Intravenous SPION-labeled adipocyte-derived stem cells targeted to the brain by magnetic attraction in a rat stroke model: An ultrastructural insight into cell fate within the brain.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy after stroke is a promising option investigated in animal models and clinical trials. The intravenous route is commonly used in clinical settings guaranteeing an adequate safety profile although low yields of engraftment. In this report, rats subjected to ischemic stroke were injected with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) applying an external magnetic field in the skull to retain the cells. Although most published studies demonstrate viability of ADSCs, only a few have used ultrastructural techniques. In our study, the application of a local magnetic force resulted in a tendency for higher yields of SPION-ADSCs targeting the brain. However, grafted cells displayed morphological signs of death, one day after administration, and correlative microscopy showed active microglia and astrocytes associated in the process of scavenging. Thus, we conclude that, although successfully targeted within the brain, SPION-ADSCs viability was rapidly compromised.

Binding Sites, Vibrations and Spin-Lattice Relaxation Times in Europium(II)-Based Metallofullerene Spin Qubits.

To design molecular spin qubits with enhanced quantum coherence, a control of the coupling between the local vibrations and the spin states is crucial, which could be realized in principle by engineering molecular structures via coordination chemistry. To this end, understanding the underlying structural factors that govern the spin relaxation is a central topic. Here, we report the investigation of the spin dynamics in a series of chemically designed europium(II)-based endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs). By introducing a unique structural difference, i. e. metal-cage binding site, while keeping other molecular parameters constant between different complexes, these manifest the key role of the three low-energy metal-displacing vibrations in mediating the spin-lattice relaxation times (T1 ). The temperature dependence of T1 can thus be normalized by the frequencies of these low energy vibrations to show an unprecedentedly universal behavior for EMFs in frozen CS2 solution. Our theoretical analysis indicates that this structural difference determines not only the vibrational rigidity but also spin-vibration coupling in these EMF-based qubit candidates.

Near Isotropic D4d Spin Qubits as Nodes of a Gd(III)-Based Metal-Organic Framework.

Embedding coherent spin motifs in reproducible molecular building blocks is a promising pathway for the realization of quantum technologies. Three-dimensional (3D) MOFs are a versatile platform for the rational design of extended structures employing coordination chemistry. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a gadolinium(III)-based MOF, [Gd(bipyNO)4](TfO)3·xMeOH (bipyNO = bipyridine,N,N'-dioxide; TfO = triflate; and MeOH = methanol) (quMOF-1), which presents a unique coordination geometry that leads to a tiny magnetic anisotropy (in terms of D, an equivalent zero-field splitting would be achieved by D = 0.006 cm-1) even compared with regular Gd(III) complexes. Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on its magnetically diluted samples confirm the preservation of quantum coherence of single Gd(III) qubit units in this 3D extended molecular architecture (T2 = 612 ns and T1 = 66 µs at 3.5 K), which allows for the detection of Rabi oscillations at 40 K.

Self-assembled monolayers on a ferromagnetic permalloy surface.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are nowadays broadly used as surface protectors or modifiers and play a key role in many technological applications. This has motivated the study of their formation in all kind of materials; however, and despite the current interest in molecular spintronics, the study of SAMs on ferromagnetic surfaces remains almost unexplored. In this paper, we report for the first time a methodology for the formation of SAMs of n-alkylphosphonic acids on permalloy in ambient conditions. The formed monolayers have been fully characterized by means of contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectometry. Additionally, the magnetic stability of the modified permalloy after the solution process required for the SAM formation has been confirmed by magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry. Moreover, by means of microcontact printing lithography, very accurate SAM patterns have been transferred onto permalloy surfaces and used as resist mask in a chemical etching process giving rise to submicrometric permalloy surface patterns with potential interest in nanomagnetism, spintronics, and storage technologies.

Silica supported Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic solid-phase extraction and magnetic in-tube solid-phase microextraction: application to organophosphorous compounds.

This work demonstrates the application of silica supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles as sorbent phase for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and magnetic on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction (Magnetic-IT-SPME) combined with capillary liquid chromatography-diode array detection (CapLC-DAD) to determine organophosphorous compounds (OPs) at trace level. In MSPE, magnetism is used as separation tool while in Magnetic-IT-SPME, the application of an external magnetic field gave rise to a significant improvement of the adsorption of OPs on the sorbent phase. Extraction efficiency, analysis time, reproducibility and sensitivity have been compared. This work showed that Magnetic-IT-SPME can be extended to OPs with successful results in terms of simplicity, speed, extraction efficiency and limit of detection. Finally, wastewater samples were analysed to determine OPs at nanograms per litre.

Magnetic in-tube solid phase microextraction.

We report a new in-tube solid phase microextraction approach named magnetic in-tube solid phase microextraction, magnetic-IT-SPME. Magnetic-IT-SPME has been developed, taking advantage of magnetic microfluidic principles with the aim to improve extraction efficiency of IT-SPME systems. First, a magnetic hybrid material formed by Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles supported on SiO(2) was synthesized and immobilized in the surface of a bared fused silica capillary column to obtain a magnetic adsorbent extraction phase. The capillary column was placed inside a magnetic coil that allowed the application of a variable magnetic field. Acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, atenolol, diclofenac, and ibuprofen were tested as target analytes. The application of a controlled magnetic field resulted in quantitative extraction efficiencies of the target analytes between 70 and 100%. These results demonstrated that magnetic forces solve the low extraction efficiency (10-30%) of IT-SPME systems, which is one of their main drawbacks.

Quantum Advantage in a Molecular Spintronic Engine that Harvests Thermal Fluctuation Energy.

Recent theory and experiments have showcased how to harness quantum mechanics to assemble heat/information engines with efficiencies that surpass the classical Carnot limit. So far, this has required atomic engines that are driven by cumbersome external electromagnetic sources. Here, using molecular spintronics, an implementation that is both electronic and autonomous is proposed. The spintronic quantum engine heuristically deploys several known quantum assets by having a chain of spin qubits formed by the paramagnetic Co center of phthalocyanine (Pc) molecules electronically interact with electron-spin-selecting Fe/C60 interfaces. Density functional calculations reveal that transport fluctuations across the interface can stabilize spin coherence on the Co paramagnetic centers, which host spin flip processes. Across vertical molecular nanodevices, enduring dc current generation, output power above room temperature, two quantum thermodynamical signatures of the engine's processes, and a record 89% spin polarization of current across the Fe/C60 interface are measured. It is crucially this electron spin selection that forces, through demonic feedback and control, charge current to flow against the built-in potential barrier. Further research into spintronic quantum engines, insight into the quantum information processes within spintronic technologies, and retooling the spintronic-based information technology chain, can help accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Giant Enhancement in the Supercapacitance of NiFe-Graphene Nanocomposites Induced by a Magnetic Field.

The rapid rise in energy demand in the past years has prompted a search for low-cost alternatives for energy storage, supercapacitors being one of the most important devices. It is shown that a dramatic enhancement (≈1100%, from 155 to 1850 F g-1 ) of the specific capacitance of a hybrid stimuli-responsive FeNi3 -graphene electrode material can be achieved when the charge/discharge cycling is performed in the presence of an applied magnetic field of 4000 G. This result is related to an unprecedented magnetic-field-induced metal segregation of the FeNi3 nanoparticles during the cycling, which results in the appearance of small Ni clusters (<5 nm) and, consequently, in an increase in pseudocapacitive sites. The results open the door to a systematic improvement of the capacitance values of hybrid supercapacitors, while moving the research in this area towards the development of magnetically addressable energy-storage devices.

Enhancing Light Emission in Interface Engineered Spin-OLEDs through Spin-Polarized Injection at High Voltages.

The quest for a spin-polarized organic light-emitting diode (spin-OLED) is a common goal in the emerging fields of molecular electronics and spintronics. In this device, two ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes are used to enhance the electroluminescence intensity of the OLED through a magnetic control of the spin polarization of the injected carriers. The major difficulty is that the driving voltage of an OLED device exceeds a few volts, while spin injection in organic materials is only efficient at low voltages. The fabrication of a spin-OLED that uses a conjugated polymer as bipolar spin collector layer and ferromagnetic electrodes is reported here. Through a careful engineering of the organic/inorganic interfaces, it is succeeded in obtaining a light-emitting device showing spin-valve effects at high voltages (up to 14 V). This allows the detection of a magneto-electroluminescence (MEL) enhancement on the order of a 2.4% at 9 V for the antiparallel (AP) configuration of the magnetic electrodes. This observation provides evidence for the long-standing fundamental issue of injecting spins from magnetic electrodes into the frontier levels of a molecular semiconductor. The finding opens the way for the design of multifunctional devices coupling the light and the spin degrees of freedom.

Sublimable chloroquinolinate lanthanoid single-ion magnets deposited on ferromagnetic electrodes.

A new family of chloroquinolinate lanthanoid complexes of the formula A+[Ln(5,7Cl2q)4]-, with Ln = Y3+, Tb3+ and Dy3+ and A+ = Na+, NEt4+ and K0.5(NEt4)0.5+, is studied, both in bulk and as thin films. Several members of the family are found to present single-molecule magnetic behavior in bulk. Interestingly, the sodium salts can be sublimed under high vacuum conditions retaining their molecular structures and magnetic properties. These thermally stable compounds have been deposited on different substrates (Al2O3, Au and NiFe). The magnetic properties of these molecular films show the appearance of cusps in the zero-field cooled curves when they are deposited on permalloy (NiFe). This indicates a magnetic blocking caused by the interaction between the single-ion magnet and the ferromagnet. X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirms the formation of hybrid states at the molecule/metal interface.