Modelling local structural and electronic consequences of proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in VO with polyoxovanadate clusters.

We report the synthesis and characterisation of a series of siloxide-functionalised polyoxovanadate-alkoxide (POV-alkoxide) clusters, [VO(OSiMe)(OMe)] ( = 1-, 2-), that serve as molecular models for proton and hydrogen-atom uptake in vanadium dioxide, respectively. Installation of a siloxide moiety on the surface of the Lindqvist core was accomplished addition of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethylsulfonate to the fully-oxygenated cluster [VO(OMe)]. Characterisation of [VO(OSiMe)(OMe)] by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the incorporation of the siloxide group does not result in charge separation within the hexavanadate assembly, an observation that contrasts directly with the behavior of clusters bearing substitutional dopants.

Heterometallic trinuclear oxo-centered clusters as single-source precursors for synthesis of stoichiometric monodisperse transition metal ferrite nanocrystals.

The use of heterobimetallic metal complexes as molecular single-source precursors is a promising strategy for the targeted synthesis of phase-pure stoichiometric ternary metal oxide nanocrystals. However, the design and synthesis of these precursors is not trivial and can require considerable effort. Using spinel metal ferrite nanocrystals of formula MFe2O4 (M = Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+) as a model system, this paper evaluates the efficacy of the single-source precursor approach by comparing directly nanocrystals synthesized from the solvothermal reaction of heterobimetallic trinuclear oxo-bridged clusters of formula MIIFeIII2(μ3-O)(μ2-O2CR)6(H2O)3, R = CF3 to nanocrystals synthesized from the solvothermal reaction of stoichiometric mixtures of multi-source precursors, such as metal acetate or nitrate salts.

Thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated NiFe2O4 nanoparticles.

The paper reports the thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles. In this study NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, tuning the particle size through heat treatment in the temperature range from 200-800 °C for 3 h. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the the ultrafine nanoparticles were of size 2-58 nm.