Diffusion of active cytotoxic agents throughout an entire solid tumour is a particular challenge to successful drug delivery. Here we show the simple and robust generation of non-toxic, 10-15 nm superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) that have been sterically stabilized by either 100% anionic or 100% cationic or 100% neutral end-functionalized steric stabilizers or by novel combinations of cationic and neutral end-functionalized polymer. When these nanoparticles were co-administered with various anti-cancer drugs, a significant increase in the diffusion and effectiveness of the cytotoxin in a 3-dimensional model of a solid tumour was shown for specific combinations of surface functionality and cytotoxin. The critical determinant of enhanced cytotoxin diffusion and effectiveness was the end functionality of the steric stabilizers and not the core composition (either iron oxide, silica or gold). We provide evidence that SPIONs stabilized with heterogeneous steric stabilizers enhance nuclear uptake of doxorubicin across multiple cell layers. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: 3 tables, 7 figures and a movie are supplied as ESI. See

Water is ubiquitous; the science of its transport in micro- and nanochannels has applications in electronics, medicine, filtration, packaging, and earth and planetary science. Validated theory for water vapor and two-phase water flows is a "missing link"; completing it enables us to define and quantify flow in a set of four standard leak configurations with dimensions from the nanoscale to the microscale. Here we report the first measurements of water vapor flow rates through four silica microchannels as a function of humidity, including under conditions when air is present as a background gas. An important finding is that the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient (TMAC) is strongly modified by surface layers of adsorbed water molecules, in agreement with previous work on the TMAC for nitrogen molecules impacting a silica surface in the presence of moisture. We measure enhanced flow rates for two-phase flows in silica microchannels driven by capillary filling. For the measurement of flows in nanochannels we use heavy water mass spectrometry. We construct the theory for the flow rates of the dominant modes of water transport through each of the four standard configurations and benchmark it against our new measurements in silica and against previously reported measurements for nanochannels in carbon nanotubes, carbon nanopipes, and porous alumina. The findings show that all behavior can be described by the four standard leak configurations and that measurements of leak behavior made using other molecules, such as helium, are not reliable. Single-phase water vapor flow is overestimated by a helium measurement, while two-phase flows are greatly underestimated for channels larger than 100 nm or for all channels when boundary slip applies, to an extent that depends on the slip length for the liquid-phase flows.

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Urinary catheters are among the most frequently used medical devices in clinical practice. However, their use is associated with high rates of nosocomial infection. This study investigates the use of polyurethane nanocomposites (PUNCs) incorporating an antimicrobial agent, chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX), behaving as nanoparticle dispersant and model drug/active agent, as sustained-release antibacterial biomaterials in urinary devices. A range of PUNCs incorporating organically modified silicate (OMS) nanoparticles with CHX was fabricated using a solution-cast method. PUNCs with free CHX added into the bulk polymer were also made. Materials were assessed for antibacterial activity in an in vitro urinary tract (UT) model and release kinetics of CHX was studied. PUNCs demonstrated sustained antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis in the UT model, reaching ~50 days infection-free in materials with 2 wt % free CHX loading. Drug-release profiles demonstrated that, compared with microcomposite and unfilled polyurethane, the initial burst effect was significantly reduced in PUNCs. Prolonged drug release was achieved through incorporation of OMS, hypothesized to be due to a combination of barrier properties created by the nanoinclusions and strong interactions between CHX and MMT within the PUNCs. Use of PUNCs for sustained drug release in long-term urinary applications shows promise in addressing catheter-related nosocomial infections.

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