ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8660-788X
Current Organisation
University of Limerick
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2022
Abstract: Early diagnosis of renal fibrosis is crucially significant on account of its worldwide prevalent tendency. Optical imaging in the near‐infrared window has been recognized as an appealing technique for the timely detection of renal dysfunction. However, formulating a contrast agent that allows early monitoring of renal fibrosis and concurrently renally clearable in a normal group is still challenging. Herein, a nanosized fluorophore with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) features, namely AIE‐4PEG550 NPs, is well‐tailored and amenable to longitudinal visualization of the fibrosis progression specifically in the early‐stage via short‐wave infrared (SWIR, 900–1700 nm) fluorescence and photoacoustic bimodal imaging. The small size (≈26 nm), renally filtrable molecular weight (3.3 kDa), high renal clearance efficiency (93.1 ± 1.7% excretion through the kidneys within 24 h), outstanding imaging performance, and good biocompatibility, together make AIE‐4PEG550 NPs remarkably impressive and far superior to clinical diagnostic assays. The finding in this study would provide a blueprint for the next generation of diagnostic agents for the extent of renal fibrosis.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1039/D2CP00223J
Abstract: Buffer solutions do not simply regulate pH, but also change the properties of protein molecules.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 28-07-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-05-2022
DOI: 10.3390/IJMS23105422
Abstract: Aurivillius oxides ferroelectric layered materials are formed by bismuth oxide and pseu-do-perovskite layers. They have a good ionic conductivity, which is beneficial for various photo-catalyzed reactions. Here, we synthesized ultra-thin nanosheets of two different Aurivillius oxides, Bi2WO6 (BWO) and Bi2MoO6 (BMO), by using a hard-template process. All materials were characterized through XRD, TEM, FTIR, TGA/DSC, DLS/ELS, DRS, UV-Vis. Band gap material (Eg) and potential of the valence band (EVB) were calculated for BWO and BMO. In contrast to previous reports on the use of multi composite materials, a new procedure for photocatalytic efficient BMO nanosheets was developed. The procedure, with an additional step only, avoids the use of composite materials, improves crystal structure, and strongly reduces impurities. BWO and BMO were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of the water pollutant dye malachite green (MG). MG removal kinetics was fitted with Langmuir—Hinshelwood model obtaining a kinetic constant k = 7.81 × 10−2 min−1 for BWO and k = 9.27 × 10−2 min−1 for BMO. Photocatalytic dye degradation was highly effective, reaching 89% and 91% MG removal for BWO and BMO, respectively. A control experiment, carried out in the absence of light, allowed to quantify the contribution of adsorption to MG removal process. Adsorption contributed to MG removal by a 51% for BWO and only by a 19% for BMO, suggesting a different degradation mechanism for the two photocatalysts. The advanced MG degradation process due to BMO is likely caused by the high crystallinity of the material synthetized with the new procedure. Reuse tests demonstrated that both photocatalysts are highly active and stable reaching a MG removal up to 95% at the 10th reaction cycle. These results demonstrate that BMO nanosheets, synthesized with an easy additional step, achieved the best degradation performance, and can be successfully used for environmental remediation applications.
No related grants have been discovered for Cristina Carucci.