Search results for " silica"
showing 10 items of 418 documents
MCM-41-CdS nanoparticle composite material: Preparation and characterization
2010
The preparation and characterization of a hierarchical material constituted by a mesoporous silica MCM-41 whose mesochannels contain CdS nanoparticles capped with both bis(2-ethylhexyl) amine and bis(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate is reported. MCM-41 powder was synthesized by using the LCT methodology. CdS nanoparticles were obtained within the inversed micelle core of a water/ AOT/n-heptane microemulsion. Nanoparticles growth was followed by means of UV–Vis spectroscopy and was inhibited by BEA addition. The CdS-capped nanoparticles were separated by centrifugation, washed with water and ethanol and finally dispersed in n-heptane. The insertion of CdS nanoparticles into MCM-41 mesocha…
Upconversion Nanocarriers Encapsulated with Photoactivatable Ru Complexes for Near-Infrared Light-Regulated Enzyme Activity.
2017
Enzyme activity is important for metabolism, cell functions, and treating diseases. However, remote control of enzyme activity in deep tissue remains a challenge. This study demonstrates near-infrared (NIR) light-regulated enzyme activity in living cells based on upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) and a photoactivatable Ru complex. The Ru complex is a caged enzyme inhibitor that can be activated by blue light. To prepare a nanocarrier for NIR photoinhibition of enzyme activity, a UCNP and the caged enzyme inhibitors are encapsulated in a hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticle. In such a nanocarrier, the UCNP can harvest NIR light and convert it into blue light, which can activate the caged e…
Inflammatory and cytotoxic responses of an alveolar-capillary coculture model to silica nanoparticles: Comparison with conventional monocultures
2011
Abstract Background To date silica nanoparticles (SNPs) play an important role in modern technology and nanomedicine. SNPs are present in various materials (tyres, electrical and thermal insulation material, photovoltaic facilities). They are also used in products that are directly exposed to humans such as cosmetics or toothpaste. For that reason it is of great concern to evaluate the possible hazards of these engineered particles for human health. Attention should primarily be focussed on SNP effects on biological barriers. Accidentally released SNP could, for example, encounter the alveolar-capillary barrier by inhalation. In this study we examined the inflammatory and cytotoxic response…
Low-Cost Synthesis of Bimodal Mesoporous Silica-Based Materials by Pseudomorphic Transformation.
2015
Nanoparticulate bimodal porous silica-based materials have been prepared through a surfactant-assisted procedure by using a simple template and starting from inexpensive sodium silicate as silicon source. Different procedural variables, such as pH or the nature and concentration of the surfactant, have been explored to optimize the preparative protocol, which allows, in turn, improved understanding of the formation process. The final bulk materials (called UVM-10 or M-UVM-10) are formed by pseudomorphic transformation of fresh silica-based xerogels under mild basic conditions. The UVM-10 architecture is constructed from small mesoporous nanoparticles, the aggregation of which generates a di…
Morphology and properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) filled with mesoporous silica (MCM-41) prepared by melt compounding
2016
This paper reports on the morphologies of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites prepared by melt compounding with various MCM-41 contents in the range of 0.1–5 wt%, the interactions between the polymer and filler in these composites, and their thermomechanical, mechanical and thermal degradation properties. The composites formed transparent films at low filler loadings (\0.5 wt%) because of well-dispersed, unagglomerated particles. The presence of polymer did not alter the pore dimensions in the MCM-41 structure and it maintained its hexagonal structure, even though the polymer chains partially penetrated the pores during composite preparation. The PMMA inte…
Temperature dependence of magnetization reversal in Co and Fe3O4 nanowire arrays
2005
Abstract In this paper, we investigate the magnetization reversal of cobalt and magnetite nanowires, 4 nm in diameter, synthesized within the pores of mesoporous silica thin films. A SQUID magnetometer was used to study the magnetic properties of the nanowire arrays over a broad temperature interval, T= 1.8–300 K. The magnetization reversal process was found to be strongly temperature dependent. While a coherent rotation may occur at room temperature, a process involving the formation of domain structures takes place as the temperature decreases down to 1.8 K.
Amorphous silica between confining walls and under shear: a computer simulation study
2002
Molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to investigate a silica melt confined between walls at equilibrium and in a steady-state Poisseuille flow. The walls consist of point particles forming a rigid face-centered cubic lattice and the interaction of the walls with the melt atoms is modelled such that the wall particles have only a weak bonding to those in the melt, i.e. much weaker than the covalent bonding of a Si-O unit. We observe a pronounced layering of the melt near the walls. This layering, as seen in the total density profile, has a very irregular character which can be attributed to a preferred orientational ordering of SiO4 tetrahedra near the wall. On intermediate lengt…
Optimization of MCM-41 type silica nanoparticles for biological applications: Control of size and absence of aggregation and cell cytotoxicity
2015
Abstract Mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized at high pH using CTAB as a template and TEOS as a silica precursor. It was shown that varying the NaOH concentration between 5 and 27.5 mM allows the size, pore and silica structure of mesoporous nanoparticles to be precisely tuned. In particular, monodisperse nanoparticles with the MCM-41 structure with size ranging from 90 nm to 450 nm were obtained by increasing the NaOH concentration from 12.5 to 22.5 mM. It thus demonstrates that NaOH concentration must range between 12.5 and 15 mM in order to prepare MCM-41 silica nanoparticles with optimal size for nanovectorization. We also found that under usual conditions the aggregation of…
Near-Infrared Emission of O2 Embedded in Amorphous SiO2 Nanoparticles
2011
We report an experimental study on the emission properties of O2 molecules loaded by a thermal diffusion process at 200 °C into high-purity silica nanoparticles with mean diameters of 7 and 40 nm. The embedded O 2 features a singlet to triplet emission band peaked at 1272 nm in agreement with the band observed for bulk silica materials. The photoluminescence excitation spectra have been determined in the visible and in the infrared range and are characterized by narrow bands peaked at 691, 764, and 1069 nm, respectively. By comparison of the transition energies, the vibrational quanta have been determined for the ground and for both the excited states; the values found are lower than the co…
Structure of amorphous SiO 2 nanoparticles probed through the E′ γ centers
2011
We report an experimental investigation by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy on the properties of the E′ γ centers induced by β-ray irradiation in nanoparticles of amorphous SiO 2 (fumed silica) with mean diameters from 7 up to 40 nm. We found that the E′ γ centers are induced in all the fumed silica types in the dose range 4-400 kGy. They are characterized by an EPR line shape similar to that observed in common bulk silica materials independently on the particle diameter. Moreover, the E′ γ center concentration decreases on decreasing of the particle size for each given dose. Our findings are interpreted in terms of a shell-like model of nanoparticles in which it is assume…