Preparation and characterisation of ciprofloxacin‐loaded silver nanoparticles for drug delivery

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have shown potential applications in drug delivery. In this study, the AgNPs was prepared from silver nitrate in the presence of alginate as a capping agent. The ciprofloxacin (Cipro) was loaded on the surface of AgNPs to produce Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposite. The characteristics of the Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposite were studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier‐transform infra‐red analysis (FT‐IR) and zeta potential analyses. The XRD of AgNPs and Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposite data showed that both have a crystalline structure in nature. The FT‐IR data indicate that the AgNPs have been wrapped by the alginate and loaded with the Cipro drug. The TEM image showed that the Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites have an average size of 96 nm with a spherical shape. The SEM image for AgNPs and Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites confirmed the needle‐lumpy shape. The zeta potential for Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites exhibited a positive charge with a value of 6.5 mV. The TGA for Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites showed loss of 79.7% in total mass compared to 57.6% for AgNPs which is due to the Cipro loaded in the AgNPs. The release of Cipro from Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites showed slow release properties which reached 98% release within 750 min, and followed the Hixson–Crowell kinetic model. In addition, the toxicity of AgNPs and Cipro‐AgNPs nanocomposites was evaluated using normal (3T3) cell line. The present work suggests that Cipro‐AgNPs are suitable for drug delivery.     

Extracellular biosynthesis,characterisation and in-vitro antibacterial potential of silver nanoparticles using Agaricus bisporus

Microbial silver nanoparticles have been known to have bactericidal effects but the antimicrobial mechanism has not been clearly revealed. The use of microorganisms in the synthesis of nanoparticles emerges as an ecofriendly and exciting approach. Here we report on the extracellular synthesis method for the preparation of silver nanoparticles in water using the extract of Agaricus bisporus, a naturally occurring edible mushroom, as reducing and protecting agents. The silver nanoparticles were characterised by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The synthesised silver nanoparticles showed antibacterial activity against the multi-drug resistant Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial pathogens.     

聚苯乙烯/银核壳结构纳米微球的制备与表征

采用两步法的简单路线制备出银纳米粒子包覆的聚苯乙烯(PS)微球,首先通过乳液聚合法合成出聚苯乙烯微球;然后对苯乙烯进行敏化和活化,搅拌下加入银的还原液,从而制备出Ag-PS核壳结构的纳米微球.同时借助于TEM、UV-vis、 FE-SEM进行表征,分析其微观结构.结果表明,所得的聚苯乙烯微球粒径约为40nm;聚苯乙烯/银核壳结构纳米微球粒径为45～350nm,银层厚度可随意调控.     

Preparation and characterization of zeolite framework stabilized cuprous oxide nanoparticles

Zeolite framework stabilized copper(I) oxide nanoparticles (4.8 ± 2.6 nm) were prepared for the first time by using a four step procedure: the ion exchange of Cu²⁺ ions with the extra framework Na⁺ ions in Zeolite-Y, the reduction of the Cu²⁺ ions within the cavities of zeolite with sodium borohydride in aqueous solution, the dehydration of Zeolite-Y with the copper(0) nanoclusters, and the oxidation of intrazeolite copper(0) nanoclusters by O₂ at room temperature. Zeolite stabilized copper(I) oxide nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, HR-TEM, Raman, XPS, UV-vis spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption technique.     

Syntheses and characterisation of silver nanoparticles in the acrylate copolymers

Silver nanoparticles were synthesised by polyol method using copolymer templates under microwave heating. The copolymer templates were synthesised by reacting the synthesised macromonomers with comonomer using free radical polymerisation. The copolymers were characterised by Fourier Transform InfraRed, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR. The copolymers were further characterised by gel permeation chromatography for molecular weights and thermogravimetric analysis for thermal stability. These copolymers were used as nanoreactors in the syntheses of silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterised by various instrumental methods like UV-visible, FT-IR and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy to establish the average particle size and shape. Antibacterial activities of the copolymer-stabilised silver nanoparticles were tested on various microorganisms.     

化学还原法制备纳米银粒子及其表征

采用化学还原法, 通过一系列条件实验,借助紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-vis)得到最佳实验条件,在最佳实验条件下制得紫黑色溶胶,在40℃下真空干燥3h,获纳米银粉.制备的纳米银粉用X射线衍射仪(XRD)和透射电镜(TEM)分析表明,其粒径大小分布范围窄,形状为单一球形,平均粒径为18nm.     

Plasmonic Au x Ag y bimetallic alloy nanoparticles enhanced photoluminescence upconversion of Er3+ ions in antimony glass hybrid nanocomposites

Er³⁺ ions and spherical (3–23?nm) Au _x Ag _y bimetallic alloy (where x?=?18–96 and y?=?4–82, atom %) nanoparticles incorporated novel antimony oxide based reducing dielectric (glass) matrix, K₂O–B₂O₃–Sb₂O₃ (KBS), has been synthesized by a new single step methodology involving selective thermochemical reduction. Their absorption spectra show a single tunable (536–679 nm) surface plasmon resonance band along with the typical absorption peaks of the Er³⁺ ion. X-ray and SAED indicate the formation of (111) and (200) planes of Au _x Ag _y alloy. The luminescence intensity of two prominent emission bands of Er³⁺ ions centered at 536 (green) and 645 (red) nm due to ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transitions were observed to be strongly dependent on the Au _x Ag _y nanoparticle composition. Both the bands undergo a maximum of 1.5- and 4.5-fold intensity enhancement respectively in the presence of the Ag₅₆Au₄₄ alloy (atom %) due to plasmon induced local field enhancement.     

Preparation of Ag nanoparticles coated tetrapod-like ZnO whisker photocatalysts using photoreduction

Ag/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnOw) photocatalysts with different Ag loadings were synthesized by photoreduction of Ag⁺ on the surface of T-ZnOw. The chemical composition, morphology and photocatalytic properties of Ag/T-ZnOw photocatalysts were characterized and studied in detail. It is found that metal Ag can exist either as nanoparticles or as agglomerates through varying the Ag/ZnO molar ratio (MR). In photodegradation of methyl orange, enhanced degradation rates are achieved by all Ag/T-ZnOw photocatalysts due to increased separation efficiency of photogenerated electron and hole pairs. Specifically, the photocatalytic activities of Ag/T-ZnOw photocatalysts increase with increasing Ag/ZnO MR from 2.4 to 12%. However, further increasing the Ag/ZnO MR to 14.4% induces the formation of more agglomerates, which can act as recombination centers of photogenerated electron and hole pairs, leading to decreased photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst.     

透射电镜电子束辐照法制备纳米银粒子

利用透射电镜中的电子柬对银（Ag）前驱体进行辐照,制备纳米Ag颗粒,分析结果表明,用化学还原法制得的Ag粒子的尺寸较大,约500nm,呈现多足结构的团聚状态,以化学还原法制得的Ag粒子作为前驱体,用电子柬辐照可得直径为2—50nm、外形圆形的纳米Ag颗粒,分散性好。     

Ag-Cu离子注入SiO2玻璃后形成纳米颗粒的研究

Ag、Cu离子经200和110keV加速后分别以5×1016和1.5×1017ions /cm2的剂量在室温下先后注入到非晶SiO2玻璃中.注入后样品的光学吸收谱显示两个吸收峰,其峰位为407和569nm,分别对应单独Ag和单独Cu纳米颗粒的等离子体共振吸收峰,样品在还原-保护气氛下退火后吸收峰峰强明显增加.样品的透射电镜选区电子衍射花样含有Ag、Cu两套衍射环,透射电镜的明场像观察到大量的纳米颗粒呈现出中心亮斑特征.在样品倾转过程中,中心亮斑特征依然存在,证实这种现象是离子辐照产生的纳米空位团簇.扫描透射电子显微镜高角环形暗场像进一步证实了这一点.综上所述,样品中形成了单Ag和单Cu包裹空位团簇的纳米颗粒.     

Preparation,characterisation and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of chelerythrine-loaded magnetic Fe3O4@O-carboxymethylchitosan nanoparticles

In this work, a novel, active tumour-targeting system (Fe₃O₄@OCMCS-CHE) was designed by surface-modifying superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) with O-carboxymethylchitosan (OCMCS) to improve their biocompatibility and ability to target specific tumour cells. The chelerythrine (CHE) was used as the model of anti-tumour drug in this system. The optimised formulation was characterised and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), in vitro drug release and so on. It was found that the synthesised nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average size of 60 nm, the drug loading content and entrapment efficiency were 8.32 ± 0.25% (w/w) and 90.65 ± 0.46% (w/w), respectively, and the saturated magnetisation reached 27.06 emu/g. The in vitro drug-release behaviour from nanoparticles displayed a biphasic drug-release pattern with initial burst release and consequently sustained release. Also, the effect of magnetic targeted nanoparticles on the proliferation of human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) in vitro was investigated. The results from 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Hochest assays suggested that the Fe₃O₄@OCMCS-CHE nanoparticles could effectively inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells, which displayed time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. All these results indicated that the multifunctional Fe₃O₄@OCMCS nanoparticles possess a high drug loading efficiency, have low cytotoxicity, and are promising candidates for targeted drug delivery.     

KMn8O16纳米棒的制备及其性能表征

以KMnO4和MnSO4*H2O为原料, 采用氧化还原沉淀法制备了KMn8O16粉体,运用XRD、ICP、SEM、TEM、IR、XPS等分析手段对其结构、大小、形貌及相关性质进行了表征.结果表明,所获粉体由大小均匀、平均尺寸约为230nm×25nm的棒状粒子组成;粉体中Mn主要存在形式是+4价,并含有一定数量的表面氧缺位,其较高的H2O2分解活性与它的表面微结构有关.     

磺胺嘧啶银/聚乙烯醇水凝胶复合材料的制备及性能表征

采用e-Beam电子辐射和冻融循环相结合的方法制备了磺胺嘧啶银(SD-Ag)/聚乙烯醇(PVA)水凝胶。研究了制备工艺对PVA水凝胶的性能的影响。通过拉伸性能测试、吸水率检测、SEM和FT-IR等表征,考察了PVA浓度(占总质量5%~15%)、冻融与辐射处理等对PVA水凝胶拉伸强度、断裂伸长率、吸水性、凝胶含量和微观结构等的影响。结果表明:随着PVA浓度增大,PVA水凝胶的拉伸强度提高。当PVA浓度为15%、辐射剂量为25kGy时,单独辐射、辐射后冻融及冻融后辐射三种工艺制备的PVA水凝胶拉伸强度分别为0.023 MPa、0.048MPa、0.028MPa,吸水率分别为为95%、45%、63%,说明经冻融处理的水凝胶力学强度提高,吸水率有所下降。然后,选择适当的制备工艺并在PVA水凝胶中加入SD-Ag,考察了SD-Ag/PVA水凝胶的抑菌性能,抑菌活性测试结果显示,随着SD-Ag含量的增加,SD-Ag/PVA水凝胶的抑菌效果增强,而且其对革兰式阴性菌(大肠杆菌)的抑菌效果优于其对革兰式阳性菌(金黄色葡萄球菌)的抑菌效果。     

Comprehensive study on surfactant role on silver nanoparticles (NPs) prepared via modified Tollens process

Surfactants represent not only commonly used wetting agents but also substances that can be used as growth modifiers in the process of solid nanoparticle (NP) preparation. In this study we report influential character of different types of surfactants – i.e. ionic (SDS, CTAC) and non-ionic (Tween 80) – on fundamental characteristics of silver NPs, which were prepared by a modified Tollens process. The influential character of surfactants was evaluated throughout a reasonable improvement of the polydispersity (in the case of the tested non-ionic surfactants from 8.5% even down to 2.5%) and in the case of ionic surfactant, SDS and CTAC, also significant change of zeta potential (from −20 to −50 mV for the highest tested concentration of SDS). A slight influence of the tested surfactants was observed on the sizes of the prepared silver NPs. Therefore the obtained results from the performed surfactant-assisted syntheses revealed a possibility how to tailor silver NPs by means of their polydispersity and zeta potential according to the application demands.     

银钠米粒子/二氧化钛复合薄膜的溶胶凝胶法制备及其光学性质的研究

用溶胶凝胶法制备了含纳米级银粒子的TiO2 薄膜。对薄膜进行了XRD、TEM、XPS等测试 ,发现空气中 60 0 - 80 0℃热处理形成了含 4 - 4 5nm的Ag金属粒子的锐钛矿和金红石多晶薄膜。Ag微粒子随热处理温度升高而增长。这些薄膜在可见光区有一个较宽的吸收峰。     

Rapid and green synthesis of bimetallic Au–Ag nanoparticles using an otherwise worthless weed Antigonon leptopus

We demonstrate a simple, straightforward, clean-green, single pot approach for the synthesis of bimetallic Ag/Au nanoparticles (BNPs) by using a highly invasive terrestrial weed coral vine (Antigonon leptopus). Aqueous extracts of the weed were found to reduce the metal ions to form nanosised aggregates and then stabilise them by preventing further aggregation. The efficacy of the extracts of all its parts was explored by varying the stoichiometry of reactants, temperature, pH and reaction time. The electron micrographs of the synthesised BNPs indicated the presence of particles of predominantly spherical shapes in sizes ranging from 10 to 60 nm. The presence of gold and silver atoms was confirmed from the energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray photoelectron and X-ray diffraction studies. The Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopic spectral study indicated that the phenolics (including flavonoids) and proteins contained in the plant extract could have been responsible for the formation and stabilisation of the BNPs.     

Synthesis and characterisation of ferromagnetic hexagonal cobalt nanoparticles

Ferromagnetic hexagonal cobalt nanoparticles are synthesised via reduction of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate by using sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The morphology, crystal structure and magnetic properties of as synthesised particles are characterised by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibratory sample magnetometer (VSM). The results show that the particles are spherical in shape with a size of 5?nm. These particles show ferromagnetic behaviour with magnetic coercivity of 583?Oe at room temperature. Oleic acid acts as the surfactant and its bonding nature on the cobalt nanoparticles is studied by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.     

Preparation and characterisation of NiCo ferrite nanoparticles

The NiCo ferrite has been prepared using sol-gel combustion technique making use of source materials like metal nitrates of Ni, Co and Fe. In order to reduce agglomeration, the polyvinyl alcohol has been added as a reducing agent. The characterisation studies such as XRD and TEM have been carried out to explore the particle size. An increase in particle size with an increase in calcination temperature was noticed. Similarly, the FTIR study confirms the presence of metal oxide. The above studies reveal that the sol-gel combustion technique can be used to produce a wide range of nanoparticles for different applications.     

Preparation and characterisation of lignin nanoparticles: evaluation of their potential as antioxidants and UV protectants

Lignin, an abundant plant biopolymer, is known to possess antioxidant and UV protectant properties in its native state. Nanoparticles exhibit either improved or different properties corresponding to their bulk materials or parent polymers. In the present study, using nanoprecipitation method, dioxane lignin nanoparticles (DLNP) and alkali lignin nanoparticles (ALNP) are fabricated from two different sources of lignin, i.e., hardwood dioxane lignin (DL) extracted from subabul stems and softwood alkali lignin (AL) which is available as a commercial source. Both DLNP and ALNP were fabricated in spherical shape with mean size of 80–104 nm. Analysis of radical scavenging activity revealed that both DLNP and ALNP possess higher antioxidant activity when compared with their parent polymers DL and AL, respectively. UV protectant potential of DLNP and ALNP was validated by monitoring the survival rates of Escherichia coli upon UV-induced mortality. DLNP and ALNP were more efficient than DL and AL in protecting E. coli against UV-irradiation-induced mortality. However, upon irradiation for different time periods, DLNP offered pronounced protection for E. coli against UV when compared with ALNP. Thus, the present study demonstrates that the antioxidant and UV protection properties of DLNP can be exploited further in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.