Fe3O4@Al2O3 magnetic core-shell microspheres for rapid and highly specific capture of phosphopeptides with mass spectrometry analysis

Selective detection of phosphopeptides from complex biological samples is a challenging and highly relevant task in many proteomics applications. In this study, a novel phosphopeptide enrichment approach based on the strong interaction of Fe(3)O(4)@Al(2)O(3) magnetic core-shell microspheres with phosphopeptides has been developed. With a well-defined core-shell structure, the Fe(3)O(4)@Al(2)O(3) magnetic core-shell microspheres not only have a shell of aluminum oxide, giving them a high-trapping capacity for the phosphopeptides, but also have magnetic property that enables easy isolation by positioning an external magnetic field. The prepared Fe(3)O(4)@Al(2)O(3) magnetic core-shell microspheres have been successfully applied to the enrichment of phosphopeptides from the tryptic digest of standard phosphoproteins beta-casein and ovalbumin. The excellent selectivity of this approach was demonstrated by analyzing phosphopeptides in the digest mixture of beta-casein and bovine serum albumin with molar ratio of 1:50 as well as tryptic digest product of casein and five protein mixtures. The results also proved a stronger selective ability of Fe(3)O(4)@Al(2)O(3) magnetic core-shell microspheres over Fe(3+)-immobilized magnetic silica microspheres, commercial Fe(3+)-IMAC (immobilized metal affinity chromatography) resin, and TiO(2) beads. Finally, the Al(2)O(3) coated Fe(3)O(4) microspheres were successfully utilized for enrichment of phosphopeptides from digestion products of rat liver extract. These results show that Fe(3)O(4)@Al(2)O(3) magnetic core-shell microspheres are very good materials for rapid and selective separation and enrichment of phosphopeptides.     

Synthesis and characterization of bracelet-like magnetic nanorings consisting of Ag-Fe3O4 bi-component nanoparticles

Stable bracelet-like magnetic nanorings, formed by Ag-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles with an average size around 40 nm, have been successfully prepared in large scale by means of reducing Ag(+) and Fe(3+) simultaneously under mild conditions. In the reaction, tiny grains of silver are used as seeds to prompt small Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles to grow larger, which is essential to enhance the magnetic dipole-dipole interactions, while only superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (about 10 nm in size) can be obtained in the absence of Ag seeds. The XRD, TEM, SAED and the EDS line scan data reveal that these nanoparticles are in the core-shell structure. These magnetic Ag-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles assembled into nanorings by magnetic dipole-dipole interactions with a diameter of 100-200 nm. The saturation magnetization of the nanorings is 39.5 emu g(-1) at room temperature. The MRI images indicate that these kind of nanorings have the potential application in diagnostics as a T(2) MRI contrast agent.     

In vitro Anticancer Efficacy by Magnetic Targeted Nanocarrier with Local Delivery of Paclitaxel

A magnetic nanoparticles-loaded polymeric nanocarrier was developed. Amphiphilic copolymer, methoxy polyethylene glycol-poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)(MPEG-PLGA) could self-assemble to form nanomicelle with the help of emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. This nanocarrier with core-shell structure was loaded with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles(IONPs) and anticancer drug paclitaxel(PTX). The hydrodynamic diameter of IONPs-PTX-loaded nanocarrier showed an average size of 110 nm with a polydispersity index(PDI) of 0.136, and its zeta potential was (-4.76±0.36) mV. The drug-loading content and encapsulation efficiency were 4.47% and 31.28%, respectively. In vitro drug release experiment was performed and a sustained release profile was observed. 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay indicated that IONPs-PTX-loaded nanocarrier showed comparable cytotoxicity with free paclitaxel. When an external magnetic field was applied, the nanocarrier significantly localized at the target area, demonstrating that the nanocarrier could be used for potential magnetic targeted drug delivery.     

Structural identification of multidimensional metal–organic frameworks using soft x-ray tomography

This paper mainly discusses the applicability of using soft x-ray tomography technology to examine the multidimensional structure of metal–organic frameworks, such as their core-shell and hollow framework, by visually observing their corresponding images in different energy bands by different excitation energies for different elements. The results show that the use of soft x-ray tomography (SXT) can effectively observe the distribution of metals in the structure, as well as observe the type of hollow pores the metal – organic framework (MOF) possesses. This pioneering evaluation of MOFs via SXT shows excellent performance in the structure identification of multidimensional metal–organic frameworks.     

Field induced anisotropy of charged magnetic colloids: a rescaled mean spherical approximation study

The liquidlike structure of colloidal suspensions with both electrostatic and magnetic interactions is investigated by means of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) dependent on an external magnetic field. For weak magnetic interactions, without external field, the magnetic dipoles are randomly oriented. Under this condition, isotropic structures are observed. In an external field, however, the magnetic momenta arrange parallel to the external field and induce anisotropic liquidlike structures. For weak magnetic interactions, the structure factor can be described within the framework of the rescaled mean spherical approximation. Due to the high experimental accuracy of synchrotron SAXS, from the anisotropic distortion of liquidlike structures, interparticle forces smaller than 10(-15) N can easily be detected.     

具有核壳结构磁性复合微球的制备与表征

采用两步法制备了具有核壳结构的Fe3O4/P(MMA/DVB)(core)-P(St/GMA/DVB)(shell)磁性复合微球.首先,用改进的细乳液聚合制备了Fe3O4/P(MMA/DVB)微球;然后,加入总量不同的苯乙烯(St)、甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(GMA)和二乙烯基苯(DVB),通过种子乳液聚合,制备了不同磁含量的核壳结构的磁性复合微球.分别用X-射线衍射(XRD)、高倍透射电镜(HR-TEM)、热重分析(TGA)、振动样品磁力计(VSM)等手段对磁性微球的性能进行了表征.实验结果表明,Fe3O4/P(MMA/DVB)微球的磁含量为84 wt%;通过改变加入壳层单体的量,核壳复合微球的磁含量可控在20 wt%~76 wt%之间.该微球具有超顺磁性,相应的饱和磁化强度为12~50Am2/kg.     

均匀共沉淀法制备BaTiO3 -Nix Zn1-x Fe2 O4 核-壳粒子及其性能

以尿素为沉淀剂, 在无后续热处理的情况下, 采用均匀共沉淀法制备了BaTiO3-NixZn1-xFe2O4核-壳粒子. 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 X射线衍射仪(XRD)、 能谱仪(EDS)及振动样品磁强计(VSM)对BaTiO3-NixZn1-xFe2O4核-壳粒子的形貌、 结构、 成分和磁性能进行了表征. 结果表明, 制备的核-壳结构粒子中NixZn1-xFe2O4壳层在BaTiO3颗粒的表面包覆完整. 通过控制共沉淀中NiCl2·6H2O与ZnCl2的摩尔比可以调控BaTiO3-NixZn1-xFe2O4核-壳粒子的磁性; 加入的NiCl2·6H2O与ZnCl2摩尔比为7∶3时制得的核-壳粒子具有较好的磁性能, 其饱和磁化强度和矫顽力分别为26.999 A·m2/kg和902.787 A/m.     

Controlled synthesis and magnetic properties of bimagnetic spinel ferrite CoFe2O4 and MnFe2O4 nanocrystals with core-shell architecture

A combination of hard phase CoFe(2)O(4) and soft phase MnFe(2)O(4) as the bimagnetic nanocrystals in a core-shell architecture has been synthesized, and their magnetic properties have been systematically studied. Both HRTEM and EDS results confirmed the formation of bimagnetic core-shell structured nanocrystals. On the basis of the systematic and comparative studies of the magnetic properties of a mechanical mixture of pure CoFe(2)O(4) and MnFe(2)O(4) nanocrystals, chemically mixed Co(1-x)Mn(x)Fe(2)O(4) nanocrystals, and bimagnetic core-shell CoFe(2)O(4)@MnFe(2)O(4) and MnFe(2)O(4)@CoFe(2)O(4) nanocrystals, the bimagnetic core-shell nanocrystals show very unique magnetic properties, such as the blocking temperature and coercivity. Our results show that the coercivity correlates with the volume fraction of the soft phase as the theoretical hard-soft phase model has suggested. Furthermore, switching the hard phase CoFe(2)O(4) from the core to the shell shows great changes in the coercivity of the nanocrystals. The bimagnetic core-shell nanocrystals evidently demonstrate the rational design capability to separately control the blocking temperature and the coercivity in magnetic nanocrystals by varying the materials, their combination, and the volume ratio between the core and the shell and by switching hard or soft phase materials between the core and shell. Such controls via a bimagnetic core-shell architecture are highly desirable for magnetic nanocrystals in various applications.     

Diffusion, sedimentation, and rheology of concentrated suspensions of core-shell particles

Short-time dynamic properties of concentrated suspensions of colloidal core-shell particles are studied using a precise force multipole method which accounts for many-particle hydrodynamic interactions. A core-shell particle is composed of a rigid, spherical dry core of radius a surrounded by a uniformly permeable shell of outer radius b and hydrodynamic penetration depth κ(-1). The solvent flow inside the permeable shell is described by the Brinkman-Debye-Bueche equation, and outside the particles by the Stokes equation. The particles are assumed to interact non-hydrodynamically by a hard-sphere no-overlap potential of radius b. Numerical results are presented for the high-frequency shear viscosity, η(∞), sedimentation coefficient, K, and the short-time translational and rotational self-diffusion coefficients, D(t) and D(r). The simulation results cover the full three-parametric fluid-phase space of the composite particle model, with the volume fraction extending up to 0.45, and the whole range of values for κb, and a/b. Many-particle hydrodynamic interaction effects on the transport properties are explored, and the hydrodynamic influence of the core in concentrated systems is discussed. Our simulation results show that for thin or hardly permeable shells, the core-shell systems can be approximated neither by no-shell nor by no-core models. However, one of our findings is that for κ(b - a) ? 5, the core is practically not sensed any more by the weakly penetrating fluid. This result is explained using an asymptotic analysis of the scattering coefficients entering into the multipole method of solving the Stokes equations. We show that in most cases, the influence of the core grows only weakly with increasing concentration.     

聚乙二醇包裹羰基铁核壳粒子的制备及水基磁流变液的性能

以羰基铁粉(CI)为原料用共溶胶-凝胶反应制备CI/聚乙二醇核壳复合粒子，并将其与水组成了磁流变液. 用SEM、TEM、FT-IR和VSM表征了核壳复合粒子的微观结构和静磁特性，并测试了水基磁流变液的性能. 结果表明，核壳复合粒子表面有SiO_x和聚乙二醇的包覆层，它有较好的亲水性和优良的软磁特性，用它组成的水基磁流变液具有抗沉降性优良、零场粘度低、磁流变效应显著等特点.     

Structural investigations on polymer latices by small-angle x-ray scattering

An overview is given on recent studies of latices by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). It is demonstrated that SAXS-studies performed at different contrast (contrast variation) allows the full elucidation of the fine structure of the particles down to a size-scale of a few nanometers. Examples are given including studies on core-shell latices composed of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as well as of carboxylated latices.     

Core-shell magnetite nanoparticles surface encapsulated with smart stimuli-responsive polymer: synthesis, characterization, and LCST of viable drug-targeting delivery system

We describe here the synthesis of a novel magnetic drug-targeting carrier characterized by a core-shell structure. The core-shell carrier combines the advantages of a magnetic core and the stimuli-responsive property of the thermosensitive biodegradable polymer shell (e.g., an on-off mechanism responsive to external temperature change). The composite nanoparticles are approximately 8 nm in diameter with approximately 3 nm shell. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is approximately 38 degrees C as determined by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The carrier is composed of cross-linked dextran grafted with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) [dextran-g-poly(NIPAAm-co-DMAAm)] shell and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 core. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the composition of the carrier. The synthesized magnetic carrier system has potential applications in magnetic drug-targeting delivery and magnetic resonance imaging.     

均匀共沉淀法制备钛酸钡-钡铁氧体核-壳结构粒子

用均匀共沉淀法制备了钛酸钡-钡铁氧体核-壳粒子, 研究了沉淀反应温度、尿素/金属离子摩尔比值(R)和BaTiO₃浓度对核-壳粒子形貌和结构的影响, 探讨了钛酸钡-钡铁氧体核-壳粒子在焙烧时的形成过程及其磁性能. 采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)分析仪对钛酸钡-钡铁氧体前驱物核-壳粒子及钛酸钡-钡铁氧体核-壳粒子的形貌和结构进行了表征, 采用振动样品磁强计(VSM)研究了钛酸钡-钡铁氧体核-壳粒子的磁性能. 结果表明: 当沉淀反应温度为100 °C, R为180, BaTiO₃浓度为2.5 g·L^-1时, 金属离子沉淀完全, 得到的钛酸钡-钡铁氧体前驱物核-壳粒子包覆层均匀、完整、光滑, 厚度约为10 nm. 过高的温度和R值都会导致大量独立颗粒杂质的生成; 随着BaTiO₃浓度的增大, 包覆层厚度有减小的趋势. 当焙烧温度为900 °C时, 壳层中开始形成BaFe₁₂O₁₉相, 其形成过程为晶态的α-Fe₂O₃和BaCO₃首先生成中间相BaFe₂O₄, 然后由BaFe₂O₄和α-Fe₂O₃反应得到最终的BaFe₁₂O₁₉. 当焙烧温度为1000 °C时, 壳层完全转化为BaFe₁₂O₁₉相. 随着焙烧温度从900 °C升高到1000 °C, 所得BaTiO₃-BaFe₁₂O₁₉核-壳粒子的饱和磁化强度从16.5 A·m²·kg^-1增加到39.5 A·m²·kg^-1, 矫顽力从340 kA·m^-1略微降低到316 kA·m^-1.     

Core-shell-structured magnetic ternary nanocubes

We report a novel core-shell-structured ternary nanocube of MnZn ferrite synthesized by controlling the reaction temperature and composition in the absence of conventionally used reducing agents. The highly monodispersed core-shell structure consists of an Fe(3)O(4) core and an MnZn Ferrite shell. The observation of a Moire? pattern indicates that the core and the shell are two highly crystalline materials with slightly different lattice constants that are rotated relative to each other by a small angle. The ternary core-shell nanocubes display magnetic properties regulated by a combination of the core-shell composition and exhibit an increased coercivity and field-cooled/zero-field-cooled characteristics drastically different from those of regular MnZn ferrite nanoparticles. The ability to engineer the spatial nanostructures of ternary magnetic nanoparticles in terms of shape and composition offers atomic-level versatility in fine-tuning the nanoscale magnetic properties.     

Characterization of superparamagnetic "core-shell" nanoparticles and monitoring their anisotropic phase transition to ferromagnetic "solid solution" nanoalloys

The structure, magnetism, and phase transition of core-shell type CoPt nanoparticles en route to solid solution alloy nanostructures are systematically investigated. The characterization of Co(core)Pt(shell) nanoparticles obtained by a "redox transmetalation" process by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, in particular, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) provides clear evidence for the existence of a core-shell type bimetallic interfacial structure. Nanoscale phase transitions of the Co(core)Pt(shell) structures toward c-axis compressed face-centered tetragonal (fct) solid solution alloy CoPt nanoparticles are monitored at various stages of a thermally induced annealing process and the obtained fct nanoalloys show a large enhancement of their magnetic properties with ferromagnetism. The relationship between the nanostructures and their magnetic properties is in part elucidated through the use of XAS as a critical analytical tool.     

自生核壳结构MnO2的电磁性能及其生长机理研究

采用水热合成法,以(NH₄)₂S₂O₈作氧化剂,以MnSO₄·H₂O为锰源,制备了自生核壳结构MnO₂粉体。利用X射线粉末衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、振动样品磁强计和热重分析对产物进行成分、晶型、形貌、磁性能和热稳定性分析,并通过电磁参数的测试对产物的电磁特性以及电磁波损耗机制进行阐述。结果表明：所制得粉体是直径3～5 μm的核壳结构海胆球形MnO₂,其复介电常数实部在8.40～5.35,虚部在2.66～2.07;复磁导率实部和虚部都很小,分别在1.04～1.14和0.03～0.21范围内。最后分析了核壳结构MnO₂的电磁波损耗机制以及热稳定性能。     

Giant magnetic moment of the core-shell Co13@Mn20 clusters: first-principles calculations

The core-shell clusters Co(13)@TM(20) with TM = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni are investigated within first-principles simulations in the framework of density-functional theory. Huge magnetic moments have been found in the Co(13)@TM(20) clusters especially for the Co(13)@Mn(20) cluster with a giant magnetic moment of 113 μ(B). The large magnetic moments are mainly due to the special core-shell structure and the weak interaction between the TM and other atoms.     

Self-assembled heterogeneous argon/neon core-shell clusters studied by photoelectron spectroscopy

Clusters formed by a coexpansion process of argon and neon have been studied using synchrotron radiation. Electrons from interatomic Coulombic decay as well as ultraviolet and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to determine the heterogeneous nature of the clusters and the cluster structure. Binary clusters of argon and neon produced by coexpansion are shown to exhibit a core-shell structure placing argon in the core and neon in the outer shells. Furthermore, the authors show that 2 ML of neon on the argon core is sufficient for neon valence band formation resembling the neon solid. For 1 ML of neon the authors observe a bandwidth narrowing to about half of the bulk value.     

交联度对原位聚合法制备聚合物胶束性质的影响及相应的空心球制备

用原位聚合法成功地制备出不同响应温度的温敏性聚乳酸/聚(异丙基丙烯酰胺-co-丙烯酰胺)[P(D,L-LA)/P(NIPAM-co-AM)]核壳胶束. 实验中发现, 壳层的交联剂含量对粒子的尺寸有很大的影响, 当交联剂的摩尔分数从5%提高到15%时, 粒子在25 ℃时的流体力学直径从170.2 nm增加到886.5 nm. 通过对胶束粒子的核进行生物降解, 方便地得到了相应的空心球. 用FTIR监测核的降解过程, 用SEM和AFM检测核降解完全后粒子的外在形貌和内在结构变化. DLS结果表明, 空心球粒子同样具有良好的温度响应性, 其响应温度可通过改变原位聚合时单体AM的含量加以调节.     

Preparation of Fe3O4@C@PANI magnetic microspheres for the extraction and analysis of phenolic compounds in water samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In this work, core-shell structure Fe(3)O(4)@C@polyaniline magnetic microspheres were synthesized using simple hydrothermal reactions. The carbon-coated magnetic microspheres (Fe(3)O(4)@C) were first synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction, and then aniline was polymerized on the magnetic core via another hydrothermal reaction. Then, the obtained Fe(3)O(4)@C@polyaniline magnetic microspheres were applied as magnetic adsorbents for the extraction of aromatic molecules due to π-π interactions between polyaniline shell and aromatic compounds. In our study, five kinds of phenols including phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (TCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP) and bisphenol A (BPA) were selected as the model analytes to verify the extraction ability of Fe(3)O(4)@C@PANI microspheres. After derivatization, the phenols were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The dominant parameters affecting enrichment efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method was evaluated, and applied to the analysis of phenols in real water samples. The results demonstrated that our proposed method based on Fe(3)O(4)@C@polyaniline magnetic microspheres had good linearity (r(2)>0.991), and limits of quantification (2.52-29.7 ng/mL), high repeatability (RSD<13.1%) and good recovery (85.3-110.6%).