Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki

• Ph.D. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF 2023) at Macquarie University

Cells and their derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) or exosomes contain unique molecular signatures that could be used as biomarkers for the detection of severe diseases such as cancer, as well as monitoring the treatment response. Revealing these molecular signatures requires developing non-invasive ultrasensitive tools to enable single molecule/...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a non-invasive analytical technique that has ultra-sensitivity and high multiplex capability. Gold nanostars (AuNSs) with the unique near-infrared localised surface plasmon resonance has shown great...

Gold and/or silver nanostars are interesting anisotropic nanoparticles that have been used in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In particular SERS nanotags consisting of gold nanostars and Raman reporter molecules have been widely utilised in biosensing and bioimaging. To improve the SERS activity of gold/silver nanostars, this paper detail...

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising materials for many bioapplications. However, upon contacting with biological media, AuNPs undergo changes. The interaction with proteins results in the so‐called protein corona (PC) around AuNPs, leading to the new bioidentity and optical properties. Understanding the mechanisms of PC formation and its funct...

Cholesterol and glucose are two important biomarkers that are linked to different human diseases. In this work, we have designed a turn-on fluorescent biosensor based on carbon dots hybridized by...

Synthesis of new nanomaterials with unique optical properties is of great importance in different fields such as energy, material science, and biomedicine. Here, for the first time, we report the synthesis of the emissive osmium nanoclusters (OsNCs) using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as template and sodium borohydride as strong reducing agent. The as...

Lung cancer is the foremost diagnosed cancer in men and the second most common cancer worldwide, highlighting the need for new treatment strategies. In the current study, AgZnO bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) with average size of 11 nm were successfully synthesized using Salvia officinalis (SO) extract. The as-synthesized AgZnO NPs were characterize...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanotags functionalized with lectins as the biological recognition element, can be used to target the carbohydrate portion of carbohydrate-carrying molecules (glycoconjugates). An investigation of the optical...

Sensors are significantly relevant to many aspects of life. The advancements in nanotechnology-based sensing systems are giving rise to exciting developments in sensor applications. Recently, nanocomposites have become highly promising candidates for the designing of new chemical sensing and biosensing platforms. Graphene-based nanocomposites have...

Despite many efforts, breast cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers and its treatment faces challenges related to cancer drug side effects and metastasis. Combining 3D printing and nanocarriers has created new opportunities in cancer treatment. In this work, 3D-printed gelatin-alginate nanocomposites containing doxorubicin-loaded niosomes (Nio...

Breast cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, especially in women. Despite many efforts, side effects of anti-cancer drugs and metastasis are still the main challenges in breast cancer treatment. Recently, advanced technologies such as 3D-printing and nanotechnology have created new horizons in cancer treatment. In this work, we report an advanc...

A nanosensor comprising of gold nanostars (Au-Nstars)-graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanocomposite layered on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to detect serotonin (ST) in various body fluids has been fabricated. The nanocomposite and the sensing platform have been thoroughly characterized with UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), transmission electr...

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are promising materials for many bioapplications. However, upon contacting with biological media, GNPs undergo changes. The interaction with proteins results in the so-called protein corona (PC) around GNPs, leading to the new bioidentity and optical properties. Understanding the mechanisms of PC formation and its function...

The great promise of photodynamic therapy (PDT) has thrusted the rapid progress of developing highly effective photosensitizers (PS) in killing cancerous cells and bacteria. To mitigate the intrinsic limitations of the classical molecular photosensitizers, researchers have been looking into designing new generation of nanomaterial-based photosensit...

In optical anti-counterfeiting, several distinct optically variable devices (OVDs) are often concurrently employed to compensate for the insufficient security level of constituent OVDs. Alternatively, metasurfaces that exhibit multiple optical responses effectively combine multiple OVDs into one, thus significantly enhancing their security and hind...

A PEGylated niosomal formulation of cyclophosphamide (Nio-Cyclo-PEG) was prepared using a central composite design and characterized in terms of drug loading, size distribution, and average size. The stability of formulations was also studied at different conditions. In vitro cytotoxicity of drug delivery formulations was assessed on gastric cancer...

In optical anti-counterfeiting, several distinct optically variable devices (OVDs) are often concurrently employed to compensate for the insufficient security level of constituent OVDs. Alternatively, metasurfaces that exhibit multiple optical responses effectively combine multiple OVDs into one, thus significantly enhancing their security and hind...

Herein, we report adsorptive removal of methylene blue as model pollutant dye by polythiophene/zeolite/iron magnetic nanocomposite, which was synthesized by chemical polymerization method. The operating process parameters, including adsorbent dose, pH, temperature, contact time, and initial concentration of dye, were optimized by Taguchi experiment...

Nature has inspired scientists to develop green and sustainable nanomaterials with biomimetic functions. Particularly, biomimetic metallic nanostructures (biometal NPs) with unique optical, catalytic, and electrical properties have received tremendous attention in many fields, ranging from healthcare and agriculture to energy and environmental scie...

Recent advances in technology are expected to increase our current understanding of neuroscience. Nanotechnology and nanomaterials can alter and control neural functionality in both in vitro and in vivo experimental setups. The intersection between neuroscience and nanoscience may generate long-term neural interfaces adapted at the molecular level....

Successful catalytic degradation of pollutant molecules in wastewater streams has received tremendous attention in the last decade. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a Fenton-like catalyst nanocomposite including CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles, porous silica and Cu-metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) via a multi-step self-assembl...

Fighting with cancer requires the delivery of different therapeutics to the target cancerous cells, by taking the advantages of the synergistic effects of complementary medicine. Herein, we present a folate-PEGylated...

Dual-functional aggregation-induced photosensitizers (AIE-PSs) with singlet oxygen generation (SOG) ability and bright fluorescence in aggregated state have received much attention in image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, designing an AIE-PS with both high SOG and intense fluorescence via molecular design is still challenging. In this w...

Designing a simple, inexpensive, and sensitive colorimetric sensor for the detection of toxic species in drinking water is of great importance. In this paper, we have demonstrated a simple and sensitive colorimetric assay for naked-eye detection of mercury ions (Hg²⁺) in water based on gold nanoparticles-catalyzed clock reaction. Citrate-capped Au...

Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers of diseases is of great importance in early diagnosis and monitoring the patient health conditions. Herein, we report a simple design for a naked-eye colorimetric biosensor for detection and determination of Glutathione (GSH) in human serum. In the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and trace c...

The last two decades have witnessed an extensive exploration of micro/nanomotors for an effective biomedical diagnosis and therapy. A nanomotor is a tiny smart device inspired by a biological motor that shows in situ energy conversion due to its own movements. Scientists are aiming for more innovative designs of these bioinspired nanomotors towards...

In the present study, a magnetic niosomal nanocarrier for co-delivery of curcumin and letrozole into breast cancer cells has been designed. The magnetic NiCoFe2O4 core was coated by a thin layer of silica, followed by a niosomal structure, allowing us to load letrozole and curcumin into the silica layer and niosomal layer, respectively, and investi...

Synthesis of value added products from wastes is of importance from different perspectives. Wood and paper industry produces tons of wastewaters that contains lignin. In this paper, we report a new approach, called solvent-shifting method, to synthesize lignin sulfonate nanoparticles (LS-NPs). The effective parameters on size of LS-NPs were careful...

Bioethanol produced from biological resources is considered as an alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy source in the context of the circular economy. Moreover, bioethanol is a biofuel that has similar energy content to gasoline, but emits less toxic pollutants compared to fossil fuels. Yet bioethanol must be anhydrous to be mixed with reg...

The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed the world’s preparation to fight against unknown/unexplored infectious and life-threatening pathogens. The unavailability of vaccines, slow or sometimes unreliable real-time virus/bacteria detection techniques, insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), and a shortage of ventilators and many other transporta...

Visible-light driven photocatalysts are of great importance in wastewater treatment. In this work, fluorine and nitrogen co-doped titanium dioxide/silica nanocomposite (F-N-TiO2/SiO2) was synthetized using a sol-gel approach. The as-developed nanocomposite was well characterized using different techniques. In particular, an anatase structure with h...

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as gold and silver, in the size range of 5-100 nm possess unique plasmonic properties such as light scattering and absorption, which can be altered by changing their shape, size, chemical composition, and even the dielectric constant of the medium; while the ultrasmall metal nanoclusters (NCs) with size less tha...

Metal nanoparticles (NP) that exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance play an important role in metal‐enhanced fluorescence (MEF) and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Among the optical biosensors, MEF and SERS stand out to be the most sensitive techniques to detect a wide range of analytes from ions, biomolecules to macromolecules and...

In this study, a folic acid-functionalized niosome was formulated and loaded with letrozole and curcumin as a promising drug carrier system for chemotherapy of the breast cancer cells. The formulation process was optimized by varying the type of Span 80 and total lipid to drug ratio, where Span 80 and lipid to drug molar ratio of 10 resulted in the...

Theranostic photosensitizers which enable both disease diagnosis and effective treatment have recently received much attention towards personalized medicine. Herein, we report a multifunctional nanohybrid system using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to enhance the singlet oxygen generation (SOG) and fluorescence properties of a unique photosensitizer...

Photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE-PS) are attractive for image-guided photodynamic therapy due to their dual functional role in generating singlet oxygen and producing high fluorescent signal in the aggregated state. However, their brightness and treatment efficiency maybe limited in current practice. Herein we report the firs...

In this study, polypyrrole/carboxymethyl cellulose nanocomposite particles (PPy/CMC NPs) were synthesized and applied for removal of reactive red 56 (RR56)and reactive blue 160 (RB160) as highly toxic dyes. The amount of CMC was found significantly effective on the surface adsorption efficiency. Different optimization methods including the genetic...

In this study, a simple method to synthesize right silver bipyramid (AgBP) nanostructures via the seed‐mediated growth cum oxidative etching approach in aqueous solution is developed. The key strategy of this method is to control the growth and etching process by careful adjustment of the reactants concentration. Ascorbic acid (AA) is used to reduc...

Developing drug delivery systems with both antibacterial and anti-cancer effects is of importance in the treatment process of infection-associated cancers, especially prostate cancer. In this study, Span 60, Tween 60, and cholesterol were used to formulate doxycycline-loaded niosomes as a promising drug carrier system as either antibacterial or ant...

In the current paper, ultra-small Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by green and straightforward biogenic technique using Mentha aquatica leaf (MAL) extract as reducing and capping agent. The phytochemicals present in the extract could reduce the Ag+ ions to Ag0 and form nanoparticles. Several analytical techniques including UV–VIS spectros...

Plasmonic nanostructures such as gold and silver could alter the intrinsic properties of fluorophores, photosensitizers or Raman reporters at their close vicinity. In this study, we have conducted systematic simulations to provide insight for the design of silver nanostructures with appropriate geometrical features for the metal-enhanced fluorescen...

In the present research, biodegradable κ-carrageenan (KC) nanocomposite film was prepared by incorporation nanoclay, 1-3% v/v of Zataria multiflora plant extract (ZME) and glycerol as a plasticizer via two different procedures. The nanocomposite films were characterized by their optical, microstructural, mechanical and thermal as well as antimicrob...

Developing the cheap but superior adsorbents is of importance for environmental applications. In this paper, the Taguchi experimental design was applied to establish the optimum condition for the removal of crystal violet (CV) dye using keratin nanoparticles obtained from human hair waste. The average diameter of keratin particles was found about 6...

Porphyrins are organic compounds that continue to attract much theoretical interest, and have been called the "pigments of life". They have a wide role in photodynamic and sonodynamic therapy, along with uses in magnetic resonance, fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging. There is a vast range of porphyrins that have been isolated or designed, but f...

Developing new nanocarriers and understanding the interactions between the drug and host molecules in the nanocarrier at the molecular level is of importance for future of nanomedicine. In this work, we synthesized and characterized a series of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) functionalized with different organic molecules (citric acid, α-cyclodex...

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is of particular interest due to their catalytic and antibacterial properties. In this study, the extract of Crocus Haussknechtii Bois was used to synthesize small-sized AgNPs and the effective parameters were investigated. The experimental optimization of temperature and pH reveals that spherical nan...

The cost‐effective colorimetric detection of chemicals can be a potential substitute for expensive spectrometers. Here, a structural color sensor is presented that can distinguish seven different organic solvents through a timed sharp color change. The color sensor is based on interference effects in a metal–insulator–metal Fabry–Perot (FP) cavity...

In this study, optimized cephalexin-loaded niosomal formulations based on span 60 and tween 60 were prepared as a promising drug carrier system. The niosomal formulations were characterized using a series of techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measu...

Circulating exosomes in body fluids are involved in many diseases and have important roles in pathophysiological processes. Specifically, they have emerged as a promising new type of biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and prognosis because of their high concentration and availability in a variety of biological fluids. The ability to quantitatively dete...

The emerging science of graphene-based engineered nanomaterials as either nanomedicines or dental materials in dentistry is growing. Apart from its exceptional mechanical characteristics, electrical conductivity and thermal stability, graphene and its derivatives can be functionalized with several bioactive molecules, allowing them to be incorporat...

The production of bioethanol is growing, as it is been used as biofuel which is termed as a clean energy fuel. When ethanol is blended with gasoline, the octane number of the mixture increases and acts as an antiknock agent, besides releasing fewer pollutant emissions. To use as an automobile fuel when blended with gasoline, this ethanol should hav...

In this study, a novel catalyst ([email protected]) based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) grown on the surface of Zn2(bdc)2(dabco) metal-organic framework (ZBD), was synthesized using a green in-situ approach. The [email protected] nanocomposite was characterized by various techniques, and its catalytic performance was investigated in the reduction...

In the present work, a novel magnetic and pH-responsive porous nanocomposite was prepared by the surface grafting of β-cyclodextrin onto Fe3O4@silica@MIL-100(Fe). The effect of pH and temperature on the adsorption of cephalexin and release behavior of the developed nanocomposite was studied. It was found that the maximum adsorption occurs at room t...

In this study, biodegradable κ-carrageenan films containing 3% nanoclay and different amounts of rosemary extract (1, 2 and 3% v/v) were fabricated and their physical, thermal, and mechanical properties, as well as antimicrobial activity were examined. The film thickness did not change significantly by the addition of rosemary extract. UV light tra...

Montmorillonite -copper oxide (MMT-CuO) nanocomposites were prepared by a facile and eco-friendly method and introduced into chitosan (Cs) matrix to enhance its optical, mechanical and antibacterial properties. The synthesized composites were characterized using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scannin...

Water-soluble cysteamine-capped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are designed to serve as a photodetector for a dangerous group of carcinogens called aflatoxins. ZnS QDs are synthesized by growth in a poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix using the precipitation method. The prepared QDs are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectro...

In the present research, water soluble thioglycolic acid-capped CdS quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. The characteristics of prepared quantum dots were determined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The obtained results revealed that CdS QDs have 5.60 nm crystallite size, hex...

Aflatoxins form a class of potent carcinogens that contaminate a wide range of food products and can be fatal to humans and livestock. We have designed cysteamine-capped CdS quantum dots (QDs) to serve as aflatoxin photodetectors for use in agricultural industries. Water-soluble CdS QDs are synthesized through growth in a poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix...

In this research, water-soluble thioglycolic acid-capped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized by the chemical precipitation method. The prepared QDs are characterized using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Results revealed that ZnS QDs have a 2.73 nm crystallite size, cubic zinc blende structure, and spherical morphology wi...

An experimental study of bioethanol adsorption on natural Iranian clinoptilolite was carried out. Dynamic breakthrough curves were used to investigate the best adsorption conditions in bioethanol liquid phase. A laboratory set up was designed and fabricated for this purpose. In order to find the best operating conditions, the effect of liquid press...

Detection and determination of toxic ions is one of the most important biotechnological issues in passive defence. Quantum dots are fluorescent nanocrystals that have been used widely as optical biosensor for detection and determination of different types OF biomolecules.in this paper potential application of quantum dots as sensor for determinatio...

Thermo-responsive chromatography materials are intelligent materials which have dynamic response by the changes of temperature and are being applied in various fields of science and industry such as bio-separation, drug delivery, cell culture substrate etc. PNIPAAm is the most common thermo responsive polymer, that is connected to the base stationa...

Ceramics with high temperature properties and high stability are being developed to use in several industries such as gas turbines. In order to manufacture new applicable materials, it is necessary to evaluate and study of the all thermal, mechanical and chemical properties of these ceramics at high temperature. In addition, manufacturing the new c...

In this paper we have tried to review all effective factors on inorganic and organic fouling during nanofiltration process. There are some factors such as ionic strength, pressure, temperature, membrane roughness, concentration polarization, PH, divalent cations etc. that play important role in organic/inorganic fouling. We will see increasing or d...

مواد نانو حفره اي به دليل سطح ويژه بسيار زياد و ساختار خاص و منحصر به فرد خود پتانسيل زيادي براي جذب و نگهداري هيدروژن دارند. در اين پژوهش، تاثير دما، فشار، ناخالصي هاي فلزي موجود در ساختار و نوع ساختار بر مقدار جذب هيدروژن در نانو تيوب كربن (CNT) ، زئوليت، ...