Journal of Nanoparticle Research最新文献

In the present work, structural and morphological changes occurring during thermal decomposition of two isomers, silver oleate and silver elaidate (C₁₇H₃₃COOAg), were studied. It was found that thermal decomposition of both isomers results in the formation of ordered self-assembled nanostructures, which form in situ during the process. For investigating the changes occurring upon heating of silver oleate and silver elaidate, transmission electron microscopy and time-resolved small-angle and wide-angle X-ray diffraction were employed. It was found that, upon heating, the salts first experience transitions into various liquid crystal states and then into an isotropic liquid. The onset temperature of thermal decomposition of silver oleate and silver elaidate was found to be 200 °C and 230 °C, respectively. The products of thermal decomposition, the self-assembled structures, were composed of ordered silver nanoparticles.

A cost-effective semiconductor photocatalyst that harvests visible light energy and reduces photoinduced charge carrier recombination has garnered increasing interest for energy production and environmental cleanup. α-Fe₂O₃-tailored Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical microspheres have been effectively synthesized and well characterized by XRD, SEM, EDAX, HR-XPS, PL, and UV–Vis DRS techniques. The photocatalytic efficacy was improved by the Fe-BW-3% heterostructure catalyst on the degradation of ciprofloxacin as an antibiotic and rhodamine B as a cationic dye pollutant, with percentages of 98.09% and 97.37%, respectively. The increased photocatalytic activity was attributed to the improved visible light harvesting ability and reduced rate of photoinduced electron–hole recombination by moving electrons from one junction to another. Furthermore, the recycle investigations revealed that the catalysts are stable for CIP and RhB degradation after six cycles. Furthermore, scavenging experiments show that holes were the primary reactive species while hydroxyl radicals were the secondary active species in the degradation of CIP and RhB. The Fe-BW-3% composite photocatalyst exhibited excellent hydrogen evolution performance, achieving a production rate of 846 µmol. The enhancement mechanism was detailed with a schematic illustration.

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Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive component extracted from the Moraceae plant cannabis and possesses various pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor effects. However, its poor stability, low water solubility, and insufficient drug targeting have limited its application in tumor treatment. In this study, folic acid (FA) was grafted onto O-carboxymethyl chitosan-g-cholesterol succinate monoester (CCMC) through an amidation reaction. In order to improve the stability, apparent solubility, and targeting ability of CBD, CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles were prepared by loading CBD. Firstly, the synthesis of polymer CCMC-FA was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectrum (¹H-NMR). The physicochemical properties of CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles were characterized by detecting critical micelle concentration (CMC), particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, and in vitro drug release. Stability and apparent solubility were assessed. The CCK-8 method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles on SKOV3 cells. And coumarin 6 (C6) was used as a fluorescent probe to observe the cell uptake to initially evaluate the targeting ability of CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles. The results of FT-IR and ¹H-NMR indicated that CCMC-FA was successfully synthesized, and its CMC was 0.0044 mg/mL. The average particle size of the prepared CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles was 121.9 ± 1.8 nm, the PDI was good (0.21 ± 0.05), the drug loading was 10.26 ± 0.18%, the encapsulation efficiency was 78.63 ± 0.48%, and they were spherical under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cumulative release rate of CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles at acidic pH (5.4) was 37.16%, which was higher than 24.53% at physiological pH (7.4), indicating that the release of CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles was pH-sensitive. The particle size of micelles is stable during storage for 168 h, and the apparent solubility is 355 times that of free CBD. The results of cell experiments showed that CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles had a stronger inhibitory effect on the viability rate of SKOV3 cells than free CBD. In SKOV3 cells, the fluorescence intensity of C6-labeled CCMC-FA nanomicelles was higher than that of C6/CCMC nanomicelles and free C6 dyes, preliminarily suggesting the improvement of the anti-tumor and targeting effects of FA-modified CBD/CCMC-FA nanomicelles. CCMC-FA nanomicelles can enhance the stability and apparent solubility of CBD and have potential in targeted drug delivery.

The synthesized nanostructures based on nanoporous matrices of anodised aluminum oxide (AAO) and NH₄H₂PO₄ (ADP) and KB₅O₈∙4H₂O (KB5) nanocrystals were studied. The deposition of nanocrystals into the pores of AAO was carried out from saturated aqueous solutions. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the AAO matrices was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence analysis. The surface morphology and pore dimensionality of the AAO matrices were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Spectrophotometric measurements have shown that the AAO nanomatrices have a transparency window in the wide spectral range of 250–2000 nm. The dependence of the second harmonic generation (SHG) signal on the type of crystal filling of the pores was established. The parameters of the porous structure of both the initial empty matrices and those filled with nanostructures were estimated using the adsorption/desorption isotherms of nitrogen at its boiling point. It was shown that the ADP nanocrystals in the proposed synthesis method filled the AAO matrix better than the KB5 crystals.

In this present investigation, the Bi₂S₃/BiOI nanocomposites were synthesized by using a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The obtained pristine Bi₂S₃, BiOI, and Bi₂S₃/BiOI nanocomposites were further evaluated for several physicochemical techniques. This Bi₂S₃/BiOI nanocomposite design effectively combines the superior electron transport properties of Bi₂S₃ nanorods with the catalytic activity of BiOI nanosheets, leading to a remarkable improvement in electrochemical sensing performance. The Bi₂S₃/BiOI nanocomposites were incorporated with GCE to form a Bi₂S₃/BiOI/GCE electrode material, further used to detect the environmental pollutants as a Metol (MTL) drug. Several analytical techniques, such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), revealed a wide linear detection range of 0.5–50 µM and a sensitivity of 1.80 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻² with an exceptionally low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.35 µM and 2.81 µM. The improvements in sensitivity were attributed to the expanded active surface and optimized charge transfer properties. In real-time applicability, the as-proposed Bi₂S₃/BiOI/GCE sensor was used to detect the MTL drug in pond water and tap water with good sensory results. Overall, the obtained results suggest that our proposed Bi₂S₃/BiOI/GCE sensor has an efficient sensing material for a healthy environment. The work highlights Bi₂S₃/BiOI nanocomposites as a promising platform for reliable detection of MTL, offering insights into developing sustainable electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring.

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The two-dimensional material that emerged with the discovery of graphene has attracted great attention due to its interesting optical, electrical and mechanical properties. In recent years, especially two-dimensional (2D) perovskite oxides have attracted attention due to their ability to exhibit insulating, semiconducting or conducting properties. Dion-Jacobson perovskite oxides from the 2D perovskite oxide family have been intensively investigated due to their remarkable chemical and physical properties such as giant magnetoresistance, high-temperature superconductivity, ferroelectricity and photocatalytic activity. In this review, the properties, synthesis methods and device applications of calcium niobate nanosheets (KCa₂Nb₃O₁₀ commonly referred to as CNO), one of the Dion-Jacobson perovskite oxides, are discussed. Promising results have been obtained in Ultraviolet (UV) detection and photocatalytic applications with CNO structures. However, when the literature was examined, no review article was found that examined CNO nanosheets in detail. It is thought that; this study will fill this gap in the literature.

Monodispersed silica nanoparticles (NPs) of 30–204 nm diameter encapsulating {2,2′,2″,2‴-{4′-{[(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino]biphenyl-4-yl}-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine-6,6″-diyl}bis(methylenenitrilo)}tetrakis(acetate)–Eu³⁺ (DTBTA–Eu (III)) were prepared in aqueous solutions at various amounts of DTBTA–Eu (III) dissolved in H₂O for various durations of mixing DTBTA–Eu (III) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the NPs were uniformly distributed in the solutions, and luminescence emission spectra were assigned to DTBTA–Eu (III), which typically has three peaks at 586, 595, and 614 nm. The apparent amount of DTBTA–Eu (III) encapsulated in silica NPs, which was determined from luminescence emission intensity, increased with NP diameter. The silica NPs encapsulating DTBTA–Eu (III) prepared by adjusting the amounts of concentrated NH₄OH solution and tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide in the first step of preparation had a minimum diameter of 30 nm and an enhanced luminescence lifetime of 1.79 ms.

Treating and diagnosing drug-resistant tumors is an important challenge for rapidly developing nanomedicine. The new polymer-inorganic 10–15 nm nanoparticles based on branched PEGylated polylactide macromolecules with a number-average molecular weight of 14,200 modified with gadolinium (III) oxide offer a promising solution. The advantage of using PEGylated branched polylactides compared to traditional linear block copolymers is the suppression of micelle formation, which allows significantly reducing the theranostic’s particle size. The structure of the nanosized carrier is characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR spectroscopy, and XRD, and the expected size of nanoparticles is estimated theoretically and determined experimentally by TEM and SAXS. The DLS method reveals that electrostatic immobilization of doxorubicin hydrochloride is accompanied by the assembly of 80–90 nm aggregates, wherein the full drug release from nanoparticles occurs in accordance with the first-order kinetic equation. The synthesized nanoparticles were shown to possess paramagnetism and promote significant longitudinal relaxivity (6.77 mM⁻¹ × s⁻¹) of proton spins, making them promising agents for positive MRI imaging. They are also nontoxic to HDF fibroblasts at concentrations up to 0.01 mg × ml⁻¹. Immobilization of doxorubicin hydrochloride slightly reduced its cytotoxicity toward HDF cells and promoted an increase in cytotoxicity for doxorubicin-resistant SiHa cancer cells at drug concentrations up to 0.77 μM. Thus, the developed nanoparticles are promising for the creation of new theranostic agents combining the capabilities of doxorubicin immobilization with MRI diagnostics.

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As potential candidates to be employed as air anodes in metal-air batteries, transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have received considerable attention due to their excellent electrocatalytic activity. This work presents a straightforward method for efficiently fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) reticulated carbon N, P-doped carbon structure generated from polyaniline-phytic acid polymer, with Co₂P and Co₃(PO₄)₂ nanoparticles implanted on the carbon matrix (CoPO-Co₂P@NPC). As-fabricated CoPO-Co₂P@NPC demonstrates impressive bifunctional oxygen reduction reactions (ORR)/oxygen evolution reactions (OER) performances. A diffusion-limiting current density of 6.56 mA cm⁻², a half-wave potential of 0.80 V, and an overpotential of 1.73 V are detected at 10 mA cm⁻². The CoPO-Co₂P@NPC assembled rechargeable Zn-Air battery (RZAB) demonstrates a high-power density of 265 mW cm⁻², with excellent cycling stability over 450 h. The composite based on Co₂P-Co₃(PO₄)₂ demonstrates outstanding bifunctional electrocatalytic performance, which makes it a desirable anode material for RZABs.

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Selective oxidation of naphthol derivatives under visible light presents an environmentally friendlier alternative to conventional oxidation methods. Here, we report the preparation of a heterogeneous photocatalyst, Pc-3/MCM-41, by immobilizing a cationic zinc phthalocyanine (Pc-3) onto mesoporous MCM-41 silica via electrostatic interactions. Spectroscopic, thermal, and microscopic analyses indicated that Pc-3 was successfully incorporated into the silica support, with reasonably uniform dispersion and minimal aggregation. Under red LED irradiation, the catalyst promoted the oxidation of 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (1,5-DHN) to juglone, achieving ca. 80–85% conversion under certain conditions. The catalyst can be recovered by filtration and reused, although its activity declines over several cycles. Kinetic investigations under these conditions revealed a maximum pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.5484 min⁻¹. Langmuir–Hinshelwood modeling yielded adsorption (K_ad) and reaction rate (k_r) constants of 140.48 mmol⁻¹ and 0.0104 mmol min⁻¹, respectively. Because substrate adsorption caused deactivation, regeneration via washing with N,N-dimethylformamide partially restored catalytic activity. These results highlighted Pc-3/MCM-41 as a promising visible-light photocatalyst for oxidation reactions, though improvements in stability and cycle performance remain necessary.