Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by using Ficus altissima Blume leaf extract as a reducing agent at room temperature. The resulting Ag nanoparticles/PVA mixture was employed to create Ag nanoparticles/PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hybrid nanofibers via an electrospinning technique. The obtained nanofibers were confirmed by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy, The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and then tested to catalyze KBH4 reduction of methylene blue (MB). The catalytic results demonstrate that the MB can be reduced completely within 15 min. In addition, the Ag nanoparticles/PVA hybrid nanofibers show reusability for three cycles with no obvious losses in degradation ratio of the MB.

CoFe 2 O 4 hollow spheres with sizes ranging from 600 nm to 1 µm were prepared through hydrothermal treatment of an aqueous solution containing glucose, ammonium iron (II)

A mesoporous Co(3)O(4) core/mesoporous silica shell composite with a variable shell thickness of 10-35 nm was fabricated by depositing silica on Co(3)O(4) superlatticed particles. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the composite with a shell thickness of ca. 2.0 nm was 238.6 m(2)/g, which varied with the shell thickness, and the most frequent pore size of the shell was ca. 2.0 nm. After the shell was eroded with hydrofluoric acid, mesoporous Co(3)O(4) particles with a pore size of ca. 8.7 nm could be obtained, whose BET surface area was 86.4 m(2)/g. It is proposed that in the formation of the composite the electropositive cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles were first adsorbed on the electronegative Co(3)O(4) particle surface, which directed the formation of the mesoporous silica on the Co(3)O(4) particle surface. Electrochemical measurements showed that the core/shell composites exhibited a higher discharge capacity compared with that of the bare Co(3)O(4) particles.

The present study explored the cellular uptake dynamics, the subcellular location and the internalization mechanisms of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and glucose-capped GNPs (Glu-GNPs). The cancer radiotherapy-enhancing effects of GNPs were also evaluated. We synthesized the GNPs and Glu-GNPs by the seeding technique. The effects on cellular uptake and the radiosensitizing effect induced by GNPs and Glu-GNPs at lower doses were investigated using two human cancer cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7). The intracellular location of the nanoparticles was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Analysis of cellular apoptosis following GNP-based radiotherapy was performed by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. Cancer cells took up more Glu-GNPs than naked GNPs and the uptake curve showed size- and cell-dependent uptake. GNPs were mainly located in the cytoplasm and endocytosis is the mechanism behind the internalization of GNPs and Glu-GNPs. Lower doses of GNPs and Glu-GNPs still enhanced the killing effect using X-ray irradiation, although the apoptotic rate was not altered. The results presented in this study provide evidence that Glu-GNPs may have a bright future in tumor-targeted diagnosis and treatment.