Multiple Ion Scaffold-Based Delivery Platform for Potential Application in Early Stages of Bone Regeneration

Bone has the intrinsic capacity to regenerate itself, as long as the damage is small, through the sequential stimulation of specific phases, such as angiogenesis followed by osteogenesis. However, when the damage is extensive it is unable to regenerate and bone tissue engineering is used as an alternative. In this study, we developed a platform to allow the triple ion delivery with sequential delivery capacity to potentially stimulate antibacterial, angiogenic and osteogenic processes. The scaffold-based platform consisted of alginate/hydroxyapatite (HA) microparticles embedded in alginate fibers. Firstly, microparticles were developed using different ratios of alginate:HA using the spraying method, resulting in a high reproducibility of the technique. Microparticle size between 100–300 µm and ratio 1:40 resulted in a more spherical morphology and were selected for their incorporation into alginate fiber. Different amounts of copper and cobalt were added with the microparticles and alginate fiber, respectively, were used as model ions which could eventually modulate and mimic antimicrobial and angiogenic processes. Moreover, calcium ion was also incorporated in both, in order to provide the system with potential osteogenic properties together with HA. The multiple delivery of copper, cobalt and calcium released were in the therapeutic range as measured by induced coupled plasma (ICP), providing a promising delivery strategy for tissue engineering.

Efficient Color Tuning of Upconversion Luminescence from Core-Shell Oxysulfide Nanoparticles

The Y2O2S:Er3+@Y2O2S:Yb3+,Ho3+ core-shell up-conversion (UC) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the homogeneous co-precipitation method. The Y2O2S:Er3+@Y2O2S:Yb3+,Ho3+ core-shell nanoparticles exhibit bright green emissions under 980 nm excitation, while the triple-ion doped Y2O2S:Er3+,Yb3+,Ho3+ sample presents mainly red emissions. The intensity ratio of green-to-red emission of the core-shell and conventional triple-ion doped samples are 2.8 and 0.3, respectively. Investigations on the UC mechanisms show that emissions from Er3+ and Ho3+ ions are achieved simultaneously in the core-shell nanoparticles. This is due to the efficient energy transfers of Yb3+→Ho3+ within the shell layer and Yb3+→Er3+ between the shell and the core. While the triple-ion doped Y2O2S: Er3+,Yb3+,Ho3+ sample exhibits mainly the emissions of Er3+ along with weak luminescence of Ho3+ ion. Since the cross relaxation between Er3+ and Ho3+ ions in the Y2O2S:Er3+,Yb3+,Ho3+ nanoparticles can effectively suppress the emissions of Ho3+ ions. Yet, in the core-shell structure, this cross relaxation can be successfully restrained in the core-shell structure where Er3+ is in the core and Ho3+ is in the shell. Therefore, the construction of core-shell structure can improve the luminescence efficiency and provide a route for adjustment of emission color.

Nano-Oxide-Dispersed Ferritic Steel for Fusion Energy Systems

ABSTRACTThe role of oxide nanoparticles in cavity formation of a nano-oxide-dispersed ferritic steel subjected to (Fe + He) dual-ion and (Fe + He + H) triple-ion irradiations has been studied using transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the synergistic effects of helium and hydrogen on radiation tolerance of nano-oxide-dispersed ferritic steel for fusion energy systems. The effect of oxide nanoparticles on suppressing radiation-induced void swelling is clearly revealed from the observation of preferred trapping of helium bubbles at oxide nanoparticles, which results in a unimodal distribution of cavities in the (Fe + He) dual-ion irradiated specimen. An adverse effect of hydrogen implantation, however, is revealed from the observation of a bimodal distribution of cavities with large and facetted voids in association with the formation of HFe5O8-based hydroxide in local regions of the (Fe + He + H) triple-ion irradiated specimen.

Synergistic Effect on Formation of Radiation Damage in CLAM Steel Studied by Triple Beam Irradiation

The synergistic effect associated with displacement damage, hydrogen and heliumin the China Low Activation Martensitic (CLAM) steel has been investigated using the triple ion beamirradiation. Triple ion beams, an iron beam of 109 MeV degraded by a tantalum foil of 7.45 μm thick, the100 keV hydrogen and 200 keV helium, were injected into the CLAM steel samples simultaneously or sequentially.The radiation damage examinations were carried out by the slow positron Doppler broadening technique. Themeasured S parameters indicate that the radiation damage is different for different irradiationprocedures with same dpa and concentrations of H and He. The sample suffers most severe damage in the simultaneoustriple beam irradiation. The present experimental results support the molecular dynamics simulation result that the H facilitates the He-bubble nucleation and growth.