Simultaneous Enhancement of the Luminescence Intensity and Stability of Deep-Red CsPbI Perovskite Quantum Dots Achieved by a Doping Strategy.

The phase instability of CsPbI perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) restricts their practical applications due to the easy conversion from the luminescent cubic phase to the non-luminescent orthorhombic phase. The elemental doping route has been regarded as one of the most effective strategies to achieve high-quality PQDs-based phosphors. Herein, a stoichiometric amount of nickel chloride (NiCl) has been effectively doped into the CsPbI lattice.

Controllable Synthesis, Formation Process, and Luminescence Performances of Diverse Yttrium Compounds with Hollow Structures.

Hollow spherical YO and YBO have been prepared by a facile template-directed strategy using phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin spheres as templates. The PF@Y(OH)CO precursor can be fabricated by a simple precipitation route. The YO hollow spheres are obtained via a direct annealing process, and the hollow spherical YBO are fabricated via a hydrothermal route followed by an annealing process at the expense of the same PF@Y(OH)CO precursor.

Synthesis of Copper-Doped MnO2 Electrode Materials by One-Step Hydrothermal Method for High Performance.

By adjusting the amount of Cu(NO3)2·3H2O, Cu2+-doped birnessite ?-MnO2 spherical substances were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal synthesis process without any templates and surfactants. The structure, morphology, and specific surface area were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and BET. Further study shows that the 0.

Defect-related luminescent bur-like hydroxyapatite microspheres induced apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 cells by lysosomal and mitochondrial pathways.

When orthopedic joints coated by hydroxyapatite (HA) were implanted in the human body, they release wear debris into the surrounding tissues. The generation and accumulation of wear particles will induce aseptic loosening. However, the potential bioeffect and mechanism of HA-coated orthopedic implants on bone cells are poorly understood.

A traceable and bone-targeted nanoassembly based on defect-related luminescent mesoporous silica for enhanced osteogenic differentiation.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite many novel drugs or therapy strategies that have been developed, the curative effect of current treatments is far from satisfying. Development of effective treatments toward osteoporosis is imminent.

Monodisperse, Self-Activated Luminescent, and Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres for Drug Delivery.

Monodisperse mesoporous silica nanospheres with novel self-activated luminescence have been fabricated by a modified templating sol–gel method followed by heat treatment, without introducing any rare earth or transition metal ions as activators. The SEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms results show that the as-obtained mesoporous silica nanospheres exhibit well-defined morphology, good dispersion, high specific surface area and pore volume. MTT assay indicates that the sample exhibits no obvious cytotoxicity against the A549, HeLa, and MCF-7 cells, which make it suitable to be utilized as a drug carrier.

Up-Conversion Y2O3:Yb(3+),Er(3+) Hollow Spherical Drug Carrier with Improved Degradability for Cancer Treatment.

The rare earth hollow spheres with up-conversion luminescence properties have shown potential applications in drug delivery and bioimaging fields. However, there have been few reports for the degradation properties of rare earth oxide drug carriers. Herein, uniform and well-dispersed Y2O3:Yb(3+),Er(3+) hollow spheres (YOHSs) have been fabricated by a general Pechini sol-gel process with melamine formaldehyde colloidal spheres as template.

Inorganic Nanomaterials as Carriers for Drug Delivery.

For safe and effective therapy, drugs must be delivered efficiently and with minimal systemic side effects. Nanostructured drug carriers enable the delivery of small-molecule drugs as well as nucleic acids and proteins. Inorganic nanomaterials are ideal for drug delivery platforms due to their unique physicochemical properties, such as facile preparation, good storage stability and biocompatibility.

Defect-Related Luminescent Hydroxyapatite-Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells Via an ATP-Induced cAMP/PKA Pathway.

Novel defect-related hydroxyapatite (DHAP), which combines the advantages of HAP and defect-related luminescence, has the potential application in tissue engineering and biomedical area, because of its excellent capability of monitoring the osteogenic differentiation and material biodegradation. Although the extracellular mechanism of DHAP minerals and PO4(3-) functioning in osteogenic differentiation has been widely studied, the intracellular molecular mechanism through which PO4(3-) mediates osteogenesis of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is not clear. We examined a previously unknown molecular mechanism through which PO4(3-) promoted osteogenesis of BMSCs with an emphasis on adenosine-triphosphate (ATP)-induced cAMP/PKA pathway.

Effects of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles on the Proliferation, Osteogenic Differentiation and Adipogenic Differentiation of Primary Mouse Bone Marrow Stromal Cells In Vitro.

The effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) on the proliferation, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of primary mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were studied by employing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dipheny tetrazolium bromide (MTT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, collagen production, alizarin red-S (ARS) and oil red o stain assays. The results indicated that nanoceria increased the viability of BMSCs at all tested concentrations with evident dose dependence for 24 and 72 h. On day 14, nanoceria inhibited the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs at all tested concentrations.

Hybrid Mesoporous Silica-Based Drug Carrier Nanostructures with Improved Degradability by Hydroxyapatite.

Potential bioaccumulation is one of the biggest limitations for silica nanodrug delivery systems in cancer therapy. In this study, a mesoporous silica nanoparticles/hydroxyapatite (MSNs/HAP) hybrid drug carrier, which enhanced the biodegradability of silica, was developed by a one-step method. The morphology and structure of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, DLS, FT-IR, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and XPS, and the drug loading and release behaviors were tested.

Defect-related luminescent mesoporous silica nanoparticles employed for novel detectable nanocarrier.

Uniform and well-dispersed walnut kernel-like mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with diameters about 100 nm have been synthesized by a templating sol-gel route. After an annealing process, the as-obtained sample (DLMSNs) inherits the well-defined morphology and good dispersion of MSNs, and exhibits bright white-blue luminescence, higher specific surface area and pore volume, and better biocompatibility. The drug loading and release profiles show that DLMSNs have high drug loading capacity, and exhibit an initial burst release followed by a slow sustained release process.

Biocompatibility of defect-related luminescent nanostructured and microstructured hydroxyapatite.

Three defect-related luminescent hydroxyapatite (HAP) particles, S1, S2, and S3, with different morphologies (the samples S1 and S2 are nanorods with diameters of 25 nm and lengths of 30 and 100 nm, respectively; sample S3 is bur-like microspheres with diameters of 5-6 μm) were synthesized, and their biocompatibility was investigated by MTT, reactive oxygen species (ROS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), comet, and hemolysis assays. The results indicated that all samples were stable in cell culture medium and did not induce the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 or result in hemolysis. It was found that samples S1 and S3 inhibited osteoblast (OB) viability at concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 μg/mL for 24, 48, and 72 h.

Size-dependent cytotoxicity of europium doped NaYF ₄ nanoparticles in endothelial cells.

Lanthanide-doped sodium yttrium fluoride (NaYF4) nanoparticles exhibit novel optical properties which make them be widely used in various fields. The extensive applications increase the chance of human exposure to these nanoparticles and thus raise deep concerns regarding their riskiness. In the present study, we have synthesized europium doped NaYF4 (NaYF4:Eu(3+)) nanoparticles with three diameters and used endothelial cells (ECs) as a cell model to explore the potential toxic effect.

Controlled hydrolysis synthesis and luminescence properties of uniform TiO2 spheres with different titanium alkoxides.

A series of uniform and well-dispersed TiO2 spheres have been successfully synthesized through a controlled hydrolysis route by using different titanium alkoxides as reactants. The types of titanium alkoxides and stirring time have an effect on the uniformity and dispersion of the TiO2 spherical particles. The addition of a small amount of salt also plays a crucial role for the formation of the monodisperse TiO2 spheres.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles protect endothelial cells from apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is well documented to cause injury to endothelial cells (ECs), which in turn trigger cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies revealed that cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) had antioxidant property, but the protective effect of nanoceria on ROS injury to ECs and cardiovascular diseases has not been reported. In the current study, we investigated the protective effect and underlying mechanisms of nanoceria on oxidative injury to ECs.

Well-defined strontium tungstate hierarchical microspheres: synthesis and photoluminescence properties.

Uniform and well-dispersed SrWO4 microspheres have been successfully synthesized through a hydrothermal method by using trisodium citrate and SDS as surfactants. XRD and SEM results demonstrate that the as-synthesized SrWO4 particles are high purity well crystallized and exhibit a relatively uniform spherical morphology. The as-obtained SrWO4:Ln3+ (Ln = Tb, Eu, Dy, and Sm) microspheres show intense light emissions with different colors coming from different Ln3+ ions under ultraviolet excitation, which might find potential applications in the fields such as light emitting phosphors, advanced flat panel displays, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Defect-related luminescent materials: synthesis, emission properties and applications.

Luminescent materials have found a wide variety of applications, including information displays, lighting, X-ray intensification and scintillation, and so on. Therefore, much effort has been devoted to exploring novel luminescent materials so far. In the past decade, defect-related luminescent materials have inspired intensive research efforts in their own right.

A facile approach toward transition metal oxide hierarchical structures and their lithium storage properties.

A simple, non-template, non-surfactant and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method is presented based on the controlled release of the reactants into the reaction solvents to induce slow nucleation and growth of three-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures of transition metal oxides. This method is a general approach, which can be used to prepare Co(3)O(4), CuO, and Ni(OH)(2)/NiO. These metal oxides with hierarchical nanostructures can be used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with good Li storage performance, e.

Magnetic Fe3O4@mesoporous silica composites for drug delivery and bioadsorption.

Magnetic Fe(3)O(4)@mesoporous silica (MS) composites were synthesized by generating Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles in the mesoporous silica matrix using the sol-gel method in nitrogen atmosphere. The mesoporous silica hosts include SBA-15 particles owning highly ordered p6mm mesostructure, siliceous mesostructured cellular foams (MCFs), and fiber-like mesoporous silica (FMS) with unique pore structures. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N(2) adsorption/desorption results show that Fe(3)O(4) functionalized MCFs and FMS possess suitable mesoporous structure for the adsorption of both small-molecular drug and large biomolecules.

pH-responsive drug delivery system based on luminescent CaF(2):Ce(3+)/Tb(3+)-poly(acrylic acid) hybrid microspheres.

In this study, we design a controlled release system based on CaF(2):Ce(3+)/Tb(3+)-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) composite microspheres, which were fabricated by filling the pH-responsive PAA inside CaF(2):Ce(3+)/Tb(3+) hollow spheres via photopolymerization route. The CaF(2):Ce(3+)/Tb(3+) hollow spheres prepared by hydrothermal route possess mesoporous structure and show strong green fluorescence from Tb(3+) under UV excitation. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), a widely used anti-cancer drug, was used as a model drug to evaluate the loading and controlled release behaviors of the composite microspheres due to the good biocompatibility of the samples using MTT assay.

General synthesis route to fabricate uniform upconversion luminescent gadolinium oxide hollow spheres.

Uniform upconversion luminescent gadolinium oxide hollow spheres were successfully synthesized via a homogeneous precipitation method with carbon spheres as template followed by a calcination process. During the annealing process, the carbon spheres template can be effectively removed and the amorphous precursor has converted to crystalline Gd2O3, which can be confirmed by the XRD and TG-DSC analysis. SEM and TEM images indicate that the Gd2O3 hollow spheres with diameters of 300-400 nm are uniform in size and distribution.

Facile preparation, characterization and photocatalytic properties of multifunctional BiFeO3 nanocrystals.

Polycrystalline BiFeO3 nanoparticles (size 30-50 nm) were prepared by a simple microwave synthesis technique. The nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM and TG-DTA. The applied experiments show that they are very efficient for photo-catalytic decomposition of organic contaminants under irradiation ultraviolet frequency.

Luminescent porous silica fibers as drug carriers.

Luminescent and porous silica fibers have been successfully prepared by using the electrospinning process. The obtained multifunctional silica fibers, which possess a porous structure and display blue luminescence, can serve as a drug delivery host carrier, using ibuprofen (IBU) as a model drug, allowing the investigation of storage/release properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), N(2) adsorption/desorption, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and kinetic decay were used to characterize the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as-obtained samples.