Many different iron oxide nanoparticles have been evaluated over the years, for a wide variety of biomedical applications. We here summarize the synthesis, surface functionalization and ...characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles, as well as their (pre-) clinical use in diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic settings. Diagnostic applications include liver, lymph node, inflammation and vascular imaging, employing mostly magnetic resonance imaging but recently also magnetic particle imaging. Therapeutic applications encompass iron supplementation in anemia and advanced cancer treatments, such as modulation of macrophage polarization, magnetic fluid hyperthermia and magnetic drug targeting. Because of their properties, iron oxide nanoparticles are particularly useful for theranostic purposes. Examples of such setups, in which diagnosis and therapy are intimately combined and in which iron oxide nanoparticles are used, are image-guided drug delivery, image-guided and microbubble-mediated opening of the blood-brain barrier, and theranostic tissue engineering. Together, these directions highlight the versatility and the broad applicability of iron oxide nanoparticles, and indicate the integration in future medical practice of multiple iron oxide nanoparticle-based materials.
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Bioactive materials are a kind of materials with unique bioactivities, which can change the cellular behaviors and elicit biological responses from living tissues. Bioactive materials came into the ...spotlight in the late 1960s when the researchers found that the materials such as bioglass could react with surrounding bone tissue for bone regeneration. In the following decades, advances in nanotechnology brought the new development opportunities to bioactive nanomaterials. Bioactive nanomaterials are not a simple miniaturization of macroscopic materials. They exhibit unique bioactivities due to their nanoscale size effect, high specific surface area, and precise nanostructure, which can significantly influence the interactions with biological systems. Nowadays, bioactive nanomaterials have represented an important and exciting area of research. Current and future applications ensure that bioactive nanomaterials have a high academic and clinical importance. This review summaries the recent advances in the field of bioactive nanomaterials, and evaluate the influence factors of bioactivities. Then, a range of bioactive nanomaterials and their potential biomedical applications are discussed. Furthermore, the limitations, challenges, and future opportunities of bioactive nanomaterials are also discussed.
In this review, we summary the recent advances of bioactive nanomaterials, and discuss the influence factors of bioactivities including the physical structure of bioactive nanomaterials, surface properties, and nanotopography. Then, a range of bioactive nanomaterials, including inorganic nanomaterials, carbon‐based nanomaterials, polymeric nanomaterials, and supramolecular‐based nanomaterials are discussed. In addition, we also introduce several typical applications of bioactive nanomaterials, including wound healing, cancer therapy, neurodegenerative disease therapy, and biocatalyst.
Nanoparticles of nickel phosphide (Ni2P) have been investigated for electrocatalytic activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic solutions, under which proton exchange ...membrane-based electrolysis is operational. The catalytically active Ni2P nanoparticles were hollow and faceted to expose a high density of the Ni2P(001) surface, which has previously been predicted based on theory to be an active HER catalyst. The Ni2P nanoparticles had among the highest HER activity of any non-noble metal electrocatalyst reported to date, producing H2(g) with nearly quantitative faradaic yield, while also affording stability in aqueous acidic media.
By combining metal nodes with organic linkers we can potentially synthesize millions of possible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The fact that we have so many materials opens many exciting avenues ...but also create new challenges. We simply have too many materials to be processed using conventional, brute force, methods. In this review, we show that having so many materials allows us to use big-data methods as a powerful technique to study these materials and to discover complex correlations. The first part of the review gives an introduction to the principles of big-data science. We show how to select appropriate training sets, survey approaches that are used to represent these materials in feature space, and review different learning architectures, as well as evaluation and interpretation strategies. In the second part, we review how the different approaches of machine learning have been applied to porous materials. In particular, we discuss applications in the field of gas storage and separation, the stability of these materials, their electronic properties, and their synthesis. Given the increasing interest of the scientific community in machine learning, we expect this list to rapidly expand in the coming years.
A range of amphiphilic polymers with diverse macromolecular architectures has been developed and incorporated into films and coatings with potential for marine antibiofouling applications, without ...resorting to addition of currently used biocidal, toxic agents. Novel “green” chemical technologies employ different building blocks to endow the polymer film with surface activity, functionality, structure, and reconstruction according to the outer environment as a result of a tailored amphiphilic character of the polymer platform. We emphasise how these features can interplay and add synergistically to affect antifouling and fouling‐release against common, widespread marine micro‐ and macro‐fouling organisms.
Amphiphilic polymers with diverse macromolecular architectures have been developed as low environmental impact coatings to combat marine biofouling. These novel “green” technologies employ different building blocks to endow the polymer film with surface activity, functionality, structure, and reconstruction as a result of a tailored amphiphilic character of the polymer platform.
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•Chemical structure affected the gelation of alginate and pectin in a different way•pH, temperature and co-solute can significantly influence the gelation process•Pectin showed a ...different gelation mechanism from alginate•Oligosaccharides potentially can control the gelation of alginate and pectin
Alginate and pectin are emblematic natural polyuronates that have been widely used in food, cosmetics and medicine. Ca-dependent gelation is one of their most important functional properties. The gelation mechanisms of alginate and pectin, known as egg-box model, were believed to be basically the same, because their Ca-binding sites show a mirror symmetric conformation. However, studies have found that the formation and the structure of egg-box dimmers between alginate and pectin were different. Very few studies have reviewed those differences. Therefore, this study was proposed to first summarize the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can influence the gelation of alginate and pectin. The differences in the effect of these factors on the gelation of alginate and pectin were then discussed. Meanwhile, the similarity and difference in their gelation mechanism was also summarized. The knowledge gained in this review would provide useful information for the practical applications of alginate and pectin.
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•The surface properties of Cu/ZnxAlyOz catalysts are crafted by tuning Zn/Al ratios.•The selectivity of products is linked with the collective nature of the catalysts.•The conversion ...of CO2 is linearly controlled by the concentration of Cu0 species.•Chemical interfaces promote the formation of moderately strong acidic sites.
CO2 hydrogenation to methanol and/or dimethyl ether (DME) holds promise for mitigating greenhouse gas effects and addressing energy scarcity. However, the relationship between product selectivity and the collective nature of the catalysts remains ambiguous due to the intricate reaction network. Here, a series of Cu/ZnxAlyOz catalysts with different surface properties have been engineered by manipulating the Zn/Al ratio to achieve product controllability for CO2 hydrogenation. The results unveil the pivotal role of the H2 dissociation capability in governing CO2 conversion, which is regulated by the concentration of Cu0 species. Furthermore, the number of surface hydroxyl groups, the proportion of moderately strong basic sites and moderately strong acidic sites show desirable linear correlations with the selectivity of CO, CH3OH, and DME, respectively. Importantly, the ZnAl2O4-Al2O3 or Cu-ZnAl2O4-Al2O3 interface notably enhances moderately strong acidic sites, aiding methanol dehydration to DME. This work offers a comprehensive guide to the rational design of catalysts for oriented product synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation.
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In recent years, considerable research has long been devoted to the development of metallic materials with excellent surface properties through various surface modification ...techniques. A plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), one of the electrochemical coatings, has considered the eco-friendly wet coating in alkaline-based electrolytes where the surface characteristics of metal would be altered significantly by electrochemical reactions assisted by plasma discharges, resulting in the formation of hard, conformal, adhesive inorganic layer on the metal substrate. This review described a couple of the scientific principles including transient discharge behavior at breakdown, nucleation and growth of inorganic layer, and electrophoresis for incorporating inorganic particle. It outlined the essential microstructural features, which were related to defect structure, plasma-induced microstructural transformation, phase transition, and roles of inorganic agents. The protective nature of the present coating was highlighted by considering structural reliabilities, such as tribological and corrosion performances. In addition, the emerging applications arising from functional properties of the present coating, such as biomedical, catalysis, light, and energy performances, were reviewed. The benign approaches used to improve the structural and functional properties of coating layers are described utilizing pre- and post-treatments of PEO.
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