Combinatorial effects of coral addition and plasma treatment on the properties of chitosan/polyethylene oxide nanofibers intended for bone tissue engineering.

Given the complex calcified nature of the fibrous bone tissue, a combinatorial approach merging specific topographical/biochemical cues was adopted to design bone tissue-engineered scaffolds. Coral having a Ca-enriched structure was added to electrospun chitosan (CS)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers that were subjected to plasma surface modifications using a medium pressure Ar, air or N2 dielectric barrier discharge. Plasma incorporated oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functionalities onto the nanofibers surface thus enhancing their wettability. Plasma treatment enhanced the performance of osteoblasts and the interplay between plasma treatment and coral was shown to boost initial cell adhesion. The fibers capacity to trigger calcium phosphate growth was predicted via immersion in simulated body fluid. Globular carbonate apatite nanocrystals were deposited on plasma-treated CS/PEO NFs while thicker layers of flake-like nanocrystals were covering plasma-treated Coral/CS/PEO fibers without blocking the interfibrous pores. Overall, the exclusive multifaceted plasma-treated Coral/CS/PEO nanofibers are believed to revolutionize the bone tissue engineering field.

Sonochemical synthesis of a new nano-sized cerium(III) coordination polymer and its conversion to nanoceria.

Nanoparticles of a new two-dimensional cerium(III) coordination polymer compound, [Ce(pzdc)(pzdcH)(H2O)3]n (1), (H2pzdc=2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylic acid), have been synthesized by a sonochemical process and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. Compound 1 was structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and was shown that it consists of 2D sheets that construct a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture via non-covalent interactions i.e. hydrogen bonding. The thermal stability of compound 1 both for its crystals and nanostructures has been studied by the thermal gravimetric (TG) method and compared with each other. The role of ultrasound irradiation power and the concentration of initial reactants on the size and morphology of the nano-structured compound 1, has been investigated. Calcination of compound 1 at 800°C under air atmosphere yields ceria nanoparticles. Furthermore, the fluorescent properties of compound 1 at room temperature were studied.

A novel iron complex containing an N,O-type bidentate oxazoline ligand: Synthesis, X-ray studies, DFT calculations and catalytic activity.

A five-coordinated Fe(III) complex with the distorted trigonal bipyramidal configuration was synthesized by reactions of FeCl3⋅6H2O and 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)oxazoline (Hphox) as a bidentate ON donor oxazoline ligand. Complex [Fe(phox)2Cl] was fully characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. DFT calculations were accompanied with experimental results in order to obtain a deeper insight into the electronic structure and vibrational normal modes of complex. Oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides in one-step was conducted by this complex as catalyst using urea hydrogen peroxide (UHP) in mixture of CH2Cl2/CH3OH (1:1) under air at room temperature. The results show that using this system in oxidation of sulfides, sulfoxides are obtained as the main products, together with variable amounts of sulfones (≤13%), depending on the nature of the substrate.