In this study, dihydroartemisinin (DAR), an anticancer agent with low toxicity, was loaded into poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles. The obtained PLGA cores were then coated with chitosan (CS) and/or folic acid (FA) by electrostatic interactions to enhance their anticancer and cellular uptake properties. DAR-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. CS and FA solutions at different ratios were dispersed concurrently into the PLGA suspension to facilitate electrostatic interactions and form nanosuspensions. The physiochemical properties of nanoparticles such as average particle size (Z), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), TEM image, X-ray diffraction, and encapsulation efficiency were determined. We then determined the role of FA and CS coating on the nanoparticle surface in cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and apoptosis. We show that the resultant nanoparticles were spherical and uniform, with a coating layer containing FA and CS covering PLGA cores with a Z of 223.5±4.28 nm, PDI of 0.209±0.03, and ZP of 15.75±1.3 mV. Both FA and CS improved the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles compared to free DAR and PLGA nanoparticles in HL-60 and KB cancer cell lines. Further, FA enhanced the cellular uptake of nanoparticles to a greater extent than CS. However, CS contributed more to apoptosis induction than FA.
In this research, photocatalytic materials of TiO2, Ag-TiO2, Ag-TiO2/perlite were synthesized by the sol-gel method. By combining the photocatalytic activity between Ag-TiO2 and Perlite mineral, the Ag-TiO2/perlite composite has overcome the disadvantages of pristine TiO2, such as high band gap energy, low light utilization and easy recombination of electrons and holes. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The photocatalytic activity of the samples was tested for degradation of methylene blue (MB) under solar light irradiation. Photodegradation studies revealed a 95% removal of MB dye via the synthesized Ag-TiO2/perlite after 150 min of irradiation. Reusability of this hybrid photocatalyst system was tested and only a 3% decrease was observed after four cycles.
In this research, Ag-Ag3PO4/Cellulose aerogel composite was synthesized using hydrothermal reduction and freeze-drying methods. By combining the photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor Ag-Ag3PO4 and cellulose aerogel synthesized from agricultural waste sources, the synthesized Ag-Ag3PO4/Cellulose aerogel composite has overcome the disadvantages of pure Ag3PO4 and significantly improved the photocatalytic activity. Structural characteristics, morphology, surface area of the materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) methods. From the obtained results, composite has narrow bandgap energy (2.275 eV) and excellent catalytic performance in the photodegradation of dye pollutants (99% MB and 77% RY 145 degraded after 4 h, and only a minor change in the efficiency observed after four consecutive tests). It demonstrates the development of new catalysts made from agricultural waste sources that show high stability, ease of fabrication and can operate in natural light for environmental remediation.
In the research, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was synthesized using modified halloysite via a calcination method. The improvement of photocatalytic activity mainly benefits from the reduced e-/h+ pairs recombination rate, the improved electron separation yield. The photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite was evaluated through the Synozol red HF-6BN dye degradation, the degradation efficiency approached 99% after 30 mins irradiation under the solar light, and the performance is slightly reduced to 94 % after three consecutive tests. These results have demonstrated an effective method to synthesize g-C3N4 photocatalysts with nanostructures using crude clay minerals.
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