Thermal conductivities of nanofluids are expected to be higher than common heat transfer fluids. The use of metal nanoparticles has not been intensely investigated for heat transfer applications due to lack of stability. Here we present an experimental study on the effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) which are stabilized with surfactants, on the thermal conductivity of water, ethylene glycol and hexane. Hydrophilic Ag NPs were synthesized in aqueous medium with using gum arabic as surfactant and oleic acid/oleylamine were used to stabilize Ag NPs in the organic phase. The enhancement up to 10 per cent in effective thermal conductivity of hexane and ethylene glycol was achieved with addition of Ag NPs at considerably low concentrations (i.e. 2 and 1 per cent, by weight, for hexane and ethylene glycol respectively). However, almost 10 per cent of deterioration was recorded at effective thermal conductivity of water when Ag NPs were added at 1 per cent (by wt). Considerable amount of Gum Arabic in the medium is shown to be the major contributor to this fall, causing lowering of thermal conductivity of water. Same particles performed much better in ethylene glycol where the stabilizer does not lower the thermal conductivity of the base fluid. Also thermal conductivity of nanofluids was found to be temperature independent except water based Ag nanofluids above a threshold concentration. This temperature dependency is suggested to be due to inhibition of hydrogen bonding among water molecules in the presence of high amounts of gum arabic.

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Temozolomide is a poorly soluble anti-cancer drug used in the treatment of some brain cancers. Following literature reports about the enhancement of solubility and stability for these kinds of drugs upon complexation with cyclodextrins, we aimed to form an inclusion complex between temozolomide and the different types of cyclodextrins (CDs) to enhance its solubility. In this study, three different cyclodextrins (β-CD, hydroxyl-β-CD and γ-CD) were used, and changes in solubility was measured by UV-Vis Spectroscopy and HPLC. Morphological changes upon complexation were shown by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and weight loss profiles with respect to temperatures which were unique to the compounds were shown by Thermogravimetric Analysis. Changes in heat release profiles were shown by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). Drug solubility was measured to be increased to around 25% for 1:1 molar ratio for all used CD complexations. Changes of morphology, heat release and weight loss profiles are consistent with the formation of an inclusion complex between CDs and temozolomide. In this study, success was shown in the enhancement of temozolomide solubility upon complexation with different types of CDs. It has been demonstrated that cyclodextrins can be used as complexing agents for poorly soluble anti-cancer drugs, increasing their solubility and hence drug availability.

Common heat transfer fluids have low thermal conductivities, which decrease their efficiency in many applications. On the other hand, solids have much higher thermal conductivity values. Previously, it was shown that the addition of different nanoparticles to various base fluids increases the thermal conductivity of the carrier fluid remarkably. However, there are limited studies that focus on the thermal conductivity of magnetic fluids. In this study, thermal conductivity of magnetic nanofluids composed of magnetite nanoparticles synthesized via co-precipitation and thermal decomposition methods is investigated. Results showed that the addition of magnetite nanoparticles decreased the thermal conductivity of water and ethylene glycol. This decrease was found to increase with increasing particle concentration and to be independent of the synthesis method, the type of surfactant, and the interfacial thermal resistance. V C 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Temozolomide, a chemotherapeutic drug that is often administered for the treatment of brain cancer has severe side effects and a poor aqueous solubility. In order to decrease the detrimental effect of the drug over healthy cells, a novel drug delivery vehicle was developed where the therapeutic drug was encapsulated within the hydrophobic cavities of b-CD modified magnetite nanoparticles, which are embedded in chitosan nanobeads prepared by salt addition. In-vitro studies have shown that the magnetic properties of the novel delivery vehicle are adequate for targeted drug delivery applications under an external magnetic field. Additionally, an increase in the amount of chitosan was shown to exhibit a strong shielding effect over the magnetic properties of the delivery vehicle, which lead to deterioration of the amount of captured drug at the targeted area, suggesting a delicate balance between the amounts of constituents composing the drug delivery vehicle.