Magnetic nanoparticles have gained significant attention as a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. Herein, we developed chitosan oligosaccharide-stabilized ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanocubes (Chito-FIONs) as an effective heat nanomediator for cancer hyperthermia. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopic analyses revealed that Chito-FIONs were composed of multiple 30-nm-sized FIONs encapsulated by a chitosan polymer shell. Multiple FIONs in an interior increased the total magnetic moments, which leads to localized accumulation under an applied magnetic field. Chito-FIONs also exhibited superior magnetic heating ability with a high specific loss power value (2614 W/g) compared with commercial superparamagnetic Feridex nanoparticles (83 W/g). The magnetically guided Chito-FIONs successfully eradicated target cancer cells through caspase-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, Chito-FIONs showed excellent antitumor efficacy on an animal tumor model without any severe toxicity.

The ability to manipulate small fluid droplets, colloidal particles and single cells with the precision and parallelization of modern-day computer hardware has profound applications for biochemical detection, gene sequencing, chemical synthesis and highly parallel analysis of single cells. Drawing inspiration from general circuit theory and magnetic bubble technology, here we demonstrate a class of integrated circuits for executing sequential and parallel, timed operations on an ensemble of single particles and cells. The integrated circuits are constructed from lithographically defined, overlaid patterns of magnetic film and current lines. The magnetic patterns passively control particles similar to electrical conductors, diodes and capacitors. The current lines actively switch particles between different tracks similar to gated electrical transistors. When combined into arrays and driven by a rotating magnetic field clock, these integrated circuits have general multiplexing properties and enable the precise control of magnetizable objects. O ne of the main goals of lab-on-a-chip research is to develop generic platforms for manipulating small fluid droplets, colloidal particles and single cells with the flexibility, scalability and automation of modern-day computer circuits. Single-cell arrays represent one high impact application of lab-on-a-chip tools, which are increasingly being adopted to evaluate rare biological responses in small-cell subsets that are overlooked by the ensemble averaging approaches of traditional biology. Improved understanding of these rare cellular responses can profoundly impact the development of vaccines and pharmaceuticals for curing infectious diseases and cancer 1,2 ; however there are few existing techniques with the scale and flexibility to unmask single-cell heterogeneity and pave the way for new medical breakthroughs 3-7 .In particular, there is an urgent need for tools to organize large arrays of single cells and single-cell pairs, evaluate the temporal responses of individual cell and cell-pair interactions over long durations, and retrieve specific cells from the array for follow-on analyses. The desired capabilities of single-cell arrays bear strong resemblance to random access memory (RAM) computer chips, including the ability to introduce and retrieve single cells from precise locations of the chip (writing data), and query the biological state of specified cells at future time points (reading data). Existing particle handling tools based on hydrodynamic 8-11 , optic 12-18 , electric [19][20][21][22] and magnetic [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] trapping forces can achieve parts of this desired functionality; however, no single technique to our knowledge encompasses the scalability, flexibility and automation that allows single-cell chips to perform with the level of integration of computer circuits.Our approach has significant similarities with magnetic bubble memory technology 37 , which was originally developed to store memory and implement lo...

We have presented a biological and eco-friendly method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles from gold precursor (HAuCl4) using Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. fruit pericarp (soapnut shells). We investigate the production of gold nanoparticles as a function of the concentration of HAuCl4 and the amount of soapnut shells. Average nanoparticle sizes of 9, 17, and 19 nm were obtained by using the HAuCl4 concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 mM, respectively, with a fixed amount of soapnut shells extract. The resulted gold nanoparticles are highly crystalline face-centered cubic (fcc) structures. FT–IR analysis suggests that the obtained gold nanoparticles might be stabilized through the interactions of carboxylic groups in the saponins and the carbonyl groups in the flavonoids present in the soapnut shells. These soapnut shells mediated gold nanoparticles were demonstrated to have good catalytic activity for the chemical reduction of p-nitroaniline.

The fabrication of metal-organic framework (MOF) films on conducting substrates has demonstrated great potential in applications such as electronic conduction and sensing. For these applications, direct contact of the film to the conducting substrate without a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is a desired step that must be achieved prior to the use of MOF films. In this report, we propose an in situ strategy for the rapid one-step conversion of Cu metal into HKUST-1 films on conducting Cu substrates. The Cu substrate acts both as a conducting substrate and a source of Cu ions during the synthesis of HKUST-1. This synthesis is possible because of the simultaneous reaction of an oxidizing agent and a deprotonating agent, in which the former agent dissolves the metal substrate to form Cu ions while the latter agent deprotonates the ligand. Using this strategy, the HKUST-1 film could not only be rapidly synthesized within 5 min but also be directly attached to the Cu substrate. Based on microscopic studies, we propose a plausible mechanism for the growth reaction. Furthermore, we show the versatility of this in situ conversion methodology, applying it to ZIF-8, which comprises Zn ions and imidazole-based ligands. Using an I-filled HKUST-1 film, we further demonstrate that the direct contact of the MOF film to the conducting substrate makes the material more suitable for use as a sensor or electronic conductor.