Highly Efficient Wideband Microwave Absorbers Based on Zero-Valent Fe@γ-Fe2O3 and Fe/Co/Ni Carbon-Protected Alloy Nanoparticles Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide.

Electronic systems and telecommunication devices based on low-power microwaves, ranging from 2 to 40 GHz, have massively developed in the last decades. Their extensive use has contributed to the emergence of diverse electromagnetic interference (EMI) phenomena. Consequently, EMI shielding has become a ubiquitous necessity and, in certain countries, a legal requirement. Broadband absorption is considered the only convincing EMI shielding solution when the complete disappearance of the unwanted microwave is required. In this study, a new type of microwave absorber materials (MAMs) based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated with zero-valent Fe@γ-Fe2O3 and Fe/Co/Ni carbon-protected alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using the Pechini sol-gel method. Synthetic parameters were varied to determine their influence on the deposited NPs size and spatial distribution. The deposited superparamagnetic nanoparticles were found to induce a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) absorption process in all cases. Furthermore, a direct relationship between the nanocomposites' natural FMR frequency and their composition-dependent saturation magnetization (Ms) was established. Finally, the microwave absorption efficiency (0.4 MHz to 20 GHz) of these new materials was found to range from 60% to 100%, depending on the nature of the metallic particles grafted onto rGO.

Cardiomyocytes facing fibrotic conditions re-express extracellular matrix transcripts.

Pathophysiological conditions, such as myocardial infarction and mechanical overload affect the mammalian heart integrity, leading to a stiffened fibrotic tissue. With respect to the pathophysiology of cardiac fibrosis but also in the limelight of upcoming approaches of cardiac cell therapy it is of interest to decipher the interaction of cardiomyocytes with fibrotic matrix. Therefore, we designed a hydrogel-based model to engineer fibrotic tissue in vitro as an approach to predict the behavior of cardiomyocytes facing increased matrix rigidity. Here, we generated pure induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and cultured them on engineered polyacrylamide hydrogels matching the elasticities of healthy as well as fibrotic cardiac tissue. Only in cardiomyocytes cultured on matrices with fibrotic-like elasticity, transcriptional profiling revealed a substantial up-regulation of a whole panel of cardiac fibrosis-associated transcripts, including collagen I and III, decorin, lumican, and periostin. In addition, matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, known to be essential in cardiac remodeling, were found to be elevated as well as insulin-like growth factor 2. Control experiments with primary cardiac fibroblasts were analyzed and did not show comparable behavior. In conclusion, we do not only present a snapshot on the transcriptomic fingerprint alterations in cardiomyocytes under pathological conditions but also provide a new reproducible approach to study the effects of fibrotic environments to various cell types. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The ageing population in many western countries is faced with an increasing burden of ageing-related diseases such as heart failure which is associated with cardiac fibrosis. A deeper understanding of the interaction of organotypic cells with altered extracellular matrix mechanical properties is of pivotal importance to understand the underlying mechanisms. Here, we present a strategy to combine hydrogel matrices with induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes to study the effect of matrix stiffening on these cells. Our findings suggest an active role of matrix stiffening on cardiomyocyte function and heart failure progression.