Search

This work reports the effects of potassium bromide (KBr) on the electrodeposition of manganese on copper from a DES consisting of a stoichiometric 1:2 mix of choline chloride and ethylene glycol (Ethaline 200). The speciation of MnCl2.4H2O in Ethaline 200 has been investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy, in particular with regard to the addition of KBr to the plating bath, for which no apparent change in the Mn species was noted. This said, the physical properties of the manganese deposits themselves were found to have been considerably improved in comparison to when KBr was omitted from the bath; indeed, the actual adhesion of Mn was achieved for the first time on a copper substrate, somewhat remarkably producing a coating of some considerable thickness. Given its clear electrochemical behavior of the Mn liquid were subsequently determined via cyclic voltammetry method. A reduction in the peak current of Mn was noted on addition of KBr. The mechanism of Mn deposition has been examined via chronocoulometry and chronoamperometry. Surface analyses of Mn deposits have been conducted via SEM/EDX, AFM, and XRD, from which improvements to the Mn surface coatings in depositions performed from an electrolyte containing 0.1 M KBr were noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Tin has been used in coating of medical and orthopedic instruments, probes, alignment devices, implants and surgical cutting tools. This study examines the electrodeposition of nano tin film on several substrates, including brass, copper, and mild steel, while using a ChCl: EG-based liquid which also contained boric acid. It was found that adding larger amounts of boric acid improved the conductivities of Sn electrolytes; when boric acid was introduced to them, the redox current peaks of Sn decreased with increasing concentrations of boric acid and displayed negative shifts in the deposition peak when performing cyclic voltammetry. SEM was involved to examine the morphologies of Sn deposits. Boric acid was found to improve the homogeneity of the morphologies of the deposited Sn films, leading to the formation of smooth Sn coatings, the associated roughness of which was determined to be 7.642 nm. The Sn deposits' crystal structure was investigated using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Series of new inorganic–organic hybrid hexamolybdate‐julolidine materials are theoretically designed and studied via density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). Their geometric and electronic structures, linear optical and second‐order nonlinear properties have also been evaluated. By the introduction of julolidine into the organoimido‐hexamolybdate, the studied systems show substantial second‐order nonlinear (NLO) responses of up to 1048 × 10−30 esu for compound 3. Upon enlarging the π‐conjugated linker, the calculated β‐responses are enhanced by a factor of 2.1. In addition, TD‐DFT calculations indicate that the strong low‐energy transition can mainly be attributed to charge transfer (CT) from julolidine‐arylimido to the hexamolybdate cluster, indicating strong communication between the POM and julolidine components, which is responsible for the linear and non‐linear optical behavior of these compounds. Ortho‐methylation to the imido‐bond has a significant effect on the stability and hence the length and linearity of the bond, although it slightly reduces the first hyperpolarizability. The whole set of results demonstrates the excellent NLO activity for julolidine‐POMs chromophores while keeping relatively good transparency window compared to similar purely organic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration of versatile nanoplatforms within one single nanostructure for multidisciplinary treatment modalities, especially achieving a synergistic therapeutic efficacy of combinational gene/photothermal cancer therapy is still a great challenge in biomedicine and nanotechnology. In this study, a unique photothermal nanocarrier has successfully been designed and developed for a combination of gene therapy (GT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer cells. Surface-engineered iron oxides (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymer coatings are synthesized using a one-pot in situ oxidative polymerization method. The results show that the as-prepared α-Fe2O3@PEDOT core–shell NPs with a uniform particle size exhibit positively charged surfaces, facilitating efficient siRNA Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) uptake for delivery to breast cancer cells. More importantly, α-Fe2O3@PEDOT core–shell NPs not only display good biocompatibility and water dispersibility but also strong optical absorption enhancement in the Vis-NIR region as compared to α-Fe2O3 NPs. The obtained α-Fe2O3@PEDOT core–shell NPs show an efficient photothermal conversion efficacy (η = 54.3%) and photostability under NIR laser irradiation. As a result, both in vitro and in vivo biological studies on two types of breast cancer cells/tumors treated with α-Fe2O3@PEDOT-siRNA nanocomplexes demonstrate high cancer cell apoptosis and tumor inhibition induced by synergistic GT/PTT therapy under mild conditions compared to an individual GT or PTT alone. Taken together, this is the first example of the use of an α-Fe2O3@PEDOT core–shell nanoagent as a siRNA delivery nanocarrier for highly effective gene/photothermal combination anticancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of nanostructure of dopamine (D) and phosphotungstic acid (PWA) loaded with methtrexate (MTX) via self-assembly of the organic–inorganic hybrid D and PWA is described. The amount of MTX drug loaded in nanostructure of PWA-D was determined using UV/Vis spectroscopy and found to be about 3% (by weight). The as-prepared rice-like nanostructure of PWA-D loaded with MTX showed promising pH-dependent release behaviour, suggesting that a nanostructure of PWA-D is a good candidate for the oral delivery of MTX in the chemotherapy. The release behaviour of the as-prepared ricelike nanostructure of PWA-D loaded with MTX at pH 7.4 showed a higher release profile than at pH 2.8. The morphology of the as-prepared nanostructures was determinedvia SEM-EDX measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel polyaniline (Pani) and/or graphite (Gr)/molybdenum dioxide (MoO2) composites have been successfully synthesised via an in situ chemical polymerisation method using a Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) as the electrolyte. The chemical structure and properties of the Pani composites were characterised using various analytical techniques such as Raman, FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopies, Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and conductivity measurements, confirming its semi-crystalline nature. The results show shifts in the Raman, XRD and FTIR spectral features associated with the Pani composites, indicating that a matrix of metal oxide and/or graphite had formed in the polymer. Higher electrical conductivity was observed for the Pani/Gr (5.58 S cm−1) and Pani/Gr/MoO2 (9.87 S cm−1) composites compared to pure Pani (1.25 S cm−1). The homogenous growth of Pani chains on the graphite and MoO2 network were clearly observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis by X-ray (EDAX). A larger surface area and greater porosity were achieved in the Pani/MoO2, Pani/Gr/MoO2 and Pani/Gr samples, while a more compact structure was obtained for the Pani sample. These findings support that the idea that the polymer/graphite composites would be more useful for electrochemical charge transport, supercapacitance and energy storage applications compared to those using the pure polymer alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]