UV-Accelerated Photocatalytic Degradation of Pesticide over Magnetite and Cobalt Ferrite Decorated Graphene Oxide Composite.

Pesticides are one of the main organic pollutants as they are highly toxic and extensively used worldwide. The reclamation of wastewater containing pesticides is of utmost importance. For this purpose, GO-doped metal ferrites (GO-Fe3O4 and GO-CoFe2O4) were prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. Photocatalytic potentials of catalysts were investigated against acetamiprid's degradation. A detailed review of the parametric study revealed that efficiency of overall Fenton's process relies on the combined effects of contributing factors, i.e., pH, initial oxidant concentration, catalyst dose, contact time, and acetamiprid load. ~97 and ~90% degradation of the acetamiprid was achieved by GO-CoFe2O4 and GO-Fe3O4, respectively during the first hour under UV radiations at optimized reaction conditions. At optimized conditions (i.e., pH:3, [H2O2]: 14.5 mM (for Fe3O4, GO-Fe3O4, and GO-CoFe2O4) and 21.75 mM (for CoFe2O4), catalysts: 100 mgL-1, time: 60min) the catalysts exhibited excellent performance, with high degradation rate, magnetic power, easy recovery at the end, and efficient reusability (up to 5 cycles without any considerable loss in catalytic activity). A high magnetic character offers its easy separation from aqueous systems using an external magnet. Moreover, the combined effects of experimental variables were assessed simultaneously and justified using response surface methodology (RSM).

Radiosensitizing effects of citrate-coated cobalt and nickel ferrite nanoparticles on breast cancer cells.

Aim: Evaluation of the biocompatibility and radiosensitizer potential of citrate-coated cobalt (cit-CF) and nickel (cit-NF) ferrite nanoparticles (NPs). Materials & methods: Normal fibroblast and breast cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of citrate-coated ferrite NPs (cit-NPs) and irradiated with a cobalt-60 source at doses of 1 and 3 Gy. After 24 h, cell metabolism, morphology alterations and nanoparticle uptake were evaluated. Results: Cit-CF and cit-NF NPs showed no toxicity to normal cells up to 250 and 100 µg.ml-1, respectively. Combination of cit-NP and ionizing radiation resulted in up to fivefold increase in the radiation therapeutic efficacy against breast cancer cells. Conclusion: Cit-CF and cit-NF NPs are suitable candidates for application as breast cancer cell radiosensitizers.

Magnetic-Plasmonic Heterodimer Nanoparticles: Designing Contemporarily Features for Emerging Biomedical Diagnosis and Treatments.

Magnetic-plasmonic heterodimer nanostructures synergistically present excellent magnetic and plasmonic characteristics in a unique platform as a multipurpose medium for recently invented biomedical applications, such as magnetic hyperthermia, photothermal therapy, drug delivery, bioimaging, and biosensing. In this review, we briefly outline the less-known aspects of heterodimers, including electronic composition, interfacial morphology, critical properties, and present concrete examples of recent progress in synthesis and applications. With a focus on emerging features and performance of heterodimers in biomedical applications, this review provides a comprehensive perspective of novel achievements and suggests a fruitful framework for future research.