Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

669

Date

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Physics

Concentration

Materials Science

Committee Chair

Lam Yu

Committee Member

Firouzeh Sabri

Committee Member

Sanjay Mishra

Abstract

Graphene and graphene oxide (GO) are two-dimensional nanomaterials with promising biomedical application potential, including drug and gene delivery, bio-imaging, and photothermal therapy. However, the nature of interactions between these materials and cells is poorly understood. Here, cell surface adhesion, subcellular localization, and size-dependent uptake are investigated in C2C12 cells using bovine serum albumin (BSA)-functionalized GO. Small BSA-GO nanosheets enter cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), while large nanosheets enter cells through both CME and phagocytosis. Cytotoxicity is minimal. AFM-based size/thickness characterization of BSA-GO is performed in a systematic fashion, and a practical protocol for such analysis is presented. Size-dependent uptake results provide needed information about fundamental cellular interactions between cells and two-dimensional nanomaterials and will be useful in future biomedical and toxicological studies. BSA-functionalized GO is employed as a model system for quantifying surface charge distribution in biologically-relevant materials, and preliminary surface potential measurements by Kelvin probe force microscopy are presented.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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