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Surfactant-free silver nanofluids as liquid systems with neuromorphic potential
Nikitin, D. ; Biliak, K. ; Lemke, J. ; Protsak, M. ; Pleskunov, P. ; Tosca, M. ; Ali-Ogly, S. ; Červenková, V. ; Adejube, B. ; Bajtošová, L. ; Černochová, Zulfiya ; Prokeš, J. ; Křivka, I. ; Biederman, H. ; Faupel, F. ; Vahl, A. ; Choukourov, A.
Neuromorphic engineering is a rapidly developing branch of science that aims to implement the unique attributes of biological neural networks in artificial devices. Most neuromorphic devices are based on the resistive switching effect, which involves changing the device’s conductivity in response to an external electric field. For instance, percolating nanoparticle (NP) networks produced by gas aggregation cluster sources (GAS) show collective spiking behavior in conductivity reminiscent of brain-like dynamics. Nevertheless, the problem of dynamic spatial reconfiguration in solid-state neuromorphic systems remains unsolved. Herein, novel nanofluids with resistive switching properties are proposed as neuromorphic media. They are produced by depositing silver NPs from GAS into vacuum-compatible liquids (paraffin, silicon oil, and PEG) without the use of surfactants or other chemicals. When the electric field is applied between two electrodes, the migration of NPs toward biased electrode is detected in all liquids. The electrophoretic nature of the NP movement was proved by means of ζ-potential measurements. Such movement led to the self-assembly of NPs in conductive paths connecting the electrodes and, as a result, to resistive switching. The electrical response was strongly dependent on the dielectric constant of the base liquid. The Ag-PEG nanofluid demonstrated the best switching performance reproducible during several tens of current-voltage cycles. The growth of flexible and reconfigurable conductive filaments in nanofluids makes them suitable media for potential realization of 3D neural networks.
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Temoporfin-conjugated upconversion nanoparticles for NIR-induced photodynamic therapy of pancreatic cancer
Shapoval, Oleksandr ; Větvička, D. ; Kabešová, M. ; Engstová, Hana ; Horák, Daniel
Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a clinically approved cancer treatment strategy, has the potential to cure pancreatic cancer with minimal side effects. PDT primarily uses visible wavelengths to directly activate hydrophobic photosensitizers, which may be insufficient for deep-seated cancer cells in clinical practice due to poor penetration. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) serve as an indirect excitation source to activate photosensitizers (PSs) in the NIR region, overcoming the limitations of molecular PSs such as hydrophobicity, non-specificity, and excitation in the UV/Vis region. Here, monodisperse upconversion NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+, Fe2+ nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been surface-engineered with poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEMA) and temoporfin (mTHPC), a clinically used PDT prodrug, for near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered PDT of pancreatic cancer. The incorporation of Fe2+ ions into the particles increased the fluorescence intensity in the red region matching the activation wavelength of mTHPC. Covalent binding of mTHPC to the surface of UCNP@PMVEMA particles provided colloidally stable conjugates enabling generation of singlet oxygen. In vitro cytotoxicity and photodynamic activity of the particles were evaluated using INS-1E rat insulinoma and Capan-2 and PANC-01 human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines. The PDT efficacy of UCNP@PMVEMA-mTHPC conjugates after irradiation with 980 nm NIR light was tested in vivo in a pilot study on Capan-2 human pancreatic adenocarcinoma growing subcutaneously in athymic nude mice. The intratumoral administration of the nanoconjugates significantly hindered tumor growth and demonstrated promising PDT efficacy against human pancreatic cancer.
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PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE FE-NI PARTICLES PREPARED BY THERMAL REDUCTION OF OXALATE PRECURSORS
Švábenská, Eva ; Roupcová, Pavla ; Havlíček, Lubomír ; Schneeweiss, Oldřich
Recent technological advancements require development of cost-effective and high-performance magnets \nwhich ideally do not contain rare earth metals or noble metals. The promising candidates are Fe-Ni-based \nalloys, in particular, the Fe50Ni50 L10 phase (tetrataenite), which has a great perspective for producing hard \nmagnetic materials. Our study explores a promising method for preparing nanoparticles of Fe-Ni alloy from an \niron-nickel oxalate precursor. The coprecipitation method was employed to prepare oxalate precursors, \nfollowed by controlled thermal decomposition in a reducing hydrogen atmosphere. The morphology and \nproperties of the resulting particles were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with \nenergy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS), and \nmagnetic measurements.\nThe SEM analysis revealed that the particles have approximately cube-shaped unit cell morphology with a\nsize in a range of 1 - 2 μm. Upon annealing, the samples contain multiple phases with varying Fe-Ni content.\nMagnetic measurements confirmed the formation of magnetically suitable Fe-Ni phases in the samples after \nannealing. Mössbauer spectroscopy emerged as a highly effective method for characterizing individual phases \nof the Fe-Ni system.
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