Obtaining of Mg-Zn Co-Doped GaN Powders via Nitridation of the Ga-Mg-Zn Metallic Solution and Their Structural and Optical Properties.

Mg-Zn co-dopedGaN powders via the nitridation of a Ga-Mg-Zn metallic solution at 1000 °C for 2 h in ammonia flow were obtained. XRD patterns for the Mg-Zn co-dopedGaN powders showed a crystal size average of 46.88 nm.

Synthesis and optimization of photothermal properties of NIR emitting LiGaO: Cr and gold nanorods as hybrid materials for theranostic applications.

The increase in incidence of degenerative diseases has fueled the development of novel materials, mostly focused on reducing adverse effects caused by current medical therapies. Theranostic materials represent an alternative to treat degenerative diseases, since they combine diagnostic properties and localized therapy within the same material. This work presents the synthesis and characterization of hybrid materials designed for theranostic purposes.

Monolayer (2D) or spheroids (3D) cell cultures for nanotoxicological studies? Comparison of cytotoxicity and cell internalization of nanoparticles.

Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture monolayers are commonly used for toxicological assessments of nanomaterials. Despite their facile handling, they exhibit several constraints due to their structural and complexity differences with three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cell models, such as spheroids. Here, we conducted a comparative nanotoxicological study of fibroblasts (L929) and melanoma (B16-F10) cells, grown in 2D and 3D arrangements.

Progress on carbon dots and hydroxyapatite based biocompatible luminescent nanomaterials for cancer theranostics.

Despite the significant advancement in cancer diagnosis and therapy, a huge burden remains. Consequently, much research has been diverted on the development of multifunctional nanomaterials for improvement in conventional diagnosis and therapy. Luminescent nanomaterials offer a versatile platform for the development of such materials as their intrinsic photoluminescence (PL) property offers convergence of diagnosis as well as therapy at the same time.

Camouflaged, activatable and therapeutic tandem bionanoreactors for breast cancer theranosis.

The one-pot cascade reaction of naturally occurring enzymes is exciting for highly selective complex reaction and biodegradable approaches. Tamoxifen is the main drug against breast cancer for decades and induces an anticancerous effect upon metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 (CYP450). Herein, bi-enzymatic nanoreactors (NRs) are developed as a multimodality platform for smart action against breast tumors.

Nanotoxicological study of downconversion Y O :Eu luminescent nanoparticles functionalized with folic acid for cancer cells bioimaging.

Luminescent lanthanide downconversion nanoparticles (DCNPs) provide a combination of high luminescence intensity, sharp emission peaks with narrow bandwidth and a large Stokes' shift, leading to high-performance biomedical applications mainly for imaging. The purpose of this study is to present a nanotoxicological study of DCNPs Y O codoped with Eu and functionalized with folic acid (FA). These assessments include cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, hemocompatibility, and in vitro inflammatory studies.

Dual-photosensitizer coupled nanoscintillator capable of producing type I and type II ROS for next generation photodynamic therapy.

The current photodynamic therapy (PDT) is majorly hindered by the shallow penetration depth and oxygen dependency, limiting its application to deep-seated solid hypoxic tumors. Thus, it is meaningful to develop efficient X-ray mediated PDT system capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both the normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite, YAG:Pr@ZnO@PpIX with an amalgamation of UV-emitting YPrAlO (YAG:Pr) nanoscintillator, and zinc oxide (ZnO) and protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) as photosensitizers.

Blue light triggered generation of reactive oxygen species from silica coated GdAlO:Ce nanoparticles loaded with rose Bengal.

This data article provide results of the studies conducted to develop a mesoporous silica coated GdCeAlO nanoparticles loaded with a photosensitizer dye rose Bengal (RB) system (GAG@mSiO@RB) capable of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon exposure to blue light. The data reported here is related with Jain et al. (2018) [1].

Magnetic-luminescent cerium-doped gadolinium aluminum garnet nanoparticles for simultaneous imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells.

Nanoparticle (NP) and photosensitizer (PS) conjugates capable of X-ray photodynamic therapy (X-PDT) are a research focus due to their potential applications in cancer treatment. Combined with X-PDT, appropriate imaging properties of the nanocomposite will make it suitable for theranostics of deep lying tumors. In this work, we describe the development of magnetic-luminescent GdCeAlO nanoparticles (GAG) coated with mesoporous silica (mSiO) and loaded with rose bengal (RB) to yield a nanocomposite GAG@mSiO@RB capable of X-PDT.

Functionalized rare earth-doped nanoparticles for breast cancer nanodiagnostic using fluorescence and CT imaging.

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women and represents 14% of death in women around the world. The standard diagnosis method for breast tumor is mammography, which is often related with false-negative results leading to therapeutic delays and contributing indirectly to the development of metastasis. Therefore, the development of new tools that can detect breast cancer is an urgent need to reduce mortality in women.

Development of a functionalized UV-emitting nanocomposite for the treatment of cancer using indirect photodynamic therapy.

Background: Photodynamic therapy is a promising cancer therapy modality but its application for deep-seated tumor is mainly hindered by the shallow penetration of visible light. X-ray-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) has gained a major attention owing to the limitless penetration of X-rays. However, substantial outcomes have still not been achieved due to the low luminescence efficiency of scintillating nanoparticles and weak energy transfer to the photosensitizer.

Light sheet microscopy and SrAl O nanoparticles codoped with Eu /Dy ions for cancer cell tagging.

Light sheet optical microscopy on strontium aluminate nanoparticles (SrAl O NPs)1 codoped with Eu and Dy was used for cancer cell tagging and tracking. The nanoparticles were synthesized by urea-assisted combustion with optimized percentage values of the 2 codoping rare-earth ions for cell viability and for lower cytotoxic effects. The optical properties of these materials showed an excitation wide range of wavelengths (λ = 254-460 nm), a broad emission band (λ = 475-575 nm) with the maximum centered wavelength at 525 nm and a half lifetime within the seconds regime.

Aminosilane Functionalization and Cytotoxicity Effects of Upconversion Nanoparticles YO and GdO Co-Doped with Yband Er.

In this study, luminescent upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) YO and GdO co-doped with Yb and Er were prepared by the sol-gel method (SG). These NPs are able to absorb near infrared photons and upconvert them into visible radiation with a direct application in bioimaging, as an important tool to diagnose and visualize cancer cells. The UCNPs were coated with a thin silica shell and functionalized with amino groups for further folic acid conjugation to allow their interaction with folate ligands on the cell surface.

Distribution of Eu and Eu Ions in Hydroxyapatite: A Cathodoluminescence and Raman Study.

We present a cathodoluminescence study of the spatial distribution of Eu and Eu dopants in hydroxyapatite powders. The results demonstrate that the distribution of europium ions in the hydroxyapatite lattice depends on their valence state. Monochromatic cathodoluminescence images from prismatic powders show that although the Eu is distributed homogeneously in the entire powder volume, the Eu is present mainly at the powder edges.

Kinetic characterization of the deproteinization of trabecular and cortical bovine femur bones.

The present study proposes an interpretation of the mechanism of bone deproteinization. Cortical and trabecular bovine femur bones were deproteinized using 6% NaOCl (37, 50, 60°C). The kinetic parameters (rate constant and activation energy) were calculated, and the surface area of each type of bone was considered.

Millimeter-long carbon nanotubes: outstanding electron-emitting sources.

We are reporting the fabrication of a very efficient electron source using millimeter-long and highly crystalline carbon nanotubes. These devices start to emit electrons at fields as low as 0.17 V/μm and reach threshold emission at 0.

Anisotropy in the compressive mechanical properties of bovine cortical bone and the mineral and protein constituents.

The mechanical properties of fully demineralized, fully deproteinized and untreated cortical bovine femur bone were investigated by compression testing in three anatomical directions (longitudinal, radial and transverse). The weighted sum of the stress-strain curves of the treated bones was far lower than that of the untreated bone, indicating a strong molecular and/or mechanical interaction between the collagen matrix and the mineral phase. Demineralization and deproteinization of the bone demonstrated that contiguous, stand-alone structures result, showing that bone can be considered an interpenetrating composite material.

Development of nanostructured EuAl2O4 phosphors with strong long-UV excitation.

Fueled by the need to develop novel materials for applications in solid state white-emitting lamps we have improved a new low-cost, clean and efficient technique to produce high luminescence phosphors with strong excitation in the long-UV range (350-400 nm) which makes them useful for applications in GaN-based solid state lamps. In this work, pressurized combustion synthesis has been successfully used to develop EuAl2O4 (europium aluminate), a new green photoluminescent material with monoclinic structure. The combustion synthesis reaction conditions can be adjusted to produce either the AlEuO3 orthorhombic phase at low pressures (0.