Promising psyllium-based composite containing TiO2 nanoparticles as aspirin-carrier matrix

Composite nanomaterials represent a new trend in the biomedical field. Coupling inorganic/organic constituents with non-toxicity/biocompatibility properties leads to develop the new systems having special characteristics that can be used in various bio-applications. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of psyllium-based composites containing TiO2 nanoparticles in order to develop new therapeutic strategies for aspirin drug delivery. The structural characteristics of obtained materials were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy. The UV–vis spectrophotometric analysis was performed to evaluate the aspirin release behavior under different pH conditions at 37 °C. Combining psyllium (as an excellent source of fiber) with TiO2 inorganic unit (as vehicle of aspirin) it was found that polymeric-TiO2 networks have promising potential for controlled aspirin release as therapeutic agent

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2/CdS Layers as Potential Photoelectrocatalytic Materials

The TiO2/CdS semiconductor composites were prepared on<br />indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates in di®erent mass proportions via wet-chemical techniques using bi-distilled water, acetyl-acetone, poly-propylene-glycol and Triton X-100 as additives. The composite layers were annealed in normal conditions at the temperature of 450±C, 120 min. with a rate of temperature increasing of 5±C/min. The structural and optical properties of all the TiO2/CdS ayers were characterized by X-ray di®raction, UV-VIS spectroscopy, spectrofluorimetry and FT/IR microscopy. The microstructural properties of the deposited TiO2/CdS layers can be modi¯ed by varying the mass proportions of TiO2:CdS. The good crystallinity level and the high optical adsorption of<br />the TiO2/CdS layers make them attractive for photoelectrochemical cell applications

Luminescence, Paramagnetic, and Electrochemical Properties of Copper Oxides-Decorated TiO₂/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites

The properties of newly synthesized Cu2O/CuO-decorated TiO2/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites (NC) were analyzed aiming to obtain insight into their photocatalytic behavior and their various applications, including water remediation, self-cleaning surfaces, antibacterial materials, and electrochemical sensors. The physico-chemical methods of research were photoluminescence (PL), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The solid samples evidenced an EPR signal that can be attributed to the oxygen-vacancy defects and copper ions in correlation with PL results. Free radicals generated before and after UV-Vis irradiation of powders and aqueous dispersions of Cu2O/CuO-decorated TiO2/GO nanocomposites were studied by EPR spectroscopy using two spin traps, DMPO (5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide) and CPH (1-hydroxy-3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine), to highlight the formation of hydroxyl and superoxide reactive oxygen species, respectively. The electrochemical characterization of the NC modified carbon-paste electrodes (CPE) was carried out by CV and DPV. As such, modified carbon-paste electrodes were prepared by mixing carbon paste with copper oxides-decorated TiO2/GO nanocomposites. We have shown that GO reduces the recombination process in TiO2 by immediate electron transfer from excited TiO2 to GO sheets. The results suggest that differences in the PL, respectively, EPR data and electrochemical behavior, are due to the different copper oxides and GO content, presenting new perspectives of materials functionalization

Detection of 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine Biomarker with a Screen-Printed Electrode Modified with Graphene

In this work we present the preparation of graphene material by exfoliation of graphite rods via pulses of current in electrolyte, containing a mixture of boric acid (0.05 M) and sodium chloride (0.05 M). The material was morphologically and structurally characterized by SEM/TEM/HR-TEM, XRD and FTIR techniques. TEM investigation of graphene flakes deposited onto carbon-coated grids allowed the visualization of thin and transparent regions, attributed to few-layer graphene (FLG), as well as thick and dark regions attributed to multi-layer graphene (MLG). The mixed composition of the material was additionally confirmed by XRD, which further indicated that the amount of FLG within the sample was around 83%, while MLG was around 17%. The performance of a screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with graphene (SPE-Gr) was tested for 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine detection. The graphene-modified electrode had a higher sensitivity in comparison with that of SPE, both in standard laboratory solutions (phosphate buffered saline—PBS) and in human saliva