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To improve the utilization rate of pesticides and reduce the economic losses and environmental hazards caused by pesticide loss, the self-assembly layer of poly (octadecylsiloxane) (PODS) was prepared by hydrolysis, self-assembly and polycondensation of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on the surface of rapeseed meal (RSM) with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and p-aminoazobenzene (AAB) as modifiers. At the same time, AAB with photoisomerism was attached to RSM surface to synthesize RSM-PODS/AAB pesticide carrier with photoresponsiveness. Its structure and composition were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy and contact angle measurement device. The results showed that the loading rate of modified RSM was 21.4% higher than that of original RSM, and the cumulative release rate of pinoxaden was 83% in 72 h in the dark. The cumulative release rate of RSM-PODS/AAB was 95% after UV-Vis irradiation for 4 h and 92% after sunlight irradiation for 6 h. The application results showed that RSM-PODS/AAB loaded with pesticides had good UV-Vis and sunlight controlled release performance. The light responsive lipophilic pesticide carrier could effectively control the drug release behavior through UV-Vis and sunlight response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel stigmasterol derivatives as gelators are synthesized，and named as compounds 1 and 2， respectively. The structure and properties of gels are studied by scanning electron microscopy（SEM），Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results of the gelation properties of compounds 1 and 2 show that they could gelate in DMSO and methanol. Compound 1 also forms a stable gel in DMSO/water mixed solvents at a volume ratio of 9∶1，8∶2，and 7∶3，respectively. In addition，when compounds 1 and 2 are gelated at a mass concentration of 12 mg/mL in DMSO，the gel-sol phase transition temperatures（Tgel）of the two compounds are 51 and 46 ℃，respectively，indicating that the thermal stability of their gelation decreases significantly with the increase of steroidal structural units in the gelator. With the increase of steroid structural units in the gelators，the thermal stability of the gel formation decreases significantly. On this basis，the gel prepared by compound 1 is used as the carrier，and its encapsulation and release in rhodamine B and methylene blue，as well as the anticancer drug doxorubicin are studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results show that the prepared gels could be used as a drug carrier，and the maximum release value reaches 84% in water at 240 min. Furthermore，this study may provide a useful idea for the preparation of stigmasterol derivative gels and its application as a drug carrier in drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic filters in conventional sunscreens generally have poor photo stability and can easily penetrate through stratum corneum and dermis into the blood vessel, thus causing potential health-threatening issues. Polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles can be formed by self-polymerization of dopamine. Inspired by its excellent anti-ultraviolet, free radical scavenging and adhesion properties, the titanium dioxide (TiO2) precursor is prepared by the sol-gel method and blended with dopamine hydrochloride to prepare PDA-TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and skin penetration experiments were used to characterize the basic structures and properties of nanoparticles. Under the synergistic effect of PDA and TiO2, the particles have highly efficient UV protection. By simply adjusting the reaction material ratio, it was found that the more dopamine content, the better UV absorption effect was obtained, and it showed better UV absorption performance than small particle size PDA. Therefore, PDA-TiO2 (1/10) (m (DA)∶m(TiO2)=1∶10) had the best UV absorption effect. The PDA-TiO2 (1/10) was introduced as the sole active ingredient to formulating sunscreen, whose sun protection factor (SPF) values could reach 33.7, which can meet daily sun protection needs. Most importantly, PDA had good bioadhesion and can effectively prevent the penetration of PDA-TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles. The thickness of the stratum corneum of the human body was about 15—20 μm. Upon comparing the PDA-TiO2 with commercially available benzophenone small molecule sunscreens, it was found that the skin permeability of PDA-TiO2 was significantly reduced. The penetration depth was 9 —17 μm, mainly distributed in the upper and middle parts of the stratum corneum of the skin. It is not easy to enter the human body and will not pose a potential threat to skin health. The commercially available benzophenone sunscreen small molecules had a skin penetration of 18 —35 μm, indicating that they penetrate the stratum corneum to reach the living epidermis and enter the human body. Therefore, the prepared nanoparticles have excellent UV resistance and biocompatibility, ensuring their excellent performance and safe use in sunscreens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]