Concentrations Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Research Articles

Magnetic targeting of smooth muscle cells in vitro using a magnetic bacterial cellulose to improve cell retention in tissue-engineering vascular grafts

Tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVG) use biologically-active cells with or without supporting scaffolds to achieve tissue remodeling and regrowth of injured blood vessels. However, this process may take several weeks because the high hemodynamic shear stress at the damaged site causes cellular denudation and impairs tissue regrowth. We hypothesize that a material with magnetic properties can provide the force required to speed up re-endothelization at the vascular defect by facilitating high cell density coverage, especially during the first 24 h after implantation. To test our hypothesis, we designed a magnetic bacterial cellulose (MBC) to locally target cells in vitro under a pulsatile fluid flow (0.514 dynes cm−2). This strategy can potentially increase cell homing at TEVG, without the need of blood cessation. The MBC was synthesized by an in situ precipitation method of Fe3+ and Fe2+ iron salts into bacterial cellulose (BC) pellicles to form Fe3O4 nanoparticles along the BC’s fibrils, followed by the application of dextran coating to protect the embedded nanoparticles from oxidation. The iron salt concentration used in the synthesis of the MBC was tuned to balance the magnetic properties and cytocompatibility of the magnetic hydrogel. Our results showed a satisfactory MBC magnetization of up to 10 emu/g, which is above the value considered relevant for tissue engineering applications (0.05 emu/g). The MBC captured magnetically-functionalized cells under dynamic flow conditions in vitro. MBC magnetic properties and cytocompatibility indicated a dependence on the initial iron oxide nanoparticle concentration. Statement of SignificanceMagnetic hydrogels represent a new class of functional materials with great potential in TVEG because they offer a platform to (1) release drugs on demand, (2) speed up tissue regrowth, and (3) provide mechanical cues to cells by its deformability capabilities. Here, we showed that a magnetic hydrogel, the MBC, was able to capture and retain magnetically-functionalized smooth muscle cells under pulsatile flow conditions in vitro. A magnetic hydrogel with this feature can be used to obtain high-density cell coverage on sites that are aggressive for cell survival such as the luminal face of vascular grafts, whereas simultaneously can support the formation of a biologically-active cell layer that protects the material from restenosis and inflammation.

Seed Priming with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Triggers Iron Acquisition and Biofortification in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Grains

Iron deficiency anaemia is a major challenge among consumers in developing countries. Given the deficiency of iron in the diet, there is an urgent need to devise a strategy for providing the required iron in the daily diet to counter the iron deficiency anaemia. We propose that iron biofortification of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through seed priming would be an innovative strategy to address this issue. This investigation attempts to find the interaction of iron oxide nanoparticles on germination, growth parameters and accumulation of grain iron in two contrasting wheat genotypes WL711 (low-iron genotype) and IITR26 (high-iron genotype). Wheat seeds were primed with different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles in the range of 25–600 ppm, resulting in differential accumulation of grain iron contents. We observed a pronounced increase in germination percentage and shoot length at 400 and 200 ppm treatment concentrations in IITR26 and WL711 genotypes, respectively. Intriguingly, the treatment concentration of 25 ppm demonstrated higher accumulation with a significant increase in grain iron contents to 45.7% in IITR26 and 26.8% in WL711 genotypes, respectively. Seed priming represents an innovative and user-friendly approach for wheat biofortification which triggers iron acquisition and accumulation in grains.

Investigation the effect of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on liver and stress oxidative parameters at the presence of magnetic field in rat

Objective(s): This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Fe3O4 nanoparticles at presence of a constant magnetic field on rat liver and some stress oxidative parameters.Materials and Methods: Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method using iron chloride (III) and iron sulphate (II). The nanoparticles properties were studied by XRD and TEM. Fourty male wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. First group was injected with normal saline (control). Second group was injected with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (100 mg/kg). Third group was treated under a constant magnetic field and fourth group was treated with both of Fe3O4 nanoparticles injection and constant magnetic field (all injections are intra peritoneally). Liver parameters (ALT, AST, Total protein, Bilirubin) and some stress oxidative parameters such as SOD and GPX were measured for all groups, 15 and 30 days post injection.Results: The size of the synthesized nanoparticles was determined 14 nm. The crystalline structure of the nanoparticles was spinel. Serum concentration of ALT and AST were changed in some groups compared with the control group. At the presence of constant magnetic field and iron oxide injection, the amount of total protein and bilirubin significantly increased compared with that of control group. The enzyme activity of SOD and GPX haven’t changed compared to the control group.Conclusion: The results of this investigation show that this concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles (100 mg/kg) have not irreversible toxic effects at the level of liver parameters. Also, they have not any serious effects on the SOD and GPX enzyme activity even at presence of a constant magnetic field.

The role of folic acid-conjugated polyglycerol coated iron oxide nanoparticles on radiosensitivity with clinical electron beam (6 MeV) on human cervical carcinoma cell line: In vitro study

Background and PurposeThe objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of Folic Acid-Conjugated polyglycerol coated iron oxide nanoparticles on the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells when irradiated with 6 MeV electron beams. Materials and MethodsDifferent concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles (PG-SPIONs and FA-PG-SPIONs (25, 50, 100, 200 μg ml−1)) were synthesized by the thermal decomposition technique. The effect of PG-SPIONs and FA-PG-SPIONs in combination with radiation (2, 4, 6 Gy) on the viability of cells and cell survival were estimated using the trypan blue dye exclusion test and MTT assay immediately and 48 h after irradiations, respectively. ResultsIt was observed that the penetration rate of uptake for cells treated with >50 μg ml−1 FA-PG-SPIONs was more than that of non-targeted nanoparticles. The data obtained by trypan blue dye exclusion test showed no significant reduction in cell viability for all groups in comparison with control group. The results revealed that increasing the radiation doses in the presence of the concentrations of the nanoparticles increased the value of radiosensitivity. The most radiosensitivity was obtained at the highest concentration of FA-PG-SPIONs (200 μg ml−1) as well as the longest radiation doses. ConclusionIt was revealed that higher concentrations of the FA-PG-SPIONs in combination with 6 MeV electron beams could enhance radiosensitization of HeLa cells.

Insights into the toxicity of iron oxides nanoparticles in land snails

The use of manufactured nanoparticles (NPs) is spreading rapidly across technology and medicine fields, posing concerns about their consequence on ecosystems and human health. The present study aims to assess the biological responses triggered by iron oxide NPs (IONPs) and iron oxide NPs incorporated into zeolite (IONPZ) in relation to oxidative stress on the land snail Helix aspersa in order to investigate its use as a biomarker for terrestrial environments. Morphology and structure of both NPs were characterized. Snail food was supplemented with a range of concentrations of IONPs and IONPZ and values of the hemocyte lysosomal membranes' destabilization by 50% were estimated by the neutral red retention (NRRT50) assay. Subsequently, snails were fed with NPs concentrations equal to half of the NRRT50 values, 0.05 mg L−1 for IONPs and 1 mg L−1 for IONPZ, for 1, 5, 10 and 20 days. Both effectors induced oxidative stress in snails' hemocytes compared to untreated animals. The latter was detected by NRRT changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipid peroxidation estimation, DNA integrity loss, measurement of protein carbonyl content by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA), determination of ubiquitin conjugates and cleaved caspases conjugates levels. The results showed that the simultaneous use of the parameters tested could constitute possible reliable biomarkers for the evaluation of NPs toxicity. However, more research is required in order to enlighten the disposal and toxic impact of iron oxide NPs on the environment to ensure their safe use in the future.

Cytotoxic effect of iron nanoparticles in vitro on some cell lines

Aim: Cancer nanotechnology offers great potential for cancer diagnosis, targeted treatment, and monitoring, Among the rapidly evolving types of NPs, magnetic NPs (MgNPs) – biocompatible and superparamagnetic nanomaterials with chemical stability and low toxicity – are especially promising. the biosafety of this material needs to be estimated. the aim of this study evaluate the cytotoxic effect with MgNPs-Fe3O4 on some cancer cell growth in vitro. Material and method: Six concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles(IONP) [(100,200,400,600,800and1000 ) μg/ml] were prepared and tested on Hela, RD and ANM3 cancer cell line in compare with REF cell line as a normal control for( 24 and 48) hr. nine replicates for each concentration ,The optical density of cell growth read by Elisa reader at 500nm, MTT colorimetric assay was employed to estimate the percentage of viable cells after each treatment. Results: All tumor cell lines (RD, HeLa, and AMN3) demonstrated significant reduction in the values of OD and GI% after 24 and 48 hr exposure to all concentrations of iron oxide NPs, while those of Ref cell line revealed non-significant elevation, when correlated with control group .Conclusion: IONP(20-30nm) induced cell cytotoxicity at all concentration when exposed to (Hela ,RD ,and AMN3) cancer cell lines when compared with REF normal cell line.

Simultaneous quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* for high iron concentration quantification with 3D ultrashort echo time sequences: An echo dependence study.

To evaluate the echo dependence of 3D ultrashort echo time (TE) quantitative susceptibility mapping (3D UTE-QSM) and effective transverse relaxation rate ( R2*) measurement in the setting of high concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles. A phantom study with iron concentrations ranging from 2 to 22 mM was performed using a 3D UTE Cones sequence. Simultaneous QSM processing with morphology-enabled dipole inversion (MEDI) and R2* single exponential fitting was conducted offline with the acquired 3D UTE data. The dependence of UTE-QSM and R2* on echo spacing (ΔTE) and first TE (TE1 ) was investigated. A linear relationship was observed between UTE-QSM measurement and iron concentration up to 22 mM only, with the minimal TE1 of 0.032 ms and ΔTE of less than 0.1 ms. A linear relationship was observed between R2* and iron concentration up to 22 mM only when TE1 was less than 0.132 ms and ΔTE was less than 1.2 ms. UTE-QSM with MEDI processing showed strong dependence on ΔTE and TE1 , especially at high iron concentrations. UTE-QSM is more sensitive than R2* measurement to TE selection. Both an ultrashort TE1 and a small ΔTE are needed to achieve accurate QSM for high iron concentrations. Magn Reson Med 79:2315-2322, 2018. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Preparation, characterization and antifungal activity of iron oxide nanoparticles

Iron oxide nanoparticles with particle size 10–30 nm were prepared by a green approach using tannic acid as reducing and capping agent. These nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The prepared iron oxide nanoparticles were also evaluated for their antifungal activity against Trichothecium roseum, Cladosporium herbarum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus niger. The antifungal activity was observed as inhibition in spore germination and by determining the zone of inhibition of fungal pathogens caused by different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles on culture media. It was observed from the present study that Fe2O3 nanoparticles showed significant antimycotic activity against all the tested fungal pathogens. Highest inhibition in spore germination was caused against T. roseum (87.74%) followed by C. herbarum (84.89%). The highest zone of inhibition by iron oxide nanoparticles was reported against P. chrysogenum (28.67 mm) followed by A. niger (26.33 mm), T. roseum (22.67 mm), A. alternata (21.33 mm) and least against C. herbarum (18.00 mm). Activity index was recorded highest against P. chrysogenum (0.81). The MIC value of Fe2O3 NP varies between 0.063 and 0.016 mg/ml for different fungal pathogens that is comparable with the MIC value shown by the standard, revealing the efficacy of iron oxide NP's against different fungal pathogens.

Enhanced legume root growth with pre-soaking in α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle fertilizer.

The rising demand for food and energy crops has triggered interest in the use of nanoparticles for agronomy. Specifically, iron oxide-based engineered nanoparticles are promising candidates for next-generation iron-deficiency fertilizers. We used iron oxide and hybrid Pt-decorated iron oxide nanoparticles, at low and high concentrations, and at varied pHs, to model seed pre-soaking solutions for investigation of their effect on embryonic root growth in legumes. This is an environmentally friendly approach, as it uses less fertilizer, therefore less nanoparticles in contact with the soil. Analysis from varied material characterization techniques combined with a statistical analysis method found that iron oxide nanoparticles could enhance root growth by 88–366% at low concentrations (5.54 × 10−3 mg L−1 Fe). Hybrid Pt-decorated iron oxide nanoparticles and a higher concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles (27.7 mg L−1 Fe) showed reduced root growth. The combined materials characterization and statistical analysis used here can be applied to address many environmental factors to finely tune the development of vital nanofertilizers for high efficiency food production.

Cellular and Molecular Toxicity of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (ION) have attracted much attention because of their particular physico-chemical properties, including superparamagnetism. These features make them suitable for many purposes and several interesting biomedical applications, such as to increase contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as drug delivery systems and as hyperthermia agents. However, they have also shown to be easily accumulated in diverse tissues and induce toxicity at different levels. This chapter reviews the different cellular and molecular effects induced by ION reported from in vitro studies with human and non-human cell lines. Those effects are mainly dependent on ION type and concentration, time of exposure, presence and nature of coating, and cell type evaluated. They include decreases in viability, plasmatic membrane disruption, oxidative damage, mitochondrial alterations, cell cycle impairments, cytoskeleton disruption, cell death, and alterations in cell motility, and in cell integrity. Despite these negative effects, the numerous advantages of ION together with their promising applications in biomedicine, make it necessary to clearly define their toxicity in order to discard potential health risks and to reach optimal benefits of their use.

Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Against Escherichia coli

Introduction: Considering the usefulness of metal oxide nanoparticles in biology and biomedicine, iron oxide nanoparticles were biosynthesized using bioresource engineering to evaluate its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. Methods: Macrodilution method was used for calculating the lowest concentration which prevented the growth of bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]), and the lowest concentration that destroyed all bacterial cells (minimum bactericidal concentration [MBC]). Results: The lowest concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles that inhibited the growth of E. coli (MIC) was recorded at 250 µg/mL. On the other hand, the MBC of iron oxide nanoparticles was calculated at 500 µg/mL. Conclusion: Iron oxide nanoparticles were produced by a green and eco-friendly, simple and inexpensive method. The results showed the inhibitory effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on E. coli at 250 µg/mL. This may suggest using these nanoparticles as potential antibacterial agents.

Experimental Investigation of the Transformation of Oil Shale with Fracturing Fluids under Microwave Heating in the Presence of Nanoparticles

Traditional methods of exploiting oil shale such as mining or in situ electric heating cause environmental pollution, and they have huge energy losses and high costs. These problems can be solved by combining microwave heating with hydraulic fracturing for the in situ exploitation of oil shale. In this study, an experimental microwave apparatus was manufactured for laboratory experiments. Different weight proportions of iron oxide nanoparticles (0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt %), microwave output power (600, 800, and 1000 W), and ultimate reaction temperatures (550, 750, and 950 °C) were taken into account in the design of an orthogonal experiment. Temperature distributions were influenced by microwave power, as well as by the concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles. The iron oxide nanoparticles facilitated a noticeable rise in the temperature of the oil shale in a short time. The experimental results confirmed the advantages of microwave heating, compared to conventional heating, in terms of temperature increases and improved yields of higher quality oil. Specifically, the oil collected under microwave irradiation contained more saturation and aromatics, and less sulfur and nitrogen, than that obtained by conventional heating. The highest oil yield and the best oil quality were obtained with the parameters of output power of 800 W, ultimate reaction temperature of 950 °C, and iron oxide nanoparticles at 0.1 wt %. Our findings contribute to the application of microwave technology to unconventional resources, and field tests at small scale should be supported.

Synthesis and characterization of biogenic iron oxide nanoparticles using green chemistry approach and evaluating their biological activities

Abstract The present research work determines the synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles from Lantana camera by green technology through the reduction of ferrous sulphate. The main objective of the research work is, synthesize of iron oxide nanoparticles using cost effective and environment friendly method. The biosynthesized iron oxide nanoparticles were characterized by XRD (X-ray diffractometer), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscope), EDX (Energy Dispersive X-Ray spectrometer) and UV absorption spectroscopy. The average particle size ranged from 10 to 20 nm and shapes were nanorods, crystalline and highly stable. The antibacterial activity was analyzed for synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles. The biological activities of iron oxide nanoparticles such as antibacterial activity and seed germination studies were also analyzed. The germination and growth of Vigna mungo was done with different concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles. In antibacterial studies, the highest zone of inhibition was observed in Pseudomonas (20.10 ± 1 mm) at 100 µg/ml of iron oxide nanoparticles. The maximal seed germination was observed in 200 ppm concentration of nanoparticles treated seeds. The shoot and root length were low when the concentration of the nanoparticles increased. This green synthesized iron oxide nanoparticle was proved to have good biological activities and can be used for various applications.

Microemulsions stabilized by in-situ synthesized nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been recently proposed to stabilize microemulsions (MEs) to improve their stability under harsh conditions, i.e., high temperature and high salinity as in hydrocarbon reservoirs. This work developed a novel method to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in-situ in oil-in-water (o/w) MEs, and examined their performance in improving oil recovery. IONPs were in-situ synthesized in MEs containing brine, n-hexane, mixture of SDS and Span 80 as the surfactants, and propyl alcohol as the co-solvent. The enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potentials of MEs and MEs containing different concentrations of IONPs (MEIN) were investigated in a core flooding system. The results indicated that the use of MEIN can significantly increase the oil recovery efficiency, i.e., jumping from 10% for ME without being stabilized NPs to 28.9% at a NPs concentration of 6400ppm. Moreover, MEIN achieved much lower and more stable pressure profile (i.e. nearly one order of magnitude smaller) during the flooding and post-flooding stage, showing its excellent injection applicability. Four potential EOR mechanisms were examined and the formation of stable MEs synergistically stabilized by NPs and surfactants was considered as the main reason, supplemented by less formation of viscous phase, more stable IFT and increased viscosity for better mobility control.

Integrated assessment of toxic effects of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles in zebrafish

The increasing use of nanotechnology in the last decade has raised concerns about the impact of nanoparticles in the environment. In particular, the potential harmful effects of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in aquatic organisms have been poorly addressed. We analyze here the toxic effects induced by IONPs in zebrafish using a combination of classical (genotoxicity, oxidative stress) and molecular (transcriptomic) methodologies. Adult animals were exposed for 96h to five sub-lethal IONP concentrations, ranging from 4.7 to 74.4mg/L. Comet and micronucleus assays revealed a significant number of DNA lesions induced by IONPs at all concentrations tested. Conversely, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test detected only a mild oxidative damage in liver cells (∼1.5-fold increase of malondialdehyde concentrations) and only at the two higher IONP concentrations tested. Microarray analysis of liver samples identified 953 transcripts (927 unique genes) differentially expressed between controls and IONP-exposed samples. Subsequent functional analysis identified genes related to cation/metal ion binding, membrane formation, and morphogenesis among the transcripts overrepresented upon IONP treatments, whereas mRNAs encompassing genes associated with RNA biogenesis, translation, ribosomes, and several metabolic processes became underrepresented in treated samples. Taken together, these results indicate considerable genotoxic effects of IONPs combined with general negative effect on cell growth and on the ability of the cell produce new proteins. On the contrary, IONPs showed only a limited capacity to induce oxidative stress. To our knowledge, this is the first study on IONPs toxicity using such an integrative approach in an aquatic organism.

Preparation of superparamagnetic and flexible γ-Fe2O3 nanowire arrays in an anodic aluminum oxide template

Superparamagnetic and flexible Fe2O3 nanowire arrays were fabricated by the controlled electrostatic assembly of iron oxide nanoparticles and poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) in an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The micrograph of iron oxide nanowire arrays was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The magnetic hysteresis loops obtained by a vibrating sample magnetometer confirm that the nanowire arrays have superparamagnetic properties. The filling ratio of iron oxide nanoparticles and polymers in the AAO template was affected by four factors, including the concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles, the pore diameter of the AAO template, the charge ratio of iron oxide nanoparticles and PDADMAC, and the molecular weight of polyacrylic acid. The effect of the AAO template on the diameter and length of the nanowire arrays was also analyzed. In addition, the nanowire arrays were shown to be flexible because of the presence of polymers. These nanowire arrays with superparamagnetic and flexural properties have potential applications in sensor probes.

熱応答性薬剤放出能を有するゼラチン/酸化鉄複合微粒子キャリアの作製

Many kinds of nanocarriers are attracting attention for DDS. Nanocarriers are required to have functions of loading, delivering and controlled release of drug. For this purpose, we propose and synthesize a nanocarrier by using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and gelatin. Iron oxide is chosen as a magnetic material because of its properties such as magnetically guided accumulation and heat generation under alternating magnetic fields as well as biodegradability. Gelatin shows sol-gel transition, which can support drugs in network structure of gel and release drugs in sol phase. To synthesize the carrier, iron oxide nanoparticles (IOPs) prepared by co-precipitation and modified with citric acid work as a cross-linker to form gelatin particles. The role of citric acid is not only improving the dispersibility of IOPs but also introducing functional groups to combine IOPs with gelatin. Concentrations of IOPs and gelatin in the solution are important parameters to control the morphology of the composite particles, leading to the formation of the particles of 50～200 nm in size under the optimum conditions. Doxorubicin as an anti-cancer drug is incorporated in the composite particles and is released by a thermal stimulation.

Biocompatible polymeric coatings do not inherently reducethe cytotoxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles

Nanotechnology in biomedical research is an emerging and promising tool for different purposes, like high-resolution medical imaging, diagnostics, and targeted drug delivery. Although some experimental efforts focused on determination of the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) are present, there are many controversial results. In this study, chitosan (CS)- and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were used to investigate the possible cytotoxicity of coated IONPs on model mammalian cell line SaOs-2 by evaluating cellular viability and membrane integrity. Increasing concentrations of IONPs increased the cytotoxic effect on SaOs-2 cells with both CS- and PAA-coated IONPs. Cell viability on day 3 was as low as 40% and 48% at 1000 ?M concentration for PAAand CS-coated IONPs, respectively, in 1% FBS-supplemented media. Cytotoxicity determined by the released lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was as high as 163% with 1000 ?M concentration of CS-IONPs, while there was no significant change in LDH release with PAAcoated IONPs at any concentration. This study reveals that IONPs coated with a biocompatible polymer, which are usually assumed to be nontoxic, show cytotoxicity with increasing concentration and incubation time. The cytotoxicity of nanoparticles intended for biomedical purposes must be evaluated using more than one approach.

Imaging and quantification of iron‐oxide nanoparticles (IONP) using MP‐RAGE and UTE based sequences

To investigate two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrashort echo time (UTE) and 3D magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) sequences for the imaging of iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONP). The phantoms were composed of tubes filled with different IONP concentrations ranging from 2 to 45 mM. The tubes were fixed in an agarose gel phantom (0.9% by weight). Morphological imaging was performed with 3D MP-RAGE, 2D UTE, 2D adiabatic inversion recovery-prepared UTE (2D IR-UTE), 3D UTE with Cones trajectory (3D Cones), and 3D IR-Cones sequences. Quantitative assessment of IONP concentration was performed using R2*(1/T2*) and R1 (1/T1 ) measurements using a 3 Tesla (T) scanner. The 3D MP-RAGE sequence provides high-contrast images of IONP with concentration up to 7.5 mM. Higher IONP concentration up to 37.5 mM can be detected with the UTE sequences, with the highest IONP contrast provided by the 3D IR-Cones sequence. A linear relationship was observed between R2* and IONP concentration up to ∼45 mM, and between R1 and IONP concentration up to ∼30 mM. The clinical 3D MP-RAGE sequence can be used to assess lower IONP concentration up to 7.5 mM. The UTE sequences can be used to assess higher IONP concentration up to 45 mM. Magn Reson Med 78:226-232, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Fabrication of mixed matrix poly(phenylene ether-ether sulfone)-based nanofiltration membrane modified by Fe3O4 nanoparticles for water desalination

Abstract In the current research, poly(phenylene ether-ether sulfone) (PEES)-co-poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) nanofiltration membranes were prepared by a casting solution technique using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent. The ethanol was used as fixed additive for better dispersion of iron oxide nanoparticles into the membranes structure. The effect of iron oxide nanoparticle concentration in the casting solution on the membrane performance/properties was studied. The membrane pure water flux, permeated flux, salt rejection, water content, tensile strength and membrane porosity were studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was also used for the membrane morphology characterization. The results revealed that water content increased from 70.25% for bare PEES to about 83.25% for the membrane filled with 0.05 wt.% nanoparticles. SEM images showed that the membrane structure changed and turned from sponge shape to finger like. The results showed that porosity was increased from 55.92% for PEES one to 69.65% for M3. Additionally, the maximum value of flux was obtained for M3. Moreover, rejection was improved by the addition of nanoparticles into the casting solution compared to the unfilled one. Obtained results showed more appropriate performance for the modified membrane filled with 0.05 wt.% iron oxide nanoparticles compared to other prepared membranes.