Different morphologies of super-balls obtained to form photonic crystals of cholesteryl benzoate liquid crystals.

The current study highlights the synthesis and characterization of some nanocomposite materials formed by polymer particles and liquid crystals. The liquid crystals used were cholesteryl benzoate (CLB), and the particles were synthesized by emulsion polymerization in the absence of the emulsifier. Through SEM and DLS analysis, the synthesis of particles of the same size was emphasized, and the amount of CLB showed no influence on these parameters. The lack of signal for CLB in the case of DSC and XRD analyses for the sample with the smallest amount of liquid crystal is attributed to the detection limits of the devices. To complete the surface characterization of the particles, XPS analysis was performed. Through XPS it was underlined that in the case of the smallest amount and the largest amount of CLB, respectively, it is encapsulated in the polymer particles, unlike the case of the average amount used, in which core-shell type morphologies have been obtained. For the electrical characterization of the samples, a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) connected to two rectangular X-band (i.e., 8.2-12.4 GHz) waveguides through coaxial cables was used.

Fabrication of k-Carrageenan/Alginate/Carboxymethyl Cellulose basedScaffolds via 3D Printing for Potential Biomedical Applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology was able to generate great attention because of its unique methodology and for its major potential to manufacture detailed and customizable scaffolds in terms of size, shape and pore structure in fields like medicine, pharmaceutics and food. This study aims to fabricate an ink entirely composed of natural polymers, alginate, k-carrageenan and carboxymethyl cellulose (AkCMC). Extrusion-based 3D printing was used to obtain scaffolds based on a crosslinked interpenetrating polymer network from the alginate, k-carrageenan, carboxymethyl cellulose and glutaraldehide formulation using CaCl2, KCl and glutaraldehyde in various concentrations of acetic acid. The stabile bonding of the crosslinked scaffolds was assessed using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) as well as swelling, degradation and mechanical investigations. Moreover, morphology analysis (µCT and SEM) confirmed the 3D printed samples' porous structure. In the AkCMC-GA objects crosslinked with the biggest acetic acid concentration, the values of pores and walls are the highest, at 3.9 × 10-2 µm-1. Additionally, this research proves the encapsulation of vitamin B1 via FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The highest encapsulation efficiency of vitamin B1 was registered for the AkCMC-GA samples crosslinked with the maximum acetic acid concentration. The kinetic release of the vitamin was evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Based on the results of these experiments, 3D printed constructs using AkCMC-GA ink could be used for soft tissue engineering applications and also for vitamin B1 encapsulation.

Novel Polyurethanes Based on Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate: Synthesis, Characterization, and Formulation of Binders for Environmentally Responsible Rocket Propellants.

Novel polyurethane-based binders, specifically designed for environmentally responsible rocket propellant composites, were obtained by employing the polyester-polyols that resulted from the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate waste. A new class of "greener" rocket propellants, comprising polyurethanes (based on recycled PET) as the binder, phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) as the eco-friendly oxidizer, and triethylene glycol dinitrate (TEGDN) as the energetic plasticizer, together with aluminum as fuel and Fe2O3 as the catalyst, is herein reported. The components of the energetic mixtures were investigated (individually and as composite materials) through specific analytical tools: 1H-NMR, FT-IR, SEM-EDX, DTA and TGA, tensile and compression tests, DMA, and micro-CT. Moreover, the feasibility of this innovative solution is sustained by the ballistic performances exhibited by these composite materials in a subscale rocket motor, proving that these new formulations are suitable for rocket propellant applications.

Magnetic silica particles functionalized with guanidine derivatives for microwave-assisted transesterification of waste oil.

This study aimed to develop a facile synthesis procedure for heterogeneous catalysts based on organic guanidine derivatives superbases chemically grafted on silica-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. Thus, the three organosilanes that were obtained by reacting the selected carbodiimides (N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC), respectively 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) were used in a one-pot synthesis stage for the generation of a catalytic active protective shell through the simultaneous hydrolysis/condensation reaction with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The catalysts were characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM, BET and XRD analysis confirming the successful covalent attachment of the organic derivatives in the silica shell. The second aim was to highlight the capacity of microwaves (MW) to intensify the transesterification process and to evaluate the activity, stability, and reusability characteristics of the catalysts. Thus, in MW-assisted transesterification reactions, all catalysts displayed FAME yields of over 80% even after 5 reactions/activation cycles. Additionally, the influence of FFA content on the catalytic activity was investigated. As a result, in the case of Fe3O4@SiO2-EDG, a higher tolerance towards the FFA content can be noticed with a FAME yield of over 90% (for a 5% (weight) vs oil catalyst content) and 5% weight FFA content.

Hybrid Hosts Based on Sodium Alginate and Porous Clay Heterostructures for Drug Encapsulation.

In this study, some hybrid materials based on sodium alginate (NaAlg) and porous clay heterostructures (PCHs) were investigated as new hosts for 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) encapsulation. The hybrid hosts were prepared by ionotropic gelation technique using different concentrations of PCHs (1, 3, and 10 wt%) in order to identify the optimal parameters for encapsulation and drug release. The obtained hybrid materials were characterized using FTIR Spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectrometry to investigate the interactions of the raw materials involved in the preparation of hybrid hosts, the influence of PCHs concentrations on drug encapsulation efficiency and drug release profile. All the results show that the synthesized hybrid materials were able to load a high amount of 5-FU, the encapsulation efficiency and the release profile being influenced by the concentrations of PCHs.

5-Aminosalicylic Acid Loaded Chitosan-Carrageenan Hydrogel Beads with Potential Application for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The aim of our work is to prepare mucoadhesive particles with biopolymers and 5-Aminosalicylic acid (5ASA) using the ionotropic gelation technique to ensure a controlled drug release at the colon level with potential applications in the treatment of intestinal bowel disease (IBD). The preparation of particles through the crosslinking of Chitosan (CS) with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) using different mass ratios and the influence of the k-Carrageenan (kCG) layer were studied. UV-VIS spectrometry was employed to assess encapsulation efficiency and drug release profile of 5ASA. The particles were investigated using FT-IR spectrometry for chemical characterization and the DLS results highlighted a monodisperse particle size distribution. The morphology of the polymeric beads was investigated using micro-computer tomography (µCT) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Particles based on Chitosan and k-Carrageenan were able to incorporate and preserve 5ASA in an acidic and alkaline medium. The 5ASA loaded polymeric particles obtained after immersion for 1 h in kCG solution exhibited the lowest release rate in pH = 1.2. Biocompatibility studies performed on all of the particles displayed a good viability for the CCD 841 CoN cells and low cytotoxicity. All of the results have shown that these new biomaterials could be a versatile platform of targeted carriers with potential applications in inflammatory bowel disease treatment.

Novel Chemical Architectures Based on Beta-Cyclodextrin Derivatives Covalently Attached on Polymer Spheres.

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of polymer derivatives of beta-cyclodextrin (BCD), obtained by chemical grafting onto spherical polymer particles (200 nm) presenting oxirane functional groups at their surface. The polymer spheres were synthesized by emulsion polymerization of styrene (ST) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), followed by the grafting on the surface of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) by seeded emulsion polymerization. The BCD-polymer derivatives were obtained using two BCD derivatives with hydroxylic (BCD-OH) and amino groups (BCD-NH2). The degree of polymer covalent functionalization using the BCD-OH and BCD-NH2 derivatives were determined to be 4.27 and 19.19 weight %, respectively. The adsorption properties of the materials were evaluated using bisphenol A as a target molecule. The best fit for the adsorption kinetics was Lagergren's model (both for Qe value and for R2) together with Weber's intraparticle diffusion model in the case of ST-HEMA-GMA-BCD-NH2. The isothermal adsorption evaluation indicated that both systems follow a Langmuir type behavior and afforded a Qmax value of 148.37 mg g-1 and 37.09 mg g-1 for ST-HEMA-GMA-BCD-NH2 and ST-HEMA-GMA-BCD-OH, respectively. The BCD-modified polymers display a degradation temperature of over 400 °C which can be attributed to the existence of hydrogen bonds and BCD thermal degradation pathway in the presence of the polymers.

Bisphenol A Adsorption on Silica Particles Modified with Beta-Cyclodextrins.

This study presents the synthesis of silica particles bearing two beta-cyclodextrin (BCD) (beta-cyclodextrin-BCD-OH and diamino butane monosubstituted beta-cyclodextrin-BCD-NH2). The successful synthesis of the BCD-modified silica was confirmed by FT-IR and TGA. Using contact angle measurements, BET analysis and SEM characterization, a possible formation mechanism for the generation of silica particles bearing BCD derivatives on their surface was highlighted. The obtained modified silica displayed the capacity to remove bisphenol A (BPA) from wastewater due to the presence of the BCD moieties on the surface of the silica. The kinetic analysis showed that the adsorption reached equilibrium after 180 min for both materials with qe values of 107 mg BPA/g for SiO2-BCD-OH and 112 mg BPA/g for SiO2-BCD-NH2. The process followed Ho's pseudo-second-order adsorption model sustaining the presence of adsorption sites with different activities. The fitting of the Freundlich isotherm model on the experimental results was also evaluated, confirming the BCD influence on the materials' adsorption properties.

New Biocompatible Mesoporous Silica/Polysaccharide Hybrid Materials as Possible Drug Delivery Systems.

A high number of studies support the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) as carriers for drug delivery systems due to its high biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo, its large surface area, controlled pore size and, more than this, its good excretion capacity from the body. In this work we attempt to establish the optimal encapsulation parameters of benzalkonium chloride (BZC) into MSN and further study its drug release. The influence of different parameters towards the drug loading in MSN such as pH, contact time and temperature were considered. The adsorption mechanism of the drug has been determined by using the equilibrium data. The modification process was proved using several methods such as Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Since MSN shows a lower drug release amount due to the agglomeration tendency, in order to increase MSN dispersion and drug release amount from MSN, two common biocompatible and biodegradable polymers were used as polymer matrix in which the MSN-BZC can be dispersed. The drug release profile of the MSN-BZC and of the synthesized hybrid materials were studied both in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). Polymer-MSN-BZC hybrid materials exhibit a higher drug release percent than the pure MSN-BZC when a higher dispersion is achieved. The dispersion of MSN into the hybrid materials was pointed out in scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The release mechanism was determined using four mathematic models including first-order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer⁻Peppas and Weibull.

Novel PEG-Modified Hybrid PLGA-Vegetable Oils Nanostructured Carriers for Improving Performances of Indomethacin Delivery.

The purpose of this work was to more exhaustively study the influence of nanocarrier matrix composition and also the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified surface on the performances of formulations as lipophilic drug delivery systems. Poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide), two vegetable oils (Nigella sativa oil and Echium oil) and indomethacin were employed to prepare novel PEG-coated nanocarriers through emulsion solvent evaporation method. The surface modification was achieved by physical PEG adsorption (in the post-production step). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) nanographs highlighted the core-shell structure of hybrid formulations while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed no obvious morphological changes after PEG adsorption. Drug loading (DL) and entrapment efficiency (EE) varied from 4.6% to 16.4% and 28.7% to 61.4%, solely depending on the type of polymeric matrix. The oil dispersion within hybrid matrix determined a more amorphous structure, as was emphasized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) investigations. The release studies highlighted the oil effect upon the ability of nanocarrier to discharge in a more sustained manner the encapsulated drug. Among the kinetic models employed, the Weibull and Korsmeyer-Peppas models showed the better fit (R² = 0.999 and 0.981) with n < 0.43 indicating a Fickian type release pattern. According to cytotoxic assessment the PEG presence on the surface increased the cellular viability with ~1.5 times as compared to uncoated formulations.

New polymer-halloysite hybrid materials--potential controlled drug release system.

New hybrid materials based on a natural host (halloysite), biodegradable polymer (poly(vinyl alcohol)) and diphenhydramine hydrochloride as drug were synthesized and tested as a potential controlled drug delivery system. The formation of these hybrid materials was proved using different characterization methods like Spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, XPS and UV-vis), thermogravimetrical analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hybrid materials exhibit different features regarding the drug release. In vitro drug release tests showed that there are several factors which exhibit a strong influence on the drug release rate. Thus the initial drug concentration used at the hybrid materials synthesis, the presence of a polymer in the hybrid composition and the pH value of the release medium are the most important factors.