Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Action of Hollow Ceria Nanospheres with/without a Conductive Polymer Coating

Hollow ceria nanospheres were synthesized using anionic polystyrene lattices which were prepared by emulsion polymerization of styrene using potassium persulfate as the initiator. These anionic colloidal particles were dispersed in water in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and mixed with aqueous solutions of cerium (III) acetylacetonate [Ce(acac)₃]. Subsequently, hollow nanospheres of cerium compounds were obtained by calcination of the coated polystyrene lattices at an elevated temperature in air. The hollow ceria nanospheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential thermal analysis. The hollow ceria nanospheres were coated with conductive polymers (polyaniline and polypyrrole) via an electropolymerization process. Moreover, the antibacterial action of illuminated hollow ceria nanospheres and hollow ceria nanospheres coated with conductive polymers (CPCeO₂) on a pure culture of Escherichia coli was studied. A decrease of E. coli concentration was observed after illumination of bacteria in the presence of hollow ceria nanospheres and CPCeO₂.     

Prevalence and predictors of exposure to multiple metals in preschool children from Montevideo, Uruguay

The extent of children's exposure to multiple toxic metals is not well described in many developing countries. We examined metal exposures in young children (6-37 months) from Montevideo, Uruguay and their mothers (15-47 years) participating in a community-based study. Hair samples collected from 180 children and their mothers were analyzed for: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), and arsenic (As) concentration using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Median metal levels (μg/g) were: Pb 13.69, Mn 1.45, Cd 0.17, and As 0.09 for children and Pb 4.27, Mn 1.42, Cd 0.08, and As 0.02 for mothers. Of the child and maternal samples, 1.7% and 2.9% were below the limit of detection (LOD) for Cd, and 21.3% and 38.5% were below the LOD for As, respectively. Correlations between maternal and child levels ranged 0.38-0.55 (p < 0.01). Maternal hair metal levels were the strongest predictors of metal concentrations in children's hair. Girls had significantly lower As levels than boys (p < 0.01) but did not differ on other metals. In addition, in bivariate logistic regressions predicting the likelihood that the child would be exposed to multiple metals, hemoglobin < 10.5 g/dL (OR = 2.12, p < 0.05), blood lead (OR = 1.17, p < 0.01), and the mother being exposed to two or more metals (OR = 3.34, p < 0.01) were identified as significant predictors of increased likelihood of multiple metal exposure. Older child age (OR = 0.96, p < 0.05), higher maternal education (OR = 0.35, p < 0.01), and higher number of household possessions (OR = 0.83, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with decreased likelihood of multiple metal exposure. Preschool children in Uruguay are exposed to multiple metals at levels that in other studies have been associated with cognitive and behavioral deficits. Sources of exposure, as well as cognitive and behavioral consequences of multiple metal exposure, should be investigated in this population.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cerium Molybdate Nanocontainers and Their Inhibitor Complexes

Cerium molybdate nanocontainers were synthesized using a two-step process and then loaded with 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) or with 1-H-benzotriazole-4-sulfonic acid (1-BSA). First, polystyrene (PS) nanospheres were produced using emulsion polymerization. Second, the PS spheres were coated via the sol–gel method to form a cerium molybdate layer. Finally, the nanocontainers were made by calcination of cerium molybdate coated PS nanospheres. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX), transmission electron microscopy, FT-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis. Moreover, nanocontainers were loaded with 8-HQ or with 1-BSA and their presence was confirmed with FT-IR. The loading of the inhibitors in the nanocontainers was estimated with TGA. The loading amount of 8-HQ was 5.22% w/w and that of 1-BSA was 16.43%. Based on the size of the nanocontainers and the assumption that they are not broken, we deduced to the amount of approximately with 1.07 × 10⁶ molecules of 8-HQ and 2.35 × 10⁶ molecules of 1-BSA per nanocontainer. Furthermore, release of 8-HQ or 1-BSA in corrosive environment was studied by potentiodynamic measurements for aluminum alloys 2024-T3 (AA2024-T3) and DC01 carbon steel (DC01-CS) samples, showing that the inhibitors are released from the nanocontainers, suppressing the corrosion activities. SEM photographs confirmed that the nanocontainers maintained their shape after suspension in 0.5 M NaCl solution for more than 72 h. Moreover, release of 8-HQ or 1-BSA in water was studied using spectrophotometer.     

Impact of Herbivore-induced Plant Volatiles on Parasitoid Foraging Success: A Spatial Simulation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cotesia rubecula,Pieris rapae,</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis> System

Many parasitoids are known to use herbivore-induced plant volatiles as cues to locate hosts. However, data are lacking on how much of an advantage a parasitoid can gain from following these plant cues and which factors can limit the value of these cues to the parasitoid. In this study, we simulate the Cotesia rubecula-Pieris rapae-Brassica oleracea system, and ask how many more hosts can a parasitoid attack in a single day of foraging by following plant signals versus randomly foraging. We vary herbivore density, plant response time, parasitoid flight distance, and available host stages to see under which conditions parasitoids benefit from herbivore-induced plant cues. In most of the parameter combinations studied, parasitoids that responded to cues attacked more hosts than those that foraged randomly. Parasitoids following plant cues attacked up to ten times more hosts when they were able to successfully attack herbivores older than first instar; however, if parasitoids were limited to first instar hosts, those following plant cues were at a disadvantage when plants took longer than a day to respond to herbivory. At low herbivore densities, only parasitoids with a larger foraging radius could take advantage of plant cues. Although preference for herbivore-induced volatiles was not always beneficial for a parasitoid, under the most likely natural conditions, the model predicts that C. rubecula gains fitness from following plant cues.     

Multi‐responsive polymeric microcontainers for potential biomedical applications: synthesis and functionality evaluation

Temperature and pH responsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐methacrylic acid) (P(NIPAAm‐co‐MAA)) microcontainers with encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles in the shell were prepared by a two‐stage distillation precipitation polymerization. PMAA@Fe₃O₄/P(NIPAAm‐co‐MAA) core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized by the second‐stage polymerization of NIPAAm, MAA and N, N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinker in the presence of magnetic nanoparticles and PMAA as core. These novel triple‐functional microcontainers were prepared by selective removal of the PMAA core in water. Daunorubicin hydrochloride (DNR) was loaded into the microcontainers and the release profile was studied by UV–visible spectroscopy. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized with transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were evaluated by vibrating sample magnetometry. The shrink and swelling behavior was studied by dynamic light scattering. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Carbon nanotube micropillars trigger guided growth of complex human neural stem cells networks

Nano Research - New strategies for spatially controlled growth of human neurons may provide viable solutions to treat and recover peripheral or spinal cord injuries. While topography cues are known...     

Isomerization of α-Pinene Oxide Over Iron-Modified Zeolites

Fe-modified mordenite, ferrierite, Y, ZSM-5, ZSM-12 and beta zeolite catalysts were prepared by solid state ion-exchange and conventional liquid phase ion-exchange methods from aqueous solutions. Sn- modified H-beta-300 zeolite catalyst was prepared by the later method. The characterization of proton form, Fe and Sn modified zeolites was carried out using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy with magnetic measurements, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis and FTIR spectroscopy using pyridine as a probe molecule. Isomerization of α-pinene oxide over the Fe and Sn modified zeolite catalysts was carried out in the liquid phase using a batch-wise glass reactor. Formation of campholenic aldehyde and fencholenic aldehyde were observed to be influenced by the structure, acidity of zeolite and contents of Fe and Sn, reaction temperature and the catalysts pretreatment.     

Nanoparticle synthesis completed with in situ catalyst preparation performed on a high-pressure high-temperature continuous flow reactor

The present communication reports a three-way strategy on utilizing a newly developed continuous high-pressure, high-temperature micro-fluidic reactor to synthesize and modify nanoparticles (NPs) and produce catalytically relevant materials in one flow. Well-defined platinum nanoparticles have been synthesized within a few seconds and in a highly controlled fashion. By changing the applied temperature, flow rate and the type of solvent, the size and the surface morphology of the resulting nanoparticles was changed and tuned on-the-fly. It was also shown that the primarily synthesized NPs can be successfully modified further by using them as seeds in the same flow from where they were formed, by applying the seeded growth method, which resulted in increased particle size and the formation of well-defined but randomly distributed shapes. Furthermore, after synthesizing, the Pt nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the surface of well-known support materials in the same flow to provide in situ production of commercially relevant Pt/SiO₂ catalysts. The in situ prepared catalytically active materials were tested in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde and showed high activity.     

Photocatalytic reduction of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> with H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O over modified TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanofibers: Understanding the reduction pathway

Nanosized metal (Pt or Pd)-decorated TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) were synthesized by a wet impregnation method. CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were then anchored onto the metal-decorated TiO₂ NFs. The photocatalytic performance of these catalysts was tested for activation and reduction of CO₂ under UV-B light. Gas chromatographic analysis indicated the formation of methanol, formic acid, and methyl formate as the primary products. In the absence of CdSe QDs, Pd-decorated TiO₂ NFs were found to exhibit enhanced performance compared to Pt-decorated TiO₂ NFs for methanol production. However, in the presence of CdSe, Pt-decorated TiO₂ NFs exhibited higher selectivity for methanol, typically producing ～90 ppmg^?1·h^?1 methanol. The CO₂ photoreduction mechanism is proposed to take place via a hydrogenation pathway from first principles calculations, which complement the experimental observations.

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