Preparation, characterization and biological evaluations of mono and bimetallic nanoparticles systems

Abstract

The present project is focused on the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of cytotoxicity of metallic and bimetallic Fe and Au nanoparticles. For this end, we will study the morphological, structural and magnetic properties of metallic iron nanoparticles synthesized by the methods of co-precipitation and thermodecomposition. We intend to investigate the synthesis parameters, relating them with the characteristics of the produced nanoparticles (NPs) in order to improve their biocompatibility, when compared to results found in the literature, and thus evaluating its applicability in biomedicine. The objective is to implement a research line that involves the investigation of the thermodecomposition of Fe- and Au-containing ligands coordination compounds such as acetylacetonate and acetate to produce metallic and bimetallic NPs of Fe and Au with different morphologies and a size distribution from 4 to 30 nm. The goal of this first step is to explore the mechanisms of nucleation and the factors that influence the structure, morphology and the magnetic characteristics of this class of compounds, since they directly influence their properties. The synthesis method by co-precipitation of salts will be employed. Morphological, structural and magnetic characterization as well as the efficiency of functionalization of ligands on the surface of the NPs will be performed by different techniques. The second step in this project focuses on the use of these systems as vehicles for releasing nitric oxide (NO) and photoactive molecules, which are used as anti-tumors agents. Thus, we intended to functionalize the surface of the NPs with thiol groups -SH groups and silicates (SiO2). We will also consider the cytotoxicity of NPs in cultures of tumor and healthy cells. (AU)