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The rare-earth oxide nanoparticles along carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (M2O3/CNTs, M = Y, Nd, Sm) were prepared by in situ solvothermal method. Products were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. M2O3/CNTs presented good morphology and large surface area. Furthermore, catalysis of M2O3/CNTs during the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was evaluated by differential thermal analysis (DTA). Compared with Nd2O3/CNTs and Sm2O3/CNTs, Y2O3/CNTs nanocomposites showed the best catalytic effect on the thermal decomposition of AP. With the addition of 2 wt.% Y2O3/CNTs nanocomposite, high decomposition temperature of AP decreased by 125.5°C, and the total DTA heat release increased by 2.027 kJ·g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to design multifunctional contact lenses for selective recognition and utilization of the eye drop ofloxacin (OFL). Modified silicone hydrogel (MSL) contact lenses were firstly synthesized via ultraviolet curing by using (hydroxymethyl)methyl aminomethane, polydimethylsiloxane, methacryloxypropyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane, and N,N-dimethylacrylamide as monomers and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) as a modifier. The synthesized MSL contact lenses were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle and mechanical property tests. The results showed that compared with silicone hydrogel (SL) contact lenses, the MSL contact lenses had a more porous structure and good swelling and mechanical properties. The molecularly imprinted polymer/ofloxacin-modified silicone hydrogel (MIP/OFL-MSL) contact lenses were firstly synthesized via free radical polymerization, using ofloxacin (OFL) as the template molecule. Moreover, compared with chlorogenic acid and myricetin molecule, the MIP/OFL-MSL contact lenses exhibited an adsorption capacity for OFL that reached 2.86 mg/g. The antibacterial test showed that the MIP/OFL-MSL contact lenses displayed an inhibition ring size of 15.2 mm and 17.8 mm for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study synthesized poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethyl chitosan/cyanidin (PVA/CMCS/CY) hydrogel films. First, PVA and CMCS were used to synthesize hydrogel films by ultraviolet irradiation. Meanwhile, CY was in situ combined into the hydrogel films through the electrostatic attraction between CMCS and CY. Next, the products were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle test, swelling analysis, and mechanical property test. The results revealed that compared with PVA/CMCS hydrogel films, the PVA/CMCS/CY hydrogel films had an interporous structure and good swelling and mechanical properties. Moreover, the drug release experiments demonstrated that the PVA/CMCS/CY hydrogel films had a CY encapsulation efficiency of 33.5% with a sustained CY release of up to 60 h. Furthermore, the examined antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli showed that the porous PVA/CMCS/CY hydrogel films exhibited a certain inhibition. Cell viability experiments demonstrated that the PVA/CMCS/CY films displayed no obvious cytotoxicity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide (Fe3O4/RGO) nanocomposites with good dispersibility were synthesized for targeted delivery of paclitaxel (PTX). Firstly, the superparamagnetic Fe3O4/functional GO nanocomposites were prepared via hydrothermal method in which GO sheets were modified by surfactant wrapping. The Fe3O4/RGO nanocomposites were successively prepared through the reduction of graphene oxide. The products were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectrum, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibration sample magnetometry. It was found that spherical Fe3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly anchored over the RGO matrix and the nanocomposites were superparamagnetic with saturation magnetization (Ms) of 9.39 emu/g. Then PTX was loaded onto Fe3O4/RGO nanocomposites, and the drug loading capacity was 67.9%. Cell viability experiments performed on MCF-7 demonstrated that the Fe3O4/RGO-loaded PTX (Fe3O4/RGO/PTX) showed cytotoxicity to MCF-7, whereas the Fe3O4/RGO displayed no obvious cytotoxicity. The above results indicated that Fe3O4/RGO/PTX nanocomposites had potential application in tumor-targeted chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high hydrophilicity of alginate materials makes delivering a high load of hydrophobic drug difficult. To overcome this drawback, sodium alginate (SA) was modified using octylamine (OA), and then kaempferol (KP) was combined with the alginate solution through the hydrophobic interaction between OA and KP. The modified SA/KP (MSA/KP) hydrogel films were ionically cross-linked by immersing in calcium chloride solution. Subsequently, the products were analyzed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle test, thermogravimetric analysis, swelling analysis, water vapor transmission, and mechanical property test. Results showed that compared with the SA hydrogel films, the MSA/KP hydrogel films exhibited an interporous structure, good swelling, and mechanical properties. Moreover, the drug release experiments demonstrated that the MSA/KP hydrogel films achieved a KP encapsulation efficiency of 70.4%, with a sustained KP release of up to 80 h. The cell viability experiments demonstrated that the MSA/KP hydrogel films posed no evident cytotoxicity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]