Objectives: This study is aimed to synthesis and evaluate PEGylated Eu enabled spherical alumina submicron particles (s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu) for potential theranostic applications.Methods: This study is bisected into two parts, a) synthesis of PEGylated Eu enabled spherical alumina submicron particles (s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu), and b) characterization of the synthesized particles to determine their efficacy for potential theranostic applications.The synthesis of the particles involved the following steps.In the first step, s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu is synthesized using solvothermal synthesis.In the next step, the particles undergo post synthesis water-ethanol treatment and calcination.The surface of the synthesized s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu particles is then coated by PEG to increase its biocompatibility.Once the particles are prepared, they are characterized using different techniques.The microstructure, composition and structure of the particles is characterized using SEM, EDX and XRD techniques.The detection of the functional groups is done using FTIR analysis.The photoluminescence emission spectrum of s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu is studied using Photoluminescence spectroscopy.And, finally, the biocompatibility is studied using MTT assay on RD cell lines.Results: The microstructure analysis, from the micrographs obtained from SEM, shows that the spherical alumina particles have a submicron size with narrow size distribution.The compositional analysis, as per EDX, confirms the presence of Oxygen, Aluminum and Europium in the particles.While, XRD analysis of s-Al 2 O 3 :Eu confirms the formation of alpha alumina phase after calcination at 700 °C.Emission peaks, obtained by Photoluminescence emission spectroscopy, show that the optimum emission intensities correspond to the transition from 5 D 0 to 7 F j orbital of Eu +3 .FTIR analysis confirms the successful coating of PEG.Finally, a cell viability of more than 86% is observed when the biocompatibility of the particles is studied, using MTT assay on RD cell lines.
Abstract Hollow capsules with multi-shelled or multicomponent structures are essential materials for various applications. Biomedical applications like disease diagnosis, therapy, and monitoring have special significance as they aim to improve health conditions. This review demonstrated a comprehensive overview of hollow, multifunctional structures incorporating meaningful use of nanotechnology and its’ unique prospects in medicine such as patient-specific treatment, multimodal imaging, multimodal therapy, simultaneous delivery of drugs and imaging probes, and actively targeted delivery. The internal hollow cavity provides safe and controlled drug release while also enabling transport of functional moieties to target sites. This review explored the performance of different organic, inorganic, and metallic multicomponent capsules that have been reported for biomedical applications, mainly diagnostic imaging and drug delivery. Material compositions, morphologies, and synthesis strategies involved in fabricating such multifunctional systems have been discussed in detail. It is expected that with time, more sophisticated and precise systems will come to light as the outcome of ongoing concentrated research efforts.
The aim of this study is to investigate the photoluminescence (PL) properties of europium (Eu) doped alumina as potential platform for simultaneous bio Imaging and drug delivery. Synthesis of Eu doped alumina is done by a facile two step method. In the first stage, hydrothermal synthesis is used to prepare the Eu doped ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide which is then calcined to get a crystalline Eu doped alumina. Structural characterization of the prepared sample is done through XRD and SEM. Photoluminescence spectroscopy is performed in order the study the PL response. The SEM images of the Eu doped sample revealed whisker shaped morphology, the porosity in the inter and intra whisker region is beneficial for the high drug loading capacity. The length of the bundle after annealing was about 5 µm with the bundle diameter of 0.45 µm. XRD patterns of the prepared sample has sharp peaks, showing a high degree of crystallinity corresponding to the α-alumina phase. Finally PL response was checked at an excitation wavelength of 393 nm. A dominant peak was observed at a wavelength of 613 nm corresponding to the 5D0 to 7F2 transition.The3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT assay confirms the cell viability of more than 100% at even a concentration of 500 nano molar alumina in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). These results show that the Eu doped alumina having optimum PL response, high biocompatibility and drug loading capacity which makes it a promising candidate for theranostic applications.
The drug loading capability and inherent cytotoxicity of mesoporous silica particles are two prime considerations for targeted drug delivery applications. In current study, uncoated mesoporous silica (UMS) carrier particles were synthesized by sol-gel emulsion approach. The morphology and structure of UMS was thoroughly characterized using atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements reveal that mono dispersed silica particles have an average size of 250 nm with narrow size distribution. The pore size was measured as 47nm. Concentration dependent biocompatibility of UMS was evaluated using MTT assay with Hep-2c cancer cell line and cell viability of ~65% at concentrations of 7.5 nM was observed. Finally, the drug loading capability of UMS carrier was studied using ibuprofen as a model drug.
Liquid metal flow measurement is a challenging task in nuclear and metallurgical applications, due to hightemperature corrosive environment. Magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) flow meters are a good choice for such applications, due to their inherent safety, less pressure drop, bi-directional and accurate flow measurements. In this study, sodium metal flow measurement is investigated in a circular pipe at different temperatures and Reynolds numbers (Re), using computation fluid dynamics tools (ANSYS Fluent®) with MHD module, to benchmark the calibration for the flow meters. Simulations are performed for a temperature range of 150 to 450◦C at Re upto 400, with the application of the transverse magnetic field B of various strengths (0.05-0.4 Tesla). It is noted that the M-shaped velocity profile develops at high magnetic field strength (B ≥ 0.2). It is observed that the maximum velocity decreases with increasing temperature, at a given Re and B, and it increases with increasing Re, at a given temperature and B. Moreover, a systematic parametric study for Re, temperature and magnetic field strength is performed. It is found that the voltage and Lorentz force, increase with increasing Re and decrease with increasing temperature, at a given B. Our results suggest that optimum window of operation of magnetic sensor is at temperature≤ 300 and Re≥ 200 for the better performance.
Enabled zirconium oxide Nanoparticles (NPs) are multifunctional nanoparticles that can be employed for multimodal imaging and can show good biocompatibility. In this work, we have synthesized Dysprosium (Dy) and Holmium (Ho) enabled zirconium oxide nanoparticles (DY/Ho-ZrO2 NPs) and have evaluated their potential as candidates for contrast agents in different imaging modalities such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), Photoluminescence (PL) imaging and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Rare earth elements have large atomic numbers, and their incorporation can enhance the X-ray attenuation characteristics of their host along with their optical properties. Rare earth elements exhibit paramagnetic character which can be utilized for MRI contrast enhancement. A combination of these imaging modalities can fulfill the limitations faced while using a single imaging technique. We have successfully synthesized Dy and Ho incorporated zirconia nanoparticles (Dy/Ho-ZrO2) by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. Prepared NPs were characterized for their physical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the crystalline phases present in Dy-ZrO2 and Ho-ZrO2 NPs with a crystallite size of 27 nm and 21.54 nm respectively. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) results revealed the morphology of the nanoparticles, while EDS analysis gave the qualitative as well quantitative nature of synthesized nanocrystals. Photoluminescence (PL) data of Dy/Ho-Zirconia NPs have shown emission peaks near 419 nm when excited at 310 nm. Suspensions of prepared NPs with various concentrations were imaged on a CT machine in the clinical setting for contrast study. High CT contrast was observed for these NPs even at very low concentrations. Dysprosium doped sample was further evaluated for its potential as an MRI contrast agent. Dark cytotoxicity and photo-cytotoxicity results performed using Rhabdomyosarcoma (Rd) cancer cell lines revealed good biocompatibility of prepared NPs. These results strongly signify the potential of these multifunctional Dy/Ho-Zirconia NPs to act as biocompatible multimodal imaging agents for biomedical applications.
This work explores the potential of adsorption of Pb2+ by hydrothermally synthesized alumina. In comparison to other heavy ion removal techniques, adsorption is preferred in the current study as it has the edge of ease of operation and environment friendly characteristics. Synthesis of high surface area alumina whiskers was achieved by hydrothermal route which were subsequently employed for the active adsorption of lead ions. AACH (Ammonium Aluminum Carbonate Hydroxide), used as precursor for alumina, was calcined at three different temperatures i.e. 700, 900 and 1100 °C to form alumina whiskers. These whiskers were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET and FTIR. Various adsorption parameters such as contact time, pH, initial metal concentration were studied for lead ions. Maximal removal efficiency was obtained for the specimen having pH 4 and calcined at 700 °C for 60 minutes. Kinetic data was best described by pseudo second order model, whereas the adsorption equilibrium data obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model.
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