Fabrication and characterization of ultra-thin magnetic films for biomedical applications

Polymeric ultra-thin films, so called nanosheets, show peculiar properties making them potentially useful for several applications in biomedicine. Moreover, the possibility to functionalize these films by using different agents opens new and partially unexplored scenarios, including micro/nano sensing and actuation. This paper compares two different methods for the preparation of free-standing nanosheets, loaded with magnetic particles for no-contact manipulation in liquid environment. Morphology and functionalities of the two types of nanosheets have been characterized and compared. These magnetic nanosheets could find applications as free-standing carriers to be released and controlled in endoluminal surgery or as plasters with nanometric thickness to be delivered in situ on surgical incisions.     

Synthesis and characterization of functional polyesters tailored for biomedical applications

This work aimed at the development of bioactive polymeric materials to be used for targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. The proposed strategy was based on the design of macromolecular systems whose functionality can be easily modified. Polyesters containing side‐chain end capped by primary hydroxyl groups were synthesized by polyaddition of oxetanes and carboxylic anhydrides catalyzed by quaternary onium salts. The polyaddition of bis(oxetane) with different dicarboxylic acids was also investigated. In all cases, oxetane monomers contained one hydroxyl group either free or protected by a benzyl group. The polymer yield and molecular weight were relatively high when aromatic anhydrides were used. In all other cases, low conversions or no polymerization at all were obtained. In a parallel research line, several alkanols were successfully employed to synthesize different α,β′,β‐trisubstituted‐β‐lactones. These monomers were prepared in five steps starting from diethyl oxalpropionate according to established synthetic routes. Final yields depended on both preparation method and side‐chain structure. By using quaternary ammonium salts as catalysts, the synthesized functional lactones underwent anionic ring opening polymerization leading to the corresponding homopolymers and copolymers in fairly good yields. The prepared polymeric materials were extensively characterized by spectroscopic techniques, size exclusion chromatography, and thermal analysis. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2459–2476, 2008     

Sustainable nanocomposite films based on bacterial cellulose and pullulan

Bionanocomposites with improved properties based on two microbial polysaccharides, pullulan and bacterial cellulose, were prepared and characterized. The novel materials were obtained through a simple green approach by casting water-based suspensions of pullulan and bacterial cellulose and characterized by TGA, RDX, tensile assays, SEM and AFM. The effect of the addition of glycerol, as a plasticizer, on the properties of the materials was also evaluated. All bionanocomposites showed considerable improvement in thermal stability and mechanical properties, compared to the unfilled pullulan films, evidenced by the significant increase in the degradation temperature (up to 40 °C) and on both Young’s modulus and tensile strength (increments of up to 100 and 50%, for films without glycerol and up to 8,000 and 7,000% for those plasticized with glycerol). Moreover, these bionanocomposite films are highly translucent and could be labelled as sustainable materials since they were prepared entirely from renewable resources and could find applications in areas as organic electronics, dry food packaging and in the biomedical field.     

Synthesis of functionalised polyethylene glycol derivatives of naproxen for biomedical applications

The preparation of a series of mono-naproxen functionalised polyethylene glycol derivatives have been achieved. These compounds feature several different terminal functional groups, the identities of which have been chosen to facilitate conjugation of these hybrid molecules to nanomaterials.     

Glyconanoparticles for biomedical applications

Over the past two decades, glycosylated nanoparticles (i.e., glyconanoparticles having sugar residues on the surface) received much attention for biomedical applications such as bioassays and targeted drug delivery. This minireview focuses on three aspects: (1) glycosylated gold nanoparticles, (2) glycosylated quantum dots, and (3) glyconanoparticles self-assembled from amphiphilic glycopolymers. The synthetic methods and the multivalent interactions between glyconanoparticles and lectins is shortly illustrated.     

Carbon-metal (Ni or Ti) nanocomposite thin films for functional applications

A comparison between structure and mechanical properties of dc sputtered C–Ni and C–Ti nanocomposite thin films has been made in the growth temperature range of 25–800 °C. C–Ni films undergo morphological and phase change at 400 °C deposition temperature, while the C–Ti films possess the same phase state and morphological character in the whole range of deposition temperatures. Despite the structural differences the dependence of hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) on the deposition temperature shows very similar behavior. The same character of the hardness and modulus curves is mostly influenced by the structure and the morphology of the carbon matrix. The difference in absolute value between the H and E curves of C–Ni and C–Ti could be related to the C-metal bonds, chemical stability and mechanical properties of the corresponding carbide phase.     

Synthesis of Ni3V2O8@graphene oxide nanocomposite as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor applications

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In the present investigation, we have synthesized Ni3V2O8@GO composite by co-precipitation method and designed as a new anode material for supercapacitor...     

Agarose-polyaldehyde microsphere beads: Synthesis and biomedical applications

Polyaldehyde microspheres, polyglutaraldehyde (PGL), and polyacrolein (PA) were synthesized by polymerizing glutaraldehyde and acrolein in the presence of an appropriate surfactant. The microspheres with average diameter of 0.2 micron were used for the specific labeling of human red blood cells (RBC) and mouse lymphocytes. The "naked" microspheres were encapsulated with agarose and formed agarose-polyaldehyde microsphere beads in sizes ranging from 50 microns up to 1 cm. The encapsulated beads, with diameters ranging from 50 to 150 microns were used as insoluble adsorbents for affinity purification of antibodies. Beads with diameters varied from 150 to 250 microns were used for cell fractionation purposes (mouse B splenocytes from T splenocytes). Uniform beads of 1 mm diameter were designed for hemoperfusion purposes. As a model, the removal in vitro of anti-BSA from immunized goat whole blood was studied.     

Recent advances in surface engineering of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are promising materials for various biomedical applications including targeted drug delivery and imaging, hyperthermia, magneto-transfections, gene therapy, stem cell tracking, molecular/cellular tracking, magnetic separation technologies (e.g. rapid DNA sequencing), and detection of liver and lymph node metastases. The most recent applications for SPIONs for early detection of inflammatory, cancer, diabetes and atherosclerosis have also increased their popularity in academia. In order to increase the efficacy of SPIONs in the desired applications, especial surface coating/characteristics are required. The aim of this article is to review the surface properties of magnetic nanoparticles upon synthesis and the surface engineering by different coatings. The biological aspects, cytotoxicity, and health risks are addressed. Special emphasis is given to organic and inorganic-based coatings due to their determinant role in biocompatibility or toxicity of the final particles.     

Facile regulation of glutaraldehyde-modified graphene oxide for preparing free-standing papers and nanocomposite films

Colloidal suspensions of glutaraldehyde (GA) crosslinked or grafted graphene oxide (GO) sheets were fabricated by simply tailoring the feed sequence. The different structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction. As demonstration of the utilities, the different colloidal suspensions were used to prepare free-standing papers by flow-directed filtration and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based nanocomposite films by casting. Free-standing papers from GA crosslinked GO sheets exhibited better mechanical properties than unmodified GO paper, while nanocomposite films from GA grafted GO exhibit higher tensile strength and Young’s modulus.     

Synthesis and characterisation of advanced UHMWPE/silver nanocomposites for biomedical applications

A supercritical fluid (SCF) route for facile and homogeneous introduction of silver nanoparticles into polymer hosts is described. Our focus is on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). We demonstrate that the metallic nanoparticles have a substantial effect upon the wear and tribochemical properties of the polymer substrate.     

Synthesis and characterization of cubic cobalt oxide nanocomposite fluids

Narrow size distribution cubic Co₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized and rheological properties of suspensions of the cubes in oligomeric polyethylene glycol (PEG) were explored over a range of particle volume fractions and rotational shear flow conditions. At low and high particle volume fractions, the relative viscosity of the suspensions is described by a Krieger–Dougherty formula with an intrinsic viscosity consistent with expectations for suspensions of ideal cuboids. At intermediate to high particle loadings, the suspensions manifest complex rheological behavior, including shear thinning and shear-thickening features. These observations are discussed in terms of the charge carried by the cubes and the shear rate/volume fraction dependency of the transition from shear thinning to shear thickening.     

Spintronic platforms for biomedical applications

Since the fundamental discovery of the giant magnetoresistance many spintronic devices have been developed and implemented in our daily life (e.g. information storage and automotive industry). Lately, advances in the sensors technology (higher sensitivity, smaller size) have potentiated other applications, namely in the biological area, leading to the emergence of novel biomedical platforms. In particular the investigation of spintronics and its application to the development of magnetoresistive (MR) biomolecular and biomedical platforms are giving rise to a new class of biomedical diagnostic devices, suitable for bench top bioassays as well as point-of-care and point-of-use devices. Herein, integrated spintronic biochip platforms for diagnostic and cytometric applications, hybrid systems incorporating magnetoresistive sensors applied to neuroelectronic studies and biomedical imaging, namely magneto-encephalography and magneto-cardiography, are reviewed. Also lab-on-a-chip MR-based platforms to perform biological studies at the single molecule level are discussed. Overall the potential and main characteristics of such MR-based biomedical devices, comparing to the existing technologies while giving particular examples of targeted applications, are addressed.     

Acoustic nanodrops for biomedical applications

Acoustic nanodrops are designed to vaporize into ultrasound-responsive microbubbles, which present certain challenges nonexistent for conventional nanoemulsions. The requirements of biocompatibility, vaporizability, and colloidal stability have focused research on perfluorocarbons. Shorter perfluorocarbons yield better vaporizability via their lower critical temperature, but they also dissolve more easily owing to their higher vapor pressure and solubility. Thus, acoustic nanodrops have required a trade-off between vaporizability and colloidal stability in vivo. The recent advent of vaporizable endoskeletal droplets, which are both colloidally stable and vaporizable, may have solved this problem. The purpose of this review is to justify this premise by pointing out the beneficial properties of acoustic nanodrops, providing an analysis of vaporization and dissolution mechanisms, and reviewing current biomedical applications.     

Emissive metallacages for biomedical applications

Owing to their appealing three-dimensional structures and tunable photophysical properties, emissive metallacages have been widely applied in recognition and sensing, adsorption and separation, catalysis, etc. Recently, the application of emissive metallacages in biomedical fields has emerged as a hot research topic, because multiple biological functionalities can be facilely integrated into metallacage-based platforms to deliver different functions. In this review, the applications of emissive ...     

Synthesis and thermal properties of antimony doped tin oxide/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposite films as heat insulating materials

The waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was synthesized from the polycondensation between isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polyoxypropylene glycol (N‐210) and then dispersed into water. Subsequently, the WPU emulsion was modified with antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticle by ultrasonic dispersion. The ATO/WPU emulsion was cast onto Teflon molds. After being dried, ATO/WPU films were prepared. TEM indicated that the ATO nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix at the nanometer scale. DSC showed that the ATO/WPU nanocomposites displayed increased glass transition temperatures compared to the control WPU. The mechanical properties of the films were characterized by dynamic‐mechanical analysis (DMA). The higher glass transition temperature and storage modulus indicates the superior mechanical properties of WPU modified by ATO nanoparticles over the conventional unmodified WPU. The thermal behaviors of the films were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It could be found that the incorporation of ATO into WPU can improve the thermal stability dramatically. The results from UV–visible–near infrared spectra indicated that the ATO/WPU films could decrease the infrared transmission effectively. The heat‐insulation measurements showed that glass coated with ATO/WPU films possessed better heat‐insulating effect than empty glass. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of water soluble PEGylated magnetic complexes using mPEG-fatty acid for biomedical applications

We report the successful fabrication of the various types of water soluble PEGylated magnetic complexes (PMCs) for magnetism-related biomedical applications. Various types of PMCs were synthesized and tested to accomplish phase transfer from organic to aqueous phase using monomethoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG)-fatty acid amphiphilic block copolymers (PFs) through conjugation of the hydroxyl group of mPEG with the carboxyl group of fatty acids. We also carefully investigate their colloidal stabilities in aqueous phase according to the ratio of hydrophilic and hydrophobic lengths relying on different types of fatty acids. Synthesized PMCs clearly demonstrated high magnetic sensitivity under magnetic field as magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents. Furthermore, PMCs exhibited sufficient cell viabilities and excellent cell affinities in an in vitro model. Our results demonstrated that our PMCs possessed the potential for highly efficient magnetism-related biomedical applications such as MR image agents, drug delivery and tracking of cells.     

Ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications: improving the colloidal and magnetic properties

A considerable increase in the saturation magnetization, M(s) (40%), and initial susceptibility of ultrasmall (<5 nm) iron oxide nanoparticles prepared by laser pyrolysis was obtained through an optimized acid treatment. Moreover, a significant enhancement in the colloidal properties, such as smaller aggregate sizes in aqueous media and increased surface charge densities, was found after this chemical protocol. The results are consistent with a reduction in nanoparticle surface disorder induced by a dissolution-recrystallization mechanism.