Multilayer Microspheres Research Articles

Multifunctional self-assembled adsorption microspheres based on waste bamboo shoot shells for multi-pollutant water purification

In this study, multilayer self-assembled multifunctional bamboo shoot shell biochar microspheres (BSSBM) were prepared, in which bamboo shoot shell biochar was used as the carrier, titanium dioxide as the intermediate medium, and chitosan as the adhesion layer. The adsorption behavior of BSSBM on heavy metals Ag(I) and Pd(II), antibiotics, and dye wastewater was systematically analyzed. BSSBM shows a wide range of adsorption capacity. BSSBM is a promising candidate for the purification of real polluted water, not only for metal ions, but also for Tetracycline (TC) and Methylene Blue (MB). The maximum adsorption amounts of BSSBM on Pd(II), Ag(I), TC and MB were 417.3 mg/g, 222.5 mg/g, 97.2 mg/g and 42.9 mg/g, respectively.The adsorption of BSSBM on Pd(II), MB and TC conformed to the quasi-first kinetic model, and the adsorption on Ag(I) conformed to the quasi-second kinetic model. BSSBM showed remarkable selective adsorption capacity for Ag(I) and Pd(II) in a multi-ion coexistence system. BSSBM not only realized the high value-added utilization of waste, but also had the advantages of low cost, renewable and selective adsorption. BSSBM demonstrated its potential as a new generation of multifunctional adsorbent, contributing to the recovery of rare/precious metals and the treatment of multi-polluted water.

Preparation and Magnetic Manipulation of Fe3O4/Acrylic Resin Core-Shell Microspheres.

Core-shell microspheres refer to duo-layer or multilayer microspheres, which are widely used in drug delivery, microreactors, etc. Accurate manipulation of microspheres is a research hot spot, while traditional manipulation methods including ultrasonic manipulation and laser manipulation still face some limitations. In this study, magnetic core-shell microspheres were adopted to realize the accurate manipulation of microspheres. Combined with microfluidic technology, polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA)/Fe3O4 magnetic fluid was utilized as the core material and photosensitive acrylic resin became the shell material. After UV curing, a magnetic core-shell microsphere with an average size of 55 μm could be achieved, and the diameter was uniform and controllable. By adjusting the flow rate of the dispersed phase, the dual-core microspheres with different core particle sizes that ranged from 9.3 to 28.4 μm could be prepared. Experimental results showed that the prepared Fe3O4/acrylic resin core-shell microspheres can be used as functionalized microspheres that have good magnetic response properties and self-assembly ability. In addition, the magnetic manipulation and self-assembly of the prepared core-shell microspheres were presented with different external magnetic fields. The magnetic core-shell microspheres have shown great potential in the fields of biomedical engineering and targeted delivery of drugs.

Orally Administrated Olsalazine-Loaded Multilayer Pectin/Chitosan/Alginate Composite Microspheres for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment.

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease is extremely cloudy. Maintaining the level of remission lesions in colitis is the default treatment attitude at present. Epithelial barrier restoration is considered as the same important strategy as colonic targeted drug delivery in UC treatment. In this paper, we developed a multilayer natural polysaccharide microsphere (pectin/chitosan/alginate) with pH and enzyme dual sensitivity to reduce the loss of medication in the upper digestive tract and preferentially adhere to exposed epithelial cells in colonic tissues by electrostatic forces for efficiently targeted UC treatment. Olsalazine as an inflammatory drug was efficiently loaded in the chitosan layer and realized a colonic pH-responsive drug release. Furthermore, the multilayer microspheres exhibited excellent capability in suppressing harmful flora and a bio-adhesion effect to extend the duration of local medicine. In the in vivo anti-colitis study, the downregulated levels of pro-inflammatory factors and the increase of tight junction protein indicated the excellent anti-inflammation effect of the olsalazine-loaded microspheres. In summary, these results showed that the multilayer natural polysaccharide microspheres could be a powerful candidate in the targeted drug delivery system for UC therapy.

Nickel oxide morphology synthesized with a hydrothermal method for inverted perovskite solar cells.

In this paper, a hydrothermal method is used to synthesize a nickel oxide nanostructure (nano-NiO) for its application to inverted perovskite solar cells. These pore nanostructures were employed to increase both the contact and channel between the hole transport and perovskite layers of an ITO/nano-N i O/C H 3 N H 3 P b I 3/P C B M/A g device. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, three different nano-NiO morphologies were synthesized at temperatures of 140°C, 160°C, and 180°C. Then, a Raman spectrometer was used to check the phonon vibration and magnon scattering characteristics after an annealing temperature of 500°C. Second, nano-NiO powders were dispersed in isopropanol for subsequent spin coating on the inverted solar cells. The nano-NiO morphologies were multi-layer flakes, microspheres, and particles at synthesis temperatures of 140°C, 160°C, and 180°C, respectively. When the microsphere nano-NiO was used as the hole transport layer, the perovskite layer had a larger coverage of 83.9%. The grain size of the perovskite layer was analyzed by x-ray diffraction, and strong crystal orientations of (110) and (220) peaks were found. Despite this, the power conversion efficiency could affect the promotion, which is 1.37 times higher than the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate element conversion efficiency of the planar structure.

The SnO2/MXene Composite Ethanol Sensor Based on MEMS Platform

In recent years, two-dimensional layered material MXene has attracted extensive attention in the fields of sensors due to its large specific surface area and rich active sites. So, we employed multilayer Ti3C2TX and SnO2 microspheres to prepare SnO2/MXene composites for enhancing gas-sensing properties of pristine SnO2. The composite was brushed on a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) platform to make resistance-type gas sensors with low power consumption. The gas-sensing results show that the SnO2/MXene sensor with the best composite ratio (SnO2: MXene mass ratio is 5:1, named SM-5) greatly improves gas sensitivity of SnO2 sensor, among which the sensitivity to ethanol gas is the highest. At the same time, the composite also speeds up the response recovery speed of the sensor. When the SM-5 sensor worked at its optimal temperature 230 °C, its response value to 10 ppm ethanol reaches 5.0, which is twice that of the pristine SnO2 sensor. Its response and recovery time are only 14 s and 26 s, respectively. The sensing mechanism of the composite is discussed according to the classical the space charge or depletion layer model. It is concluded that the Schottky barrier of composites and the metal properties of Ti3C2Tx are responsible for improvement of the gas-sensing properties of the composite.

The Layered Encapsulation of Vitamin B2 and β-Carotene in Multilayer Alginate/Chitosan Gel Microspheres: Improving the Bioaccessibility of Vitamin B2 and β-Carotene.

This research underlines the potential of alginate multilayered gel microspheres for the layered encapsulation and the simultaneous delivery of vitamin B2 (VB) and β-carotene (BC). Chitosan was used to improve the stability and controlled release ability of alginate-based gel microspheres. It was shown that a clear multilayered structure possessed the characteristics of pH response, and excellent thermal stability. The sodium alginate concentration and the number of layers had notable effects on mechanical properties and particle size of gel microspheres. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses further proved that VB and BC were encapsulated within the gel microspheres. Compared with the three-layer VB-loaded gel microspheres, the total release of VB from the three-layer VB and BC-loaded gel decreased from 93.23% to 85.58%. The total release of BC from the three-layer VB and BC-loaded gel increased from 66.11% to 69.24% compared with three-layer BC-loaded gel. The simultaneous encapsulation of VB and BC in multilayered gel microspheres can markedly improve their bioaccessibility and bioavailability. These results showed the multilayer gel microspheres synthesized herein have potential for applications in the layered encapsulation and simultaneous delivery of various bioactive substances to the intestinal tract.

Fabrication of solid CH-CD multilayer microspheres for inertial confinement fusion

Deuterated polymer microspheres can be used as a neutron source in conjunction with lasers because thermonuclear fusion neutrons can be produced efficiently by collisions of the resulting energetic deuterium ions. A new type of solid deuterated polymer microsphere with a carbon hydrogen–carbon deuterium (CH-CD) multilayer has been designed for preparing the target for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. To fabricate these solid CH-CD multilayer microspheres, CH beads are first fabricated by a microfluidic technique, and the CD coating layer is prepared by a plasma polymerization method. Both polystyrene (PS) and poly(α-methylstyrene) (PAMS) are used as the material sources for the CH beads. The effects of the PS and PAMS materials on the quality of the solid CH beads and the resulting CH-CD multilayer polymer microspheres are investigated. The solid PS beads have better sphericity and a smoother surface, but large vacuoles are observed in solid PS-CD multilayer microspheres owing to the presence of residual fluorobenzene in the beads and a glass transition temperature of the solid PS beads that is lower than the temperature of plasma polymerization. Therefore, solid PAMS beads are more suitable as a mandrel for fabricating solid CH-CD multilayer polymer microspheres. Solid CH-CD multilayer microspheres with specified size have been successfully prepared by controlling the droplet size and the CD deposition rate and deposition time. Compared with the design value, the diameter deviation of the inner CH beads and the thickness deviation of the CD layer can be controlled within 20 µm and 2 µm, respectively. Thus, an approach has been developed to fabricate solid CH-CD multilayer microspheres that meet the physical design requirements for ICF.

Fabrication of Fe₃O₄@Polydopamine@Bovine Serum Ablumin (BSA) and Fe₃O₄@Polydopamine-Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic and Antibacterial Properties.

The submicron-sized Fe₃O₄ particles were synthesized by solvothermal method. Then polydopamine (PDA) was used to modify the surface of Fe₃O₄ particles. And then the core-shell Fe₃O₄@PDA@BSA (single layer and multilayer) microspheres were prepared by the layer by layer self-assembly method (SAM). In addition, Ag nanospheres were grafted onto the surface of Fe₃O₄@PDA particles to obtain Fe₃O₄@PDA-Ag core-shell nanoparticles using silver mirror reaction. The morphology and component of the obtained core-shell particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The biocompatibility of the microspheres was researched in vitro by MTT method and its magnetic properties were also evaluated. The results showed that the microsphere has excellent magnetic properties and good biological safety. Then the catalytic performance of Fe₃O₄@PDA-Ag microspheres for methylene blue (MB) was studied. And the antimicrobial properties of Fe₃O₄@PDA-Ag microspheres for Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were also be discussed. The results indicated good catalytic properties and antibacterial properties.

Multi-layer CeO2-wrapped Ag2S microspheres with enhanced peroxidase-like activity for sensitive detection of dopamine

A novel core-shell structure Ag2S@CeO2 microspheres were synthesized by growing multi-layer CeO2 onto Ag2S particles. Compared with pure Ag2S, the resultant composite catalyst exhibited highly improved peroxidase-like activity. Influences of pH, temperature, H2O2 concentration and the amount of catalyst on the catalytic activity of Ag2S@CeO2 were investigated. Besides, Ag2S@CeO2 displayed a strong affinity towards H2O2 and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Based on the excellent peroxidase-like activity of Ag2S@CeO2 microspheres, a highly sensitive and selectivity colorimetric method for dopamine detection was developed. The possible catalytic mechanism was also studied using fluorescent probe analysis. It is believed that the efficient biosensor based on the as-prepared Ag2S@CeO2 microspheres can apply for biological analysis and environmental monitoring.

Unified theory of whispering gallery multilayer microspheres with single dipole or active layer sources.

The development of a fast and reliable whispering gallery mode (WGM) simulator capable of generating spectra that are comparable with experiment is an important step forward for designing microresonators. We present a new model for generating WGM spectra for multilayer microspheres, which allows for an arbitrary number of concentric dielectric layers, and any number of embedded dipole sources or uniform distributions of dipole sources to be modeled. The mode excitation methods model embedded nanoparticles, or fluorescent dye coatings, from which normalized power spectra with accurate representation of the mode coupling efficiencies can be derived. In each case, the emitted power is expressed conveniently as a function of wavelength, with minimal computational load. The model makes use of the transfer-matrix approach, incorporating improvements to its stability, resulting in a reliable, general set of formulae for calculating whispering gallery mode spectra. In the specific cases of the dielectric microsphere and the single-layer coated microsphere, our model simplifies to confirmed formulae in the literature.

Insulin-loaded PLGA microspheres for glucose-responsive release

Porous poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were prepared, loaded with insulin, and then coated in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and a novel boronic acid-containing copolymer [poly(acrylamide phenyl boronic acid-co-N–vinylcaprolactam); p(AAPBA-co-NVCL)]. Multilayer microspheres were generated using a layer-by-layer approach depositing alternating coats of PVA and p(AAPBA-co-NVCL) on the PLGA surface, with the optimal system found to be that with eight alternating layers of each coating. The resultant material comprised spherical particles with a porous PLGA core and the pores covered in the coating layers. Insulin could successfully be loaded into the particles, with loading capacity and encapsulation efficiencies reaching 2.83 ± 0.15 and 82.6 ± 5.1% respectively, and was found to be present in the amorphous form. The insulin-loaded microspheres could regulate drug release in response to a changing concentration of glucose. In vitro and in vivo toxicology tests demonstrated that they are safe and have high biocompatibility. Using the multilayer microspheres to treat diabetic mice, we found they can effectively control blood sugar levels over at least 18 days, retaining their glucose-sensitive properties during this time. Therefore, the novel multilayer microspheres developed in this work have significant potential as smart drug-delivery systems for the treatment of diabetes.

Preparation of multilayer carbon microspheres by using graphitic carbon nitride as precursor

Multilayer carbon microspheres were synthesized by using graphitic Carbon Nitride as precursor. The result of SEM and TEM showed that micrometer-sized multilayer spherical carbon structure had been prepared without the designed addition of any catalyst or template. The composition of the sample indicated that the sample was pure carbon materials. The result of XRD and Raman revealed low graphitization degree of carbon microspheres. FTIR and the analysis of theoretical spectra calculated by using GAUSSIAN 03 program indicated carbon microspheres structure model consisted of many five-member carbon rings. It also can be the cause of the low graphitized degree.

PH-Sensitive Fluorescent Hepatocyte-Targeting Multilayer Polyelectrolyte Hollow Microspheres as a Smart Drug Delivery System

Novel multilayer polyelectrolyte hollow microspheres with pH-sensitive fluorescence and hepatocyte-targeting functions were successfully fabricated via a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-modified chitosan (CSFITC) and sodium hyaluronate (HA) (as the polycation and polyanion, respectively) on polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) templates with galactosylated chitosan (GC) as the outermost layer; after etching the templates by dialysis, the aim was to use the microspheres to target hepatocytes specifically. TEM analysis revealed that they have a hollow structure with a particle size of about 260 nm, and DLS analysis demonstrated that they have pH and ionic strength dual-responsive characteristics. The hollow microspheres showed pH-sensitive fluorescence at a very low concentration by fluorescent emission spectra. MTT assays revealed that doxorubicin (a water-insoluble anticancer drug)-loaded (CSFITC/HA)4/GC hollow microspheres can specifically target hepatocytes and exhibit favorable cytocompatibility. Three typical model drugs were loaded into the (CSFITC/HA)4/GC hollow microspheres, and their drug-release kinetics in simulated body fluid (SBF) were estimated with different mathematical models. The results demonstrated that the drug-loading mechanism is chemosorption and the primary governing force for drug release is diffusion. Thus, the designed hollow microspheres are expected to be used for the diagnosis and therapy of hepatic cancer.

Fabrication of distilled water-soluble chitosan/alginate functional multilayer composite microspheres

Polysaccharides-based functional microspheres were fabricated under mild conditions. Firstly, magnetic alginate microspheres were prepared by emulsification/internal gelation and acted as substrates. Then the multilayer composite microspheres (MCM) were obtained through the layer-by-layer assembly of the distilled water-soluble chitosan and alginate. The components, morphology, and size distribution of the microspheres were characterized by element analysis (EA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and laser particle size analyzer (LPSA). Both EA and XPS analysis results indicated that alternate immersion was an effective method for preparing MCM. Vibrating sample magnetometer, SEM and LPSA results showed that the microspheres had good dispersion, uniform particle size and were superparamagnetic. In addition, in vitro drug release behaviors of the microspheres were investigated by using hemoglobin (HB) and Coomassie brilliant blue G250 (CBB) as model drugs. It was found that the release rates of both HB and CBB from the composite microspheres were slower than those from the substrates.

Chitosan/Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Multilayer Hollow Microspheres Prepared via Layer-by-Layer Assembly Technique

Novel multilayer hollow microspheres were fabricated via the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique by the electrostatic interaction between the polycation chitosan (CHI) and the anion carboxyl-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWNTs) on sacrificial polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) microsphere templates. The successful stepwise growth of the CHI/f-MWNTs multilayers in different pH media was compared by zeta potential measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The morphologies of the hollow microspheres were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and SEM. The swelling and collapse of the hollow microspheres occurred during the template removal by dissolution and the drying process. It was found that more f-MWNTs had been deposited onto the surface of the PSS microspheres at pH 3 than at pH 5, confirmed by SEM and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, this result is consistent with the differences of the electrical conductivities of the hollow microspheres obtained from the different pH media. It is also found that in the etching process, the different etching reagents, such as DMF and toluene, obviously affected the electrical conductivity of the final hollow microspheres.

Microstructure and microwave absorption properties of Fe 3O 4/dextran/SnO 2 multilayer microspheres

Fe 3O 4/dextran/SnO 2 multilayer microspheres have been successfully designed and synthesized by solvothermal and hydrothermal reactions. Dextran worked as a linker between Fe 3O 4 core and SnO 2 shell. It can not only prevent the oxidation of Fe 3O 4 but also be carbonize to another absorber carbon black. The as-synthesized microspheres were about 320 nm in size and well-defined in shape. The maximum reflection loss of Fe 3O 4/dextran/SnO 2 microspheres and paraffin wax composites could reach 20.26 dB at 4.72 GHz, and the bandwidth with a reflection loss less than − 10 dB was 4.86 GHz with 4 mm in thickness. The excellent microwave absorption properties of the composites were attributed to the special multilayer structures of Fe 3O 4/dextran/SnO 2 microspheres and the effective complementarity between dielectric loss and magnetic loss.

Thermomechanical processes of composite materials under the action of intense energy fluxes

We propose mathematical models for determining the parameters of mechanical action under volumetric absorption of intense energy fluxes acting on targets consisting of heterogeneous materials. We focus on spheroplastics—materials having in their composition multilayer hollow microspheres.

Stimuli-responsive multilayer chitosan hollow microspheres via layer-by-layer assembly

Novel stimuli-responsive multilayer chitosan hollow microspheres with chitosan as the unique component have been fabricated by the sequential layer-by-layer electrostatic assembly technique from the sacrificial templates (polystyrene sulfonate, PSS) with chitosan (CS) as the polycation and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) as the polyanion, respectively. Their hollow structure was confirmed by the TEM analysis. The DLS analysis indicated that the multilayer chitosan microcapsules were pH and ionic strength dual-responsive. Due to the biocompatibility of the single component chitosan used, the multilayer chitosan microcapsules are expected to be used in the controlled release of drugs.

Superparamagnetic pH‐sensitive multilayer hybrid hollow microspheres for targeted controlled release

AbstractThe superparamagnetic multilayer hybrid hollow microspheres have been fabricated using the layer‐by‐layer assembly technique by the electrostatic interaction between the polyelectrolyte cation chitosan (CS) and the hybrid anion citrate modified ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4‐CA) onto the sacrificial polystyrene sulfonate microspheres templates after etching the templates by dialysis. The saturation magnetization and magnetite contents of the superparamagnetic multilayer hybrid hollow microspheres were 32.46 emu/g and 51.3%, respectively. The hybrid hollow microspheres showed pH‐sensitive characteristics. The adsorption and release of the basic dye (methylene blue) were applied to investigate the interaction between the amino groups of CS and the carboxyl groups of the Fe3O4‐CA nanoparticles in different pH media. The superparamagnetic pH‐sensitive multilayer hybrid hollow microspheres are expected to be used for the targeted controlled release of drugs or in diagnostics. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3135–3144, 2010

Hybrid microspheres with alternating layers of a polymer and metal nanoparticles

We studied the optical properties of hybrid multilayer microspheres (HMMs). We prepared multilayer particles with alternating radial layers of gold nanoparticles (NPs) and poly(methyl methacrylate) and achieved control over particle size, the thickness of particle layers, and the surface coverage of gold NPs. We showed the ability to tune the spectral characteristics of the HMMs, which was based on frequency dispersion of the dielectric constant of polymer–metal NP structures. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical extinction properties of the HMMs was obtained. In comparison with multilayer structures synthesized solely from polymers, hybrid multilayer microspheres have a larger refractive layer contrast between adjacent layers, which is important for practical applications in optoelectronic devices.