Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been extensively used in microplastic (MP) pollution research since 2004. The aim of this review is to discuss and highlight the recent advances in FTIR (spectroscopy and chemical imaging) techniques that are used to characterize various polymer types of MPs and to trace their fate and transport in different environmental matrices. More than 400 research papers dealing with FTIR techniques in MP pollution research, which are published between January 2010 and December 2019, have been identified from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The MPs present in sediment, water (marine and freshwater), biota, air/dust, waste water treatment plants and salt are further classified according to (1) characterization and identification, (2) weathering and aging, (3) ecotoxicology, and (4) analytical methods. The results revealed that the ATR-FTIR technique is mostly used to identify and characterize the MPs found in water and sediment. The µFTIR (FTIR imaging) is extensively used to study the ingestion of MPs in biota (both marine and freshwater). In this article, we have summarized the current knowledge of application of FTIR spectroscopy to MP research and provided insights to future challenges for understanding the risk of MPs.

In clinical applications for cancer treatment, chemotherapy coupled with thermotherapy is highly considered. The development of multifunctional nanocomposite materials is an appealing strategy for use in various applications including biomedical applications. We present the preparation of dopamine-modified mesoporous silica material, in which magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNP) were grown onto the outer surface via the complexation of iron (Fe(III) and Fe(II)) ions with the dopamine groups modified on the silica hybrid and subsequent chemical reduction approaches. The prepared magnetic iron oxide incorporated with mesoporous silica hybrid composite nanoparticles (FeNP@MSHC NPs) had a large surface area (346 m²/g), pore size (3.2 nm), and pore volume (0.048 cm³/g). The formation of FeNP on the outer surface of the FeNP@MSHC NPs results in superparamagnetic characteristics. Furthermore, the prepared FeNP@MSHC NPs have a high drug (Dox) loading capacity (~62%) as well as pH- and temperature-responsive drug release efficiency. In addition, the MTT assay result shows the biocompatibility of the prepared FeNP@MSHC NPs. As a result, the FeNP@MSHC NPs could be utilized in cancer treatment for pH and temperature-sensitive delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the target sites.

In this manuscript, we present the synthesis of gadolinium orthoferrite nanoparticles using the sol–gel auto-combustion technique. The obtained gadolinium orthoferrite nanoparticles were annealed at various temperatures, such as 800 °C, 900 °C, 1000 °C, and 1100 °C. The synthesized materials were analyzed by various instrumental characterizations. The vibrational characteristics of the synthesized samples were verified by FTIR. The surface morphology of the gadolinium orthoferrite nanoparticles was analyzed by FE-SEM and HR-TEM, revealing their spherical structural morphology and uniform particle structure. The presence of the elemental features was analyzed in the gadolinium orthoferrite nanoparticles by EDAX. The surface analysis of the core ranges of the XPS-recorded spectra were obtained for the elemental states of the Gd, Fe, and O factors in the samples, and it additionally characterized the different levels of oxidative states by fitting the levels of the high-resolution parameters of Gd 4d, Fe 2p, and O 1s. The magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by VSM. The measurement of the magnetic parameters revealed that gadolinium orthoferrite nanoparticles exhibit a ferromagnetic nature.