Prasanta Dhak

Biofunctionalized, phosphonate-grafted, ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles for combined targeted cancer therapy and multimodal imaging.

A novel, inexpensive biofunctionalization approach is adopted to develop a multimodal and theranostic nanoagent, which combines cancer-targeted magnetic resonance/optical imaging and pH-sensitive drug release into one system. This multifunctional nanosystem, based on an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanocore, is modified with a hydrophilic, biocompatible, and biodegradable coating of N-phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA). Using appropriate spacers, functional molecules, such as rhodamine B isothiocyanate, folic acid, and methotrexate, are coupled to the amine-derivatized USPIO-PMIDA support with the aim of endowing simultaneous targeting, imaging, and intracellular drug-delivering capability. For the first time, phosphonic acid chemistry is successfully exploited to develop a stealth, multifunctional nanoprobe that can selectively target, detect, and kill cancer cells overexpressing the folate receptor, while allowing real-time monitoring of tumor response to drug treatment through dual-modal fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging.

“Clickable”, Trifunctional Magnetite Nanoparticles and Their Chemoselective Biofunctionalization

A multifunctional iron oxide based nanoformulation for combined cancer-targeted therapy and multimodal imaging has been meticulously designed and synthesized using a chemoselective ligation approach. Novel superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles simultaneously functionalized with amine, carboxyl, and azide groups were fabricated through a sequence of stoichiometrically controllable partial succinylation and Cu (II) catalyzed diazo transfer on the reactive amine termini of 2-aminoethylphosphonate grafted magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs). Functional moieties associated with MNP surface were chemoselectively conjugated with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC), propargyl folate (FA), and paclitaxel (PTX) via tandem nucleophic addition of amine to isothithiocyanates, Cu (I) catalyzed azide--alkyne click chemistry and carbodiimide-promoted esterification. An extensive in vitro study established that the bioactives chemoselectively appended to the magnetite core bequeathed multifunctionality to the nanoparticles without any loss of activity of the functional molecules. Multifunctional nanoparticles, developed in the course of the study, could selectively target and induce apoptosis to folate-receptor (FR) overexpressing cancer cells with enhanced efficacy as compared to the free drug. In addition, the dual optical and magnetic properties of the synthesized nanoparticles aided in the real-time tracking of their intracellular pathways also as apoptotic events through dual fluorescence and MR-based imaging.

Optical emission spectra of chromium doped nanocrystalline zinc gallate

Optical emission spectra of nanocrystalline zinc gallate (ZnGa2O4) and trivalent chromium ion doped zinc gallate (ZnGa2O4:Cr3+) are reported for different concentrations of the dopant ion. The measurements have been carried out over the temperature range between 77 and 296 K. The emission spectrum of nanocrystalline ZnGa2O4 shows two broad peaks. The intensity variation in these peaks, with temperature, is indicative of the effect of symmetry breaking in the electronic band structure of ZnGa2O4 in nanocrystalline samples. In addition, we find that the relative intensities of the sharp spectral lines of Cr3+ in nanocrystalline ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ are quite different from those reported for corresponding bulk samples. The spectral profiles of the so-called R1, R2, N1, and N2 lines have also been studied. The data are analyzed using crystal field theory, which includes an exchange interaction between the nearest neighbor Cr3+ pairs in ZnGa2O4. We estimate the exchange parameters for Cr3+ in nanocrystalline ZnGa2O4:...

Dielectric diffuseness and conductivity study of CuNb2O6 incorporated BaTiO3 synthesized by chemical route

The dielectric ceramics of BaTi1−3xCuxNb2xO3 (BTCN) with x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 were prepared by chemical route with the help of soluble tartarate complexes of Ti4+ and Nb5+ ions. It was found that the substitution of Cu2+ and Nb5+ at the Ti site of BTCN ceramics caused a diffused phase transition. Discontinuous grain growth accompanied with excellent dielectric diffuseness was found with increasing concentration of substitution. The dielectric diffuseness (γ) was found to be maximum to 1.92 at the substitution of BTCN, x=0.1. The maximum solubility limit was found up to the entire composition range studied. A dielectric study of these compounds as a function of temperature suggested that with increasing substitution concentration the dielectric constant increased to maximum at x=0.3 with minimum tangent loss and the Curie temperature shifted onwards to the higher temperature side. The bulk conductivity indicated an Arrhenius-type thermally activated process. The variation of ac conductivity as a functi...

Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline LaMnO3 modified BaTiO3 ferroelectric ceramics prepared by chemical route

Nanocrystalline Ba1−3xTi1−3xLa2xMn4xO3, [x = 0.006, 0.008, 0.01 and 0.05] (abbreviated hereafter as BTLM) by chemical route. The phase formation and purity were checked by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The grain morphology after sintering was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallite sizes range from 21 nm to 30 nm, while the particle size ranges between 27 nm and 38 nm. The grain size 212 nm and grain density 96.8% were found to be maximum for BTLM x = 0.05 and x = 0.01, respectively. The temperature dependence of dielectric constants was found to be more diffused and the peak value of the dielectric constant was decreased and more flat with the increase of the substituent concentration. The tangent loss was found to be decreased and reached to the minimum value of 0.032 for BTLM x = 0.05. The remnant polarization Pr, was 10 μC/cm2 for BTLM x = 0.01.

Synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of nanosized ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, or multiferroic materials

1Department of Chemistry, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, West Bengal 723101, India 2Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA 3Electronics & Communication Engineering, Institute of Technology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur 495009, India 4Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, Republic of Korea