Low-Energy Bead-Mill Dispersion of Agglomerated Core-Shell α-Fe/Al₂O₃ and α″-Fe₁₆N₂/Al₂O₃ Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles in Toluene

Customizable Fabrication of Photothermal Microneedles with Plasmonic Nanoparticles Using Low-Cost Stereolithography Three-Dimensional Printing

Photothermal microneedle (MN) arrays have the potential to improve the treatment of various skin conditions such as bacterial skin infections. However, the fabrication of photothermal MN arrays relies on time-consuming and potentially expensive microfabrication and molding techniques, which limits their size and translation to clinical application. Furthermore, the traditional mold-and-casting method is often limited in terms of the size customizability of the photothermal array. To overcome these challenges, we fabricated photothermal MN arrays directly via 3D-printing using plasmonic Ag/SiO2 (2 wt % SiO2) nanoaggregates dispersed in ultraviolet photocurable resin on a commercial low-cost liquid crystal display stereolithography printer. We successfully printed MN arrays in a single print with a translucent, nanoparticle-free support layer and photothermal MNs incorporating plasmonic nanoaggregates in a selective fashion. The photothermal MN arrays showed sufficient mechanical strength and heating efficiency to increase the intradermal temperature to clinically relevant temperatures. Finally, we explored the potential of photothermal MN arrays to improve antibacterial therapy by killing two bacterial species commonly found in skin infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time describing the printing of photothermal MNs in a single step. The process introduced here allows for the translatable fabrication of photothermal MN arrays with customizable dimensions that can be applied to the treatment of various skin conditions such as bacterial infections.

Aligned Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle films by magneto-electrospray method

Application of magnetic field during film deposition by electrospray enhances the magnetic performances of the film. This enhancement increased as the diameter of the constituent nanoparticles increased.

The impact of carbon coating on the synthesis and properties of α''-Fe16N2 powders

This paper presents the preparation of carbon composite Fe16N2 powders, and the influence of a protective carbon coating on the yield and magnetic properties of Fe16N2. Nanoparticle precursors with and without carbon were reacted under ammonia gas flow to produce Fe16N2. Neutron and X-ray powder diffraction indicate that the powders contain typically 40-60% Fe16N2, with the remaining phases being unreacted iron, Fe4N or Fe3N. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that the carbon coating is effective at reducing the level of sintering of Fe nanoparticles during the reduction stage prior to ammonolysis. XPS results support the retention of a carbon coating on the surface after ammonolysis, and that there is Fe-C bonding present at the particle surface. In situ TEM was used to observe loss of ordering in the nitrogen sublattice of carbon composite Fe16N2 powders in the range of 168 °C to 200 °C. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show maximum values for saturation magnetization in the range of 232 emu g(-1), and for coercivity near 930 Oe, for different samples measured up to 2 T applied field at 300 K.

Effect of magnetic field strength on the alignment of α''-Fe16N2 nanoparticle films

Aligning the magnetic orientation is one strategy to improve the magnetic performance of magnetic materials. In this study, well-dispersed single-domain core-shell α''-Fe16N2/Al2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) were aligned by vertically applying magnetic fields with various strengths to a Si wafer substrate followed by fixation with resin. X-ray diffraction indicated that the alignment of the easy c-axis of the α''-Fe16N2 crystal and the magnetic orientation of the NPs depended upon the applied magnetic field. Magnetic analysis demonstrated that increasing the magnetic field strength resulted in hysteresis loops approaching a rectangular form, implying a higher magnetic coercivity, remanence, and maximum energy product. The same tendency was also observed when a horizontal magnetic field was applied. The fixation of the easy c-axis alignment of each nanoparticle caused by Brownian rotation under the magnetic field, instead of Néel rotation, was the reason for the enhancement in the magnetic performance. These results on the alignment of the magnetic orientation of α''-Fe16N2 NPs suggest the practical application of high-performance permanent bulk magnets from well-dispersed single-domain α''-Fe16N2/Al2O3 NPs.

Preparation and evaluation of magnetic nanocomposite fibers containing α″-Fe₁₆N₂ and α-Fe nanoparticles in polyvinylpyrrolidone via magneto-electrospinning

Two kinds of ferromagnetic nanocomposite fiber comprising α″-Fe16N2 and α-Fe nanoparticles (NPs), which have the highest magnetic moments as hard and soft magnetic materials, respectively, embedded in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) have been synthesized via the magneto-electrospinning method. Both α″-Fe16N2 and α-Fe were single-domain core-shell NPs with an average outer diameter of 50 nm and Al2O3 as the shell. Ferrofluid precursors used for the electrospinning were prepared by dispersing these NPs in a PVP-toluene-methanol solution. The results show that applying the magnetic field in the same direction as the electric field resulted in smaller and more uniform fiber diameters. Nanocomposite fibers containing α″-Fe16N2 had smaller diameters than those containing α-Fe NPs. These magnetic-field effects on the fiber formation were explained by referring to the kinetic energy of the moving jet in the electrospinning process. In addition, magnetic hysteresis curves showed an enhancement of the magnetic coercivity (H(c)) and remanence (M(r)) by 22.9% and 22.25%, respectively. These results imply a promising possibility of constructing bulk magnetic materials using α″-Fe16N2 NPs, which furthermore reveals attractive features for many other magnetic applications, such as magnetic sensors.