Wenru Zhao

A novel kind of magnetic core/mesoporous silica shell nanospheres with a uniform particle diameter of ca. 270 nm was synthesized. The inner magnetic core endues the whole nanoparticle with magnetic properties, while the outer mesoporous silica shell shows high enough surface area and pore volume. The synthesized material is expected to be applied to targeted drug delivery and multiphase separation. The storage and release of ibuprofen into and from the pore channels of the mesoporous silica shell, as a typical example, are demonstrated.

Though many efforts have been devoted to the adsorptive removal of hazardous materials of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), it is still highly desirable to develop novel adsorbents with high adsorption capacities. In the current work, the removal of two representative OPs, glyphosate (GP) and glufosinate (GF), was investigated by the exceptionally stable Zr-based MOFs of UiO-67. The abundant Zr-OH groups, resulting from the missing-linker induced terminal hydroxyl groups and the inherent bridging ones in Zr-O clusters of UiO-67 particles, served as natural anchorages for efficient GP and GF capture in relation with their high affinity toward phosphoric groups in OPs. The correlation between the most significant parameters such as contact time, OPs concentration, adsorbent dose, pH, as well as ionic strength with the adsorption capacities was optimized, and the effects of these parameters on the removal efficiency of GP and GF from the polluted aqueous solution were investigated. The adsorption of GP on UiO-67 was faster than that of GF, and a pseudo-second-order rate equation effectively described the uptake kinetics. The Langmuir model exhibited a better fit to adsorption isotherm than the Freundlich model. Thanks to the strong affinity and adequate pore size, the adsorption capacities in UiO-67 approached as high as 3.18 mmol (537 mg) g(-1) for GP and 1.98 mmol (360 mg) g(-1) for GF, which were much higher than those of many other reported adsorbents. The excellent adsorption characteristics of the current adsorbents toward OPs were preserved in a wide pH window and high concentration of the background electrolytes. These prefigured the promising potentials of UiO-67 as novel adsorbent for the efficient removal of OPs from aqueous solution.

Abstract A novel kind of rattle‐type hollow magnetic mesoporous sphere (HMMS) with Fe 3 O 4 particles encapsulated in the cores of mesoporous silica microspheres has been successfully fabricated by sol–gel reactions on hematite particles followed by cavity generation with hydrothermal treatment and H 2 reduction. Such a structure has the merits of both enhanced drug‐loading capacity and a significant magnetization strength. The prepared HMMSs realize a relatively high storage capacity up to 302 mg g −1 when ibuprofen is used as a model drug, and the IBU–HMMS system has a sustained‐release property, which follows a Fick's law.

Zr-based MOF nanoparticles were applied as efficient carriers for alendronate delivery, and an unprecedented drug loading capacity was achieved thanks to the inherent drug anchorages of Zr-O clusters therein. The encapsulated drug featured with a pH-dependent release profile, and inhibited the growth of cancer cells more efficiently than the free drug.