The present invention discloses a method preparing a TiO.sub.2 nanostructure comprising: mixing an organic acid and an aminoalcohol to form an ionic liquid; heating the ionic liquid with titanium ions and lithium ions to form a layered structure; and annealing the mixture to form the TiO.sub.2 nanostructure. There is also provided uses of the prepared nanostructure.

A system for the physical manipulation of free magnetic rotors in a circulatory system using a remotely placed magnetic field-generating stator is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to the control of magnetic particles in a fluid medium using permanent magnet-based or electromagnetic field-generating stator sources. Such a system can be useful for increasing the diffusion of therapeutic agents in a fluid medium, such as a human circulatory system, which can result in substantial clearance of fluid obstructions, such as vascular occlusions, in a circulatory system resulting in increased blood flow. Examples of vascular occlusions targeted by the system include, but are not limited to, atherosclerotic plaques, including fibrous caps, fatty buildup, coronary occlusions, arterial stenosis, restenosis, vein thrombi, arterial thrombi, cerebral thrombi, embolisms, hemorrhages, other blood clots, and very small vessels.

Articles comprises iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains, wherein the chains of nanocrystals are embedded within a material used to form the article or a transfer medium used to transfer a color to the article are described. The material or transfer medium includes elastic properties that allow the nanocrystals to display a temporary color determined by the strength of an external force applied to the article, and the material or transfer medium includes memory properties that cause the displayed temporary color to dissipate when the external force is removed, wherein the dissipation of the displayed temporary color is sufficiently slow as to be visually observable by an average observer's unaided eye.

Apparatuses for manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described, The apparatus includes (a) a magnetic field source, wherein a strength of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field source is tunable to control the color displayed by the article of wear, and (b) an energy source, wherein energy generated by the energy source is applied to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften materials within the article of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied.

Articles of wear comprises iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described. The chains of nanocrystals display a color that is determined by a strength of a magnetic field applied to the chains of nanocrystals, wherein the color is maintained when the magnetic field is removed.

A production method for producing a fuel cell, includes spinning a precursor consisting of a salt of at least one metal chosen from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Yb, Sr, Ba, Mn, Co, Mg, and Ga, a solvent, and a macromolecular polymer to produce nanofibers of the precursor containing the salt of the metal. The method further includes calcining the nanofibers of the precursor at a temperature ranging from 550 C. to 650 C. for 2 to 4 hours, and making a solid electrolyte material composed of the nanofibers obtained from the calcining. The resulting solid electrolyte material constitutes a part of a fuel cell.

Some embodiments provide a system for external manipulation of magnetic nanoparticles in vasculature using a remotely placed magnetic field-generating stator. In one aspect, the systems and methods relate to the control of magnetic nanoparticles in a fluid medium using permanent magnet-based or electromagnetic field-generating stator sources. Such a system can be useful for increasing the diffusion of therapeutic agents in a fluid medium, such as a human circulatory system, which can result in substantial clearance of fluid obstructions, such as vascular occlusions, in a circulatory system resulting in increased blood flow.