Marin Tadic

Loading and release of internally self-assembled emulsions embedded in a magnetic hydrogel

We have investigated drug loading and release from thermosensitive gel emulsions with external triggering by an alternating magnetic field (AMF) for on-demand drug delivery. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles dispersed in gel emulsions were used to study the loading and release capabilities, with the stable nitroxide radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) serving as the model drug. AMF activation gave similar results to temperature activation in a water bath at 37 °C, showing that the principal effect of the AMF is a temperature increase without burst release. These results suggest that the system could play an important role in the development of advanced drug delivery.

Assessment of arsenic and mercury contamination in the Tisa River sediments and industrial canal sediments (Danube alluvial formation), Serbia

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of As and Hg and mobility of these contaminants in the sediments of the River Tisa and canal sediments (alluvial formation of the Danube River, Serbia), in order to determine the degree to which the ecosystem is harmed by these pollutants. The sequential extraction procedure (modified Tessier method) was used to extract the metals from the sediments. Arsenic is extracted in the second, third and fifth fraction, with dominant extraction in the second fraction. This distribution indicates that As is significantly present in the form of carbonates, whereas the part of As is present in the form of oxides. The most important extraction of Hg is in the fifth stage (extraction with 6M HCl), with over 80 % of extracted element in both types of sediment, indicating a strong association between Hg and Fe crystalline oxides as well as presence of Hg in the form of sulfides. Based on arsenic and mercury content in sediments and results of sequential extraction it can be concluded that on the studied localities there is no significant As and Hg contamination.

Ferromagnetic behavior and exchange bias effect in akaganeite nanorods

We report ferromagnetic-like properties and exchange bias effect in akaganeite (β-FeOOH) nanorods. They exhibit a Neel temperature TN = 259 K and ferromagnetic-like hysteresis behavior both below and above TN. An exchange bias effect is observed below TN and represents an interesting behavior for akaganeite nanorods. These results are explained on the basis of a core-shell structure in which the core has bulk akaganeite magnetic properties (i.e., antiferromagnetic ordering) while the shell exhibits a disordered spin state. Thus, the nanorods show ferromagnetic properties and an exchange bias effect at the same time, increasing their potential for use in practical applications.

Influence of mole fraction on normal incidence bound‐free absorption in p‐doped InxGa1−xAs/GaAs strained quantum wells

Bound‐free absorption in strained InxGa1−xAs/GaAs p‐doped quantum wells is calculated for various values of the mole fraction x. The position dependence of Luttinger parameters is taken into account. Values of absorption exceeding those in unstrained structures by a factor of 2 are found. Also, it is shown that in symmetric structures it suffices to calculate the wave functions of only one block of the Luttinger‐Kohn Hamiltonian.