Given the importance of the extracellular medium during tissue formation, it was wise to develop an artificial structure that mimics the extracellular matrix while having improved physico-chemical properties. That is why the choice was focused on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), an inexpensive biocompatible hydrogel. Physicochemical and mechanical properties were improved by the incorporation of nanoparticles developed from two innovative fabrication processes: High shear fluid and low frequencies/high frequencies ultrasounds. Both rapeseed nanoliposomes and nanodroplets were successfully incorporated in the GelMA networks during the photo polymerization process. The impact on polymer microstructure was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and enzymatic degradation investigations. Mechanical stability and viscoelastic tests were conducted to demonstrate the beneficial effect of the functionalization on GelMA hydrogels. Adding nanoparticles to GelMA improved the surface properties (porosity), tuned swelling, and degradability properties. In addition, we observed that nanoemulsion didn’t change significantly the mechanical properties to shear and compression solicitations, whereas nanoliposome addition decreased Young’s modulus under compression solicitations. Thus, these ways of functionalization allow controlling the design of the material by choosing the type of nanoparticle (nanoliposome or nanoemulsion) in function of the application.

Aqueous suspensions of dendronized iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have been obtained after functionalization, with two types of dendrons, of NPs synthesized either by coprecipitation (leading to naked NPs in water) or by thermal decomposition (NPs in situ coated by oleic acid in an organic solvent). Different grafting strategies have been optimized depending on the NPs synthetic method. The size distribution, the colloidal stability in isoosmolar media, the surface complex nature as well as the preliminary biokinetic studies performed with optical imaging, and the contrast enhancement properties evaluated through in vitro and in vivo MRI experiments, have been compared as a function of the nature of both dendrons and NPs. All functionalized NPs displayed good colloidal stability in water, however the ones bearing a peripheral carboxylic acid function gave the best results in isoosmolar media. Whereas the grafting rates were similar, the nature of the surface complex depended on the NPs synthetic method. The in vitro contrast enhancement properties were better than commercial products, with a better performance of the NPs synthesized by coprecipitation. On the other hand, the NPs synthesized by thermal decomposition were more efficient in vivo. Furthermore, they both displayed good biodistribution with renal and hepatobiliary elimination pathways and no consistent RES uptake.

We report an original strategy to describe, viaX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, the interactions between the organic and the mineral sub-systems within a multifunctional hybrid material. A tunable layered double hydroxide (LDH) host system, either a Zn₂Al- or Cu₂Cr-hydrotalcite like compound, is modified with the insertion of the organic guest entities, 4-phenol-sulfonate (HBS) or -carboxylate (HBC). The resulting interactions are studied at two levels: after the organic molecules’ insertion in the host LDH (ionic exchange between the LDH counter-ions and the organic anions) and after the condensation (grafting) of the organic species onto the mineral layers when thermally treated. For the inserted material, the main XPS results show a stabilization of the organic molecules within the mineral sheets via H bonding as found elsewhere with FTIR study, the mineral matrix being unchanged. The XPS signal of the organic molecules slightly changes with a widening of core peaks, attesting to some local surrounding modifications. When heating up the Zn₂Al hybrid material, stronger interactions between organic and inorganic systems appeared from around 80 °C with some obvious electronic changes as monitored with the XPS S2p signal of the HBS guest molecules. At the same time, the PXRD pattern clearly shows a decrease of the basal spacing according to a two step contraction process which could be interpreted as a progressive organic molecule condensation onto the inorganic layers via iono-covalent bonds. A copper-chromium LDH is also studied to probe the same kind of interactions with the HBS molecules. The ability of distortion of such mineral material involves a peculiar process of contraction from 40 °C with the immediate and effective anchorage of organic molecules.

The dipolar interactions in monolayer and multilayer assemblies of iron oxide nanoparticles have been investigated as a function of the nanoparticle size. The magnetic properties of iron oxide nanocrystals of various sizes have been measured for particles as powders and assembled in mono- and multilayers by the Langmuir–Blodgett technique, and compared to the behavior of non-interacting nanoparticles. It is shown that increasing dipolar interactions lead to higher blocking temperatures and to deviation from the Néel–Brown law. Dipolar interactions are found to be stronger for particles assembled in thin films compared to powdered samples. The effect of interactions increases strongly with the nanoparticle size in agreement with simulations, leading to an unusual behaviour for the larger particles assembled in monolayer, which could be a signature of a superferromagnetic state.

Nowadays, nanoparticles are considered as the building blocks of the future nanotechnological devices and the development of strategies for processing nanoparticles into thin films has become a strategic challenge. In this context, the assembling of spherically shaped iron oxide nanoparticles displaying various sizes and of cubic-shaped nanoparticles has been investigated using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Homogeneous and dense monolayer and multilayer films have been obtained on large areas. The organisation in films has been studied by combining GISAXS and image analysis of SEM micrographs. The quality of the film has been determined to be mainly dependent on the chemical nature of the substrate and the amount of surfactant molecules at the surface of the nanoparticles (i.e. the organic coating).