Antibacterial Food Packaging Nanomaterial Based on Atomic Layer Deposition for Long-Term Food Storage.

The aim of the present work is to use the latest achievements of nanotechnology (atomic layer deposition, ALD) in the field of food packaging to prevent biofilm formation by food-associated bacteria. Some potential applications of nanotechnology in the food packaging industry are studied in the manuscript, in the field of antibacterial materials for food packaging. The ALD technique was used to synthesize vanadium (V)-doped TiO2 thin nanofilm on commercially available polypropylene (PP) food container to enhance an antibacterial activity for potential use in food packaging, to reduce spoilage, thereby, prolonging the food shelf- life. To better understand the ability and effectiveness of the antimicrobial packaging material of V-doped TiO2, to prevent the biofilm formation by dairy-associated pathogenic bacteria, the coated and uncoated PP containers with a fresh raw cow's milk were tested. We have illustrated the effectiveness of ALD Al2O3 + TiVOx nanocoating against populations of milk-borne pathogenic bacteria.

Blending of the Thermodynamically Incompatible Polyvinyl Chloride and High-Pressure Polyethylene Polymers Using a Supercritical Fluid Anti-Solvent Method (SEDS) Dispersion Process.

The experimental solubility data of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and high-pressure polyethylene (HPPE) in organic solvents (toluene, dichloromethane, and chloroform) at temperatures ranging from 308.15 to 373.15 K at atmospheric pressure are reported in the present paper. The solubility of the polymers (PVC and HPPE) in organic solvents (toluene, dichloromethane, and chloroform) was studied at temperatures between 298 and 373 K. The supercritical SEDS dispersion of PVC and HPPE polymer blends at pressures between 8.0 and 25 MPa and at temperatures from 313 to 333 K are reported in the present work. The kinetics of crystallization and phase transformation in polymer blends obtained by blending in a melt, and using the supercritical SEDS method, have been studied. The effect of the HPPE/PVC ratio on the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the polymer blends has been studied. For all studied polymer blends and pure polymers obtained using the SEDS method, the heat of fusion ΔfusH exceeds the values obtained by blending in the melt by 1.5 to 5) times. The heat of fusion of the obtained polymer blends is higher than the additive value; therefore, the degree of crystallinity is higher, and this effect persists after heat treatment. The relative elongation decreases for all polymer blends, but their tensile strength increases significantly.

ALD coated polypropylene hernia meshes for prevention of mesh-related post-surgery complications: an experimental study in animals.

In this work, thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to synthesize vanadium (V)-doped TiO2thin nanofilm on polypropylene (PP) hernia meshes. Multiple layers of (Al2O3+ TiVOx) nano-films were coated on the PP hernia mesh surface to provide a layer with a total thickness of 38 nm to improve its antibacterial properties, thereby, prevent mesh-related post-surgery complications. Highly conformal V-doped TiO2nanofilm were deposited on PP mesh at a temperature of 85 °C. Rats and rabbits have been used to evaluate the tissue reaction on coated PP hernia meshes and biomechanical testing of the healed tissue. Five rabbits and ten rats have been implanted with ALD coated and uncoated (control) PP meshes into the back of rats and abdominal wall of rabbits. Histology of the mesh-adjacent tissues and electron microscopy of the explanted mesh surface were performed to characterize host tissue response to the implanted PP meshes. The effect of V-doped TiO2coating on a living organism and fibroblast functions and bacterial activities were studied. The present results indicated that ALD coating improves adhesion properties and exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity compared to uncoated PP mesh. It was shown that V-doped TiO2coatings were highly effective in inhibitingS. aureusandE. coliadhesion and exhibited excellent antibacterial activity. We found that V-doping of TiO2, unlike bare TiO2, allows generated and further procured strong redox reactions which effectively kills bacteria under visible light. We have reported comparative analysis of the use of undoped (bare) TiO2and V-doped TiO2as a coating for PP meshes and their action in biological environment and preventing biofilms formation compared with uncoated PP meshes. The PP meshes coated with V-doped TiO2showed significantly lower shrinkage rates compared with an identical PP mesh without a coating. We have shown that ALD coatings provide non-adhesive and functional (antibacterial) properties.

Thermodynamic Properties at Saturation Derived from Experimental Two-Phase Isochoric Heat Capacity of 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide.

New measurements are reported for the isochoric heat capacity of the ionic liquid substance 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([C6mim][NTf2]). These measurements extend the ranges of our earlier study [N.G. Polikhronidi et al., Phys. Chem. Liq. 52, 657 (2014)] by 5 % of the compressed liquid density and by 75 kelvins. An adiabatic calorimeter was used to measure one-phase (CV1) liquid and two-phase (CV2) liquid + vapor isochoric heat capacities, densities (ρS ), and phase-transition temperatures (TS ) of the ionic liquid (IL) substance. The combined expanded uncertainty of the density ρ and isochoric heat capacity CV measurements at the 95 % confidence level with a coverage factor of k = 2 is estimated to be 0.15 % and 3 %, respectively. Measurements are concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the liquid + vapor phase transition curve, in order to closely observe phase transitions. The present measurements and those of our earlier study are analyzed together, and are presented in terms of thermodynamic properties (TS, ρS, CV1 and CV2) evaluated at saturation and in terms of key derived thermodynamic properties Cp, CS, [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] on the liquid + vapor phase transition curve. A thermodynamic relation by Yang and Yang is used to confirm the internal consistency of measured two-phase heat capacities CV2, which are observed to fall perfectly on a line as a function of specific volume at a constant temperature. The observed linear behavior is exploited to evaluate contributions to the quantity CV2 = f(V,T) from chemical potential [Formula: see text] and from vapor pressure [Formula: see text]. The physical nature and specific details of the temperature and specific volume dependence of the two-phase isochoric heat capacity and some features of the other derived thermodynamic properties of IL at liquid saturation curve are considered in detail.