From iron coordination compounds to metal oxide nanoparticles

BaTiO3/NixZn1−xFe2O4 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) Composites Synthesized by Thermal Decomposition: Magnetic, Dielectric and Ferroelectric Properties

To investigate the influence of spinel structure and sintering temperature on the functional properties of BaTiO3/NixZn1−xFe2O4 (x = 0, 0.5, 1), NiFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, and Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 were in situ prepared by thermal decomposition onto BaTiO3 surface from acetylacetonate precursors. As-prepared powders were additionally sintered at 1150 °C and 1300 °C. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used for the detailed examination of phase composition and morphology. The magnetic, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties were investigated. The optimal phase composition in the BaTiO3/NiFe2O4 composite, sintered at 1150 °C, resulted in a wide frequency range stability. Additionally, particular phase composition indicates favorable properties such as low conductivity and ideal-like hysteresis loop behavior. The favorable properties of BaTiO3/NiFe2O4 make this particular composite an ideal material choice for further studies on applications of multi-ferroic devices.

Synthesis and Characterisation of New {Fe2CrO} Heterotrinuclear Iron-chromium Clusters

Two new μ3-oxo trinuclear heterometallic Fe2IIICrIII complexes with furan-2-carboxylic and salicylic acids with the composition: [Fe2CrO(C4H3OCOO)6(CH3OH)3]NO3·0.5CH3OH and [Fe2CrO(C6H4(OH)COO)7(CH3OH)2]·2DMA were synthesized starting from iron(III) and chromium(III) salts mixture. The complexes structures were confirmed by elemental analysis, IR, Mössbauer spectroscopies, and X-ray analysis. The atomic absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the iron: chromium ratio is 2:1. The thermal properties of both heteronuclear complexes have been investigated in oxidizing and inert atmospheres revealing the stability of the trinuclear core up to 170 and 220°C, respectively.

Oxyhemoglobin nano-recruiter preparation and its application in biomimetic red blood cells to relieve tumor hypoxia and enhance photodynamic therapy activity

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is strongly O2 dependent. Therefore, its therapeutic effects are seriously hindered in hypoxic tumors. Red blood cells are responsible for delivering O2 in the blood. In this manuscript, biomimetic red blood cells (BRBCs) were exploited using a layer-by-layer assembly method, using Fe3O4@CuO, oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb), a photosensitizer and a photo-cross linked acrylate modified hyaluronic acid (HA) gel shell. The Fe3O4@CuO core has very high OxyHb loading efficiency (the adsorption capacity of Fe3O4@CuO for OxyHb is derived to be 0.99 mg mg-1) to ensure a sufficient O2 supply. OxyHb was protected well by the HA shell in order to avoid O2 release during the delivery process in blood before arrival at the tumor tissue. The HA shell protection can be eliminated in position at the tumor to trigger O2 release through hyaluronidase (HAase) triggered HA degradation. Furthermore, Fe3O4 in the nanosystem can provide magnetic field assisted tumor targeting and magnetic resonance imaging of the tumor. Therefore, this work presents a highly efficient all-in-one biomimetic nanomedicine approach to overcome hypoxia and achieve tumor targeting theranostics.