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Flexible inorganic-organic magneto-electric (ME) nanocomposite films (PVDF, PVDF-GO, PVDF-Fe3O4 and PVDF-GO-Fe3O4), composed of well-dispersed graphene oxide (GO 5 wt%) and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (5 wt%) embedded into a poly(vinylidene-fluoride) (PVDF) matrix, have been prepared by a solvent casting route. The magnetic, ferroelectric, dielectric, magneto-dielectric (MD) coupling and structural properties of these films have been systematically investigated. Magnetic (Ms = 2.21 emu g(-1)) and ferroelectric (P = 0.065 μC cm(-2)) composite films of PVDF-GO-Fe3O4 (PVDF loaded with 5% GO and 5% Fe3O4) with an MD coupling of 0.02% at room temperature (RT) showed a three times higher dielectric constant than that of the pure PVDF film, with a dielectric loss as low as 0.6. However, the PVDF-Fe3O4 film, which exhibited improved magnetic (Ms = 2.5 emu g(-1)) and MD coupling (0.04%) properties at RT with a lower dielectric loss (0.3), exhibited decreased ferroelectric properties (P = 0.06 μC cm(-2)) and dielectric constant compared to the PVDF-GO-Fe3O4 film. MD coupling measurements carried out as a function of temperature on the multi-functional PVDF-GO-Fe3O4 film showed a systematic increase in MD values up to 100 K and a decrease thereafter. The observed magnetic, ferroelectric, dielectric, MD coupling and structural properties of the nanocomposite films are attributed to the homogeneous dispersion and good alignment of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and GO in the PVDF matrix along with a partial conversion of nonpolar α-phase PVDF to polar β-phase. The above multi-functionality of the composite films of PVDF-Fe3O4 and PVDF-GO-Fe3O4 paves the way for their application in smart multiferroic devices.

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This investigation reports the preparation of agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and evaluation of its utility as a viable carrier in the preparation of radiolanthanides as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of arthritis. The material was synthesized by a chemical route and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX and TEM analysis. The surface of agglomerated particle possessed ion pairs (-O À :Na + ) after dispersing particles in a NaHCO 3 solution at pH = 7 which is conducive for radiolanthanide (*Ln = 90 Y, 153 Sm, 166 Ho, 169 Er, 177 Lu) loading by replacement of Na + ions with tripositive radiolanthanide ions. Radiolanthanide-loaded particulates exhibited excellent in vitro stability up to B3 half-lives of the respective lanthanide radionuclides when stored in normal saline at 37 1C. The radiochemical purities of the loaded particulates were found to be retained to the extent of 470% after 48 h of storage when challenged by a strong chelator DTPA present at a concentration as high as 5 mM, indicating fairly strong chemical association of lanthanides with agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Biodistribution studies of 90 Y and 166 Ho-loaded particulates carried out after intra-articular injection into one of the knee joints of a normal Wistar rat revealed near-complete retention of the radioactive preparations (498% of the administered radioactivity) within the joint cavity even after 72 h post injection. This was further confirmed by sequential whole-body radio-luminescence imaging. These experimental results are indicative of the potential use of radiolanthanide-loaded agglomerated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for the treatment of arthritis.

The protein crystallography beamline (PX-BL21), installed at the 1.5 T bending-magnet port at the Indian synchrotron (Indus-2), is now available to users. The beamline can be used for X-ray diffraction measurements on a single crystal of macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes. PX-BL21 has a working energy range of 5-20 keV for accessing the absorption edges of heavy elements commonly used for phasing. A double-crystal monochromator [Si(111) and Si(220)] and a pair of rhodium-coated X-ray mirrors are used for beam monochromatization and manipulation, respectively. This beamline is equipped with a single-axis goniometer, Rayonix MX225 CCD detector, fluorescence detector, cryogenic sample cooler and automated sample changer. Additional user facilities include a workstation for on-site data processing and a biochemistry laboratory for sample preparation. In this article the beamline, other facilities and some recent scientific results are briefly described.

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