The versatile family of nanoparticles is considered to have a huge impact on the different fields of materials research, mostly nanoelectronics, catalytic chemistry and in study of cytocompatibility, targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering. Different approaches for nanoparticle preparation have been developed, not only based on “bottom up” and “top down” techniques, but also several procedures of effective nanoparticle modifications have been successfully used. This paper is focused on different techniques of nanoparticles’ preparation, with primary focus on metal nanoparticles. Dispergation methods such as laser ablation and vacuum sputtering are introduced. Condensation methods such as reduction with sodium citrate, the Brust–Schiffrin method and approaches based on ultraviolet light or biosynthesis of silver and gold are also discussed. Basic properties of colloidal solutions are described. Also a historical overview of nanoparticles are briefly introduced together with short introduction to specific properties of nanoparticles and their solutions.

The versatility of the arrangement of C atoms with the formation of different allotropes and phases has led to the discovery of several new structures with unique properties. Carbon nanomaterials are currently very attractive nanomaterials due to their unique physical, chemical, and biological properties. One of these is the development of superconductivity, for example, in graphite intercalated superconductors, single-walled carbon nanotubes, B-doped diamond, etc. Not only various forms of carbon materials but also carbon-related materials have aroused extraordinary theoretical and experimental interest. Hybrid carbon materials are good candidates for high current densities at low applied electric fields due to their negative electron affinity. The right combination of two different nanostructures, CNF or carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles, has led to some very interesting sensors with applications in electrochemical biosensors, biomolecules, and pharmaceutical compounds. Carbon materials have a number of unique properties. In order to increase their potential application and applicability in different industries and under different conditions, they are often combined with other types of material (most often polymers or metals). The resulting composite materials have significantly improved properties.

In this work, an influence of bovine serum albumin proteins grafting on the surface properties of plasma-treated polyethylene and poly-l-lactic acid was studied. The interaction of the vascular smooth muscle cells with the modified polymer surface was determined. The surface properties were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, nano-LC-ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry, electrokinetic analysis, and goniometry. One of the motivations for this work is the idea that by the interaction of the cell with substrate surface, the proteins will form an interlayer between the cell and the substrate. It was proven that when interacting with the plasma-treated high-density polyethylene and poly-l-lactic acid, the bovine serum albumin protein is grafted on the polymer surface. Since the proteins are bonded to the substrate surface, they can stimulate cell adhesion and proliferation.

High-density polyethylene (PE) foils were modified by an Ar⁺ plasma discharge and subsequent grafting with biomolecules, namely glycine (Gly), polyethylene glycol (PEG), bovine serum albumin (BSA), colloidal carbon particles (C) or BSA and C (BSA + C). As revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), goniometry and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), the surface chemical structure and surface morphology of PE changed dramatically after plasma treatment. The contact angle decreased for the samples treated by plasma, mainly in relation to the formation of oxygen structures during plasma irradiation. A further decrease in the contact angle was obvious after glycine and PEG grafting. The increase in oxygen concentration after glycine and PEG grafting proved that the two molecules were chemically linked to the plasma-activated surface. Plasma treatment led to ablation of the PE surface layer, thus the surface morphology was changed and the surface roughness was increased. The materials were then seeded with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) derived from rat aorta and incubated in a DMEM medium with fetal bovine serum. Generally, the cells adhered and grew better on modified rather than on unmodified PE samples. Immunofluorescence showed that focal adhesion plaques containing talin, vinculin and paxillin were most apparent in cells on PE grafted with PEG or BSA + C, and the fibres containing α-actin, β-actin or SM1 and SM2 myosins were thicker, more numerous and more brightly stained in the cells on all modified PE samples than on pristine PE. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed increased concentrations of focal adhesion proteins talin and vinculin and also a cytoskeletal protein β-actin in cells on PE modified with BSA + C. A contractile protein α-actin was increased in cells on PE grafted with PEG or Gly. These results showed that PE activated with plasma and subsequently grafted with bioactive molecules and colloidal C particles, especially with PEG and BSA + C, promotes the adhesion, proliferation and phenotypic maturation of VSMC.

Polyethylene (PE) was modified by an Ar plasma. The plasma-activated PE surface was grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, molecular weight 300 and 20 000). The depth profiles of the oxygen in the modified PE samples were determined using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS). The changes in the surface wettability were examined by goniometry, and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to determine the surface roughness and morphology. The modified PE samples were seeded with rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and their adhesion and proliferation was studied. The plasma treatment and the subsequent PEG grafting leads to dramatic changes in the PE surface morphology, roughness and wettability. The PEG grafting of the plasma-treated PE does not increase VSMC adhesion but it results in dramatic increase of VSMC proliferation.