Synthesis and characterization of Fe_3O_4@SiO_2 magnetic composite nanoparticles by a one-pot process

Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a one-pot process. Tetraethyl-orthosilicate was used as a surfactant to synthesize Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell structures from prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The properties of the Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The prepared Fe3O4 particles were approximately 12 nm in size, and the thickness of the SiO2 coating was approximately 4 nm. The magnetic properties were studied by vibrating sample magnetometry. The results show that the maximum saturation magnetization of the Fe3O4@SiO2 powder（34.85 A·m^2·kg^–1） was markedly lower than that of the Fe3O4 powder（79.55 A·m^2·kg^–1）, which demonstrates that Fe3O4 was successfully wrapped by SiO2. The Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles have broad prospects in biomedical applications; thus, our next study will apply them in magnetic resonance imaging.

Fabrication of Tungsten Carbide Nanoparticles from Refluxing Derived Precursor

Tungsten carbide（WC） nanoparticles were fabricated from a novel refluxing-derived precursor. The precursor was prepared by acid hydrolysis of Na2WO4 with concentrated HCl in water followed by refl uxing with ethanol and n-Dedocane, respectively. Then it was heat-treated to 1 200 ℃ for 2 h in vacuum to obtain WC nanoparticles. X-ray studies reveal the formation of hexagonal tungsten carbide and the grain size of 24.3 nm. SEM image shows WC nanoparticles with particle size of 20-60 nm. Long time refl uxing results in alkane dehydrogenation and coke formation. The coke is the carbon source in the carbothermal reduction reaction. The novel route of two-stage refl uxing is quite general and can be applied in the synthesis of similar carbides.

Effects of Nanometer Hydroxyapatite on Proliferation of Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts

Objective:To investigate possible effects of nanophase powder of hydroxyapatite on proliferation of periodontal ligament cells. Methods: With sol-gel method, the nanophase hydroxyapatite powders were fabricated. These powders were proved nanopaticles by transmission electron microscope. The effects on proliferation of periodontal ligament cell(PDLC) were observed in vitro with MTT [3-(4,5dimethylthiazo;-2-yl)-2,5-diphenytetralium bromide] method. Results: On the 2nd,3rd,4th day after treated with nanoparticles of hydroxyapatite, the proliferate activity of the PDLC increases significantly, compared with those with dense hydroxyaoatite and control but no significant difference could be found between the dense hydroxyapatite and the control. Conclusion: Nanophase hydroxyapatite can promote the regeneration of periodontal tissue.

The Effects of Dense/Nanometer Hydroxyapatite on Proliferation and Osteogenetic Differentiation of Periodontal Ligament Cells

The objective of this study is to investigate possible effects of nanometer powder of hydroxyapatite on proliferation of periodontal ligament cells. With sol-gel method, the nanometer hydroxyapatite powder were fabricated. The primary periodontal ligcament cells were caltured on dense particle hydroxyapatite and nanometer particle hydroxyapatite. The effects on proliferation of periodontal ligament cell were examined in vitro with MTT （ methyl thiazolil tetracolium） test. The intercellalar effects were observed with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. In addition, the influence of two materials on osteogenetic differentiation was determined with measurement of ALP （ alkaline phosphatase ） activity. It is concluded that nanometer hydroxyapatite can promote proliferation and osteogenetic differeraiation of periodontal ligament cells and it may become absorbable agent in osseous restoration.

Radiopaque nano and polymeric materials for atherosclerosis imaging, embolization and other catheterization procedures

A review of radiopaque nano and polymeric materials for atherosclerosis imaging and catheterization procedures is presented in this paper. Cardiovascular diseases(CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the US with atherosclerosis as a significant contributor for mortality and morbidity. In this review paper, we discussed the physics of radiopacity and X-ray/CT, clinically used contrast agents,and the recent progress in the development of radiopaque imaging agents and devices for the diagnosis and treatment of CVDs. We focused on radiopaque imaging agents for atherosclerosis, radiopaque embolic agents and drug eluting beads, and other radiopaque medical devices related to catheterization procedures to treat CVDs. Common strategies of introducing radiopacity in the polymers, together with examples of their applications in imaging and medical devices, are also presented.

Achievement of high performance of sintered R-Fe-B magnets based on misch metal doped with PrNd nanoparticles

The magnetic properties and microstructure of sintered R-Fe-B（R, rare earth） magnets with nominal composition of（（PrNd）（1-x）MMx）（30）Fe（bal）B1（x = 0, 0.1.0.2,0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.7; MM, misch metal） prepared using dual-alloy method were investigated. For x = 0.3, the maximum energy product（（BH）（max）） of the sintered magnet is higher than 318.4 kJ·m^-3,but intrinsic coercivity（H（cj）） is lower than 351.8 kA·m^-1. The La and Ce contents are obviously different in some matrix-phase grains, which proves that the multi-hard magnetic phases（La, Ce-rich and La, Ce-lean） exist in the magnets. The coercivity is improved by the method of doping PrNd nanoparticles without sacrificing other magnetic properties. An enhancement in coercivity from 517.2 to 872.9 kA·m^-1 is achieved by doping 5 wt% PrNd nanoparticles. Meanwhile, it could exhibit better magnetic properties（remanence Br = 1.332 T.intrinsic coercivity H（cj）= 872.9 kA·m^-1 maximum energy product（BH）（max）=318.6 kJ·m^-3） and make the distribution of the intergranular phase become more homogeneous.

Scalable gas-phase processes to create nanostructured particles

The properties of nanoparticles are often different from those of larger grains of the same solid material because of their very large specific surface area. This enables many novel applications, but properties such as agglomeration can also hinder their potential use. By creating nanostructured particles one can take optimum benefit from the desired properties while minimizing the adverse effects. We aim at developing high-precision routes for scalable production of nanostructured particles. Two gas-phase synthesis routes are explored. The first one - covering nanoparticles with a continuous layer - is carried out using atomic layer deposition in a fluidized bed. Through fluidization, the full surface area of the nanoparticles becomes available. With this process, particles can be coated with an ultra-thin film of constant and well-tunable thickness. For the second route - attaching nanoparticles to larger particles - a novel approach using electrostatic forces is demonstrated. The micron-sized particles are charged with one polarity using tribocharging. Using electrospraying, a spray of charged nanoparticles with opposite polarity is generated. Their charge prevents agglomeration, while it enhances efficient deposition at the surface of the host particle. While the proposed processes offer good potential for scale-up, further work is needed to realize large-scale processes.

Preparation of optical active single-handed helical barium titanate nanotubes and characterization of dielectric properties

Left and right-handed helical barium titanate nanotubes are prepared with the impregnation of Ba（OH）2 into single-handed helical titania nanotubes.Wide angle X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy image indicate that they are constructed by nanoparticles with a partially crystalline structure.The diffuse reflertance circular dichroism spectra indicate that they exhibit optical activity which was proposed to originate from chiral defects on the inner surfaces of the nanotubes.Both the dielectric constant and tanδ decrease with increasing the frequency.At 10 and 100 Hz,one dielectric constant peak at 9.6℃ and one tanδ peak at 5.0℃ are observed at -120℃ to 180℃.

Synthesis of Liquid-like Trisilanol Isobutyl-POSS NOHM and Its Application in Capturing CO2

The trisilanol isobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane（POSS） was fabricated into liquid-like nano- particle organic hybrid materials（NOHMs） with ）,-（2,3-epoxypropoxy）propytrimethoxysilane as corona and polyethe- ramine M2070 as canopy, and the product was called liquid-like POSS NOHM. The liquid-like POSS NOHM has a low viscosity at room temperature without any solvent and the mass fraction of trisilanol isobutyl POSS was 23.38%. The liquid-like POSS NOHM shows great CO2 capturing property with a capacity of 2.108 mmol/g（PCO2=6 MPa）. The physical adsorption increased obviously with the pressure going up and it may make a difference between liquid-like POSS NOHMs and traditional monoethamolamine（MEA） based CO2 absorbent. The recycle property was also studied. The NOHM behaved as fresh product even after 10 cycles.