Physicochemical aspects of epoxide driven nano-ZrO2 hydrogel formation: milder kinetics for better properties

Amorphous Calcium Phosphates: Solvent-Controlled Growth and Stabilization through the Epoxide Route

Calcium phosphates stand among the most promising nanobiomaterials in key biomedical applications, such as bone repairment, signalling or drug/gene delivery. Their intrinsic properties as crystalline structure, composition, particle shape and size define their successful use. Among these compounds, metastable amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is currently gaining particular attention due to its inherently high reactivity in solution, which is crucial in bone development mechanisms. However, the preparation of this highly desired (bio)material with control over its shape, size and phase purity remains as a synthetic challenge. In this work, the epoxide route was adapted for the synthesis of pure and stable ACP colloids. By using biocompatible solvents, such as ethylene glycol and/or glycerine, it was possible to avoid the natural tendency of ACP to maturate into more stable and crystalline apatites. Moreover, this procedure offers size control, ranging from small nanoparticles (60 nm) to micrometric spheroids (>500 nm). The eventual fractalization of the internal mesostructured can be tuned, by simply adjusting the composition of the ethylene glycol:glycerine solvent mixture. These findings introduce the use of green solvents as a new tool to control crystallinity and/or particle size in the synthesis of nanomaterials, avoiding the use of capping agents and preserving the natural chemical reactivity of the pristine surface.

Mild Homogeneous Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles through the Epoxide Route: Kinetics, Mechanisms, and Related One-Pot Composites

A new one-pot homogeneous methodology at room temperature to obtain Au nanoparticles (AuNP) on the basis of the epoxide route is presented. The proposed method takes advantage of the homogenous generation of OH^- moieties driven by epoxide ring-opening, mediated by chloride nucleophilic attack. Once reached alkaline conditions, the reducing medium allows the quantitative formation of AuNP under well-defined kinetic control. A stabilizing agent, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), is required to maintain the AuNP stable. Meanwhile their presence dramatically affects the reduction kinetics and pathway, as demonstrated by the evolution of the UV/Vis spectra, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns, and pH value along the reaction. In the presence of PVP nanogold spheroids are obtained following a similar reduction mechanism as that observed for control experiments in the absence of PVP. However, if CTAC is employed a stable complex with Au^III is formed, leading to a different reaction pathway and resulting in ellipsoidal-like shaped AuNP. Moreover, the proposed methodology allows stabilize the growing AuNP, by coupling their formation with nonalkoxidic sol-gel reactions, leading to nanocomposite gels with embedded metallic nanoparticles. The epoxide route thus offers a versatile scenario for the one-pot preparation of new metal nanoparticles-inorganic/hybrid matrices nanocomposites with valuable optical properties.

Extremely efficient crystallization of HKUST-1 and Keggin-loaded related phases through the epoxide route

Highly crystalline HKUST-1 and COK-16-like phases were obtained based on a mild in situ alkalinization one-pot epoxide driven method.