induce superconductivity in graphene even at low coverages. Theory also predicts that an array of nanoclusters will not only support, but even enhance the Josephson current by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Carbon allotropes offer two distinct advantages for our system. First, the weak out-of-plane bonding provides a surface with less potential to disturb the structure of the soft-landed nanoclusters. Second, the tunability of graphene and carbon nanotube-based field effect transistors offers a versatile probe of nanocluster properties. We are also investigating the use of biological nanowires (bacterial flagella) as potential scaffolds upon which to deposit such nanocluster networks. These abundant and naturally occurring nanowires could serve as low cost and highly reproducible alternatives to the more common metallic or semiconductor templates.

Research supported by the Army Research Office (W911NF-17-1-0154).

Recently, organometallic lead trihalide perovskites have emerged as a new generation of opto-electronic materials. However, the high performance detection for x-ray and gamma-ray with MAPbX₃ is still a big challenge. For x-ray and gamma-ray detections, the detectors should have high sensitivity. If the photon counting method is adopted, the high energy resolution and high time resolution are also required. In this work, the large area MAPbBr₃ single crystal has been fabricated with a facile methodology. Due to the quite thick active material and large carrier mobility, the x-ray photons and gamma-ray photons can be absorbed with high efficiency. The photo generated electrons and holes can also be collected effectively with the large electric field. To decrease the dark current in the detection, a novel photo-diode structure is proposed here. In crystallization process of MAPbI₃ single crystal, the p-n junction can be formed with doping of selenium atoms into MAPbI₃ single crystal.

With various temperature method, the 30mm×30mm×7mm MAPbBr₃ single perovskite crystal is fabricated. As the experimental results shown, almost all of the 100 keV x-ray photons are absorbed when the MAPbBr₃ SPC is 7mm thick. The detection sensitivity is as high as 305 μC Gy_air^-1cm^-2when the anode voltage of x-ray tube is 30 kV .

To reduce the dark current in the detection, two type of photo diode structures have been proposed here. Firstly, a photo diode with structure of Au/TPD/MAPbBr₃ PSC/C₆₀/PCBM/Ag has been fabricated with spin coating and sputtering methods. Although the dark current density can be reduced to 20 nA/cm² with -30V bias voltage, the temporal response time is nearly 50 μs due to the defects on the interfaces between PSC and carriers transport layers. Then, by doping selenium (Se) in MAPbI₃ perovskite single crystals (DPC) crystallization process, low dark current p-n junctions were fabricated without any organic layers. This photodiodes gives the high detection sensitivity as 21000 mC Gy_air^-1cm^-2 and 41 mC Gy_air^-1cm^-2 for 60 keV x-ray and 1.33 MeV gamma-ray respectively. In this photodiode, the transition time becomes shorter under higher electric field, and the carrier lifetime also becomes shorter due to the dopant of Se atoms. Finally, the temporal response time is measured as 3 μs by experiments. The FWHM width of energy spectrum is decreased to 3.2%@1330 keV.