Peculiar Magnetoelectric Coupling in BaTiO₃:Fe₁₁₃ ppm Nanoscopic Segregations

Oral sorafenib-loaded microemulsion for breast cancer: evidences from the in-vitro evaluations and pharmacokinetic studies

Sorafenib tosylate (SFB) is a multikinase inhibitor that inhibits tumour growth and proliferation for the management of breast cancer but is also associated with issues like toxicity and drug resistance. Also, being a biopharmaceutical class II (BCS II) drug, its oral bioavailability is the other challenge. Henceforth, this report intended to encapsulate SFB into a biocompatible carrier with biodegradable components, i.e., phospholipid. The microemulsion of the SFB was prepared and characterized for the surface charge, morphology, micromeritics and drug release studies. The cell viability assay was performed on 4T1 cell lines and inferred that the IC₅₀ value of sorafenib-loaded microemulsion (SFB-loaded ME) was enhanced compared to the naïve SFB at the concentrations of about 0.75 µM. More drug was available for the pharmacological response, as the protein binding was notably decreased, and the drug from the developed carriers was released in a controlled manner. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic studies established that the developed nanocarrier was suitable for the oral administration of a drug by substantially enhancing the bioavailability of the drug to that of the free SFB. The results bring forth the preliminary evidence for the future scope of SFB as a successful therapeutic entity in its nano-form for effective and safer cancer chemotherapy via the oral route.

Enhanced strain-induced magnetoelectric coupling in polarization-free Fe/BaTiO3 heterostructures

The search for magnetoelectric materials typically revolves around the struggle to make magnetic and ferroelectric orders simultaneously coexist in the same material, using either an intrinsic or an extrinsic/composite approach. Via ab initio calculations of a prototypical Fe/BaTiO3 interface, we predict that it is possible to tune the magnitude of the individual magnetic moments even for non-polar BaTiO3. By comparing polar and non-polar Fe/BaTiO3 heterostructures, we show that the Fe, Ti and equatorial O atomic magnetic moments are induced and enhanced as a result of their local crystal field. The crystal field may be controlled solely by manipulation of the inter-atomic distances of their neighbouring atoms (which will affect their electrostatic fields and orbital hybridizations), or by the BaTiO3 electric dipole moments, working as a local polarization. When this polarization is present, it dominates the crystal field contributions, thus constraining the effects of other perturbations such as strain. We also find that, contrary to conventional expectations, the non-polar heterostructure shows higher strain induced magnetization sensitivity than its polar counterpart.

Review on the growth, properties and applications of self-assembled oxide-metal vertically aligned nanocomposite thin films-current and future perspectives

Self-assembled oxide-metal nanocomposite thin films have aroused great research interest owing to their wide range of functionalities, including metamaterials with plasmonic and hyperbolic optical properties, and ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and multiferroic behaviors. Oxide-metal nanocomposites typically self-assemble as metal particles in an oxide matrix or as a vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) with metal nanopillars embedded in an oxide matrix. Among them, the VAN architecture is particularly interesting due to the vertical strain control and highly anisotropic structure, enabling the epitaxial growth of materials with large lattice mismatch. In this review, the driving forces behind the formation of self-assembled oxide-metal VAN structures are discussed. Specifically, an updated in-plane strain compensation model based on the areal strain compensation concept has been proposed in this review, inspired by the prior linear strain compensation model. It provides a guideline for material selection for designing VAN systems, especially those involving complex orientation matching relationships. Based on the model, several case studies are discussed, comparing the microstructure and morphology of different oxide-metal nanocomposites by varying the oxide phase. Specific examples highlighting the coupling between the electrical, magnetic and optical properties are also discussed in the context of oxide-metal nanocomposites. Future research directions and needs are also discussed.

Changing the magnetic states of an Fe/BaTiO3 interface through crystal field effects controlled by strain

The search for better and inexpensive magnetoelectric materials is now commonplace in solid state physics, using electric field induced strain to change the multiferroic magnetic state.

Prediction of large magnetoelectric coupling in Fe4N/BaTiO3 and MnFe3N/BaTiO3 junctions from a first-principles study

The large magnetoelectric effects are predicted in Fe₄N/BaTiO₃ and MnFe₃N/BaTiO₃ junctions.