Synthesis of Small‐Sized,Porous, and Low‐Toxic Magnetite Nanoparticles by Thin POSS Silica Coating

In this communication, we report the synthesis of small‐sized (<10 nm), water‐soluble, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), which contain either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or octa(tetramethylammonium) (OctaTMA) as functional groups. The POSS‐coated MNPs exhibit superparamagnetic behavior with saturation magnetic moments (51–53 emu g^?1) comparable to silica‐coated MNPs. They also provide good colloidal stability at different pH and salt concentrations, and low cytotoxicity to MCF‐7 human breast epithelial cells. The relaxivity data and magnetic resonance (MR) phantom images demonstrate the potential application of these MNPs in bioimaging.     

Sobolev Stability of Plane Wave Solutions to the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

This article explores the questions of long time orbital stability in high order Sobolev norms of plane wave solutions to the NLSE in the defocusing case.     

Surface modification of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine

Progress in surface modification of magnetic nanoparticles(MNPs)is summarized with regard to organic molecules,macromolecules and inorganic materials.Many researchers are now devoted to synthesizing new types of multi-functional MNPs,which show great application potential in both diagnosis and treatment of disease.By employing an ever-greater variety of surface modification techniques,MNPs can satisfy more and more of the demands of medical practice in areas like magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),fluorescent marking,cell targeting,and drug delivery.     

Nano palladium supported on high‐surface‐area metal–organic framework MIL‐101: an efficient catalyst for Sonogashira coupling of aryl and heteroaryl bromides with alkynes

Palladium nanoparticle‐incorporated metal–organic framework MIL‐101 (Pd/MIL‐101) was successfully synthesized and characterized using X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, X‐ray photoelectron, UV–visible and infrared spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy. The characterization techniques confirmed high porosity and high surface area of MIL‐101 and high stability of nano‐size palladium particles. Pd/MIL‐101 nanocomposite was investigated for the Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction of aryl and heteroaryl bromides with various alkynes under copper‐free conditions. The reusability of the catalyst was tested for up to four cycles without any significant loss in catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A gold-based nanobeacon probe for fluorescence sensing of organophosphorus pesticides

A nanomaterials-based novel molecular beacon has attracted growing attentions in fluorescent assays as many nanomaterials possess excellent quenching efficiency. In this work, a gold-based nanobeacon probe was established to detect organophosphorus pesticides for the first time. The constructed gold-based nanobeacon acted as a signal indicator and could display the decreasing of the intensity in the presence of targets, which competitively bound to single strand DNA. To achieve a high sensitive probe, some parameters including solution pH, temperature and reaction time were investigated and optimized. The gold-based nanobeacon probe assay was proved to be rapid and sensitive to achieve a detection limit of 0.035 μM for isocarbophos, 0.134 μM for profenofos, 0.384 μM for phorate and 2.35 μM for omethoate, respectively. The prepared nanobeacon effectively reduced the background and improved the detection sensitivity and selectivity. The probe is stable, easy to operate and does not need sophisticated instruments. These features makes the probe feasible for screening trace organophosphorus pesticides in real samples.     

Facile preparation of boronic acid‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles with a high capacity and their use in the enrichment of cis‐diol‐containing compounds from plasma

The use of bronate affinity adsorbents is a new separation method that appeared recently with great potential for specific extraction of cis‐diol‐containing compounds. In this work,a new strategy for the facile construction of boronic acid‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@FPBA MNPs) with a high capacity was described. The extraction capacity of the Fe₃O₄@FPBA MNPs was determined to be 66.0 ± 2.7 µmol/g for catechol and 80.6 ± 2.0 µmol/g for dopamine, being higher than that for the reported methods. The Fe₃O₄@FPBA MNPs were used to extract four cis‐diol drugs: caffeic acid isopropyl ester, caffic acid bornyl ester, isopropyl 3‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐2‐hydroxypropanoate and 3‐(3, 4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐2‐hydroxylpropionic acid – from the spiked rabbit plasma, and the recoveries of four drugs were between 87.29 and104.37% with relative standard deviations ranging from 1.34 to 8.81%. Under the most favorable conditions, the solid‐phase extraction combined with HPLC‐UV for the analysis of four drugs in plasma could eliminate interferences from endogenous components of the biological fluids and exhibited sufficient precision and accuracy. These results showed that the prepared Fe₃O₄@FPBA MNPs were qualified for efficiently enriching and determining the trace cis‐diol substances from biological samples. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Concept for Obtaining SnO2 Fiber‐in‐Tube Nanostructures with Superior Electrochemical Properties

Tin oxide (SnO₂) nanotubes with a fiber‐in‐tube structure have been prepared by electrospinning and the mechanism of their formation has been investigated. Tin oxide‐carbon composite nanofibers with a filled structure were formed as an intermediate product, which were then transformed into SnO₂ nanotubes with a fiber‐in‐tube structure during heat treatment at 500 °C. Nanofibers with a diameter of 85 nm were found to be located inside hollow nanotubes with an outer diameter of 260 nm. The prepared SnO₂ nanotubes had well‐developed mesopores. The discharge capacities of the SnO₂ nanotubes at the 2nd and 300th cycles at a current density of 1 A g^?1 were measured as 720 and 640 mA h g^?1, respectively, and the corresponding capacity retention measured from the 2nd cycle was 88 %. The discharge capacities of the SnO₂ nanotubes at incrementally increased current densities of 0.5, 1.5, 3, and 5 A g^?1 were 774, 711, 652, and 591 mA h g^?1, respectively. The SnO₂ nanotubes with a fiber‐in‐tube structure showed superior cycling and rate performances compared to those of SnO₂ nanopowder. The unique structure of the SnO₂ nanotubes with a fiber@void@tube configuration improves their electrochemical properties by reducing the diffusion length of the lithium ions, and also imparts greater stability during electrochemical cycling.     

Partial Oxidation as a Rational Approach to Kinetic Control in Bioinspired Magnetite Synthesis

Biological systems show impressive control over the shape, size and organization of mineral structures, which often leads to advanced physical properties that are tuned to the function of these materials. Such control is also found in magnetotactic bacteria, which produce—in aqueous medium and at room temperature—magnetite nanoparticles with precisely controlled morphologies and sizes that are generally only accessible in synthetic systems with the use of organic solvents and/or the use of high‐temperature methods. The synthesis of magnetite under biomimetic conditions, that is, in water and at room temperature and using polymeric additives as control agents, is of interest as a green production method for magnetic nanoparticles. Inspired by the process of magnetite biomineralization, a rational approach is taken by the use of a solid precursor for the synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles. The conversion of a ferrous hydroxide precursor, which we demonstrate with cryo‐TEM and low‐dose electron diffraction, is used to achieve control over the solution supersaturation such that crystal growth can be regulated through the interaction with poly‐(α,β)‐dl ‐aspartic acid, a soluble, negatively charged polymer. In this way, stable suspensions of nanocrystals are achieved that show remanence and coercivity at the size limit of superparamagnetism, and which are able to align their magnetic moments forming strings in solution as is demonstrated by cryo‐electron tomography.     

Redox Communication within Multinuclear Iron–Sulfur Complexes Related to Electronic Interplay in the Active Site of [FeFe]Hydrogenase

The one‐electron oxidations of a Fe₂ complex lead to the formation of a persistent metal‐stabilized thiyl radical Fe₂ species, mixed‐valent Fe₄, and Fe₈ complexes. The unpaired spin in the Fe₂ radical species delocalizes over the Fe₂ and the aromatic dithiolate, mostly on the terminal sulfur. The subsequent dimerization of the singly oxidized Fe₂ to the Fe₄ retains the partial thiyl radical character. For an analogue with less steric hindrance, the π–π stacking interaction between the dithiolato aromatic rings induces generation of the Fe₈, in which process electronic structures of the species are modulated through reducing the thiyl radical to the thiolate. Electronic reorganization repeats when the Fe₈ is converted to Fe₄. Electronic interplay in the complexes decreases the energy gap of frontier MOs and buffers electronic impacts upon redox events. Easier accessible redox potentials and increased stability of the species are facilitated. The results demonstrate that electronic versatility of the benzenedithiolate exerts pronounced influences on electronic and coordination structure of the metal complexes.     

From single‐chain folding to polymer nanoparticles via intramolecular quadruple hydrogen‐bonding interaction

Single‐chain folding via intramolecular noncovalent interaction is regarded as a facile mimicry of biomacromolecules. Single‐chain folding and intramolecular crosslinking is also an effective method to prepare polymer nanoparticles. In this study, poly(methyl methacrylate‐co?2‐ureido‐5‐deazapterines functionalized ethylene methacrylate) (P(MMA‐co‐EMA‐DeAP)) is synthesized via free radical polymerization. The single‐chain folding of P(MMA‐co‐EMA‐DeAP) and the formation of the nanoparticles in diluted solution (concentration <0.005 mg/mL) are achieved via supramolecular interaction and intramolecular collapsing during the disruption‐reformation process of the hydrogen bonding triggered by water. The size and the morphology of the nanoparticles are characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscope, and atomic force microscope. The results show that the size of the nanoparticles depends on the molecular weight of the polymer and the loading of 2‐ureido‐5‐deazapterines functionalized ethylene methacrylate (EMA‐DeAP) on the polymer backbone. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1832–1840