The application of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) as a nanomedicine for Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) can provide effective delivery of anticancer drugs with minimal side-effects. SPIONs have the flexibility to be modified to achieve enhanced oading of hydrophobic anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel (PTX). The purpose of this study was to synthesize novel trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)-coated SPIONs loaded with PTX to enhance the anti-proliferative activity of PTX. CLA-coated PTX-SPIONs with a particle size and zeta potential of 96.5 ± 0.6 nm and −27.3 ± 1.9 mV, respectively, were synthesized. The superparamagnetism of the CLA-coated PTX-SPIONs was confirmed, with saturation magnetization of 60 emu/g and 29 Oe coercivity. CLA-coated PTX-SPIONs had a drug loading efficiency of 98.5% and demonstrated sustained site-specific in vitro release of PTX over 24 h (i.e., 94% at pH 6.8 mimicking the tumor microenvironment). Enhanced anti-proliferative activity was also observed with the CLA-coated PTX-SPIONs against a lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell line after 72 h, with a recorded cell viability of 17.1%. The CLA-coated PTX-SPIONs demonstrated enhanced suppression of A549 cell proliferation compared to pristine PTX, thus suggesting potential application of the nanomedicine as an effective site-specific delivery system for enhanced therapeutic activity in NSCLC therapy.

A mechanism showing the role of carrier gas on the N-configuration of the post-N-doped CSs synthesized in the presence of (a) H₂ and (b) Ar, respectively.

The role of a carbon source containing oxygen groups on the physicochemical properties of carbon nano-onions (CNOs) was investigated. Two oils, castor oil (with O groups) and paraffin oil (without O groups) were converted to CNOs in gram-scale yields using an open flame pyrolysis procedure. The products were heated under argon at 900 °C for varying times (1 h, 2 h, 3 h), to investigate the temperature dependence on their structural properties. TGA studies indicated different decomposition behaviour for the different samples with the annealed paraffinic CNOs (CNO _P ) having a higher decomposition temperature (>600 °C) than the castor oil derived CNOs (CNO _C ) (<600 °C). TEM images revealed formation of typical chain-like quasi-spherical nanostructures with particles size distributions for the CNO _P (22–32 ± 7.8 nm) and the CNO _C (44–51 ± 9.9 nm) materials. A detailed Raman analysis of the CNOs revealed that the graphicity of the CNOs varied with both the carbon oil source and the annealing time. Deconvolution of the first order Raman spectra revealed changes in the parameters of the major Raman bands that were then correlated with defect density ratios. Finally, bandwidth analysis depicted the dependence of the graphicity of the CNOs with heat treatment. The data thus indicate that the presence of oxygen in the carbon source provides a method for producing different CNOs and that simple procedures can be used to produce these different CNOs.

The field of photovoltaics (PV) continually seeks innovative materials solutions to enhance the efficiency and the stability of their standard devices. Core-shell nanoparticles have emerged as a promising new technology with unique structural attributes and widely tunable properties. This paper reviews the use of plasmonic core-shell nanoparticles in PV applications through various experimental validations. We describe advancements in the design and in the control over the properties of core-shell nanoparticles and highlight their integration into various solar cells, based on their ability to finely tune optical, electronic, and chemical properties. We also discuss experimental results for organic, perovskite, and dye-sensitized solar cells, where core-shell nanoparticles have been successfully deployed. Additionally, we identify gaps in the current research, such as the need for scalable synthesis methods and long-term stability assessments, and we will point out promising new developments at the frontier of that field.