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Although widely used in the textile industry, methyl orange is considered one of the most toxic dyes, which have negative impacts on the aquatic environment and needs to be removed from water bodies. Hence, the present paper reports the synthesis of new floating photo-Fenton catalysts based on the immobilization of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the surface of Luffa sponges for the oxalate-induced-degradation of methyl orange. The floating catalytic sponges were prepared through a simple precipitation method followed by a reflux heating process and then characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrometry, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments. According to the experimental results, methyl orange was effectively degraded over our floating catalytic sponges under light illumination at near neutral pH. The catalytic activity was also found to be enhanced with the increase in crystallinity of Fe2O3 nanoparticles, which can be achieved by the reflux heating. Besides, owing to the floating feature, these sponges are easily separated from the solution, thereby not forming a secondary source of pollution for water

Cisplatin-complexed gold nanoparticles (PtII-AuNP) provide a promising strategy for chemo-radiation-based anticancer drugs. Effective design of such platforms necessitates reliable assessment of surface engineering on a quantitative basis and its influence on drug payload, stability, and release. In this paper, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-stabilized PtII-AuNP was synthesized as a model antitumor drug platform, where PtII is attached via a carboxyl-terminated dendron ligand. Surface modification by PEG and its influence on drug loading, colloidal stability, and drug release were assessed. Complexation with PtII significantly degrades colloidal stability of the conjugate; however, PEGylation provides substantial improvement of stability in conjunction with an insignificant trade-off in drug loading capacity compared with the non-PEGylated control (

We demonstrate the uniform attachment of bacterial spores electrophoretically onto fine wires in liquids and subsequently quantitatively detached back into suspension. It was found that the use of a pulsed voltage method resulted in a uniform coverage of spores and prevented visible bubble formation resulting from water electrolysis which tended to dislodge the spores from the wires. By monitoring the electrophoretically derived current, this method could also be used to quantitatively measure the surface charges on spores and the deposition rate. The method is generic and should be applicable to the deposition of any charged biological material (e.g., spores, bacteria, viruses) onto metal surfaces.