Jose Muñoz

Autonomous University of Barcelona | UAB

By combining the switching ability of redox molecules with the unique fluorescence properties of quantum dots (QDs), a robust electrochemical fluorescence switch is developed here. This is realized by grafting CdSe/ZnS QDs on transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates and, subsequently, modifying them with a Ferrocene (Fc) molecular monolayer. T...

The synthesis and study of the tripeptide Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), the binding site of different extracellular matrix proteins, e.g., fibronectin and vitronectin, has allowed the production of a wide range of cell adhesive surfaces. Although the surface density and spacing of the RGD peptide at the nanoscale have already shown a significant influence on...

Succeeding graphene, two‐dimensional (2D) inorganic materials made of reactive van der Waals layers, like 2D Germanane (2D‐Ge) derivatives, have attracted great attention because their physicochemical characteristics can be entirely tuned by modulating the nature of the surface substituent. Although very interesting from a scientific point of view,...

3D-printing technology has brought light to the large-scale and sustainable production of a wide range of low-cost electronic devices with custom forms on-demand. Despite the current availability of mainstream carbon-based nanocomposite filaments, 3D-printing of noble metals is nowadays a challenge. Herein, a one-step functionalization approach has...

3D-printing (also known as additive manufacturing) has recently emerged as an appealing technology to fight against the mainstream use of carbon-based fossil fuels by the large-scale, decentralized, and sustainable manufacturing of 3D-printed electrodes for energy conversion devices. Although promising strides have been made in this area, the tunab...

Multifunktionale Mikroroboter., die chirale supramolekulare Selektoren enthalten, stellen einen vielversprechenden Weg für die Enantiomerenerkennung dar. Die Kombination verschiedener aktiver Verbindungen in einer einzigen Architektur ermöglicht einen multifunktionalen Mikroroboter, der chirale Erkennung, fluoreszierende Eigenschaften sowie die Fäh...

Self‐propulsion multifunctional microrobots harboring chiral supramolecular selectors represent a promising pathway for “enantiorecognition‐on‐the‐fly” while employing different readouts (e.g., optical and electrical). The combination of different active compounds in a single architecture allows for a multifunctional microrobot that simultaneously...

Herein, a general procedure for the synthesis of multifunctional MRs, which simultaneously exhibit i) chiral, ii) magnetic, and iii) fluorescent properties in combination with iv) self‐propulsion, is reported. Self‐propelled Ni@Pt superparamagnetic microrockets have been functionalized with fluorescent CdS quantum dots carrying a chiral host biomol...

Herein, a general procedure for the synthesis of multifunctional MRs, which simultaneously exhibit i) chiral, ii) magnetic, and iii) fluorescent properties in combination with iv) self‐propulsion, is reported. Self‐propelled Ni@Pt superparamagnetic microrockets have been functionalized with fluorescent CdS quantum dots carrying a chiral host biomol...

2D-Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene was covalently functionalized with a photo-active molecule, azobenzene, to optically write/erase two distinguished electrical states. This work paves the way toward real applicability of 2D-MXenes by providing a new family of “Responsive MXetronics”.

3D printing technology has brought light in the fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic event through the decentralized and on-demand manufacture of different personal protective equipment and medical devices. Nonetheless, since this technology is still in an early stage, the use of 3D-printed electronic devices for antigen test developments is...

The ability to combine organic and inorganic components in a single material represents a great step toward the development of advanced (opto)electronic systems. Nowadays, 3D-printing technology has generated a revolution in the rapid prototyping and low-cost fabrication of 3D-printed electronic devices. However, a main drawback when using 3D-print...

MAX phases are a group of layered 2D materials made of early transition metal, A‐group element, and C or N. These nanolaminated carbides and nitrides combine many attractive characteristics of metals and ceramics such as excellent electric and thermal conductivity and high chemical resistance. Although MAX phases have shown promising electrochemica...

3D printing technology has gained great interest since it enables decen-tralized and customized manufacturing of 3D-printed electronic devices. From an electrochemical point of view, 3D-printed electrodes present promising achievements for (bio)sensing approaches. Herein, the feasibility of exploiting 3D-printed electrode substrates toward chiral a...

Correction for ‘Cyclodextrin-based superparamagnetic host vesicles as ultrasensitive nanobiocarriers for electrosensing’ by Jose Muñoz et al. , Nanoscale , 2020, 12 , 9884–9889, DOI: 10.1039/D0NR01702G.

3D printing of carbon-based nanocomposites, which combine the electrical properties of carbon additives with the benefits of thermoplastics, has emerged as a promising route towards rapid and low-cost manufacturing of customised-shaped electronic devices with minimised waste. However, their poor electrical activity in their pristine state makes act...

Development of competent and cost-effective materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been attracting great attention since hydrogen is hailed as a promising environmentally friendly energy source to reduce the greenhouse emissions. Herein, Ru(0) nanoparticles (RuNPs) have been stabilized onto the surface of four different conducting carb...

Molecular switching memories have gained great importance in recent years because of the current sharp increase in the production of consumer electronics. Herein, 3D-printed nanocomposite carbon electrodes (3D-nCEs) have been explored as unconventional responsive interfaces to electrically readout bistable molecular switches via electrochemical imp...

3D-printing is an emerging technology that can be used for the fast prototyping and decentralised production of objects with complex geometries. Concretely, carbon-based 3D-printed electrodes have emerged as promising components for electrochemical capacitors. However, such electrodes usually require some post-treatments to be electrically active....

Heavy metal ions, small organic molecules and inorganic pollutants are some environmentally hazardous compounds that negatively impact the ecosystem and public health, owing to their high toxicity, persistency and bioaccumulation. This makes it essential to develop rapid, simple, low-cost and sensitive devices for in situ monitoring of these toxic...

Water‐gated organic field‐effect transistors (WGOFETs) are expected to have a strong impact in the field of electronic biosensors owing to the synergism between the transduction function of the transistors with the fact that they can be operated in physiological media. Nonetheless, a limited library of gate electrodes has currently been explored fo...

In this preliminary work, carbon nanohorns (CNHs) have been dispersed for the first time in an inert polymeric matrix for the development of a new 0D CNH-based polymer nanocomposite carbon-paste electrode (pNC–CPE). As a first demonstration, the electrically conductive networks were optimized by tuning the filler/polymer composition ratio in order...

Additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) has begun to spread for prototyping at-point-of-use biosensing platforms since allows the custom and decentralized fabrication for on-demand low-cost devices and actuators. Although this research is still in an early stage, 3D printing of bioanalytical platforms can offer enormous potential in seve...

The development of highly sensitive and selective devices for the rapid screening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water is nowadays a crucial challenge owing to their alarming abundance in the environment and adverse health effects. Herein, inspired by the unique π–stacking interactions taking place between identical small aromatic mo...

A carbohydrate-based nanohybrid of superparamagnetic nanoparticles embedded in unilamellar bilayer vesicles of amphiphilic β-cyclodextrins (magnetic cyclodextrin vesicles, mCDVs) has been engineered as a novel magnetic biorecognition probe for electrosensing. As a proof-of-concept, the synergistic properties of mCDVs on a magnetic nanocomposite car...

A generic synthetic methodology has been applied for functionalizing four conducting carbon nanoallotropes, such as 0D carbon nanohorns (CNHs), 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs), 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and 3D graphite (GP) with platinum(0) nanoparticles (Pt–NP), and exploited towards the electrocatalytic determination of methylparaben (MeP), whic...

Nanocomposite carbon-paste electrodes (NC–CPEs) have been investigated for the first time in Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistors (EGOFETs) as replacement of conventional metal gate electrodes, using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as model carbon filler. Interestingly, the electrical properties of the resulting devices have been modulated by...

This article reports a novel electrochemical recognition platform based on a nanocomposite carbon paste electrode containing carbon nanotubes modified with gold nanoparticles carrying a thiolated catechol for the fast amperometric determination of uranyl ion (UO2²⁺) in water. Recognition of UO2²⁺ is accomplished by supramolecular chemistry due to t...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied as an electrochemical recognition element for the impedimetric determination of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water, using hexocyanoferrate as a redox probe. For this goal, an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode functionalized with a silane-based self-assembled monolayer carrying CNTs has...

The development of highly sensitive and selective enantiomeric platforms towards the rapid screening of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is nowadays a crucial challenge in several fields related to pharmacology, biomedicine, biotechnology and (bio)sensors. Herein, it is presented a novel, facile and generic methodology focused on exploiting...

This work is based on synergetically exploiting the activity of graphene-based materials and trityl free radicals to sense xanthine (X) by their combined scavenging properties for superoxide anion radical (O2•−). For this, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and rGO covalently functionalized with a perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) radical derivative (rGO@PT...

The determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water at low levels is a current challenge given their great impact on the health and safety of the public. Here, a novel pyrene-based self-assembled monolayer (SAM) platform is exploited as PAH sensing recognition device. Interestingly, the formation of π-π sandwich complexes between...

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) has gained widespread application for the characterization of functionalized electrode surfaces and for the transduction of bio-sensing events. However, bio-sensors using EIS detection have to be carefully designed to minimize non-specific binding of the analyte. In this sense, surface engineering by usi...

Over the past few decades, the (bio)functionalization of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), such as nanohorns, carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphite and related with a wide range of (bio)modifiers have been extensively studied for their incorporation on different pure metal or carbon electrode surfaces via drop-casting. However, CNMs are also shown to be...

Intermatrix Synthesis technique (IMS) has proven to be an environmentally friendly methodology for the preparation of functional metal nanoparticles (FMNPs) on different reactive matrices. The distribution of these FMNPs is an important feature to control depending on the final application of the Nanocomposite: bactericide assays for water treatmen...

This article reports a novel electrochemical sensor based on a nanocomposite for the sensitive determination of Thyroxine (T4), the active form of the hormone. Hydrodynamic amperometry is performed with a nanocomposite electrode based on the dispersion of a graphene–based filler hybrid-nanomaterial throughout an insulating epoxy resin in the optimu...

This work is focused on evaluating the direct electrochemical effect of semi-conducting nanocrystals when they are integrated in bulky nanocomposite sensors based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). For this aim, MWCNTs have successfully been functionalized with CdS quantum dots (CdS–QDs@MWCNTs) and then dispersed within an insulating polymer...

Intermatrix Synthesis (IMS) technique has proven to be a valid methodology for the in situ incorporation of quantum dots (QDs) in a wide range of nanostructured surfaces for the preparation of advanced hybrid-nanomaterials. In this sense, this communication reports the recent advances in the application of IMS for the synthesis of CdS-QDs with favo...

This work focuses on the effect of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) purification methods for their application as conductive materials in the development of MWCNTs/epoxy amperometric nanocomposite (bio)sensors. For this purpose, three different MWCNTs samples with distinctive purities were characterized by Termogravimetric Analysis, X-Ray Fluore...

In this work, it is reported the necessity to characterize the raw carbon materials before their application in composite electrodes based on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in epoxy resin for the development of improved amperometric sensors. These sensors must contain an optimum MWCNT/epoxy ratio for their best electroanalytical resp...

In this communication we report novel, simple and effective methodologies for the incorporation of Functional Metal Nanoparticles in carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite electrodes. The incorporation of Nanoparticles was obtained by three different routes: a) in situ functionalization of carbon nanotube surface, b) incorporation and dispersion into...