Overcoming the Inhibition Effects of Citrate: Precipitation of Ferromagnetic Magnetite Nanoparticles with Tunable Morphology,Magnetic Properties,and Surface Charge via Ferrous Citrate Oxidation

This study demonstrates how the method of thermally assisted oxidative precipitation in water can be opened for—the so far neglected—metal organic iron(II) complexes (herein: citrate) in order to obtain, in one step, ferromagnetic magnetite nanoparticles, possessing essential ligand properties. Based on a dedicated analysis of the specific precursor in combination with the consideration of known properties of the ligand, it is possible to identify existing inhibition-attributes of the iron organyl such that these can be overcome. Moreover, they can be exploited in a targeted manner; thus, simply by changing concentrations, a variety of magnetite nanoparticle morphologies with distinct properties can be obtained. In the case of the herein investigated ferrous citrate, three major inhibition effects are identified. While two of them efficiently prevent the formation of magnetite and need to be addressed to be overcome, the third can be exploited to selectively synthesize, for example, relatively stable carboxyl group-bearing nuclei clusters, exhibiting the properties of magnetically responsive photonic crystals, or relatively large mesocrystals, whose intraparticular magnetic interactions are apparently disturbed.     

Green synthesis and characterizations of Nickel oxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Rhamnus virgata and their potential biological applications

In the present report, Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) were synthesized using Rhamnus virgata (Roxb.) (Family: Rhamnaceae) as a potential stabilizing, reducing and chelating agent. The formation, morphology, structure and other physicochemical properties of resulting NiONPs were characterized by Ultra violet spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared analysis (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy‐dispersive‐spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Detailed in vitro biological activities revealed significant therapeutic potential for NiONPs. The antimicrobial efficacy of biogenic NiONPs was demonstrated against five different gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 125 μg/mL) were found to be the least susceptible and Bacillus subtilis (MIC: 31.25 μg/mL) was found to be the most susceptible strain to NiONPs. Biogenic NiONPs were reported to be highly potent against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀: 29.68 μg/ml). Moderate antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica (KMH₂₃) promastigotes (IC₅₀: 10.62 μg/ml) and amastigotes (IC₅₀: 27.58 μg/ml) cultures are reported. The cytotoxic activity was studied using brine shrimps and their IC₅₀ value was recorded as 43.73 μg/ml. For toxicological assessment, NiONPs were found compatible towards human RBCs (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml) and macrophages (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml), deeming particles safe for various applications in nanomedicines. Moderate antioxidant activities: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (51.43%), 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity (70.36%) and total reducing power (TRP) (45%) are reported for NiONPs. In addition, protein kinase and alpha amylase inhibition assays were also performed. Our results concluded that Rhamnus virgata synthesized NiONPs could find important biomedical applications with low cytotoxicity to normal cells.     

Hitherto-Unexplored Photodynamic Therapy of Ag2S and Enhanced Regulation Based on Polydopamine In Vitro and Vivo

Given their superior penetration depths, photosensitizers with longer absorption wavelengths present broader application prospects in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, Ag₂S quantum dots were discovered, for the first time, to be capable of killing tumor cells through the photodynamic route by near-infrared light irradiation, which means relatively less excitation of the probe compared with traditional photosensitizers absorbing short wavelengths. On modification with polydopamine (PDA), PDA-Ag₂S was obtained, which showed outstanding capacity for inducing reactive oxygen species (increased by 1.69 times). With the addition of PDA, Ag₂S had more opportunities to react with surrounding O₂, which was demonstrated by typical triplet electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis. Furthermore, the PDT effects of Ag₂S and PDA-Ag₂S achieved at longer wavelengths were almost identical to the effects produced at 660 nm, which was proved by studies in vitro. PDA-Ag₂S showed distinctly better therapeutic effects than Ag₂S in experiments in vivo, which further validated the enhanced regulatory effect of PDA. Altogether, a new photosensitizer with longer absorption wavelength was developed by using the hitherto-unexplored photodynamic function of Ag₂S quantum dots, which extended and enhanced the regulatory effect originating from PDA.     

Synthesis of Novel Triazole Incorporated Thiazolone Motifs Having Promising Antityrosinase Activity through Green Nanocatalyst CuI-Fe3O4@SiO2 (TMS-EDTA)

In the present work, novel 5-((1-benzyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxybenzylidene)-2-(arylamino)thiazol-4-one thiazolone incorporated triazole derivatives have been designed as tyrosinase inhibitors. The compounds were synthesized through click reaction in good yield. Moreover, the antityrosinas activity of the synthesized derivatives was evaluated. In the search for establishing a click copper-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction under strict conditions, in terms of a novel air-stable, a recyclable and efficient magnetic catalyst was planned for new triazole derivatives as a well-organized copper iodide supported on the functionalized Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core-shell (CuI/Fe₃O₄@SiO₂(TMS-EDTA) nanoparticles). The engineered nanocatalyst synthesized for the first time and characterized by different methods, including FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, FESEM, EDX, TEM, TGA, and BET analysis. The excellent catalytic performance in ethanol with high surface area (351.7 m²g⁻¹) and short reaction time for diverse functional groups (120–200 min), no use of toxic solvents, reusability of the catalyst, and using eco-friendly conditions are the advantageous of this work. Moreover,the nanocatalyst can be used at least five times without any significant decrease in the yield of the reaction. The thiazolidine-triazole derivatives 9a , 9c , 9e , and 9 g showed promising tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values in the range of 5.90–9.81 μM. The compounds were found to be considerably more potent tyrosinase inhibitors than the reference inhibitor kojic acid (IC₅₀ = 18.36 μM).     

Caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐encapsulated Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanocrystallites as a novel magnetically basic catalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐diones

A novel nanomagnetic basic catalyst of caesium carbonate supported on hydroxyapatite‐coated Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃) was prepared. This new catalyst was fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry techniques, and then the catalytic activity of this catalyst was investigated in the synthesis of 1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐b]phthalazine‐5,10‐dione derivatives. Also, Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄@HAP‐Cs₂CO₃ could be reused at least five times without significant loss of activity and could be recovered easily by applying an external magnet. Thus, the developed nanomagnetic catalyst is potentially useful for the green and economic production of organic compounds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

纳米银改性树脂基托机械性能的初步研究

采用磁控溅射技术在聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)树脂基托表面沉积一层纳米银(Ag NPs)涂层.研究了纳米银改性PMMA树脂基托的机械性能,为改性材料的临床应用提供理论基础.根据国际标准ISO2409:2007描述的划格法对涂层与基底的附着力强度进行测试,各组试件的接触角采用静态液滴法测量,三点弯曲法检测试件的弯曲强度.结果显示,各组涂层与PMMA基底材料结合良好,各组试件的表面润湿性变化不大,其中PMMA-Ag NPs80s组疏水性略有提高,各组试件的弯曲强度均符合国家标准.     

Visible‐light photocatalytic activity of Ag@MIL‐125(Ti) microspheres

Ag nanoparticle (NP)‐decorated MIL‐125(Ti) microspheres (Ag@MIL‐125(Ti)) were firstly fabricated via a facile hydrothermal and following photo‐reduction method. The photocatalysts were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The characterization results indicated that Ag NPs were dispersed on the surface of MIL‐125(Ti) microspheres, and the Ag NPs had a uniform diameter of about 40 nm. The composites exhibited excellent visible‐light absorption, due to the modification with the Ag NPs. The photocatalytic activity for the visible‐light‐promoted degradation of Rhodamine B was improved through the optimization of the amount of Ag loaded as a co‐catalyst, this amount being determined as 3 wt%. Additionally, studies performed using radical scavengers indicated that O₂^? and e^? served as the main reactive species. The catalyst can be reused at least five times without significant loss of its catalytic activity. Furthermore, a photocatalytic mechanism for degradation of organics over Ag@MIL‐125(Ti) is also proposed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Importance of the Correlation between Width and Length in the Shape Analysis of Nanorods: Use of a 2D Size Plot To Probe Such a Correlation

Analysis of nanoparticle size through a simple 2D plot is proposed in order to extract the correlation between length and width in a collection or a mixture of anisotropic particles. Compared to the usual statistics on the length associated with a second and independent statistical analysis of the width, this simple plot easily points out the various types of nanoparticles and their (an)isotropy. For each class of nano‐objects, the relationship between width and length (i.e., the strong or weak correlations between these two parameters) may suggest information concerning the nucleation/growth processes. It allows one to follow the effect on the shape and size distribution of physical or chemical processes such as simple ripening. Various electron microscopy pictures from the literature or from the authors′ own syntheses are used as examples to demonstrate the efficiency and simplicity of the proposed 2D plot combined with a multivariate analysis.     

银纳米颗粒对聚合物太阳能电池性能的提高

采用水溶性银纳米颗粒附着在反型太阳能电池的电子传输层上,用以提高有机太阳能电池的短路电流。所制备的器件结构为ITO/ZnO/Ag NPs/P3HT(Poly 3-hexylthiophene):PC_[60]BM/MoO₃/Ag。其金属银纳米颗粒的表面等离激元在410 nm处出现了共振吸收峰,半峰全宽约为60 nm。器件的光电流在可见光范围内均有所增加,短路电流相对于标准器件提高了20.2%,光电转化效率相对提高了17.2%。     

Photothermal Oxidation of Cinnamyl Alcohol with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Gold Nanoparticle/Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Nanocrystals

Gold nanoparticles with different mean sizes were formed on antimony-doped tin oxide nanocrystals by the temperature-varied deposition-precipitation method (Au/ATO NCs). Au/ATO NCs possess strong absorption in the near-infrared region due to Drude excitation in addition to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNPs around 530 nm. Au/ATO NCs show thermally activated catalytic activity for the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde by hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic activity increases with a decrease in the mean Au particle size (d_Au) at 5.3 nm≤d_Au≤8.2 nm. Light irradiation (λ_ex >660 nm, ∼0.5 sun) of Au/ATO NCs increases the rate of reaction by more than twice with ∼95 % selectivity. Kinetic analyses indicated that the striking enhancement of the reaction stems from the rise in the temperature near the catalyst surface of ∼30 K due to the photothermal effect of the ATO NCs.