Influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on skin surface temperature at sunlight irradiation

Amplifying Photochromic Response in Tungsten Oxide Films with Titanium Oxide and Polyvinylpyrrolidone

Tungsten oxide (WO3) is known for its photochromic properties, making it useful for smart windows, displays, and sensors. However, its small bandgap leads to rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs, resulting in poor photochromic performance. This study aims to enhance the photochromic properties of WO3 by synthesizing hexagonal tungsten oxide via hydrothermal synthesis, which increases surface area and internal hydrates. Titanium oxide (TiO2) was adsorbed onto the tungsten oxide to inject additional charges and reduce electron-hole recombination. Additionally, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used to improve dispersion in organic solvents, allowing for the fabrication of high-quality films using the doctor blade method. Characterization confirmed the enhanced surface area, crystal structure, and dispersion stability. Reflectance and transmittance measurements demonstrated significant improvements in photochromic properties due to the composite structure. These findings suggest that the introduction of TiO2 and PVP to tungsten oxide effectively enhances its photochromic performance, broadening its applicability in various advanced photochromic applications.

Titanium Wear of Dental Implants from Placement, under Loading and Maintenance Protocols

The objective of this review was to analyze the process of wear of implants leading to the shedding of titanium particles into the peri-implant hard and soft tissues. Titanium is considered highly biocompatible with low corrosion and toxicity, but recent studies indicate that this understanding may be misleading as the properties of the material change drastically when titanium nanoparticles (NPs) are shed from implant surfaces. These NPs are immunogenic and are associated with a macrophage-mediated inflammatory response by the host. The literature discussed in this review indicates that titanium NPs may be shed from implant surfaces at the time of implant placement, under loading conditions, and during implant maintenance procedures. We also discuss the significance of the micro-gap at the implant-abutment interface and the effect of size of the titanium particles on their toxicology. These findings are significant as the titanium particles can have adverse effects on local soft and hard tissues surrounding implants, implant health and prognosis, and even the health of systemic tissues and organs.

Simulation of Raman scattering including detector parameters and sampling volume

Raman spectroscopy can be employed to measure the chemical composition of a sample, which can in turn be used to extract biological information. The aim of this paper is to introduce an efficient simulation technique for Raman spectroscopy in turbid (scattering) media taking into account relevant detector parameters and the sampling volume. We simulate the process of photon motion in turbid media by means of the Monte Carlo (MC) method. The numerical simulation of Raman scattering consists of two stages: calculation of the photon fluence at each point of the medium and subsequent generation of the corresponding amount of Raman photons at each point. The developed model allows simulation of both confocal and optical fiber probe Raman setups. In more detail, the model efficiently simulates Raman signals for different single and multi-layer phantoms and geometries, including focused and collimated (i.e., the fiber-based case) excitation laser beams as well as different values for the numerical aperture and the excitation beam radius. In the future, our results offer the potential to improve the design of Raman systems for in vivo applications in biomedical research.