Magnetic Nano-Amorphous-Iron-Oxide-Based Drug Delivery System with Dual Therapeutic Mechanisms

Smart nanoparticles that respond to pathophysiological parameters,such as p H,GSH,and H2O2,have been developed with the huge and urgent demand for the high-efficient drug delivery systems(DDS)for cancer therapy.Herein,cubic poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-modified mesoporous amorphous iron oxide(AFe)nanoparticles(AFe-PEG)have been successfully prepared as p H-stimulated drug carriers,which can combine doxorubicin(DOX)with a high loading capacity of 948 mg/g,forming a novel multifunctional AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticulate DDS.In an acidic microenvironment,the AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticles will not only release DOX efficiently,but also release Fe ions to catalyze the transformation of H2O2 to·OH,acting as fenton reagents.In vitro experimental results proved that the AFe-PEG/DOX nanoparticles can achieve combination of chemotherapeutic(CTT)and chemodynamic therapeutic(CDT)effects on Hela tumor cells.Furthermore,the intrinsic magnetism of AFePEG/DOX makes its cellular internalization efficiency be improved under an external magnetic field.Therefore,this work develops a new and promising magnetically targeted delivery and dual CTT/CDT therapeutic nano-medicine platform based on amorphous iron oxide.

Relationship Between Iron Oxides and Surface Charge Characteristics in Soils

The relationship between iron oxides and surface charge characteristics in variable charge soils ( latosol and red earth ) was studied in following three ways. ( 1 ) Remove free iron oxides ( Fed ) and amorphous iron oxides ( Feo ) from the soils with sodium dithionite and acid ammonium oxalate solution respectively. ( 2 ) Add 2% glucose ( on the basis of air-dry soil weight ) to soils and incubate under submerged condition to activate iron oxides, and then the mixtures are dehydrated and air-dried to age iron oxides. ( 3 ) Precipitate various crystalline forms of iron oxides onto kaolinite. The results showed that free iron oxides ( Fed ) were the chief carrier of variable positive charges. Of which crystalline iron oxides ( Fed-Feo ) presented mainly as discrete particles in the soils and could only play a role of the carrier of positive charges, and did little influence on negative charges. Whereas the amorphous iron oxides ( Feo ) , which presented mainly as a coating with a large specific surface area, not only had positive charges, but also blocked the negative charge sites in soils. Submerged incubation activated iron oxides in the soils, and increased the amount of amorphous iron oxides and the degree of activation of iron oxide, which resulted in the increase of positive and negative charges of soils. Dehydration and air-dry aged iron oxides in soils and decreased the amount of amorphous iron oxides and the degree of activation of iron oxide, and also led to the decrease of positive and negative charges. Both the submerged incubation and the dehydration and air-dry had no significant influence on net charges. Precipitation of iron oxides onto kaolinite markedly increased positive charges and decreased negative charges. Amorphous iron oxide having a larger surface area contributed more positive charge sites and blocked more negative charge sites in kaolinite than crystalline goethite.

Role of Amorphous Manganese Oxide in Nitrogen Loss

Studies have been made, by 15N-tracer technique on nitrogen loss resulting from adding amorphous manganese oxide to NH4+-N medium under anaerobic conditions. The fact that the total nitrogen recovery was decreased and that 15NO2, 15N2O, 15N14NO, 15NO, 15N2and 15N14N were emitted has proved that, like amorphous iron oxide, amorphous manganese oxide can also act as an electron acceptor in the oxidation of NH4+-N under anaerobic conditions and give rise to nitrogen loss. This once again illustrates another mechanism by which the loss of ammonium nitrogen in paddy soils is brought about by amorphous iron and manganese oxides. The quantity of nitrogen loss by amorphous manganese oxide increased with an increase in the amount of amorphous manganese oxide added and lessened with time of its aging. The nitrogen loss resulting from amorphous manganese oxide was less than that from amorphous iron oxide. And the nitrogen loss by cooperation of amorphous manganese oxide and microorganisms (soil suspension ) was larger than that by amorphous manganese oxide alone. In the system, nitrogen loss was associated with the specific surface area and oxidation-reduction of amorphous manganese oxide. However, their quantitative relationship and the exact reaction processes of nitrogen loss induced by amorphous manganese oxide remain to be further studied.

QUANTUM-CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS OF SURFACE:NEW METHODS FOR PROTECTING MATERIALS FROM CORROSION

A new method of corrosion-resistant coating of technical iron is presented. Processing by vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules of the iron surface covered with oxide film of α-Fe2 03 results in modification of surface by creating a film of amorphous iron on it. The presence of iron films with crystalline and amorphous phases, having the different Fermi levels, leads to formation of potential differences between them. This potential difference is opposite to the external electric field, resulting in decrease of anode current and increase of corrosion resistance.

Rapid decolorization of Acid Orange Ⅱ aqueous solution by amorphous zero-valent iron

Some problems including low treatment capacity,agglomeration and clogging phenomena,and short working life,limit the application of pre-treatment methods involving zero-valent iron （ZVI）.In this article,ZVI was frozen in an amorphous state through a melt-spinning technique,and the decolorization effect of amorphous ZVI on Acid Orange II solution was investigated under varied conditions of experimental variables such as reaction temperature,ribbon dosage,and initial pH.Batch experiments suggested that the decolorization rate was enhanced with the increase of reaction temperature and ribbon dosage,but decreased with increasing initial solution pH.Kinetic analyses indicated that the decolorization process followed a first order exponential kinetic model,and the surface-normalized decolorization rate could reach 2.09 L/（m^2 ·min） at room temperature,which was about ten times larger than any previously reported under similar conditions.Recycling experiments also proved that the ribbons could be reused at least four times without obvious decay of decolorization rate and efficiency.This study suggests a tremendous application potential for amorphous ZVI in remediation of groundwater or wastewater contaminated with azo dyes.