Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanospheres templated with flower-like micelles of pentablock copolymers

Multiple Roles of Mesoporous Silica in Safe Pesticide Application by Nanotechnology: A Review

Pollution related to pesticides has become a global problem due to their low utilization and non-targeting application, and nanotechnology has shown great potential in promoting sustainable agriculture. Nowadays, mesoporous silica-based nanomaterials have garnered immense attention for improving the efficacy and safety of pesticides due to their distinctive advantages of low toxicity, high thermal and chemical stability, and particularly size tunability and versatile functionality. Based on the introduction of the structure and synthesis of different types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), the multiple roles of mesoporous silica in safe pesticide application using nanotechnology are discussed in this Review: (i) as nanocarrier for sustained/controlled delivery of pesticides, (ii) as adsorbent for enrichment or removal of pesticides in aqueous media, (iii) as support of catalysts for degradation of pesticide contaminants, and (iv) as support of sensors for detection of pesticides. Several scientific issues, strategies, and mechanisms regarding the application of MSNs in the pesticide field are presented, with their future directions discussed in terms of their environmental risk assessment, in-depth mechanism exploration, and cost-benefit consideration for their continuous development. This Review will provide critical information to related researchers and may open up their minds to develop new advances in pesticide application.

Synthesis of gum tragacanth-grafted pentapolymer hydrogels for As(III) exclusion: Roles of microwaves, RSM optimization, and DFT studies

Microwave assisted homogeneous heating, selectivity in radical formation, and the faster polymerization facilitate the synthesis, structures, properties, and the higher branching associated stability of multifunctional multipolymers. Thus, the optimum gum tragacanth (GMTR)-grafted pentapolymer hydrogel/ HG2 was synthesized from three monomers, i.e., cis-butenedioic acid (cBDA), N-hydroxymethylacryalamide (NHMAm), and 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethanol (MAOE), and in situ generated 2-(3-((hydroxymethyl)amino)-3-oxopropoxy)ethyl-2-methylbutanoate (CM1) and 2-hydroxyethyl 3-(N-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylbutanamido)-2-methylpropanoate (CM2) comonomers through microwave assisted facile polymerization in aqueous medium. Here, twenty-one GMTR-grafted-[cBDA-co-CM1-co-NHMAm-co-CM2-co-MAOE/ HG1] hydrogels were prepared by using variable amounts of synthesis parameters, of which the optimum HG2 was chosen for the scale-up repetitive As(III)-exclusion. RSM was used to measure the optimum power-temperature-time of microwave irradiation. The structures of HG1, HG2, and As(III)-adsorbed HG2/ As(III)-HG2, in situ anchored comonomers, GMTR-grafting, reusability, thermostability, and surface phenomena were comprehended by XPS, NMR, UV-vis, FTIR, TG, XRD, DLS, and SEM analyses; pH_PZC; network parameters; and thermodynamic variables. The geometries, electronic structures, and variable coordinations of As(III) with HG2 were investigated through DFT studies of HG2 and As(OH)₃-HG2. The highest exclusion efficiency of 25 mg HG2 within 5-100 mg L^-1 As(III) and at 298 K was 192.91 mg g^-1, which was significantly higher than that of HG1.

Scale-up one-pot synthesis of waste collagen and apple pomace pectin incorporated pentapolymer biocomposites: Roles of waste collagen for elevations of properties and unary/ ternary removals of Ti(IV), As(V), and V(V)

Herein, hazardous solid particulate waste collagenic fibers (SWCFs) of leather industries were incorporated into apple pomace pectin (APPN)-grafted-pentapolymer, i.e., APPN-g-[sodium 2-methylidenebutanedioate(SMBD)-co-N-((3-(isopropylamino)-3-oxopropoxy) methyl) butyramide (CM1)-co-N-(hydroxymethyl)prop-2-enamide (NHMPE)-co-N-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(N-isopropylbutyramido)butanamide (CM2)-co-N-(propan-2-yl)prop-2-enamide NPYPE)/ PENP1], i.e., APPN-g-PENP1/ PENP2, prepared via one-pot facile polymerization of APPN and synthetic monomers, i.e., SMBD, NHMPE, and NPYPE, in aqueous medium, to fabricate an optimum multifunctional hybrid biocomposite adsorbent/ HCOM3. In PENP1, PENP2, and HCOM3, fourth/ CM1 and fifth/ CM2 multifunctional comonomers were anchored in situ. The structures of PENP1, PENP2, HCOM3, CM1, CM2, and metal-ion adsorbed HCOM3; APPN-grafting; SWCF incorporation; and surface properties were analyzed through NMR, XPS, FTIR, XRD, and SEM. The elevated adsorption efficiencies (AEs), reusability, thermostability, swelling, network durability, and crosslink density of HCOM3 were attributed to variable functionalities of SWCF/ APPN, explored by DLS and TGA, swelling, network, and thermodynamic parameters. Compared to SWCF, APPN, PENP1, and PENP2, the elevated AEs and reusability compelled HCOM3 as more suitable for scalable waste management. The maximum AEs, i.e., 171.79, 180.47, and 177.27 mg g^-1, for Ti(IV), As(V), and V(V) at pH_op = 7.0, 3.0, and 5.0, respectively, within 5-100 mg L^-1 and at 298 K for 25 mg HCOM3 deteriorated during ternary adsorption by the antagonistic effects.

Progress in Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Agents for Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment and therapy have made significant leaps and bounds in these past decades. However, there are still cases where surgical removal is impossible, metastases are challenging, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy pose severe side effects. Therefore, a need to find more effective and specific treatments still exists. One way is through the utilization of drug delivery agents (DDA) based on nanomaterials. In 2001, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were first used as DDA and have gained considerable attention in this field. The popularity of MSNs is due to their unique properties such as tunable particle and pore size, high surface area and pore volume, easy functionalization and surface modification, high stability and their capability to efficiently entrap cargo molecules. This review describes the latest advancement of MSNs as DDA for cancer treatment. We focus on the fabrication of MSNs, the challenges in DDA development and how MSNs address the problems through the development of smart DDA using MSNs. Besides that, MSNs have also been applied as a multifunctional DDA where they can serve in both the diagnostic and treatment of cancer. Overall, we argue MSNs provide a bright future for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Recent Trends in Morphology-Controlled Synthesis and Application of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

The outstanding journey towards the investigation of mesoporous materials commences with the discovery of high surface area porous silica materials, named MCM-41 (Mobil Composition of Matter-41) according to the inventors' name Mobile scientists in the United States. Based on a self-assembled supramolecular templating mechanism, the synthesis of mesoporous silica has extended to wide varieties of silica categories along with versatile applications of all these types in many fields. These silica families have some extraordinary structural features, like highly tunable nanoscale sized pore diameter, good Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas, good flexibility to accommodate different organic and inorganic functional groups, metals etc., onto their surface. As a consequence, thousands of scientists and researchers throughout the world have reported numerous silica materials in the form of published articles, communication, reviews, etc. Beside this, attention is also given to the morphology-oriented synthesis of silica nanoparticles and their significant effects on the emerging fields of study like catalysis, energy applications, sensing, environmental, and biomedical research. This review highlights a consolidated overview of those morphology-based mesoporous silica particles, emphasizing their syntheses and potential role in many promising fields of research.