Magnetic ferrite nanoparticles coated with bovine serum albumin and glycine polymers for controlled release of curcumin as a model

To conquer the low water solubility and bioavailability of curcumin (CUR), to corroborate its functional qualities and to broaden its applicability in the pharmaceutical sector, numerous nanoscale methods have been widely exploited for its administration. Because of its polycystic, biodegradable, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and non-allergenic properties, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glycine (Gly) have been actively investigated as natural biopolymers for decades. Various BSA and Gly-based nanocarriers with unique features for CUR delivery, such as magnetic ferrite nanoparticles, are being developed (MNPs). In this work, magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4)/BSA and nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4)/Gly nanocomposites loaded with CUR (drug model) were manufactured for the first time using a chemical co-precipitation approach to create biocompatible drug nanocarriers. It was found that the synthesized MgFe2O4/BSA and NiFe2O4/Gly nanoparticles have a uniform particle distribution and their size is much less than 100 nm. Saturation magnetization in MgFe2O4 and NiFe2O4 reaches 13.07 and 33.4 emu/g the remarkable peak of magnetization decreases to 10.99 and 32.36 emu/g after the addition of polymers. These analyses also showed the presence of chemical bonds in the structure of the nanocomposite. The curcumin diffusion process in NPs were determined using a mathematical modeling. The yielding of the product for MgFe2O4/BSA and NiFe2O4/Gly in 200 h is about 72 and 63%, respectively. Also, regressed relative diffusivities (D/R2), including effective steric hindrance, were determined as 5.75 × 10-4 and 2.72 × 10-4 h-1 for MgFe2O4/BSA and NiFe2O4/Gly, respectively. It shows that there is a significant steric barrier that significantly deviates from the molecular diffusion of the liquid. As a result, the low effective release of curcumin in the particles is more noticeable. Our study demonstrated the effective relationship between the polymer architecture and the biophysical properties of the resulting nanoparticles and shed light on new approaches for the design of efficient NP-based drug carriers.

Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of SnFe2O4@MWCNTS nanocomposite as a potential hydrogen storage material

The widespread use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel has prompted us to develop a new nanocomposite by immobilizing of tin ferrite nanoparticles (SnFe₂O₄) on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (abbreviated as MWCNT_S) for the first time. The prepared nanocomposite powder (SnFe₂O₄@MWCNT_S) was investigated utilizing various microscopy and spectroscopy methods, such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, and BET techniques. Moreover, the electrochemical property of SnFe₂O₄@MWCNT_S nanocomposite was investigated by cyclic voltammogram (CV) and charge-discharge chronopotentiometry (CHP) techniques. A variety of factors on the hydrogen storage capacity, such as current density, surface area of the copper foam, and the influence of repeated hydrogen adsorption-desorption cycles were assessed. The electrochemical results indicated that the SnFe₂O₄@MWCNT_S has high capability and excellent reversibility compared to SnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) for hydrogen storage. The highest hydrogen discharge capability of SnFe₂O₄@MWCNTs was achieved ∼ 365 mAh/g during the 1st cycle, and the storage capacity enhanced to ∼ 2350 mAh/g at the end of 20 cycles using a current of 2 mA. Consequently, the SnFe₂O₄@MWCNT_S illustrated great capacity as a prospective active material for hydrogen storage systems.

Synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with platinum nanoparticles to sense breast cancer cells in 4T1 model to X-ray radiation

In recent years, various types of radiosensitizers have been developed to address the challenges of cancer radiotherapy. Here, platinum-functionalized oxygenated single-walled carbon nanotubes (O-SWCNTs-Pt) coated with folic acid (FA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) (O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA-FA) were synthesized, characterized, and used as radiosensitizers to improve the therapeutic efficacy of X-rays in a mouse model of breast cancer (4T1) in vitro. The nanosensitizer was characterized by different techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. The evaluation of cell viability with nanocarriers O-SWCNTs-BSA, O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA, Pt-BSA-FA, and O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA-FA is reported at the concentrations of 10, 30, and 90 μg/mL by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in the presence and absence of X-rays at 4 and 8 Gy. The results showed that administration of O-SWCNTs-BSA, O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA, Pt-BSA-FA, and O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA-FA + 8 Gy at a concentration of 90 μg/mL reduced survival by 75.31, 65.32, 67.35, and 60.35%, respectively. O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA-FA has a hydrodynamic size of 88.57 nm and a surface charge of -29 mV, which indicates special stability. Compared with O-SWCNTs-BSA, O-SWCNTs-Pt-BSA, and Pt-BSA-FA, it has very strong cell-killing activity in the 4T1 cell line. It is also noteworthy that SWCNTs can act as a controlled release and delivery system for PtNPs due to their unique properties and easy penetration into biological membranes. As a result, the  new nanosensitizer may play a role in cancer treatment in conjunction with radiotherapy technology. Graphical abstract.

Photo-degradable and recyclable starch/Fe3O4/TiO2 nanocomposites: feasibility of an approach to reduce the recycling labor cost in plastic waste management

In this research, a biodegradable starch/Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ bio-nanocomposites (SFT) were produced using different nano Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ (FT) (3, 5, and 10 (wt% dry based)) contents. Mechanical properties, visual properties, moisture-sensitive parameters, magnetic properties, and physical properties of the film specimens were investigated. Photodegradability of film specimens was also evaluated under UV-A irradiation. The FT content increased the hydrophobicity of the film specimens. Tensile strength (TS) of SFT films was increased by increasing FT up to 3%. Elongation at break (EB) and tensile energy to break (TEB) were decreased by adding FT content up to 3% simultaneously. The film specimens' water vapor permeability (WVP) was decreased with increasing FT content. The intrinsic viscosity of SFT was decreased by increasing FT content. It confirms the enhancement of photodegradability of the specimens by increasing FT content. It seems the compatibility of FT with biopolymer has had great effects on these properties. Use of FT-based nanocomposites is an appropriate approach to developing magnetic-recyclable and photodegradable packaging materials.

A Green Approach to Safe Domestic Drinking Water Supply by Using Solar Geyser

Introduction: Accessibility to safe drinking water is an important human health issue, so water reuse and water resources management are critical in arid parts of developing  regions. This study aimed to investigate the use of a combined simple designed solar geyser/photocell for drinking water disinfection. Materials and Methods: In this study, a solar geyser with a simple design was combined with a solar cell and its efficiency on the disinfection of contaminated water was investigated. This study was carried out with artificially polluted tap water by a solar geyser joined with a solar photovoltaic cell. The heated water (55°C) was kept for 2 hours using a solenoid valve. The pilot plant was operated and monitored for one year. The volume of the collected effluent was measured every 24 h. The most probably number (MPN) of total coliforms and fecal coliforms in 100 mL of 24-hour composed samples were measured. Results: The mean volume of disinfected water production was calculated as 2095.74 ± 270.28 mL/day. The strongest correlation was found between disinfected water and the maximum daily ambient air temperature with a linear model (R2 = 0.9937). The results showed that by increasing the sunny time, the volume of water outlet increased. Therefore, sunny time and UV radiation have direct effect on volume of disinfected water. Conclusion: The simple designed solar geyser for drinking water disinfection was efficient and recommended for tropical areas, emergency conditions, and farms for agricultural activities.

Green solvent free epoxidation of olefins by a heterogenised hydrazone-dioxidotungsten(vi) coordination compound

A new mononuclear tungsten coordination compound, [WO₂L(CH₃OH)] (1), was synthesized by the reaction of WCl₆ and H₂L (H₂L = (E)-4-amino-N′-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide) in methanol. Both the H₂L and compound 1 were characterized by elemental analysis and UV-Vis, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic methods. The molecular structure of compound 1 was also determined by single crystal X-ray analysis which confirmed the compound is a mononuclear coordination compound of cis-dioxidotungsten(vi) containing a free amine functionality on the ligand. Compound 1 was supported on propionyl chloride-functionalized silica gel by amidification reaction to obtain a heterogeneous catalyst. The obtained heterogeneous catalyst was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and its catalytic activity was investigated in the epoxidation of olefins with hydrogen peroxide under solvent free conditions. The catalyst was successfully recovered several times and the recovered catalyst was also characterized by various methods including FT-IR, DRS, TGA, SEM and EDX analyses. The results indicated this heterogeneous catalytic system is an effective and selective catalyst for epoxidation of olefins and can be reused several times without significant change in its catalytic activity.

In this study the solvent free catalytic oxidation of olefins by a new silica supported hydrazone-dioxidotungsten(vi) coordination compound is investigated.

Catalytic oxidative desulphurization of gasoline using amphiphilic polyoxometalate@polymer nanocomposite as an efficient, reusable, and green organic-inorganic hybrid catalyst

To preparation of ultra-clean gasoline fuel, a new amphiphilic nanocomposite (TBA-SiWMn@PVA) has been successfully synthesized by supporting sandwich-type silicotungstate polyoxometalate ((n-C₄H₉)₄N)₇H₅Si₂W₁₈Mn₄O₆₈ (TBA-SiWMn) on polyvinylalcohol (PVA) as an efficient catalyst for catalytic oxidative desulphurization (CODS) of gasoline. The synthesized materials were characterized by means of elemental analysis, ¹¹³Mn NMR, ²⁹Si NMR, XRD, SEM, FT-IR and UV-vis techniques. The catalytic activity of TBA-SiWMn@PVA nanocomposite was tested on real gasoline in the presence of CH₃COOH/H₂O₂ as an oxidant and the results were compared with model sulphur compounds at the same conditions. The TBA-SiWMn@PVA nanocomposite was shown excellent catalytic performance and recoverability for ODS of gasoline with high yield. The effects of the reaction time, reaction temperature, dosage and nature of catalyst were investigated. The reaction mechanism and the kinetic parameters of sulphur compounds oxidation were also discussed. The probable mechanism was proposed via the electrophilic mechanism through the formation of a peroxometalate intermediate complex with phase transfer properties. Results were indicated that the kinetics of sulphur oxidation fitted the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. After 5 oxidation runs, the heterogeneous nanocatalyst was separated and recovered easily.