Université de Fribourg

Bimetallic salen-based compounds and their potential applications

Finelli, Alba ; Abram, Sarah-Luise ; Hérault, Nelly ; Crochet, Aurélien ; Fromm, Katharina M.

In: Crystal Growth & Design, 2020, vol. 20, no. 8, p. 4945–4958

The new bimetallic coordination compounds [LNiAg(NO3)], [LCuMn(NO3)2], [LCuCu(NO3)2], [LCuZn(NO3)2], and [{LCuBi(NO3)3}(ACN)] have been synthesized from a salen-type ligand L containing two distinct coordination sites to accommodate (different) metal ions M1 and M2. In the solid state, the formation of 1:1 compounds (LCu:M2) is always observed, but interactions between the compounds lead to ...

Université de Fribourg

Silver-containing titanium dioxide nanocapsules for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria

Hérault, Nelly ; Wagner, Julia ; Abram, Sarah-Luise ; Widmer, Jérôme ; Horvath, Lenke ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Bourquin, Carole ; Fromm, Katharina M

In: International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2020, vol. Volume 15, p. 1267–1281

Background: Joint arthroplasty has improved the quality of life of patients worldwide, but infections of the prosthesis are frequent and cause significant morbidity. Antimicrobial coatings for implants promise to prevent these infections. Methods: We have synthesized nanocapsules of titanium dioxide in amorphous or anatase form containing silver as antibacterial agent and tested their impact ...

Université de Fribourg

Synthesis and applications of nanocontainers and nanorattles

Abram, Sarah-Luise ; Yep, Philippe ; Fromm, Katharina M.

In: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 2019, vol. 73, no. 1, p. 12–16

Nanorattles and hollow nanocontainers have unique properties related to the presence of a void space inside the shell, which has been shown to improve the properties of materials for e.g. catalysis, drug release, sensor materials or lithium ion batteries. This article summarizes our recent progress in the synthesis of hollow silica, titania and ceria nanorattles and nanocontainers, eventually...

Université de Fribourg

Ag Nanoencapsulation for Antimicrobial Applications

Abram, Sarah-Luise ; Gagnon, Jacinthe ; Priebe, Magdalena ; Hérault, Nelly ; Fromm, Katharina M.

In: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 2018, vol. 72, no. 4, p. 249–252

Biomaterial-related infections remain a significant challenge in medicine. Antimicrobial materials on the basis of Ag nanoparticles represent a promising solution for this issue. Therefore several Ag-containing nanocontainers and nanorattles have been synthesized and characterized that exhibit remarkable control over the release of Ag+ as antimicrobial active species. Their biological...

Université de Fribourg

Antimicrobial silver-filled silica nanorattles with low immunotoxicity in dendritic cells

Priebe, Magdalena ; Widmer, Jérôme ; Löwa, Nina Suhartha ; Abram, Sarah-Luise ; Mottas, Inès ; Woischnig, Anne-Kathrin ; Brunetto, Priscilla S. ; Khanna, Nina ; Bourquin, Carole ; Fromm, Katharina M.

In: Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 2017, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 11–22

The progression in the use of orthopedic implants has led to an increase in the absolute number of implant infections, triggering a search for more effective antibacterial coatings. Nanorattles have recently gained interest in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, as encapsulation of the cargo inside the hollow structure provides a physical protection from the surrounding...