Fe/SiO2 core-shell type composite nanoparticles have been synthesized using a reverse micelle process combined with metal alkoxide hydrolysis and condensation. Nano-sized SiO2 composite particles with a core-shell structure were prepared by arrested precipitation of Fe clusters in reverse micelles, followed by hydrolysis and condensation of organometallic precursors in micro-emulsion matrices. Microstructural and chemical analyses of Fe/SiO2 core-shell type composite nanoparticles were carried out by TEM and EDS. The size of the particles and the thickness of the coating could be controlled by manipulating the relative rates of the hydrolysis and condensation reaction of TEOS within the micro-emulsion. The water/surfactant molar ratio influenced the Fe particle distribution of the core-shell composite particles, and the distribution of Fe particles was broadened as R increased. The particle size of Fe increased linearly with increasing FeNO3 solution concentration. The average size of the cluster was found to depend on the micelle size, the nature of the solvent, and the concentration of the reagent. The average size of synthesized Fe/SiO2 core-shell type composite nanoparticles was in a range of 10-30 nm and Fe particles were 1.5-7 nm in size. The effects of synthesis parameters, such as the molar ratio of water to TEOS and the molar ratio of water to surfactant, are discussed.

(3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was used as a silylation agent, and modified silica nanoparticles were prepared by solution polymerization. 2.0 g of silica nanoparticles, 150 ml of toluene, and 20 ml of MPTMS were put into a 300 ml flask, and these mixtures were dispersed with ultrasonic vibration for 60 min. 0.2 g of hydroquinone as an inhibitor and 1 to 2 drops of 2,6-dimethylpyridine as a catalyst were added into the mixture. The mixture was then stirred with a magnetic stirrer for 8 hrs. at room temperature. After the reaction, the mixture was centrifuged for 1 hr. at 6000rpm. After precipitation, 150 ml of ethanol was added, and ultrasonic vibration was applied for 30 min. After the ultrasonic vibration, centrifugation was carried out again for 1 hr. at 6000rpm. Organo-modification of silica nanoparticles with a γ-methacryloxypropyl functional group was successfully achieved by solution polymerization in the ethanol solution. The characteristics of the γ-mercaptopropyl modified silica nanoparticles (MPSN) were examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, THERMO VG SCIENTIFIC, MultiLab 2000), a laser scattering system (LSS, TOPCON Co., GLS-1000), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, JASCO INTERNATIONL CO., FT/IR-4200), scanning electron microscopy (SEM, HITACHI, S-2400), an elemental analysis (EA, Elementar, Vario macro/micro) and a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, Perkin Elmer, TGA 7, Pyris 1). From the analysis results, the content of the methacryloxypropyl group was 0.98 mmol/g and the conversion rate of acrylamide monomer was 93%. SEM analysis results showed that the organo-modification of ultra-fine particles effectively prevented their agglomeration and improved their dispensability.

Iron is an essential trace element for normal functions of the body. Restriction of iron availability directly limits erythropoiesis. The objective of this experiment was to compare the bioavailability of iron nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) with iron-microparticles (Fe-MPs) in anemic mice. There were four experimental groups, including the normal control group, iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) group, Fe-NPs group, and Fe-MPs group. Animals in the normal group fed on an adequate iron-containing diet (45 ppm Fe). Meanwhile, animals in the other three groups fed on a low Fe diet (4.5 ppm Fe) for seven weeks. Double deionized water was supplied as drinking water ad libitum. After feeding for three weeks with the low Fe diet, animals in the Fe-NPs and Fe-MPs groups received oral administration of Fe-NPs or Fe-MPs at a daily dose of 40 mg/kg for four weeks. The IDA group showed markedly decreased red blood cell (RBC) count, hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb) values compared with the normal group throughout the experimental periods. Treatments with Fe-NPs or Fe-MPs for four weeks resulted in restoration of the decreased RBC count and hematological values similar to normal values. The Fe-NPs group showed faster restoration in values than Fe-MPs with passage of time. The iron contents of the upper small intestine in the Fe-NPs and Fe-MPs groups were higher than in the normal group at weeks 2 and 4. Treatment with Fe-NPs and Fe-MPs resulted in a significant increase in hepatic iron contents and lipid peroxidation, compared with the IDA group with passage of time. The iron contents in liver and ferritin deposits in spleen were identified in the Fe-NPs and Fe-MPs groups, similar to the normal group. These results indicate that oral administration of both Fe-NPs and Fe-MPs can result in recovery from anemia and Fe-NPs is more absorbable and available in the body than Fe-MPs.

목적: 본 연구는 기본적인 하이드로젤 콘택트렌즈 재료에 zinc oxide nanoparticles와 SiNc[silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine bis(trihexylsilyloxide)]을 첨가제로 사용하여 친수성 콘택트렌즈 고분자를 중합하고 물리적 및 광학적 특성을 평가하였으며, 특히 자외선 투과율을 측정하여 ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc의 자외선 차단 안의료용 렌즈 소재로의 활용도를 알아보았다. 방법: ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc을 첨가제로 사용하였으며, HEMA, NVP, MMA, FMA와 교차결합제인 EGDMA 그리고 AIBN을 개시제로 사용하여 공중합 하였다. 또한 제조된 렌즈의 물리적 특성을 평가하기 위해 함수율, 굴절률, 인장강도 및 분광투과율을 측정하였다. 결과: ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc을 첨가한 각각의 조합에서는 함수율과 굴절률에서 큰 차이를 나타내지 않아 ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc이 함수율과 굴절률을 변화시키지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 자외선 영역의 투과도가 현저히 감소하여 ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc이 자외선을 차단하는 것으로 나타났다. 결론: ZnO nanoparticles와 SiNc의 경우, 함수율 및 굴절률 등의 물성을 변화시키지 않으면서 자외선을 차단할 수 있는 렌즈 재료로 유용하게 활용될 것으로 기대된다.

Copper composite materials have attracted wide attention for energy applications. Especially has a desirable direct band gap of 1.5 eV, which is well matched with the solar spectrum. nanoparticles could make it possible to develop color-tunable nanoparticle emitter in the near-infrared region (NIR) for energy application and bio imaging sensors. In this paper, nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by thermo-decomposition methods. Surface modification of nanoparticles were carried out with various semiconductor materials (CdS, ZnS) for enhanced optical properties. Surface modification and silica coating of hydrophobic nanoparticles could be dispersed in polar solvent for potential applications. Their optical properties were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The structures of silica coated were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Although there are a number of reports regarding the toxicity evaluation of inorganic nanoparticles, knowledge on biodegradable nanomaterials, which have always been considered safe, is still limited. For example, the toxicity of chitosan nanoparticles, one of the most widely used drug/gene delivery vehicles, is largely unknown. In this report, we examined the cytotoxic effects of chitosan nanoparticles on mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage and in vivo implantation by embryo transfer. Blastocysts treated with 250 nm chitosan nanoparticles exhibited significantly increased apoptosis and a corresponding decrease in total cell number, which was concentration‐dependent. Moreover, the TUNEL positive signal in the embryos exposed to chitosan nanoparticles showed an increased of the ICM and the implantation success rate was lower than that of their control counterparts. Our results collectively indicate that in vitro exposure to chitosan nanoparticles induces apoptosis and retards implantation development after transfer to host mice. The results collectively show that chitosan nanoparticles have the potential to induce embryo cytotoxicity. Further studies are required to establish effective protection strategies against the cytotoxic effects of these nanoparticles.

Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared under high temperature and pressure conditions by mixture of metal nitrate solution and TiO2 sol. Fe doped TiO2 particles were reacted in the temperature range of 170 to 200˚C for 6 h. The microstructure and phase of the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles were studied by SEM (FE-SEM), TEM, and XRD. Thermal properties of the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles were studied by TG-DTA analysis. TEM and X-ray diffraction pattern shows that the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles were crystalline. The average size and distribution of the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles were about 10 nm and narrow, respectively. The average size of the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles increased as the reaction temperature increased. The overall reduction in weight of Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles was about 16% up to ~700˚C; water of crystallization was dehydrated at 271˚C. The transition of Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticle phase from anatase to rutile occurred at almost 561˚C. The amount of rutile phase of the synthesized Fe doped TiO2 nanoparticles increased with decreasing Fe concentration. The effects of synthesis parameters, such as the concentration of the starting solution and the reaction temperature, are discussed.

ZrN nanoparticles were prepared by an exothermic reduction of ZrCl4 with NaN3 in the presence of NaCl flux in a nitrogen atmosphere. Using a solid-state combustion approach, we have demonstrated that the zirconium nitride nanoparticles synthesis process can be completed in only several minutes compared with a few hours for previous synthesis approaches. The chemistry of the combustion process is not complex and is based on a metathesis reaction between ZrCl4 and NaN3. Because of the low melting and boiling points of the raw materials it was possible to synthesize the ZrN phase at low combustion temperatures. It was shown that the combustion temperature and the size of the particles can be readily controlled by tuning the concentration of the NaCl flux. The results show that an increase in the NaCl concentration (from 2 to 13 M) results in a temperature decrease from 1280 to 750˚C. ZrN nanoparticles have a high surface area (50-70 m2/g), narrow pore size distribution, and nano-particle size between 10 and 30 nm. The activation energy, which can be extracted from the experimental combustion temperature data, is: E = 20 kcal/mol. The method reported here is self-sustaining, rapid, and can be scaled up for a large scale production of a transition metal nitride nanoparticle system (TiN, TaN, HfN, etc.) with suitable halide salts and alkali metal azide.

The defect sites on chemical vapor deposition grown graphene are investigated through the selective electrochemical deposition (SED) of Au nanoparticles. For SED of Au nanoparticles, an engineered potential pulse is applied to the working electrode versus the reference electrode, thereby highlighting the defect sites, which are more reactive relative to the pristine surface. Most defect sites decorated by Au nanoparticles are situated along the Cu grain boundaries, implying that the origin of the defects lies in the synthesis of uneven graphene layers on the rough Cu surface.

Iron nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) have recently been used for cancer diagnosis and therapy for imaging contrast and drug delivery. However, no study on nutritional bioavailability of Fe-NPs in the body has been reported. Ascorbic acid (AA) is known to aid in absorption of iron in the stomach by reducing Fe (III) to Fe (II). In this study, we investigated the bioavailability of Fe-NPs with AA in iron-deficiency-anemic mice in comparison with non-nano iron particles. Iron-deficient anemia was induced by feeding an iron-deficient diet (4.5 mg Fe/kg) and ocular bleeding from retro-orbital venous plexus for four weeks. Normal control mice were given a normal diet (45 mg Fe/ kg). After induction of anemia in mice, anemic mice received daily oral administration of Fe (40 mg/kg B.W.) + AA (5 g/kg B.W) and Fe-NPs (40 mg/kg B.W) + AA (5 g/kg B.W). After sacrifice, liver and spleen tissues were observed by haematoxylin & eosin stain. Amount of trace iron in liver and upper small intestine was investigated using an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer. Red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb), and total iron binding capacity were also measured. The concentrations of iron in the Fe-NPs + AA group were significantly higher in liver and in upper small intestine than that in the Fe + AA group. The values of RBC, Hct, and Hb in the Fe-NPs + AA group were more rapidly increased to normal values compared with the Fe + AA group with increasing time. These results suggest that Fe-NPs in the presence of AA may be more bioavailable than non-nano Fe in Fe-deficient anemic mice.

In this work, the silver nanoparticles have been synthesized by electrical explosion of wire in three liquid mediums: deionized water (DIW), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) solutions. Absorption in the UV-visible region of these suspensions was measured in the range of 300-800 nm. A surface plasmon peak was observed at ~400 nm in all suspensions in measured wavelength range. Particle size was analyzed by transmission electron microscope. It showed that the particles had nearly spherical shape in all samples. The average particle sizes prepared in DIW, PVP and SDBS solution were 37, 31 and 27 nm, respectively. Stability of the suspensions was estimated by multiple light scattering method. The presence of PVP and SDBS surfactants in the exploding medium resulted in enhanced stability of the silver suspensions.

In this study, Platinum(Pt) nanoparticles were synthesized by using polyol process which is one of the liquid phase reduction methods. Dihydrogen hexachloroplatinate (IV) hexahydrate , as a precursor, was dissolved in ethylene glycol and silver nitrate () was added as metal salt for shape control of Pt particle. Also, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), as capping agent, was added to reduce the size of particle and to separate the particles. The size of Pt nanoparticles was evaluated particle size analyzer (PSA). The size and morphology of Pt nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM). Synthesized Pt nanoparticles were studied with varying time and temperature of polyol process. Pt nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized with controlled sizes in the range 5-10 and 20-40 nm with cube and multiple-cube shapes.

Cellular uptake of nanoparticles for stem cell labeling and tracking is a critical technique for biomedical therapeutic applications. However, current techniques suffer from low intracellular labeling efficiency and cytotoxic effects, which has led to great interest in the development of a new labeling strategy. Using silica-coated nanoparticles conjugated with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC) (SR), we tested the cellular uptake efficiency, biocompatibility, proliferation or differentiation ability with murine bone marrow derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. The bone marrow hematopoietic cells showed efficient uptake with SR with dose or time dependent manner and also provided a higher uptake on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Biocompatibility tests revealed that the SR had no deleterious effects on cell cytotoxicity, proliferation, or multi-differentiation capacities in vitro and in vivo. SR nanoparticles are advantageous over traditional labeling techniques as they possess a high level of cellular internalization without limiting the biofunctionality of the cells. Therefore, SR provides a useful alternative for gene or drug delivery into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells for basic research and clinical applications.

This study shows that catalytic activity of bimetallic RhPt nanoparticle arrays under CO oxidation can be tuned by varying the size and composition of nanoparticles. The tuning of size of RhPt nanoparticles was achieved by changing concentration of rhodium and platinum precursors in one-step polyol synthesis. Two-dimensional RhPt bimetallic nanoparticle arrays in different size and composition were prepared through Langmuir-Blodgett thin film technique. CO oxidation was carried out on these two-dimensional nanoparticle arrays, revealing higher activity on the smaller nanoparticles compared to the bigger nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicate the preferential surface segregation of Rh compared to Pt on the smaller nanoparticles, which is consistent with the thermodynamic analysis. Because the catalytic activity is associated with differences in the rates of dissociative adsorption between Pt and Rh, this paper suppose that the surface segregation of Rh on the smaller bimetallic nanoparticles is responsible for the higher catalytic activity in CO oxidation. This result suggests a control mechanism of catalytic activity via synthetic approaches of colloid nanoparticles, with possible application in rational design of nanocatalysts.

Fecralloy is the promising materials for high temperature exhaust filtering system due to the excellent its oxidation resistance property. In this research, Fecralloy nanoparticles coated Fecralloy thin foil was prepared by a single nozzle electrospray system in order to increase surface area of Fecralloy foil. Fecralloy nanoparticles were fabricated by electrical wire explosion method in ethanol using Fecralloy wires as a source material. Electrospray modes with applied D.C voltages to Fecralloy colloidal solution were investigated to make a stable cone-jet mode. Coated layers with and without additional heat treatment were observed by FE-SEM (field emission-scanning electron microscope) and tape test for evaluating their adhesion to substrate were performed as well.

Two dimensional (2D) arrays of noble metal nanoparticles are widely used in the sensing of nanoscale biological and chemical events. Research in this area has sparked considerable interest in many fields owing to the novel optical properties, e.g., the localized surface plasmon resonance, of these metallic nanoarrays. In this paper, we report successes in fabricating 2D arrays of gold nano-islands using nanosphere lithography. The reproducibility and the effectiveness of the nano-patterning method are tested by means of spin coating and capillary force deposition. We found that the capillary force deposition method was more effective for nanospheres with diameters greater than 600 nm, whereas the spin coating method works better for nanospheres with diameters less than 600 nm. The optimal deposition parameters for both methods were reported, showing about 80% reproducibility. In addition, we characterize gold nano-island arrays both geometrically with AFM as well as optically with UV-VIS spectrometry. The AFM images revealed that the obtained nano-arrays formed a hexagonal pattern of truncated tetrahedron nano-islands. The experimental and theoretical values of the geometric parameters were compared. The 2D gold nano-arrays showed strong LSPR in the absorption spectra. As the nano-islands increased in size, the LSPR absorption bands became red-shifted. Linear dependence of the plasmon absorption maximum on the size of the gold nano-islands was identified through the increment in the plasmon absorption maximum rate for a one nanometer increase in the characteristic length of the nano-islands. We found that the 2D gold nano-arrays showed nearly seven-fold higher sensitivity of the absorption spectrum to the size of the nano-islands as compared to colloidal gold nano-particles.

Tin (IV) dioxide (SnO2) has attracted much attention due to its potential scientific significance and technological applications. SnO2 nanoparticles were prepared under low temperature and pressure conditions via precipitation from a 0.1 M SnCl4·5H2O solution by slowly adding NH4OH while rapidly stirring the solution. SnO2 nanoparticles were obtained from the reaction in the temperature range from 130 to 250˚C during 6 h. The microstructure and phase of the synthesized tin oxide particles were studied using XRD and TEM analyses. The average crystalline sizes of the synthesized SnO2 particles were from 5 to 20 nm and they had a narrow distribution. The average crystalline size of the synthesized particles increased as the reaction temperature increased. The crystalline size of the synthesized tin oxide particles decreased with increases in the pH value. The X-ray analysis showed that the synthesized particles were crystalline, and the SAED patterns also indicate that the synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles were crystalline. Furthermore, the morphology of the synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles was as a function of the reaction temperature. The effects of the synthesis parameters, such as the pH condition and reaction temperature, are also discussed.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-fabricated suspended devices were used to measure the in-plane electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of 304 nm and 516 nm thick InGaAlAs films with 0.3% ErAs nanoparticle inclusions by volume. The suspended device allows comprehensive thermoelectric property measurements from a single thin film or nanowire sample. Both thin film samples have identical material compositions and the sole difference is in the sample thickness. The measured Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity were all larger in magnitude for the thicker sample. While the relative change in values was dependent on the temperature, the thermal conductivity demonstrated the largest decrease for the thinner sample in the measurement temperature range of 325 K to 425 K. This could be a result of the increased phonon scattering due to the surface defects and included ErAs nanoparticles. Similar to the results from other material systems, the combination of the measured data resulted in higher values of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) for the thinner sample; this result supports the theory that the reduced dimensionality, such as in twodimensional thin films or one-dimensional nanowires, can enhance the thermoelectric figure of merit compared with bulk threedimensional materials. The results strengthen and provide a possible direction in locating and optimizing thermoelectric materials for energy applications.

Two different schemes were adopted to fabricate ordered macroporous structures with face centered cubic lattice of air spheres. Monodisperse polymeric latex suspension, which was synthesized by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization, was mixed with metal oxide ceramic nanoparticles, followed by evaporation-induced self-assembly of the mixed hetero-colloidal particles. After calcination, inverse opal was generated during burning out the organic nanospheres. Inverse opals made of silica or iron oxide were fabricated according to this procedure. Other approach, which utilizes ceramic precursors instead of nanoparticles was adopted successfully to prepare ordered macroporous structure of titania with skeleton structures as well as lithium niobate inverted structures. Similarly, two different schemes were utilized to obtain disordered macroporous structures with random arrays of macropores. Disordered macroporous structure made of indium tin oxide (ITO) was obtained by fabricating colloidal glass of polystyrene microspheres with low monodispersity and subsequent infiltration of the ITO nanoparticles followed by heat treatment at high temperature for burning out the organic microspheres. Similar random structure of titania was also fabricated by mixing polystyrene building block particles with titania nanoparticles having large particle size followed by the calcinations of the samples.