Three-dimensional porous Co-Ni films/alginate hybrid materials have been successfully prepared by electrodeposition to be used as a steerable magnetic device for drug delivery. Firstly, 3D porous Co-Ni films were prepared as substrates for the subsequent electrodeposition of the alginate biopolymer. Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic and potentiostatic studies were performed to establish the best conditions to obtain porous Co-Ni films. The electrochemical experiments were carried out in an electrolyte containing the metal salts and ammonium chloride at low pHs. In a second stage, the electrochemical deposition of alginate as a biocompatible polymer drug delivery carrier was performed. The characteristics of the alginate matrix were investigated in terms of electrochemical properties, morphology and drug release. The hybrid material obtained showed soft-magnetic behavior and drug release indicating its suitability to be used as a steerable magnetic drug delivery device.

Magnetic CoNi@Au core-shell nanorods have been electrochemically synthesized, characterized and functionalized to test their inherent cytotoxicity in order to assess their potential use for biomedical applications. The initially electrodeposited CoNi nanorods have been covered with a gold layer by means of galvanic displacement to minimize the nanowires toxicity and their aggregation, and favour the functionalization. The presence of a gold layer on the nanorod surface slightly modifies the magnetic behaviour of the as-deposited nanorods, maintaining their soft-magnetic behaviour and high magnetization of saturation. The complete covering of the nanorods with the gold shell favours a good functionalization with a layer of (11-Mercaptoundecyl)hexa(ethylene glycol) molecules, in order to create a hydrophilic coating to avoid the aggregation of nanorods, keeping them in suspension and give them stability in biological media. The presence of the organic layer incorporated was detected by means of electrochemical probe experiments. A cytotoxicity test of functionalized core-shell nanorods, carried out with adherent HeLa cells, showed that cell viability was higher than 80% for amounts of nanorods up to 10 μg mL −1 . These results make functionalized nanorods promising vehicles for targeted drug delivery in medicine, which gives a complementary property to the magnetic nanoparticles.

The author reviews economic studies addressing water use with the aim of identifying key empirical questions that are relevant to the estimation of the demand for water. In particular, the effect of price on demand is specified and the way in which the industrial use of water is characterised is explored; this is markedly different from domestic water use. The main conclusion is that more detailed knowledge is necessary to establish the response of industrial firms to changes in the price of water (or taxes), and thus to guarantee the efficient regulation of water resources.