In this work we describe fabrication, characterization and possible application of FITC (fluorescine isothiocyanate) conjugated magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) for biomedical applications such as imaging of cancer cells. The MNPs possessed octahedral-like geometry with almost completely dispersed distribution with high saturation magnetization. The final FMNPs (fluorescine isothiocyanate magnetite nanoparticles) absorption band showed 30 nm red shift towards longer wavelength compared to bare MNP and the laser-induced fluorescence was observed at 518 nm. The MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) results showed that FITC conjugation diminishes the toxicity MNPs mainly due to the reduction of surface charge. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed the uptake and distribution of FMNPs in MCF 7 (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7) breast cancer cells, which suggests that it can be utilized for applications such as a magnetic fluorescent probe for bioassay.

Rice straw is available in abundance as an agricultural waste and has been used in various applications. It is utilized as a source of cellulose and is attractive in biofuels, biomedical, and other applications. The present study investigates the surface morphology, structural properties, and thermal properties of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) isolated by acid hydrolysis of rice straw. Surface morphology, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), structural properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) of the NCCs were carried out. Morphology of the rice straw changes with each chemical treatment, and TEM images confirmed that the extraction of the NCC was successful, which had a rod-like shape. A constant and dynamic reduction in the thermal stability of the NCC happened as the hydrolysis time increase, which was most likely because to the high sulfation rate. These results demonstrate an efficient route to preparing high-yield NCC.

In this review paper, we report on some very recent findings dealt with the oil-in-water Pickering emulsions, stabilized by a strong adsorption of charged solid nanoparticles on the surface of the oil-droplets. Here, we are concerned with three important questions: (1) Structure and thermodynamics of these emulsions, (2) cage effect and subdiffusion phenomenon within them, and (3) spherical diffusion of anchored nanoparticles on the curved oil/water interface. For the study, the emulsions are regarded as colloidal solutions, where the clothed oil-droplets play the role of charged soft-colloids, and in addition, the adsorbed nanoparticles are assumed to be point-like. For question (1), we recall the essential steps allowing the determination of the structure-factor and the spatial-correlation function, and the thermodynamic properties, as pressure, internal energy, and thermal compressibility of these emulsions. To this end, the adopted pair-potential is that of Sogami-Ise combining repulsive and attractive forces, and use is made of the so-called Integral Equation Method. The question (2) deals with a quantitative investigation of the clothed oil-droplets dynamics (cage effect and subdiffusion), using a Generalized Langevin Equation, which is successfully tested by Molecular Dynamic Simulations. The question (3) is concerned with an exact study of the spherical diffusion of anchored nanoparticles on the surface of the dispersed oil-droplets. Finally, we precise the major role played by grafted polymers onto the spherical oil/water interface.