Printed smart devices for anti-counterfeiting allowing precise identification with household equipment.

Counterfeiting has become a serious global problem, causing worldwide losses and disrupting the normal order of society. Physical unclonable functions are promising hardware-based cryptographic primitives, especially those generated by chemical processes showing a massive challenge-response pair space. However, current chemical-based physical unclonable function devices typically require complex fabrication processes or sophisticated characterization methods with only binary (bit) keys, limiting their practical applications and security properties.

Defect-Engineering by Solvent Mediated Mild Oxidation as a Tool to Induce Exchange Bias in Metal Doped Ferrites.

The crystal site occupancy of different divalent ions and the induction of lattice defects represent an additional tool for modifying the intrinsic magnetic properties of spinel ferrites nanoparticles. Here, the relevance of the lattice defects is demonstrated in the appearance of exchange-bias and in the improvement of the magnetic properties of doped ferrites of 20 nm, obtained from the mild oxidation of core@shell (wüstite@ferrite) nanoparticles. Three types of nanoparticles (Fe0 O@Fe O , Co Fe O@Co Fe O and Ni Co Fe O@Ni Co Fe O ) are oxidized.

Shaping Silver Nanoparticles' Size through the Carrier Composition: Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity.

The increasing resistance of bacteria to conventional antibiotics represents a severe global emergency for human health. The broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of silver has been known for a long time, and silver at the nanoscale shows enhanced antibacterial activity. This has prompted research into the development of silver-based nanomaterials for applications in clinical settings.

Family Quality of Life: pet owners and veterinarians working together to reach the best outcomes.

Friction can occur between veterinarians and their clients when they are not aligned on the goals of care for a pet and what constitutes the best outcome of a case. Veterinarians frequently concentrate on providing the diagnostic and treatment protocol that is perceived to result in the best medical outcome for their patient. Pet owners frequently consider a myriad of factors relating to the pet as well as how different diagnostic and treatment recommendations will affect individual family members and the family as a whole in both concrete and subjective terms.

Simple engineering of hybrid cellulose nanocrystal-gold nanoparticles results in a functional glyconanomaterial with biomolecular recognition properties.

Cellulose nanocrystal and gold nanoparticles are assembled, in a unique way, to yield a novel modular glyconanomaterial whose surface is then easily engineered with one or two different headgroups, by exploiting a robust click chemistry route. We demonstrate the potential of this approach by conjugating monosaccharide headgroups to the glyconanomaterial and show that the sugars retain their binding capability to C-type lectin receptors, as also directly visualized by cryo-TEM.

H-NMR Relaxation of Ferrite Core-Shell Nanoparticles: Evaluation of the Coating Effect.

We investigated the effect of different organic coatings on the H-NMR relaxation properties of ultra-small iron-oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles. The first set of nanoparticles, with a magnetic core diameter ds1 = 4.4 ± 0.

Mechanically Robust Hybrid Gel Beads Loaded with "Naked" Palladium Nanoparticles as Efficient, Reusable, and Sustainable Catalysts for the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction.

The increase in demand for Pd and its low abundance pose a significant threat to its future availability, rendering research into more sustainable Pd-based technologies essential. Herein, we report Pd scavenging mechanically robust hybrid gel beads composed of agarose, a polymer gelator (PG), and an active low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) based on 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidenesorbitol (DBS), . The robustness of the PG and the ability of the LMWG to reduce Pd(II) to generate naked Pd(0) nanoparticles (PdNPs) combine within these gel beads to give them potential as practical catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions.

Liposomal Formulations of a New Zinc(II) Complex Exhibiting High Therapeutic Potential in a Murine Colon Cancer Model.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Many current therapies rely on chemotherapeutic agents with poor specificity for tumor cells. The clinical success of cisplatin has prompted the research and design of a huge number of metal-based complexes as potential chemotherapeutic agents.

New iron(III) anti-cancer aminobisphenolate/phenanthroline complexes: Enhancing their therapeutic potential using nanoliposomes.

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer and novel and improved therapeutic options are needed. A promising strategy involves the use of metallodrugs combined with liposomes for targeted delivery to cancer cells. In this work, a family of iron(III) complexes was synthesized bearing a trianionic aminobisphenolate ligand (L) and phenanthroline-type co-ligands (NN).

Star-Shaped Magnetic-Plasmonic Au@FeO Nano-Heterostructures for Photothermal Therapy.

Here, we synthesize a Au@FeO core@shell system with a highly uniform unprecedented star-like shell morphology with combined plasmonic and magnetic properties. An advanced electron microscopy characterization allows assessing the multifaceted nature of the Au core and its role in the growth of the peculiar epitaxial star-like shell with excellent crystallinity and homogeneity. Magnetometry and magneto-optical spectroscopy revealed a pure magnetite shell, with a superior saturation magnetization compared to similar Au@FeO heterostructures reported in the literature, which is ascribed to the star-like morphology, as well as to the large thickness of the shell.

3d Metal Doping of Core@Shell Wüstite@ferrite Nanoparticles as a Promising Route toward Room Temperature Exchange Bias Magnets.

Nanometric core@shell wüstite@ferrite (Fe O@Fe O ) has been extensively studied because of the emergence of exchange bias phenomena. Since their actual implementation in modern technologies is hampered by the low temperature at which bias is operating, the critical issue to be solved is to obtain exchange-coupled antiferromagnetic@ferrimagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with ordering temperature close to 300 K by replacing the divalent iron with other transition-metal ions. Here, the effect of the combined substitution of Fe  with Co  and Ni  on the crystal structure and magnetic properties is studied.

Smart Magnetic Nanocarriers for Multi-Stimuli On-Demand Drug Delivery.

In this study, we report the realization of drug-loaded smart magnetic nanocarriers constituted by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated in a dual pH- and temperature-responsive poly (N-vinylcaprolactam-co-acrylic acid) copolymer to achieve highly controlled drug release and localized magnetic hyperthermia. The magnetic core was constituted by flower-like magnetite nanoparticles with a size of 16.4 nm prepared by the polyol approach, with good saturation magnetization and a high specific absorption rate.

On-flow magnetic particle activity assay for the screening of human purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitors.

Human purine nucleoside phosphorylase (HsPNP) catalyzes reversible phosphorolysis of nucleosides and deoxynucleosides in the purine cascade. HsPNP has been a target on behalf of the development of new leads for the treatment of a variety of T-cell mediated disorders. Several studies on the HsPNP are focused on the identification of effective, safe, and selective inhibitors.

Topotactic desolvation and condensation reactions of 3D ZnTiF(HO)(taz)·S (S = 3HO or CHOH).

Crystals of two new 3D hybrid compounds, trans-Zn3TiF7(H2O)2(taz)3·3H2O and cis-Zn3TiF7(H2O)2(taz)3·C2H5OH, have been obtained by solvothermal synthesis ((taz)- = 1,2,4-triazolate C2H2N3 ligand). Their structures, determined from X-ray single crystal diffraction data in Cm and Pnma space groups, respectively, are based on Zn3N9(H2O)2F3 trimers linked by TiF6 octahedra that build trans- or cis-chains ∞[Zn3TiN9(H2O)2F7]. Water or ethanol in the structure cavities is released below 110 °C to give trans- or cis-Zn3TiF7(H2O)2(taz)3 and, on further heating, these intermediate phases dehydrate and lead to anhydrous trans- or cis-Zn3TiF7(taz)3.

Early and late behavioral consequences of ethanol withdrawal: focus on brain indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase activity.

Anxiety and depression are symptoms associated with ethanol withdrawal that lead individuals to relapse. In the kynurenine pathway, the enzyme indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) is responsible for the conversion of tryptophan to kynurenine, and dysregulation of this pathway has been associated with psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression. The present study evaluated the early and late behavioral and biochemical effects of ethanol withdrawal in rats.

Hadron Therapy, Magnetic Nanoparticles and Hyperthermia: A Promising Combined Tool for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment.

A combination of carbon ions/photons irradiation and hyperthermia as a novel therapeutic approach for the in-vitro treatment of pancreatic cancer BxPC3 cells is presented. The radiation doses used are 0-2 Gy for carbon ions and 0-7 Gy for 6 MV photons. Hyperthermia is realized via a standard heating bath, assisted by magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) that utilizes magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) exposed to an alternating magnetic field of amplitude 19.

A bionic shuttle carrying multi-modular particles and holding tumor-tropic features.

The systemic delivery of composite nanoparticles remains an outstanding challenge in cancer nanomedicine, and the principal reason is a complex interplay of biological barriers. In this regard, adaptive cell transfer may represent an alternative solution to circumvent these barriers down to the tumor microenvironment. Here, tumor-tropic macrophages are proposed as a tool to draw and vehiculate modular nanoparticles integrating magnetic and plasmonic components.

Multifunctional FeO-Au Nanoparticles for the MRI Diagnosis and Potential Treatment of Liver Cancer.

Heterodimeric nanoparticles comprising materials with different functionalities are of great interest for fundamental research and biomedical/industrial applications. In this work, FeO-Au nano-heterostructures were synthesized by a one-step thermal decomposition method. The hybrid nanoparticles comprise a highly crystalline 12 nm magnetite octahedron decorated with a single noble metal sphere of 6 nm diameter.

Magnetic Property Enhancement of Spinel Mn-Zn Ferrite through Atomic Structure Control.

Temperature treatment of magnetic Mn-Zn ferrites with the composition MnZnFeO up to 1100 °C results in a tremendous enhancement of the saturation magnetization by more than 60%. Employing a robust combined Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction (PXRD and NPD) data, it is revealed how a reordering of the cations takes place during the annealing step, the extent of which depends on the annealing temperature. While Zn(II) exclusively occupies tetrahedral sites throughout the whole temperature range, as the annealing temperature increases up to 700 °C, the Mn(II) cation distribution shifts from 80(7)% of the total Mn content occupying the octahedral sites (partly inverse spinel) to Mn only being present on the tetrahedral sites (normal spinel).

Unraveling the mechanism of the one-pot synthesis of exchange coupled Co-based nano-heterostructures with a high energy product.

The development of reproducible protocols to synthesize hard/soft nano-heterostructures (NHSs) with tailored magnetic properties is a crucial step to define their potential application in a variety of technological areas. Thermal decomposition has proved to be an effective tool to prepare such systems, but it has been scarcely used so far for the synthesis of Co-based metal/ferrite NHSs, despite their intriguing physical properties. We found a new approach to prepare this kind of nanomaterial based on a simple one-pot thermal decomposition reaction of metal-oleate precursors in the high boiling solvent docosane.

Strong magnetic exchange and frustrated ferrimagnetic order in a weberite-type inorganic-organic hybrid fluoride.

We combine powder neutron diffraction, magnetometry and Fe Mössbauer spectrometry to determine the nuclear and magnetic structures of a strongly interacting weberite-type inorganic-organic hybrid fluoride, FeF(H taz). In this structure, Fe and Fe cations form magnetically frustrated hexagonal tungsten bronze layers of corner-sharing octahedra. Our powder neutron diffraction data reveal that, unlike its purely inorganic fluoride weberite counterparts which adopt a centrosymmetric Imma structure, the room-temperature nuclear structure of FeF(H taz) is best described by a non-centrosymmetric Ima2 model with refined lattice parameters a = 9.

Multifunctional Nanovectors Based on Polyamidoamine Polymers for Theranostic Application.

We present multifunctional, biocompatible and biodegradable magnetic nanovectors based on different polyamidoamine (PAA) polymers tailored with different diagnostic and therapeutic properties. Using maghemite nanoparticles with average size 15.5 ± 2.

High Density Nanostructured Soft Ferrites Prepared by High Pressure Field Assisted Sintering Technique.

The synthesis of highly compacted, nanostructured soft magnets is highly desirable due to their promising properties for the development of electronic devices working at frequency higher than 2 MHz. In this work we investigated the potentiality of High Pressure Field Assisted Sintering Technique (HP-FAST). To this aim, we first synthesized soft Mn-Zn ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) through an easy-scalable, eco-friendly strategy based on aqueous co-precipitation in basic media, starting from transition metal chlorides.