Ru Qiao

Cu-doped zinc oxide and its polythiophene composites: preparation and antibacterial properties.

Cu-doped zinc oxide and its polythiophene nanocomposites were prepared by the Sol-Gel and in situ polymerization methods, respectively. The structures, morphologies and compositions of the samples were characterized. The antibacterial properties of the samples on three kinds of strains were determined by using powder inhibition zones, minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimal bactericidal concentrations. The study confirmed that the antibacterial activities of the composites were better than those of their each component. The antibacterial mechanisms of the samples were discussed further.

Facile bubble-assisted evaporation-induced assembly of high-density arrays of Co3O4 nano/microlotus leaves: fluorescent properties, drug delivery, and biocompatibility

High-density arrays of Co3O4 nano/microlotus leaves with excellent fluorescent properties and biocompatibility were synthesized using a facile bubble-assisted evaporation-induced approach and its potential application in drug delivery was assessed. The morphologically controlled growth of Co3O4 nano/microlotus leaf arrays could be realized by evaporating the acetone solution of cobalt nitrate hexahydrate in a tunable kinetic procedure, in which the gas bubbles generated in situ in the reaction system directed the assembly of the crystal coatings and/or the nuclei. These nano/microlotus leaf arrays were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) loaded into these nano/microlotus leaf arrays was used as a model platform to assess the efficacy of the arrays as a drug delivery tool. Its release kinetics study revealed a two-step release pattern of FITC from the nano/microlotus leaf arrays for over 24 h, with a burst release of around 83.4% of the dye just within a few hours. We envision that these Co3O4 nano/microlotus leaf arrays, with the hierarchically porous structures and high efficacy to adsorb chemicals such as the fluorescent dye FITC, could serve as a delivery vehicle for controlled release of chemicals administered into live cells, opening the potential of these arrays for a diverse range of applications including drug storage and release as well as metabolic manipulation of cells.