After targeting the nanoparticle to brain tumors, widespread drug delivery to the entire tumor is triggered by a radiofrequency field.

To synthesize multi-component nanochains, we developed a simple ‘one-pot’ synthesis, which exhibited high yield and consistency. The nanochains particles consist of parent nanospheres chemically linked into a higher-order, chain-like assembly. The one-pot synthesis is based on the addition of two types of parent nanospheres in terms of their surface chemical functionality (e.g., decorated with PEG-NH2 or PEG-COOH). By reacting the two types of parent nanospheres at a specific ratio (~2:1) for a short period of time (~30 min) under rigorous stirring, nanochains were formed. For example, we show the synthesis of iron oxide nanochains with lengths of about 125 nm consisting of 3–5 constituting nanospheres. The chain-like shaped nanoparticle possessed a unique ability to target and rapidly deposit on the endothelium of glioma sites via vascular targeting. To target and image invasive brain tumors, we used iron oxide nanochains with the targeting ligand being the fibronectin-targeting peptide CREKA. Overexpression of fibronectin is strongly associated with the perivascular regions of glioblastoma multiforme and plays a critical role in migrating and invasive glioma cells. In mice with invasive glioma tumors, 3.7% of the injected CREKA-targeted nanochains was found in gliomas within 1 h. Notably, the intratumoral deposition of the nanochain was ~2.6-fold higher than its spherical variant. Using MR imaging, the precise targeting of nanochains to gliomas provided images with the exact topology of the disease including their margin of infiltrating edges and distant invasive sites.

A series of highly graphitized mesoporous carbons was synthesized by self-assembly of polymeric carbon precursors and block copolymer template in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles used as a graphitization catalyst. Resorcinol and formaldehyde were used as carbon precursors, poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) was employed as a soft template. The carbon precursors were polymerized in hydrophilic domains of block copolymer along with PVP-coated PB nanoparticles, followed by carbonization. This recipe gave carbons with cylindrical mesopores created by thermal decomposition of the soft template, and with PB-derived iron oxide nanoparticles. In addition, the presence of iron species catalyzed graphitization at relatively low temperature. The XRD and TEM measurements revealed that the resulting carbons obtained with smaller amounts of PB exhibited ordered mesostructures with relatively high degree of graphitization; however, exceedingly graphitic carbons with disordered mesopores were obtained with higher amounts of PB. Furthermore, wide-angle XRD measurements and TGA analysis provided evidence that graphitization took place at 600 °C, which is considered to be a very low temperature for the graphitization process. N2 adsorption and TGA analysis showed that the aforementioned carbons exhibited high surface area (reaching 621 m2/g) and an extremely high percentage of graphitic domains (approaching 87%). Interestingly, the carbon prepared with larger amount of PB showed magnetic properties. Electrochemical measurements performed on these carbons for double layer capacitors showed somewhat rectangular shape of cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves with a large capacitance of 211 F/g in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte.