Sharif Digital Repository

Unique physiochemical and biological properties of nanofibers along with the choice of a wide variety of materials for both fabrication and tunable release patterns make nanofibers an ideal option for drug delivery. Loading antibacterial agents into nanofibers has attracted great deal of attention. Whilst there are several studies focusing on applying new generations of antibacterial materials, antibiotics are still the gold standard in clinical applications. Therefore, we aimed at introducing antibiotic-loaded nanofiber substrates with potential for topical skin delivery applications, reduced consumption of antibiotics and increased storage time. We applied Amoxicillin (AMX) as a model drug... 

Gadolinium (Gd) and cobalt (Co) substituted Sr–Ba–Cu-based Y-type hexaferrites were synthesized with the help of the sol–gel auto-combustion route. XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis was done to ratify the phase formation of hexaferrites. The impact of Gd3+ substitutions was measured on all the lattice parameters. Lattice constants “a” and “c” were found between 5.879–5.891 Å and 43.185–43.620 Å, respectively. It was observed from the XRD analysis that with an increase in Gd–Co contents, the enhancement in the average crystallite size is noted. The thermal decomposition process was studied using TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), revealing that the precursor may give the ending product when... 

Landfill leachate is a highly contaminated liquid generated in municipal solid waste landfills. The application of sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOP) in landfill leachate treatments is emerging due to their ability to degrade both organic refractory matters and ammonia nitrogen. In this paper, application of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), activated by Fe2+ and UV was used as an economical and environmentally friendly approach for treatment of landfill leachate. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia removals were measured as the two primary responses of landfill leachate to UV/PMS/Fe2+ treatment system. The main parameters (pH, PMS/Fe2+ mass ratio, Fe2+ dosage) affecting... 

We introduce highly antifouling Polymer-Nanoparticle-Nanoparticle/Polymer (PNNP) hybrid membranes as multi-functional materials for versatile purification of wastewater. Nitrogen-rich polyethylenimine (PEI)-functionalized halloysite nanotube (HNT-SiO2-PEI) nanoparticles were developed and embedded in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membranes for protein and dye filtration. Bulk and surface characteristics of the resulting HNT-SiO2-PEI nanocomposites were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, microstructure and... 

Herein, two distinct nanocomposites of CaTiO3 micro-cubes and polygonal SrFe12O19, both decorated with NiO nanoparticles, were successfully synthesized using hydrothermal method. The physico-chemical features of as-prepared samples were evaluated via XRD, FTIR, UV–vis, BET, XPS, FESEM and EDS analysis. Microwave attenuation features of as-prepared single layer absorbers were determined by VNA analysis in 2–18 GHz. Simulation confirmation was checked by preparing a bi-layer samples and evaluating it using VNA analysis after finding the appropriate thickness of each layer. The reflection loss from each single layer samples containing 20 wt% of each CaTiO3/NiO and SrFe12O19/NiO nanocomposites... 

An efficient and selective drug delivery vehicle for cancer cells can remarkably improve therapeutic approaches. In this study, we focused on the synthesis and characterization of magnetic Ni1−x Cox Fe2 O4 nanoparticles (NPs) coated with two layers of methionine and polyethylene glycol to increase the loading capacity and lower toxicity to serve as an efficient drug car-rier. Ni1−x Cox Fe2 O4 @Methionine@PEG NPs were synthesized by a reflux method then charac-terized by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, and VSM. Naproxen was used as a model drug and its loading and release in the vehicles were evaluated. The results for loading efficiency showed 1 mg of Ni1−x Cox Fe2 O4 @Methionine@PEG NPs could load... 

Systemic chemotherapy has lost its position to treat cancer over the past years mainly due to drug resistance, side effects, and limited survival ratio. Among a plethora of local drug delivery systems to solve this issue, the combinatorial strategy of chemo-hyperthermia has recently received attention. Herein we developed a magneto-thermal nanocarrier consisted of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) coated by a blend formulation of a three-block copolymer Pluronic F127 and F68 on the oleic acid (OA) in which Curcumin as a natural and chemical anti-cancer agent was loaded. The subsequent nanocarrier SPION@OA-F127/F68-Cur was designed with a controlled gelation temperature of... 

Simvastatin, a well-known antihyperlipidemic drug, has antibacterial activity against a broad range of bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus. In present study, a nanoemulsion gel-based formulation containing Simvastatin was developed for infected wound therapy. Therefore, different formulations of Simvastatin nanoemulsion were prepared. Based on droplet size, polydispersity index and zeta potential, the best nanoemulsion formulation containing Simvastatin was selected for development of nanoemulsion gel formulation of drug using carbomer 934 as gelling agent. Thermodynamic stability of Simvastatin nanoemulsion was assessed at different conditions. The in vitro antibacterial activity... 

The core-shell nanofibers, produced by the coaxial electrospinning method, are good candidates for delivery of anticancer drugs due to their continuous release without initial burst release. In this work, the N-carboxymethyl chitosan (N-CMCS)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) composite and core-shell nanofibers were prepared by two-nozzle and coaxial electrospinning techniques, respectively. Doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug was loaded into the N-CMCS/PVA/PCL nanofibers fabricated by two-nozzle and coaxial electrospinning. The performance of nanofibers was compared for the adsorption and controlled release of DOX against MCF-7 breast cancer cells death in vitro. The... 

Despite brilliant properties of glass ionomer cement (GIC), its weak mechanical property poses an obstacle for its use in medical applications. The present research aims to formulate hydroxyapatite/yttria-stabilized zirconia (HA/YSZ) in the composition of GIC to enhance mechanical properties and to improve fluoride release of GIC. HA/YSZ was synthesized via a sol-gel method and characterized by applying X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photo-emission spectroscopy (XPS) and simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) along with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The synthesized nanocomposite was mixed with GIC at a fixed composition of 5.... 

A solution of polyamide (PA) containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a side low-molecular-weight polymer was electrospun. After synthesizing the PA-PEG nanofibers, the constituent was subsequently removed (modified PA) and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The scanning electron microscopy images showed an average diameter of 640 and 148 nm for PA and PA-PEG coatings, respectively, while the latter coating structure was more homogeneous and porous. The extraction efficiencies of PA, PA-PEG, and the modified PA fiber coatings were assayed by headspace solid-phase microextraction of a number of chlorophenols from real water samples followed by their determination by gas... 

The present work deals with a novel approach for grafting a sol-gel based sorbent, using diazonium salts for preparation of an unbreakable capillary microextraction (CME) device in on-line combination with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The use of diazonium salts modifier allowed all types of metallic and non-metallic substrates to be used without any limitation. Substrates including copper, brass, stainless steel and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were chosen to be functionalized by chemical or electrochemical reduction of 4-amino phenyl acetic acid. Then, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylamine (3TMSPA) was selected as the precursor and the only reagent for preparation of the... 

A simple bio-conjugation procedure to surround a single horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme molecule with dendritic polyester macromolecules (polyester-32-hydroxyl-1-carboxyl bis-MPA dendron, generation 5) was proposed. The characterization of resultant nanoparticles entitled HRP dendrozyme, was performed by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that HRP nanoparticles were spherical in shape and have an average size of 14 ± 2. nm in diameter. Furthermore, bio-conformational characterization of HRP dendrozyme was performed by means of circular dichroism and fluorescence... 

The aim of this study was to investigate the thermal behavior of Mg-doped calcium phosphate compounds. Nanocrystalline HA and β-TCP mixtures containing different magnesium contents were synthesized via an alkoxide sol gel method. The ratio of (Ca+Mg)P was kept constant at 1.67, and the Mg content ranged between 0 and 3 mol%. The influence of magnesium on the phase composition, chemical structure, thermal behavior and morphological characteristics of nanopowders was analyzed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Simultaneous Thermogravimetry and Differential Thermal Analysis (STA/DTA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron... 

TiO2 nanorods have been successfully grown into a track-etched polycarbonate (PC) membrane by a particulate sol-electrophoretic deposition from an aqueous medium. The prepared sols had a narrow particle size distribution around 17 nm and excellent stability against aging, with zeta potentials in the range of 47-50 mV at pH 2. It was found that TiO2 nanorods were grown from dilute aqueous sol with a low, 0.1-M concentration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis confirmed that a full conversion of titanium isopropoxide was obtained by hydrolysis, resulting in the formation of TiO2 particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that TiO2 nanorods dried at 100 °C were a... 

To overcome the drawback of poor solar light utilization brought about by the narrow photoresponse range of TiO2, a silver and sulfur co-doped TiO2 was synthesized. Using the prepared catalyst, solar photocatalytic degradation of 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) by a TiO2-based catalyst was studied for the first time. Effects of the co-doping on the structural, optical and morphological properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by different characterization methods: X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Fourier... 

In this work, a novel method to synthesis of an acrylic superabsorbent hydrogel was reported. In the two stage hydrogel synthesis, first copolymerization reaction of acrylonitrile (AN) and acrylamide (AM) monomers using ammonium persulfate (APS) as a free radical initiator was performed. In the second stage, the resulted copolymer was hydrolyzed to produce carboxamide and carboxylate groups followed by in situ crosslinking of the polyacrylonitrile chains. The results from FTIR spectroscopy and the dark red-yellow color change show that the copolymerization, alkaline hydrolysis and crosslinking reactions have been do take place. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) verifies that the synthesized... 

Nanocrystalline nickel titanate (NiTiO3) thin films and powders with mesoporous structure were produced at the low temperature of 500 °C by a straightforward particulate sol-gel route. The sols were prepared in various Ni:Ti molar ratios. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the powders contained mixtures of the NiTiO 3 and NiO phases, as well as the anatase-TiO2 and the rutile-TiO2 depending on the annealing temperature and Ni:Ti molar ratio. Moreover, it was found that Ni:Ti molar ratio influences the preferable orientation growth of the nickel titanate, being on (202) planes for the nickel dominant powders (Ni:Ti ≥ 75:25) and on (104) planes for the... 

Low temperature lithium titanate compounds (i.e., Li4Ti 5O12 and Li2TiO3) with nanocrystalline and mesoporous structure were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. The effect of Li:Ti molar ratio was studied on crystallisation behaviour of lithium titanates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders were crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C and the short annealing time of 1 h. Moreover, it was found that Li:Ti molar ratio and annealing temperature influence the preferable orientation growth of the lithium titanate compounds. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the average... 

Nanocrystalline zinc titanate (ZnTiO3) thin films and powders with purity of 94% were produced at the low sintering temperature of 500 °C and the short sintering time of 1 h by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. The effect of Zn:Ti molar ratio was studied on the crystallisation behaviour of zinc titanates. The prepared sols showed a narrow particle size distribution in the range 17-19 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders contained mixtures of the rhombohedral-ZnTiO3, cubic-ZnO, cubic-Zn2TiO4 phases, as well as the anatase-TiO2 and the rutile-TiO2 depending on the sintering temperature and Zn:Ti molar ratio....