Tailoring the composition of CuAl layered double hydroxides for advanced creatinine electrochemical detection in saliva Carmen Torres-Pedroza, Carlos M. Ramos-Castillo, Lorena Álvarez-Contreras, Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez, Noé Arjona Flatchem, 2026 Copper is an excellent transducer for the electrochemical detection of creatinine in biofluids; however, the sensitivity and selectivity of Cu-based materials remain challenging. In this work, copper‑aluminum layered double hydroxides (CuAl LDHs) were synthesized by a co-precipitation method while adjusting the Cu-to-Al atomic ratio (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) for the rational design of layered structures. The CuAl 1:1 LDH contained a mixture of CuO x (52%) and CuAl LDH (48%). Increasing the Cu content to a 2:1 improved the LDH phase proportion (73%), while the highest LDH content was achieved at a 3:1 ratio (75%). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed different morphologies among the three materials, evolving from nanowires (1:1) to hexagonal nanosheets (3:1). This indicates a growth mechanism consisting of four stages: 1D growth, 1D-to-2D transition, 2D stacking, and 2D lateral and vertical growth. Creatinine detection by cyclic voltammetry showed that CuAl 1:1 and CuAl 3:1 LDHs exhibited similar performance, with a linear range of 10–600 μM (r 2 = 0.98). However, in the selectivity tests, only CuAl 3:1 LDH exhibited no interference from uric acid, urea, glucose, or ascorbic acid. Tests in human saliva confirmed functionality at 1:10 and 1:100 dilution ratios for single-use sensors, demonstrating that bidimensional materials such as LDHs are strong candidates for creatinine sensing under real conditions. • Tuned CuAl LDHs enabled controlled 1D to 2D growth into hexagonal nanosheets. • Cu-rich LDH (3:1) reduced oxide phases and improved Cu O coordination. • CuAl 3:1 showed wide range and low LOD for creatinine. • And it displayed effectiveness in real saliva for chronic kidney disease monitoring.
Nanozymes at the Bio-Nano Interface: From Synthesis, Defect Engineering, Catalytic Behavior in Biological Microenvironments, and Biosafety Implications Karen Guadalupe Quintero‐Garrido, Aída Jimena Velarde‐Salcedo, Alejandro López‐Amador, Noé Arjona, Citlali Uitz Toalá, Carmen Gonzalez, Beatriz Liliana España‐Sánchez Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2026 The tunable catalytic behavior, structural robustness, and multifunctionality of nanozymes (NZs) enable them to emulate natural enzymatic activities under physiological conditions, positioning them as powerful platforms for advanced biomedical applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in NZs, with a particular emphasis on their synthesis strategies, and structure–activity relationships at the bio–nano interface. We critically analyze how chemical composition, atomic coordination, defect engineering, morphology, and surface chemistry govern catalytic performance, selectivity, and stability within complex biological microenvironments. Special attention is devoted to single‐atom and defect‐engineered NZs, highlighting rational design principles that enhance catalytic efficiency while minimizing undesired biological effects. Conventional and emerging green synthesis routes are evaluated for scalability, reproducibility, and translational feasibility. Furthermore, the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of NZs is discussed across antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, cancer, neurodegenerative, and wound‐healing applications. Finally, biosafety implications are systematically addressed, focusing on ion release, cytotoxicity, immunogenicity, and degradation pathways as key parameters for safe‐by‐design development. By integrating catalytic behavior with biological response and safety considerations, this review aims to provide a unified framework to guide the future design and clinical translation of nanozyme‐based biomedical systems.
Sustainable and Flexible Zn–Air Batteries Enabled by Bifunctional Electrocatalysts Derived From Lemna minor (Duckweed) Biochar Yahreli Audeves, César Coello‐Mauleón, Jorge A. García‐Estrada, Lorena Álvarez‐Contreras, Amelia Olivas, Beatriz Liliana España‐Sánchez, Noé Arjona Chemnanomat, 2026 Lemna minor is an aquatic plant with a high growth rate, which can cause problems in freshwater bodies. In this work, Lemna minor was valorized for the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts for rechargeable and flexible zinc–air batteries (FZABs), by synthesizing cobalt‐doped and cobalt–manganese co‐doped electrocatalysts (L‐Co and L‐CoMn). Raman spectroscopy revealed structural disorder, particularly in L‐Co, which was further confirmed by TEM and attributed to a high density of surface defects. Moreover, TEM and STEM imaging indicated the formation of both spinel nanoparticles and atomically dispersed metal sites, which together with surface defects, contributed to the electrocatalytic activity. Electrochemical tests showed that L‐Co exhibited superior activity in the oxygen reduction reaction, while L‐CoMn demonstrated enhanced activity for the oxygen evolution reaction, achieving a low overpotential of 1.56 V at 10 mA cm −2 . When used as bifunctional electrocatalysts in FZABs, the L‐Co presented better performance, higher cycling stability (>100 cycles), and improved capability to operate at elevated current densities, while achieving an areal specific capacity of 14.7 mA.h cm −2 . These results demonstrate the potential of Lemna minor valorization for applications in electrochemical and sustainable energy technologies.
Green carbon dots-embedded polymeric membranes for simultaneous photocatalytic dye degradation and antibacterial activity Alejandro López Amador, Pamela Ortega Sánchez, Arlete Yuriana Vázquez García, Jesús Adrián Díaz Real, Ángel de Jesús Montes Luna, Noé Arjona, Gabriel Luna Bárcenas, Beatriz Liliana España Sánchez Rsc Advances, 2026 Green-synthesized carbon dots were embedded in PVA/PAA and PPSU membranes, enhancing methylene blue photodegradation and antibacterial activity through reactive oxygen species for water treatment.
Engineering alginate-based composites incorporating acetogenins for advanced drug delivery against multidrug-resistant bacteria M.E. Trejo-Caballero, Alberto Elizalde-Mata, Marlen A. González-Reyna, María José Martín Martínez, Rosa Bonilla Peregrino, Felipe Padilla-Vaca, Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez, Miriam Estevez Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025 This study investigates the development of an alginate-based natural composite incorporating antioxidant and antimicrobial acetogenins from Annona cherimola Mill., synthesized via free-radical polymerization using deep eutectic solvent (DES) and a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) system. The composite demonstrates pH and thermo-responsive properties for controlled and prolonged release of acetogenins. The antioxidant capacity, sorption behavior, and release profiles are evaluated through spectroscopic and electrochemical analyses. The antibacterial activity is examined, which can disrupt bacterial integrity, induce oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS), and damage bacterial DNA. The composite (MC-PA) exhibits antibacterial efficacy exceeding 90 % against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus . It also shows promising activity against antibiotic-resistant strains after 30 min of exposure, with a release of ACGs less than 250 μg. These findings highlight the potential of the MC-PA composite for use as innovative biomaterials in sustained acetogenin delivery systems and therapeutic antibacterial applications. • NADES systems permit obtaining an alginate-based composite with acetogenins • pH- and thermo-responsive polymer for controlled and prolonged acetogenin release • Strong antibacterial effect (>90 %) against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus • Effective against resistant strains with less than 250 μg of acetogenins in 30 min • Promising for sustained-release systems and therapeutic antibacterial uses
Chemical Interaction Between Starch-Polyvinyl Alcohol Matrix With Barley Microfibers: Structural, Barrier, and Viscoelastic Performance in Extruded Films Guadalupe P. Radilla‐Serrano, Otilo A. Acevedo‐Sandoval, Carlos A. Gomez‐Aldapa, Javier Castro‐Rosas, Ernesto Hernandez‐Hernandez, Pablo Gonzalez‐Morones, Beatriz L. España‐Sanchez, Francisco Hernandez‐Gamez, Israel Sifuentes‐Nieves Biopolymers, 2025 In this study, the effect of microwave (MW) treatment on obtaining barley microfibers and their effect on the chemical, structural, and viscoelastic properties of films based on starch (S) and polyvinyl alcohol (P) was inspected. SEM, FTIR, and TGA analysis revealed that MW treatment effectively achieves the defibrillation and the destabilization of hydrogen bonds of the hemicellulose and lignin molecules, resulting in the obtention of barley microfibers (BM). XPS analysis allowed identification of the oxidation and crosslinking mechanism of S, P, and S/P films containing BM during the extrusion process. PBM and SPBM films showed an increase in CC proportions linked to the crosslinking phenomena and promoted stronger OCO interactions, which increased the storage modulus from 195.5 to 380.8 MPa and from 78.0 to 134 MPa, respectively. Conversely, SBM showed lower interactions CC and high COH bonds that reduced the component adhesion. Thus, the matrix type and extrusion process determined the chemical interaction with BM, resulting in films with different rigidity that can be useful in different sustainable packaging solutions.
The impact of the design of MoO3 nanorods on the bactericidal performance Raúl Castellanos-Espinoza, Gabriela González-Uribe, Noé Arjona, Claramaría Rodríguez-González, Carlos Manuel Ramos-Castillo, Lorena Álvarez-Contreras, Gabriel Luna-Barcenas, Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez, Minerva Guerra-Balcázar Applied Surface Science, 2025
Green modification of graphene oxide nanosheets under specific pH conditions R. Castellanos-Espinoza, S. Fernández-Tavizón, U. Sierra-Gómez, E.A. Elizalde-Peña, G. Luna-Bárcenas, L.A. Baldenegro-Pérez, Lilian I. Olvera, L.V. González-Gutiérrez, C.M. Ramos-Castillo, Noé Arjona, B.L. España-Sánchez Applied Surface Science, 2023
Chitosan-G-Glycidyl Methacrylate/Au Nanocomposites Promote Accelerated Skin Wound Healing Héctor A. López-Muñoz, Mauricio Lopez-Romero, Moises A. Franco-Molina, Alejandro Manzano-Ramirez, Cristina Velasquillo, Beatriz Liliana España-Sanchez, Ana Laura Martinez-Hernandez, Hayde Vergara-Castañeda, Astrid Giraldo-Betancur, Sarai Favela, Rogelio Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Mixteco, Juan Carlos Tapia-Picazo, Diana G. Zarate-Triviño, Evgeny Prokhorov, Gabriel Luna-Barcenas Pharmaceutics, 2022
Chitosan-BaTiO3 nanostructured piezopolymer for tissue engineering Evgen Prokhorov, Gabriel Luna Bárcenas, Beatriz Liliana España Sánchez, Bernardo Franco, Felipe Padilla-Vaca, Martín Adelaido Hernández Landaverde, José Martín Yáñez Limón, René Antaño López Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces, 2020
Aeblue chromoprotein color is temperature dependent Jessica Tamayo-Nuñez, Javier de la Mora, Felipe Padilla-Vaca, Naurú Idalia Vargas-Maya, Ángeles Rangel-Serrano, Fernando Anaya-Velázquez, Itzel Páramo-Pérez, Juana Elizabeth Reyes-Martínez, Beatríz Liliana España-Sánchez, Bernardo Franco Protein and Peptide Letters, 2020
Rheology and gel point of the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea in the presence of urease R. Serrato-Millán, L. Medina-Torres, F. Calderas, B. L. España-Sánchez, M. Estevez, A. R. Hernandez-Martínez, M. Cruz-Soto, I. C. Sánchez, R. Gómez-García, I. Sánchez-Betancourt, M. C. Velasquillo-Martínez, G. Luna-Bárcenas Korea Australia Rheology Journal, 2017
Preparation and characterization of copper chitosan nanocomposites with antibacterial activity for applications in tissue engineering Departamento de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Celaya, K. Maldonado-Lara, G. Luna-Bárcenas, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, E. Luna-Hernández, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, F. Padilla-Vaca, Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, E. Hernández-Sánchez, Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, R. Betancourt-Galindo, Departamento de Materiales Avanzados, Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada, J. L. Menchaca-Arredondo, Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo LeónKEYWORDS: Quitosano, Nanopartículas de cobre, Nanocompositos antibacterianos, B. L. España-Sánchez, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Revista Mexicana De Ingenieria Biomedica, 2017
Scanning-probe-microscopy of polyethylene terephthalate surface treatment by argon ion beam Francisco Espinoza-Beltran, Isaac C. Sanchez, Beatriz L. España-Sánchez, Josué D. Mota-Morales, Salvador Carrillo, C.I. Enríquez-Flores, Fabienne Poncin-Epaillard, Gabriel Luna-Barcenas Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2015
Effect of plasma modification of copper nanoparticles on their antibacterial properties Maribel Navarro-Rosales, Carlos Alberto Ávila-Orta, María Guadalupe Neira-Velázquez, Hortensia Ortega-Ortiz, Ernesto Hernández-Hernández, Silvia Guadalupe Solís-Rosales, Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez, Pablo Gónzalez-Morones, Rosa Martha Jímenez-Barrera, Saúl Sánchez-Valdes, Pascual Bartólo-Pérez Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2014