Artículos SCI

The increasing use of high magnetic fields in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners demands new contrast agents, since those used in low field instruments are not effective at high fields. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a negative MRI contrast agent consisting of HoPO4 nanoparticles (NPs). Three different sizes (27 nm, 48 nm and 80 nm) of cube-shaped NPs were obtained by homogeneous precipitation in polyol medium and then coated with poly(acrylic) acid (PAA) to obtain stable colloidal suspensions of HoPO4@PAA NPs in physiological medium (PBS). The transverse relaxivity (r2) of aqueous suspensions of the resulting NPs was evaluated at both 1.44 T and 9.4 T. A positive correlation between r2 values and field strength as well as between r2 values and particle size at both magnetic field strengths was found although this correlation failed for the biggest NPs at 9.4 T, likely due to certain particles aggregation inside the magnet. The highest r2 value (489.91 mM-1s−1) was found for the 48 nm NPs at 9.4 T. Toxicity studies demonstrated that the latter NPs exhibited low toxicity to living systems. Finally, in vivo studies demonstrated that HoPO4@PAA NPs could be a great platform for next-generation T2-weighted MRI contrast agents at high magnetic field.

The valorization of methane is one of the most important goals during the transition period to the general use of renewable energies. Its transformation into a valuable chemical like benzene by direct aromatization of methane (DAM) reaction has been extensively studied in the past years, mainly using Mo/ZSM-5 catalytic systems. Although viable, this DAM reaction poses a number of issues mainly derived from poor conversion and deactivation processes. Therefore, a deeper knowledge of these systems is needed. Herein, by combining chemical (TPR), spectroscopic (XPS), HAADF and other techniques, we have identified the different Mo precursors stabilized in the calcined ZSM-5 support, their nature (monomers, dimers and bulk Mo oxides), location in the zeolite framework (external surface or micropores), and the partial segregation of aluminum during the preparation of catalysts. The role of each Mo phase promoting or hindering the transformation of methane in aromatics has been also clarified.