Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
Current treatment for prostate cancer is expensive, has numerous side-effects, and has a high mortality rate. It is astonishing how long this ailment has affected humanity without providing a reliable solution. Consequently, our team will examine how gold charged nanoparticles are used to aid the treatment of prostate cancer, specifically via drug delivery. These particles have a gold inner core and are coated with polyethylene glycol. Polyethylene glycol and gold are used due to their relatively inert state and non-toxicity. Gold is also used because, at a nanoscale, it is a catalyst for reactions. The surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles can be altered so that they can be coated with small polymers and other therapeutic agents such as cancer-treating drugs (specifically Docetaxel and Doxorubicin). This also gives the patient's DNA the ability to bond to the nanoparticle’s surface, which allows these nanoparticles to travel through the body without being rejected. These nanoparticles are spherical shaped, and while studies are beginning to show that non-spherical particles are more effective than spherical particles, researchers do not yet fully understand the shape effect non-spherical particles have on cancerous cells. The diameter of these nanoparticles is less than 170nm so that they can effectively fit through and diffuse inside cells and capillaries. Additionally, these nanoparticles are charged. Due to their charge, the nanoparticles repel each other, which prevents them from aggregating. Furthermore, it simply helps nanoparticles interact with cells and diffuse through concentration barriers more efficiently. This method of prostate cancer treatment is still being researched and has yet to be approved for medical use; however, it has the potential to replace current treatment methods, as it could be more effective and safer in practice.
Works Cited
"Docetaxel May Cause Alcohol Intoxication: FDA." Headlines, Today's News Headlines, Current Breaking News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Doctors: Chemotherapy Expensive and Does Little for Advanced Cancer Patients." Infowars. N.p., 15 Nov. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Doxorubicin HCL Vial : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
FGRGAnimation. "Nanotechnology for Targeted Cancer Therapy." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 08 May 2017.
"Gold Nanoparticles in Delivery Applications ☆." Gold Nanoparticles in Delivery Applications. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2017.
"Gold Nanoparticles: Properties and Applications." Sigma-Aldrich. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2017.
Herizchi, Roya. "Current Methods for Synthesis of Nanoparticles." Https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267755166_Current_methods_for_synthesis_of_gold_nanoparticles. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.
Llevot, Audrey, and Didier Astruc. "Applications of Vectorized Gold Nanoparticles to the Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer." Chemical Society Reviews. The Royal Society of
"Prostate Cancer." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, n.d. Web. 06 May 2017.
"Prostate Cancer: Statistics That May Surprise You." Cancer. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer | CTCA." CancerCenter.com. N.p., 01 Jan. 0001. Web. 01 May 2017.
SanofiTVen. “Cancer: From A Healthy Cell to a Cancer Cell.” YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. 08 May 2017.
Shah, Samar, Yaling Liu, Walter Hu, and Jinming Gao. "Modeling Particle Shape-Dependent Dynamics in Nanomedicine." Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2011. Web. 01 May 2017.
Yuriy Svidinenko. “Nanoparticle Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy.” YouTube. YouTube, 3 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 May 2017.
Current treatment for prostate cancer is expensive, has numerous side-effects, and has a high mortality rate. It is astonishing how long this ailment has affected humanity without providing a reliable solution. Consequently, our team will examine how gold charged nanoparticles are used to aid the treatment of prostate cancer, specifically via drug delivery. These particles have a gold inner core and are coated with polyethylene glycol. Polyethylene glycol and gold are used due to their relatively inert state and non-toxicity. Gold is also used because, at a nanoscale, it is a catalyst for reactions. The surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles can be altered so that they can be coated with small polymers and other therapeutic agents such as cancer-treating drugs (specifically Docetaxel and Doxorubicin). This also gives the patient's DNA the ability to bond to the nanoparticle’s surface, which allows these nanoparticles to travel through the body without being rejected. These nanoparticles are spherical shaped, and while studies are beginning to show that non-spherical particles are more effective than spherical particles, researchers do not yet fully understand the shape effect non-spherical particles have on cancerous cells. The diameter of these nanoparticles is less than 170nm so that they can effectively fit through and diffuse inside cells and capillaries. Additionally, these nanoparticles are charged. Due to their charge, the nanoparticles repel each other, which prevents them from aggregating. Furthermore, it simply helps nanoparticles interact with cells and diffuse through concentration barriers more efficiently. This method of prostate cancer treatment is still being researched and has yet to be approved for medical use; however, it has the potential to replace current treatment methods, as it could be more effective and safer in practice.
Works Cited
"Docetaxel May Cause Alcohol Intoxication: FDA." Headlines, Today's News Headlines, Current Breaking News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Doctors: Chemotherapy Expensive and Does Little for Advanced Cancer Patients." Infowars. N.p., 15 Nov. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Doxorubicin HCL Vial : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
FGRGAnimation. "Nanotechnology for Targeted Cancer Therapy." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 08 May 2017.
"Gold Nanoparticles in Delivery Applications ☆." Gold Nanoparticles in Delivery Applications. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2017.
"Gold Nanoparticles: Properties and Applications." Sigma-Aldrich. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2017.
Herizchi, Roya. "Current Methods for Synthesis of Nanoparticles." Https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267755166_Current_methods_for_synthesis_of_gold_nanoparticles. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.
Llevot, Audrey, and Didier Astruc. "Applications of Vectorized Gold Nanoparticles to the Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer." Chemical Society Reviews. The Royal Society of
"Prostate Cancer." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, n.d. Web. 06 May 2017.
"Prostate Cancer: Statistics That May Surprise You." Cancer. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017.
"Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer | CTCA." CancerCenter.com. N.p., 01 Jan. 0001. Web. 01 May 2017.
SanofiTVen. “Cancer: From A Healthy Cell to a Cancer Cell.” YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2011. Web. 08 May 2017.
Shah, Samar, Yaling Liu, Walter Hu, and Jinming Gao. "Modeling Particle Shape-Dependent Dynamics in Nanomedicine." Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2011. Web. 01 May 2017.
Yuriy Svidinenko. “Nanoparticle Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy.” YouTube. YouTube, 3 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 May 2017.





![Lithium Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles
By Austin Anderson, Lewei He, Kiri Nicholson, and Brooke Noeska
Adoption of electric cars has been on the rise for the past decade due to the substantial advances that have been made by improvement of technology. The greatest challenges regarding electric cars are their batteries. Finding a balance between battery life, weight, rechargeability, and cost has proven to be a significant issue.
This video focuses on lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. First, we provide a quick survey of electric vehicle designs. We then discuss chemistry, physics, and material science behind basic design of lithium-ion batteries. Next, we look at challenges that electric vehicles and the batteries face, which is the balance between adequate energy storage and weight of the battery.
How do we solve these challenges? The answer to this question lies within the material science paradigm triangle, which looks at property, processing, and structure. One key aspect in performance of the battery is the use of silicon versus graphite anodes, in which lithium ions are absorbed. Considering properties, graphite is more stable while silicon can absorb more ions, although they sometimes absorb too much and fail due to the mechanical stress. Considering processing, silicon films as thin as 20nm can absorb nearly the maximum amount of ions while limiting the amount of load the ions create. Finally, in a structural view, research has shown that small amount of tin in silicon anodes can greatly enhance capacity. Similarly, silicon-graphene anodes are another option with improvements in capacity and stability. In this perspective, the way to improve performance is clear: thinner silicon sheets with small amount of tin.
Lithium ion batteries hold a lot of advantages over other types of power sources. Compared to gasoline, vehicles produce less emission by using power that may be generated by renewable and nuclear energy. Compared to other batteries, lithium-ion provides high energy density by weight, relatively low amount of toxic and hazardous elements, and a good cycle durability.
The future of electric vehicles is immense, and with advancements in material science, lithium-ion batteries will likely continue to provide the energy that not only drives cars, but also drives the growth of the market of electric vehicles.
References:
Armand, M., & Tarascon, J. (2008). Building Better Batteries. Nature: International
Weekly Journal of Science. doi:10.1038/451652a (Kiri, 4)
Bonheur, K. (2016, November 09). Lithium ion battery: Advantages and disadvantages.
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(Kiri 7)
Fuel Cells (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017 from
http://www.iop.org/resources/topic/archive/fuel/ (Lewei)
Gordon-Bloomfield, N. (n.d.). Drive a Solar-Charged Electric Car, Save $263,000 On Fuel Over 50 Years? Retrieved May 06, 2017, from http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072774_drive-a-solar-charged-electric-car-save-263000-on-fuel-over-50-years (Austin)
Is Lithium-ion the Ideal Battery? (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/is_lithium_ion_the_ideal_battery
(Kiri)
Johnson, D. (2016, March 31). Silicon and Graphene Combo Finally Achieve
Lithium-Ion Battery Greatness. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/materials/potential-of-silicon-and-graphene-together-for-liion-electrodes-realized (Brooke)
Lithium-ion batteries: Capacity might be increased by six times. (2016, August 8).
Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://phys.org/news/2016-08-lithium-ion-batteries-capacity.html (Brooke)
Nightingale, S. (2016, August 03). Next generation anode to improve lithium-ion
batteries. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://techxplore.com/news/2016-08-anode-lithium-ion-batteries.html (Brooke)
Patent US20110269021 - Lithium ion battery. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
https://www.google.com/patents/US20110269021 (1, Kiri)
Poole, I. (n.d.). Lithium Ion Battery Advantages & Disadvantages. Retrieved April 13,
2017, from
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Schalkwijk, W. A., & Scrosati, B. (2002). Advances in lithium-ion batteries
[0-306-47508-1]. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
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2&dq=lithium ion
batteries&ots=iPe1E1imBy&sig=SWZFulm00zK0mR3dnmfZDxnitoA#v=onepage
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Found online via Google Books, used first part of book that was available for free
(2, Kiri)
US Census Bureau. (2012, September 3). Industry Statistics. Retrieved April 29,
2017, from https://www.census.gov/econ/isp/sampler.php?naicscode=447&naicslevel=3 (Brooke)
Full formal citations, including media:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sCPeQ1gHOVPE0COEYim5HV6xPzWtWXbF5XOx9km1w-I/edit?usp=sharing Lithium Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x4qzxTEeCWU/mqdefault.jpg)


