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Air pollution in urban areas is a huge concern that demands an efficient air quality control to ensure health quality standards. The hotspots can be located by increasing spatial distribution of ambient air quality monitoring for which the low-cost sensors can be used. However, it is well-known that many factors influence their results. For low-cost Particulate Matter (PM) sensors, high relative humidity can have a significant impact on data quality. In order to eliminate or reduce the impact of high relative humidity on the results obtained from low-cost PM sensors, a low-cost dryer was developed and its effectiveness was investigated. For this purpose, a test chamber was designed, and low-cost PM sensors as well as professional reference devices were installed. A vaporizer regulated the humid conditions in the test chamber. The low-cost dryer heated the sample air with a manually adjustable intensity depending on the voltage. Different voltages were tested to find the optimum one with least energy consumption and maximum drying efficiency. The low-cost PM sensors with and without the low-cost dryer were compared. The experimental results verified that using the low-cost dryer reduced the influence of relative humidity on the low-cost PM sensor results., Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Material from the electric arc furnace smelting of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash was easily converted into highly porous glass-ceramics by a combination of inorganic gel casting and sinter-crystallization at 1000 &deg, C. In particular, the gelation of aqueous suspensions of fine glass powders, transformed into &ldquo, green&rdquo, foams by intensive mechanical stirring, occurred with a limited addition of alkali activator (1 M NaOH). The products coupled the stabilization of pollutants with good mechanical properties (e.g., compressive strength approaching 4 MPa). Interestingly, they could be used also as raw material for new glass-ceramic foams, obtained by the same gel casting and sintering method, with no degradation of chemical stability. Limitations in the crushing strength, derived from the limited viscous flow densification of semi-crystalline powders, were overcome by mixing powders from recycled foams with 30 wt% soda-lime glass. The new products finally featured an even higher strength-to-density ratio than the foams from the first cycle.

Patients sometimes lose organs and/or organ functions due to disease and injury, which may result in permanent disabilities. Advanced biotechnological practices can now afford victims of these incidences an opportunity to repair some of the damaged tissues or organs without the need for a donor. This can be achieved by reconstruction of the damaged tissue or organ through scaffold and cell technologies. Scaffolds serve as template material for neo-organs to guide and accelerate cell growth. The structure of a scaffold material must meet certain design parameters to achieve optimal functionality in tissue engineering. Pre-requisites include surface compatibility and architectural suitability with the host environment. Polymeric scaffolds derived from polymer blends have the prospects to control the physical and chemical environment of the biological system. In this review, potential roles, general properties, advantages, and disadvantages of poly (lactic acid) and its composites as functional materials for scaffolding will be outlined. PLA and its composites have been subjects of research for some decades due to non-toxicity and the ability to mimic native tissue. Though PLA and composites have demonstrated great potential for various biomedical applications, a lot still needs to be done for them to compete with donor and prosthetic organs.

The Pickering emulsion polymerization of styrene (St), divinylbenzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent, and sodium 4-vinyl benzene sulfonate (VBS) used for in situ surface-modification of silica nanoparticles (SNps) was investigated. At 1.0 wt% DVB, amphiphilic SNps with hydrophobic patches were formed, further self-assembling into copolymer-SNps clusters occurred. Subsequently, these clusters grow by monomer swelling to finally lead to the formation of core-shell polymer microspheres. Unlike the hydrophilic patchy SNps, at 2.0 and 3.0 wt% DVB, surface-patterned SNps with higher effective hydrophobicity do not self-assemble in the water phase but rather lead to the formation of monoliths. The polymerization mechanisms related to the formation of polymer silica-coated microspheres hybrid-materials, or percolated monoliths with bi-continuous porosity, formed by interfacially jammed emulsion gel (bijels) templates, are discussed herein.

Entanglement dynamics of uniaxially-oriented, disentangled ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene nanocomposites modified with gold nanoparticles are investigated, using dielectric spectroscopy, during the transition to melt state. The dc conduction is approximately calculated via the logarithmic derivative of dielectric permittivity and is observed to decrease with the formation of entanglements. As the draw ratio increases, the progressive formation of entanglements resulted in a stronger dc conductivity decrease due to the loss of orientation in the pre-melt crystalline and partially oriented amorphous chain segments. Additionally, a sharp peak is obtained in the absence of dc conductivity, attributed to the dipolar contribution of the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) interfacial polarization between the gold nanoparticles and the polymer chains. The relaxation time of the MWS interfacial polarization increases with the progressive formation of entanglements, as observed in a previous study. The results presented shed light on the process of entanglement formation in oriented ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene nanocomposites.

The study presents new on/off switchable nanofiber membranes with high sensitivity for detecting Co2+ and Cu2+ ions. The nanofiber membranes were fabricated by electrospinning (ES) the poly[(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-N-methylolacrylamide)] [poly(HEMA-co-NMA)] copolymer with different quantities of 2,2′-bipyridine-3,3′-diol (BPDO). Poly(HEMA-co-NMA)random copolymers with various molar ratios of the HEMA and NMA monomers were synthesized by free radical polymerization. The HEMA and NMA moieties were specifically selected to promote hydrophilicity and crosslinking reactions, which ultimately support a mechanically stable structure in aqueous media. ES nanofiber membranes S1-0.5, with a HEMA:NMA molar ratio of 77:23 and 0.5 wt% of BPDO showed strong photoluminescence quenching upon exposure to Co2+ and Cu2+ ions at concentrations ranging from 10–7 to 10–4 M. Moreover, the nanofiber membranes exhibited reversibile on/off fluorescence emission properties upon the sequential addition of Cu2+ ions and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). These results demonstrate a simple fabrication strategy for nanofiber membranes that have the potential to be effective for the real-time sensing of metal ions.

The development of carbon fabric reinforced epoxy (CF/EP) composites with excellent mechanical properties and high flame retardancy is desired in both scientific and industrial communities. In this work, the phosphorus-containing flame retardant 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide (DOPO) based amine functional silane coupling agent was coated on carbon fabric, aiming to promote the interfacial charring behavior, and at the same time, improve the fiber-matrix interfacial strength. With only a small proportion of the hybrid Si/N/P coating on the fiber surface, the resultant composite laminate showed a 26 and 31% reduction in peak heat release rate and smoke production rate, respectively. Under the combustion, the surface grafted phosphorus compounds effectively promoted the interfacial charring behavior of EP composites. An integrated and dense char layer composed of carbon fabric with sealed gaps was formed to protect the underlying polymer materials in the condensed phase. In addition, the fiber push-in test clearly revealed an increased fibermatrix interfacial strength (35%) due to the existence of amine groups on the fiber surface. The provided Si/N/P hybrid surface functionalization strategy proved to be an effective approach to prepare high-performance flame retardant CF/EP composite.

This work reports the synthesis of a series of shape memory polyimides by polycondensation of 2,2′-bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane (m-6FBAPP), 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) (6FDA) and PA-terminated OAPS. The influence upon shape memory properties by the introduction of PA-terminated OAPS was investigated systematically in both experiments and simulations. PA-terminated OAPS acted as both a plasticizer and a rigid cage structure, preventing excessive movement of the polymer chain. Thus, both strain and shape recovery values of the resulting polyimide composites strongly depended on the content of PA-terminated OAPS. The shape memory polyimide composites showed high strain and recovery values equal to 247 and 94.3%, respectively. Additionally, these polyimide composites showed multiple shape memory effects and excellent shape memory cycle stability.

Ultrasound micromolding (USM) preparation of hybrid scaffolds based on polylactide (PLA) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles has been evaluated. PLA was stable under the applied ultrasound source since a minimum degradation was detected. Porous materials were achieved using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and NaCl salts to the initial PLA and the subsequent leaching of the micromolded specimens. To avoid cavitation and decomposition problems during micromolding, it was necessary to use HAp free of typical synthesis impurities like carbonate and nitrate compounds. Compact PLA/HAp pieces allowed a maximum HAp load of 60 wt%, while porous specimens could be obtained with a maximum load of 38 wt%. Physical characterization of new scaffolds was performed by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques, stress-strain tests and contact angle measurements. Results indicated that a degree of porosity of 35% and relatively good mechanical properties could be achieved (i.e., 580 MPa, 4%, and 15.6 MPa for the Young modulus, elongation at break, and tensile strength, respectively). Scaffolds showed the positive effect of HAp and porosity on cell proliferation; this latter was 40% higher than that detected for non-porous PLA specimens.

A new method for the quantitative description of the phase-specific localization of hybrid fillers in rubber blends was developed based on the wetting concept. Using the new concept, the kinetics of phase-specific localization of silica (Si)/carbon black (CB) hybrid fillers in styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/natural rubber (NR) blends was experimentally characterized during the single-step mixing and the multi-step mixing process. It could point out that the localization of the hybrid fillers at the end of the mixing process always reaches the stationary stage regardless of the mixing regime. The stationary state of filler localization is related to the migration of silica and CB during the mixing process, determined by the thermodynamic driving forces and well predicted by the Z model. The adsorption of the curing additives on the filler surface markedly alters the surface energy of silica and CB, which in turn influences the localization of hybrid fillers in rubber blends, particularly at low filler loading. That is why the morphological investigation made by electron microscopy for low filled rubber blends can hardly be applied to describe the filler localization of hybrid fillers in rubber blends at high filler loading.

In this work, nickel citrate (NC) was combined with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to improve the flame retardance of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). And, the influence of nickel citrate on the flame retardance of TPU/APP composites was investigated by cone calorimeter test (CCT), thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry (TG-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-Ms), and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), respectively. It has been found the combination of NC and APP improved the flame retardancy and reduced the total heat release (THR) of TPU composites. The THR value of TPU/APP/NC0.5 was reduced by 20.7% at 750 s compared with that of TPU/APP. The flame retardancy of TPU composites and the graphitization degree of char residue from TPU composites were improved by the combination of both NC and APP. This work provided a new way to improve the flame retardancy of polymer composites.

Under the optimal conditions of immobilization and fermentation, the highest LA yield of 0.966 ± 0.006 g/g fructose and production rate of 2.426 ± 0.018 g/(L × h) with an error of -0.5% and -0.2% to the predicted results were obtained from batch fermentation by the CS film-coated SA-PVA immobilized L. pentosus cells. The LA yield and production rate of these immobilized cells were 2.7% and 10.1% higher than that of normal SA-PVA immobilized cells respectively, and they were 5.7% and 48.4% higher than that of free cells, respectively. The effect of temperature on different types of immobilized cells and free cells was significantly different, but the effect of pH on different types of cells was not much different. The kinetic models could effectively describe the different fermentation performances of three types of cells. The immobilized cells have excellent reusability to conduct 9 runs of repeated batch fermentation.

Iron-based nanoparticles, which could elicit ferroptosis, is becoming a promising new way to inhibit tumor cell growth. Notably, ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles (USIONPs) have been found to upregulate the autophagy process in glioblastoma (GBM) cells. Whether USIONPs could also elicit ferroptosis and the relationship between the USIONPs-induced autophagy and ferroptosis need to be explored. In the current study, our synthesized USIONPs with good water solubility could significantly upregulate the ferroptosis markers in GBM cells, and downregulate the expression of anti-ferroptosis genes. Interestingly,ferrostatin-1 could reverse USIONPs- induced ferroptosis, but inhibitors of apoptosis, pyroptosis, or necrosis could not. Meanwhile, autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine could also reverse the USIONPs-induced ferroptosis. In addition, shRNA silencing of upstream genes Beclin1/ATG5 of autophagy process could significantly reverse USIONPs-induced ferroptosis, whereas overexpression of Beclin1/ATG5 of autophagy process could remarkably promote USIONPs-induced ferroptosis. Furthermore, lysosome inhibitors could significantly reverse the USIONPs-induced ferroptosis. Collectively, these facts suggest that USIONPs-induced ferroptosis is regulated via Beclin1/ATG5-dependent autophagy pathway.

PAN copolymers were synthesized via a novel technique, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), with the activator generated by electron transfer method (AGET). Carbon fibers (CF) were synthesized at low carbonization temperatures from the novel PAN precursor. Plasma treatment in an oxygen environment at a low pressure of 40 Pa was carried out for 5 minutes on the CF at 100 and 200 W plasma power. The morphology and structure of the CF changed after plasma functionalization, as evident from SEM analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The formation of functional groups like alcohols, carbonyl, and carboxylic on the surface of CF was confirmed with the aid of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The wetting test confirmed the higher adhesion of the plasma functionalized CF with the epoxy matrix. Single fiber strength test revealed that plasma functionalized CF retained around 98% of their original tensile strength. Composites were fabricated from the pristine, and the plasma functionalized CF in 1 and 3% by weight with epoxy matrix. The surface-modified CF composites depicted improved tensile (23.4%), tribology (33.62%), and surface hardness (11.4%) properties compared to the composites fabricated from pristine CF.

Scaled-up production of fenofibrate-loaded, polyvinylpyrrolidone-based microfibrous mats was achieved by using corona-electrospinning. An experimental design-based approach was used to study the influence of production parameters on fiber diameter and morphology. Microstructural characterization of the obtained products was performed by scanning electron microscopy imaging and differential scanning calorimetry. Drug content and in vitro dissolution studies were performed in order to monitor the effect of electrospinning on the drug release characteristics from the obtained product. The optimized parameters provided electrospun mats with smooth, homogenous fibers, without beading, which conferred rapid drug release and increased solubility of the lipid-lowering drug. The in vitro dissolution results show 40 times higher fenofibrate release from the fiber mats compared to the micronized active pharmaceutical ingredient. The presented results show that corona-electrospinning is a promising method for scale-up applications, and it could be used in the pharmaceutical industry. The fenofibrate loaded microfibrous mats could treat dyslipidemia, thus prevent heart attack or stroke, by using lower drug content. Lower drug content could also reduce the associated side effects and lowers the cost of treatment.

PTDC/QEQ- QFI/1971/2014 POCI- 01-0145-FEDER-016387 Different alkali deep eutectic solvents (DES), such as LiI:nEG, NaI:nEG, and KI:nEG, have been tested as electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These DSSCs were prepared using pure DES or, alternatively, DES combined with different amounts of iodine (I2). The most important parameters, such as open circuit voltage (VOC), short circuit current density (JSC), fill factor (FF), and the overall conversion efficiency (η), were evaluated. Some DES seem to be promising candidates for DSSC applications, since they present higher VOC (up to 140 mV), similar FF values but less current density values, when compared with a reference electrolyte in the same experimental conditions. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been performed to elucidate the charge transfer and transport processes that occur in DSSCs. The values of different resistance (Ω·cm2) phenomena and recombination/relaxation time (s) for each process have been calculated. The best-performance was obtained for DES-based electrolyte, KI:EG (containing 0.5 mol% I2) showing an efficiency of 2.3%. The efficiency of this DES-based electrolyte is comparable to other literature systems, but the device stability is higher (only after seven months the performance of the device drop to 60%). publishersversion published

This paper presents the design, modeling and control of a fully actuated aerial robot for infrastructure contact inspection as well as its localization system. Health assessment of transport infrastructure involves measurements with sensors in contact with the bridge and tunnel surfaces and the installation of monitoring sensing devices at specific points. The design of the aerial robot presented in the paper includes a 3DoF lightweight arm with a sensorized passive joint which can measure the contact force to regulate the force applied with the sensor on the structure. The aerial platform has been designed with tilted propellers to be fully actuated, achieving independent attitude and position control. It also mounts a &ldquo, docking gear&rdquo, to establish full contact with the infrastructure during the inspection, minimizing the measurement errors derived from the motion of the aerial platform and allowing full contact with the surface regardless of its condition (smooth, rough, ...). The localization system of the aerial robot uses multi-sensor fusion of the measurements of a topographic laser sensor on the ground and a tracking camera and inertial sensors on-board the aerial robot, to be able to fly under the bridge deck or close to the bridge pillars where GNSS satellite signals are not available. The paper also presents the modeling and control of the aerial robot. Validation experiments of the localization system and the control system, and with the aerial robot inspecting a real bridge are also included.

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy was used to determine elastic constants and internal friction parameters of bulk nanoparticle-based ceramic materials compacted by spark plasma sintering. Boron nitride-based and boron carbon nitride-based materials were studied, and the results were compared with similar bulk materials prepared from graphene nanoplatelets. The results showed that such nanoparticle-based materials can be strongly anisotropic, and can have very different elastic constants depending on the nanoparticles used. From the temperature dependence of the internal friction parameters, the activation energy for sliding of the individual monolayers along each other was determined for each material. Very similar values of the activation energy were obtained for boron nitride, boron carbon nitride, and graphene, ranging from 15 to 17 kJ/mol.

A nanostructuring approach was applied to epoxy/carbon fiber (CF) composite laminates to establish a short transport path between the CF of the adjacent laminates. This involved the utilization of carboxylic-plasma-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (COOH-MWCNT) and carboxylic-plasma-functionalized graphene nanoplatelet (COOH-GNP) hybrids filled epoxy resin at various nanofiller hybrid ratios and concentrations. Novel Raman spectroscopy imaging and surface potential atomic force microscopy (AFM) mapping were employed to analyze the state of nanofiller dispersion on the laminate surfaces. The mixture of COOH-GNPs and COOH-MWCNTs in a ratio of 50:50 wt% at 4 phr was identified to synergetically improve their dispersion and the laminate electrical and mechanical properties. It offered optimal segregation of nanofiller hybrids. At this composition, the maximum electrical conductivity and the highest flexural strength were achieved in the composite laminate, which were approximately 75 S/cm and 675 MPa, respectively.

This work reports the progress in the preparation of superconducting and thermoelectric lamellar compounds processed by the unconventional Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). The SPS equipment was modified with the aim of obtaining the textured and dense superconductor Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10, p-type oxide thermoelectric bulk as Ca3Co4O9 and Ca3-xAgxCo4O9/Ag composites respectively. The new process is referred to as Spark Plasma Texturing (SPT). During SPT, the bulk material can freely deform. As a result, inter-grain preferential crystallographic orientation is created. The series of sintered and textured samples using the same Ag content were processed respectively. From the results, we can evidence: (i) the magnetic and/or structural transition around 350 °C, for both series of samples. (ii) The electrical resistivity (ρ) decreases with increasing Ag-substituted or Ag-added. (iii) The Seebeck coefficient (S) of the textured series is higher than that of the sintered series. In the case of the Ag-substituted, S, decreases with Ag content. The optimized composite is found to be Ca2.6Ag0.4Co4O9/8wt% Ag. We can note the remarkable reduction of r, and the improvement of power factor values up to 360 μW.m−1.K−2.The superconducting properties of single phased Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 (Bi2223) consolidated using SPS and SPT will also be discussed.

(R)-mandelic acid is an industrially important chemical, especially used for producing antibiotics. Its chemical synthesis often uses highly toxic cyanide to produce its racemic form, followed by kinetic resolution with 50% maximum yield. Here we report a green and sustainable biocatalytic method for producing (R)-mandelic acid from easily available styrene, biobased L-phenylalanine, and renewable feedstocks such as glycerol and glucose, respectively. An epoxidation-hydrolysis-double oxidation artificial enzyme cascade was developed to produce (R)-mandelic acid at 1.52 g/L from styrene with > 99% ee. Incorporation of deamination and decarboxylation into the above cascade enables direct conversion of L-phenylalanine to (R)-mandelic acid at 913 mg/L and > 99% ee. Expressing the five-enzyme cascade in an L-phenylalanine-overproducing E. coli NST74 strain led to the direct synthesis of (R)-mandelic acid from glycerol or glucose, affording 228 or 152 mg/L product via fermentation. Moreover, coupling of E. coli cells expressing L-phenylalanine biosynthesis pathway with E. coli cells expressing the artificial enzyme cascade enabled the production of 760 or 455 mg/L (R)-mandelic acid from glycerol or glucose. These simple, safe, and green methods show great potential in producing (R)-mandelic acid from renewable feedstocks.

Background Sixty five percent of procyanidins in grape seeds is polymeric procyanidins (PPC), and they could not be assimilated directly by human. To enhance procyanidin assimilation, steam explosion treatment (SE) was used to facilitate the preparation of oligomeric procyanidins (OPC) from grape seeds. Results The results indicate that SE treatment made grape seeds loose and porous, and decreased the mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of procyanidins. The procyanidins content and total phenolic content (TPC) were decreased with the increase of SE severity, while the amount of catechin (CA), epicatechin (EC) and epicatechin-3-O-gallate (ECG) were increased, resulting in significant increase of antioxidant activity. Conclusions Although SE treatment could depolymerize PPC and produce CA/EC/ECG with high yield, it caused the yield loss of total procyanidins. SE treatment is a potential effective method to prepare procyanidins with low degree of polymerization and high antioxidant activity. However, it still needs to study further how to balance the yield of total procyanidins and catechin monomers (CA/EC/ECG).

Nano-sized hematite (α-Fe2O3) is not well suited for magnetic heating via an alternating magnetic field (AMF) because it is not superparamagnetic—at its best, it is weakly ferromagnetic. However, manipulating the magnetic properties of nano-sized hematite (i.e., magnetic saturation (Ms), magnetic remanence (Mr), and coercivity (Hc)) can make them useful for nanomedicine (i.e., magnetic hyperthermia) and nanoelectronics (i.e., data storage). Herein we study the effects of size, shape, and crystallinity on hematite nanoparticles to experimentally determine the most crucial variable leading to enhancing the radio frequency (RF) heating properties. We present the synthesis, characterization, and magnetic behavior to determine the structure–property relationship between hematite nano-magnetism and RF heating. Increasing particle shape anisotropy had the largest effect on the specific adsorption rate (SAR) producing SAR values more than 6 × greater than the nanospheres (i.e., 45.6 ± 3 W/g of α-Fe2O3 nanorods vs. 6.89 W/g of α-Fe2O3 nanospheres), indicating α-Fe2O3 nanorods can be useful for magnetic hyperthermia.

The development of biosimilar products or follow-on biologics has been flourishing in recent years because of their lower price than the originators. In this study, a multivariate data analysis method based on JMP software was proposed to assess the glycosylation pattern similarity of antibody candidates from different conditions in optimization experiments with a reference. A specific distance was generated by this method and indicated the glycoform similarity between the biosimilar and the reference. This method can be applied to analyze the similarity of other physicochemical and functional characteristics between follow-on biologics and originators. Then, the design of experimental methods can be realized to optimize the conditions of cell culture to attain similar antibody candidates. A higher concentration of GlcNAc added to the basal media made the glycan of the antibody more similar to the glycan of the reference in this study.

Polymer composites were manufactured using biocarbon particles as a reinforcing filler to improve the mechanical and thermal properties. However, a detailed examination of dispersion and agglomeration of filler is essential to correlate the filler/matrix and the filler/filler interactions with the mechanical properties of the product. We investigated the variations of mechanical, agglomeration behavior of fillers, and thermal properties of polypropylene (PP)/coconut shell biocarbon (CSB) composites. PP/CSB composites were prepared by melt mixing process varying the CSB content (0 to 20 wt%) using a Brabender mixer. The nanomechanical mapping of the composites studied using Atomic Force Microscopy revealed an increase in Young’s modulus from 1.6 to 2.9 GPa when CSB loading increased from 0 to 20 wt%. The dispersion and agglomeration of CSB filler in the PP matrix were investigated using 3D reconstructed images with the help of X-ray micro-CT, and a dedicated 3D reconstruction software. The thermal stability of the PP/CSB composites also improved with an increase in CSB content in PP.

This study aims to investigate the effect of different carbonaceous fillers, carbon black (CB) biocarbon (BC), and a hybrid filler of both (BC-CB), in a natural rubber matrix. It was found that the addition of hybrid filler based on a sustainable biocarbon (BC) and carbon black (CB) revealed a significant effect on reducing the rolling resistance properties. Dried distillers’ grain with solubles (DDGS), a co-product from corn ethanol industry pyrolyzed at 900 °C, was used to produce the biocarbon. As compared to the carbon black, the particle size of the biocarbon was larger which was reflected in the tensile strength of the biocarbon composites. This observation was correlated using swelling studies and found to be proportional to their crosslink density. The thermal characterizations showed similar transitions and degradation mechanisms in all the composites, which confirmed a comparatively similar behavior of BC with CB. Moreover, these findings justify further tuning of biocarbon into nanosize and this could expand the scope in the utilization of this sustainable filler for the fabrication of various rubber products such as tires and hoses, etc.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in medical applications due to their antibacterial and antiviral properties. Despite the extensive study of AgNPs, their toxicity and their effect on human health is poorly understood, as a result of issues such as poor control of NP properties and lack of proper characterization. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined characterization, bio-uptake, and toxicity of well-characterized polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated AgNPs in exposure media during exposure time using primary human cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)). AgNPs were synthesized in-house and characterized using a multimethod approach. Results indicated the transformation of NPs in RPMI medium with a change in size and polydispersity over 24 h of exposure due to dissolution and reprecipitation. No aggregation of NPs was observed in the RPMI medium over the exposure time (24 h). A dose-dependent relationship between PBMC uptake and Ag concentration was detected for both AgNP and AgNO3 treatment. There was approximately a two-fold increase in cellular Ag uptake in the AgNO3 vs the NP treatment. Cytotoxicity, using LDH and MTS assays and based on exposure concentrations was not significantly different when comparing NPs and Ag ions. Based on differential uptake, AgNPs were more toxic after normalizing toxicity to the amount of cellular Ag uptake. Our data highlights the importance of correct synthesis, characterization, and study of transformations to obtain a better understanding of NP uptake and toxicity. Statistical analysis indicated that there might be an individual variability in response to NPs, although more research is required.

Abstract During nature evolution process, living organisms have gradually adapted to the environment and been adept in synthesizing high performance structural materials at mild conditions by using fairly simple building elements. The skin, as the largest organ of animals, is such a representative example. Conferred by its intricate organization where collagen fibers are arranged in a randomly interwoven network, skin collagen (SC), defined as a biomass derived from skin by removing non-collagen components displays remarkable performance with combinations of mechanical properties, chemical-reactivity and biocompatibility, which far surpasses those of synthetic materials. At present, the application of SC in medical field has been largely studied, and there have been many reviews summarizing these efforts. However, the generalized view on the aspects of SC as smart materials in non-medical fields is still lacking, although SC has shown great potential in terms of its intrinsic properties and functionality. Hence, this review will provide a comprehensive summary that integrated the recent advances in SC, including its preparation method, structure, reactivity, and functionality, as well as applications, particularly in the promising area of smart materials. Graphical abstract

Two of the limitations associated with cancer treatment are the low efficacy and the high dose-related side effects of anticancer drugs. The purpose of the current study was to fabricate biocompatible multifunctional drug-loaded nanoscale moieties for co-therapy (chemo-photothermal therapy) with maximum efficacy and minimum side effects. Herein, we report in vitro anticancerous effects of doxorubicin (DOX) loaded on gold nanorods coated with the polyelectrolyte poly(sodium-4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS-GNRs) with and without NIR laser (808 nm, power density = 1.5 W/cm2 for 2 min) irradiation. The drug-loading capacity of PSS-GNRs was about 76% with a drug loading content of 3.2 mg DOX/mL. The cumulative DOX release significantly increased after laser exposure compared to non-irradiated samples (p < 0.05). The zeta potential values of GNRs, PSS-GNRs and DOX-PSS-GNRs were measured as 42 ± 0.1 mV, −40 ± 0.3 mV and 39.3 ± 0.6 mV, respectively. PSS-GNRs nanocomplexes were found to be biocompatible and showed higher photothermal stability. The DOX-conjugated nanocomplexes with NIR laser irradiation appear more efficient in cell inhibition (93%) than those without laser exposure (65%) and doxorubicin alone (84%). The IC50 values of PSS-GNRs-DOX and PSS-GNRs-DOX were measured as 7.99 and 3.12 µg/mL, respectively, with laser irradiation. Thus, a combinatorial approach based on chemotherapy and photothermal strategies appears to be a promising platform in cancer management.

Functionality of living cells is inherently linked to subunits with dimensions on the nanoscale. In case of osteoblasts the cell surface plays a particularly important role for adhesion and spreading which are crucial properties with regard to bone implants. Here we present a comprehensive characterization of the 3D nanomorphology of living as well as fixed osteoblastic cells using scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) which is a nanoprobing method largely avoiding forces. Dynamic ruffles are observed, manifesting themselves in characteristic membrane protrusions. They contribute to the overall surface corrugation which we systematically study by introducing the relative 3D excess area as a function of projected adhesion area. A clear anticorrelation is found upon analysis of ~40 different cells on glass as well as on amine covered surfaces. At the rim of lamellipodia characteristic edge heights between 100 nm and ~300 nm are observed. Power spectral densities of membrane fluctuations show frequency-dependent decay exponents in excess of -2 on living osteoblasts. We discuss the capability of apical membrane features and fluctuation dynamics in aiding assessment of adhesion and migration properties on a single-cell basis., 27 pages, 11 figures

The efficient entry of nanotechnology-based pharmaceuticals into target cells is highly desired to reach high therapeutic efficiencywhile minimizing the side effects. Despite intensive research, the impact of the surface coating on the mechanism of nanoparticleuptake is not sufficiently understood yet. Herein, we present a mechanistic study of cellular internalization pathways of two magneticiron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) differing in surface chemistry into A549 cells. The MNP uptake was investigated in the presenceof different inhibitors of endocytosis and monitored by spectroscopic and imaging techniques. The results revealed that theroute of MNP entry into cells strongly depends on the surface chemistry of the MNPs. While serum bovine albumin-coated MNPsentered the cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), caveolin-mediated endocytosis (CavME) or lipid rafts were preferentiallyinvolved in the internalization of polyethylene glycol-coated MNPs. Our data indicate that surface engineering can contribute toan enhanced delivery efficiency of nanoparticles.

Due to negative effects of conventional fluorinated surfactants with long perfluorocarbon chain (CxF2x+ 1, x≥7) like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), these conventional long perfluorocarbon chain surfactants have been restricted in many industrial applications. Nowadays, their potential non-bioaccumulable alternatives have been developed to meet the requirements of environmental sustainable development. In this paper, the recent advances of potential non-bioaccumulable fluorinated surfactants with different fluorocarbon chain structures, including the short perfluorocarbon chain, the branched fluorocarbon chain, and the fluorocarbon chain with weak points, are reviewed from the aspects of synthesis processes, properties, and structure-activity relationships. And their applications in emulsion polymerization of fluorinated olefins, handling membrane proteins, and leather manufacture also are summarized. Furthermore, the challenges embedded in the current non-bioaccumulable fluorinated surfactants are also highlighted and discussed with the hope to provide a valuable reference for the prosperous development of fluorinated surfactants.Graphical abstract

The third part of the review is devoted to polymer binders with electronic conductivity used to make composite electrodes for lithium electrochemical systems. Polymer semiconductors (“synthetic metals”), related polymers with additionally introduced functional groups, related copolymers and mixtures of polymers, as well as carbon chain polymers and copolymers with inсorporated polyaromatic fragments are considered. Such materials significantly improve electrical connectivity of the composite electrode and make it possible to eliminate or minimise the content of electrochemically inert conductive additives (carbon black, graphite powder), which positively influences on the specific capacity and cycling stability of the electrodes. Improving conditions of electronic transfer is especially important for the efficient use of active materials with extremely low intrinsic conductivity, such as Si, Li4Ti5O12, LiFePO4, etc. The final part of the review summarizes general principles of the targeted selection of a polymer binder.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), as a well-known cofactor, is widely used in the most of enzymatic redox reactions, playing an important role in industrial catalysis. However, the absence of a comparable method for efficient NADP+ to NADPH cofactor regeneration radically impairs efficient green chemical synthesis. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes, allowing the in situ regeneration of the redox cofactor NADPH with high specific activity and easy by-product separation process, are provided with great industrial application potential and research attention. Accordingly, herein a NADP+-specific ADH from Clostridium beijerinckii was selected to be engineered for cofactor recycle, using an automated algorithm named Protein Repair One-stop Shop (PROSS). The mutant CbADH-6M (S24P/G182A/G196A/H222D/S250E/S254R) exhibited a favorable soluble and highly active expression with an activity of 46.3 U/mL, which was 16 times higher than the wild type (2.9 U/mL), and a more stable protein conformation with an enhanced thermal stability: Δ $${T}_{1/2}^{60\mathrm{min}}$$ T 1 / 2 60 min = + 3.6 °C (temperature of 50% inactivation after incubation for 60 min). Furthermore, the activity of CbADH-6M was up-graded to 2401.8 U/mL by high cell density fermentation strategy using recombinant Escherichia coli, demonstrating its industrial potential. Finally, the superb efficiency for NADPH regeneration of the mutant enzyme was testified in the synthesis of some fine chiral aromatic alcohols coupling with another ADH from Lactobacillus kefir (LkADH).

Recycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has attracted much attention in recent years because of the pressure from the environment. However, the cost-effective conversion of waste PET into value-added products by ecofriendly methods remains to be a challenge in the industry. In this work, a method for converting PET into calcium terephthalate by reactive melt processing was developed and investigated. Specifically, PET pellets were blended with calcium hydroxide powders using reactive melt processing, and the resulting mixture was converted into calcium terephthalate by simple hydrolysis in water. Physicochemical characterizations for morphologies, chemical compositions, and thermal properties were conducted to investigate intermediate components produced during the process, as well as the mechanisms of this new process. The results indicate that the effective transformation of molten PET into calcium terephthalate may be attributed to several factors, including the strong mechanical interaction during melt mixing, the thermal decomposition of PET chains to form carboxylic end groups, and the catalytic nature of calcium hydroxide in PET hydrolysis. This research can lead to a cost-effective route for the upcycling of waste PET into a value-added product that may be useful in demanding and emerging applications.

Blends from the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) of Propylene/1-butene copolymers (PPB) and Ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) were successfully prepared by melt-mixed in an internal mixer and crosslinking through highenergy electron beam irradiation technology. The foaming process was achieved with the assistance of eco-friendly supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2). The effect of EPDM content on foaming, morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of EPDM/PPB blends with varied irradiation dose were investigated. Microstructural analysis revealed a perfect compatibility of PPB and EPDM in TPE. The increased EPDM content caused a decrease in the mechanical properties (hardness and tensile strength) of TPE; however, it has been improved with the increased irradiation dose. The thermal analysis indicated that the addition of EPDM and high-energy electron beam crosslinking resulted in a new melting peak near 150 °C in TPE, and a new crystalline phase appears during the crystallization process. Repeated processing performance tests showed that the incorporation of higher PPB content reduces the loss of mechanical properties of the prepared blend. The micro-morphology of the cell structure in foamed TPE material was investigated, and it was found that the size of cell structure gradually decreased with the increased EPDM content; however, the cell size has a tendency to increase first and then decrease with the increase of irradiation dose. At 40 kGy irradiation dose, the cell structure size is the largest among all EPDM/PPB foams. The cyclic compression test of the TPE foamed material showed that the material’s resistance to repeated compression got promoted with the increased EPDM content.

The capacity of different Bacillus species to produce large amounts of extracellular enzymes and ability to ferment various substrates at a wide range of pH and temperature has placed them among the most promising hosts for the industrial production of many improved and novel products. The global interest in prebiotics, for example, xylooligosaccharides (XOs) is ever increasing, rousing the quest for various forms with expanded productivity. This article provides an overview of xylanase producing bacilli, with more emphasis on their capacity to be used in the production of the XOs, followed by the purification strategies, characteristics and application of XOs from bacilli. The large-scale production of XOs is carried out from a number of xylan-rich lignocellulosic materials by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis followed by purification through chromatography, vacuum evaporation, solvent extraction or membrane separation methods. Utilization of XOs in the production of functional products as food ingredients brings well-being to individuals by improving defense system and eliminating pathogens. In addition to the effects related to health, a variety of other biological impacts have also been discussed.

Effective nutrient transport and appropriate mechanical stimulation play important roles in production of tissue-engineered bone grafts. In this study, an experimental set-up for magnetic-driven dynamic culture of cells was designed to mimic the microenvironment of the bone tissue. Here, its ability to contribute to osteogenic differentiation was investigated by inoculating human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) on magnetic scaffolds. The cytocompatibility of the developed magnetic scaffolds was verified for HUMSCs. Magnetic scaffolds seeded with HUMSCs were exposed to magnetic fields. The results showed that magnetic fields did not affect cell activity and promoted HUMSCs osteogenic differentiation. The magnetic scaffolds were magnetically driven for dynamic culture in the experimental set-up to evaluate the influence of HUMSCs osteoblast differentiation. The results indicated that magnetic-driven dynamic culture increased cell alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (p p

The production of high-quality silkworm silk is of importance in sericulture in addition to the production of biomass, silk proteins, and animal feed. The distinctive properties of nanomaterials have the potential to improve the development of various sectors including medicine, cosmetics, and agriculture. The application of nanotechnology in sericulture not only improves the survival rate of the silkworm, promotes the growth and development of silkworm, but also improves the quality of silk fiber. Despite the positive contributions of nanomaterials, there are a few concerns regarding the safety of their application to the environment, in humans, and in experimental models. Some studies have shown that some nanomaterials exhibit toxicity to tissues and organs of the silkworm, while other nanomaterials exhibit therapeutic properties. This review summarizes some reports on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm and how the application of nanomaterials improves sericulture.

Programming non-canonical organisms is more attractive due to the prospect of high-value chemical production. Among all,Shewanella oneidensisMR-1 possesses outstanding heme synthesis ability and is well-known for electron transfer, thus has high potential in microbial fuel cell and bioremediation. However, heme, as the final product of C4 and C5 pathways, is regulated by heme cluster for the high-value 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) for cancer photodynamic therapy, which has never been explored in MR-1. Herein, the heme metabolism in MR-1 was firstly optimized for ALA production. We applied CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) targeted on the genes to fine-tune carbon flux in TCA cycle and redirected the carbon out-flux from heme, leading to a significant change in the amino acid profiles, while downregulation of the essentialhemB showed a 2-fold increasing ALA production via the C5 pathway. In contrast, the modular design including of glucokinase, GroELS chaperone, and ALA synthase fromRhodobacter capsulatusenhanced ALA production markedly in the C4 pathway. By integrating gene cluster under dual T7 promoters, we obtained a new strain M::TRG, which significantly improved ALA production by 145-fold. We rewired the metabolic flux of MR-1 through this modular design and successfully produced the high-value ALA compound at the first time.

Biomass may ignite due to biological oxidation and chemical oxidation. If this phenomenon (spontaneous ignition) is controlled, it would be possible to produce biochar at a lower cost without the need for an external heat resource. We investigated if self-heating could be controlled by using sawdust and bark chips. When sawdust and bark chips were used under controlled conditions, the bark chips temperature increased to the torrefaction temperature. The ash content of bark chips was ~ 2%d.b. higher than that of sawdust; consequently, the inorganic substances contained in the bark chips might affect the self-heating. Self-heating was suppressed when inorganic substances were removed by washing with water. Therefore, the inorganic substances in the biomass might have affected self-heating. The inorganic element contents of the bark chips were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry before and after washing. The potassium content of the bark chips was reduced remarkably by washing, and there was a possible influence of potassium on self-heating. Finally, the effect of moisture content on self-heating was investigated to obtain stable reactivity. Thus, at a moisture content of 40%w.b., a steady self-heating behavior may be realized.

Abstract During the past decades, photo-crosslinked gelatin hydrogel (methacrylated gelatin, GelMA) has gained a lot of attention due to its remarkable application in the biomedical field. It has been widely used in cell transplantation, cell culture and drug delivery, based on its crosslinking to form hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties and excellent bio-compatibility when exposed to light irradiation to mimic the micro-environment of native extracellular matrix (ECM). Because of its unique biofunctionality and mechanical tenability, it has also been widely applied in the repair and regeneration of bone, heart, cornea, epidermal tissue, cartilage, vascular, peripheral nerve, oral mucosa, and skeletal muscle et al. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent application of GelMA in drug delivery and tissue engineering field. Moreover, this review article will briefly introduce both the development of GelMA and the characterization of GelMA. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future development prospects of GelMA as a tissue engineering material and drug or gene delivery carrier, hoping to contribute to accelerating the development of GelMA in the biomedical field. Graphical abstract

The study of eye movements and the measurement of the resulting biopotential, referred to as electrooculography (EOG), may find increasing use in applications within the domain of activity recognition, context awareness, mobile human–computer and human–machine interaction (HCI/HMI), and personal medical devices; provided that, seamless sensing of eye activity and processing thereof is achieved by a truly wearable, low-cost, and accessible technology. The present study demonstrates an alternative to the bulky and expensive camera-based eye tracking systems and reports the development of a graphene textile-based personal assistive device for the first time. This self-contained wearable prototype comprises a headband with soft graphene textile electrodes that overcome the limitations of conventional “wet” electrodes, along with miniaturized, portable readout electronics with real-time signal processing capability that can stream data to a remote device over Bluetooth. The potential of graphene textiles in wearable eye tracking and eye-operated remote object interaction is demonstrated by controlling a mouse cursor on screen for typing with a virtual keyboard and enabling navigation of a four-wheeled robot in a maze, all utilizing five different eye motions initiated with a single channel EOG acquisition. Typing speeds of up to six characters per minute without prediction algorithms and guidance of the robot in a maze with four 180° turns were successfully achieved with perfect pattern detection accuracies of 100% and 98%, respectively.

When using the Oliver–Pharr method, the indented specimen is assumed to be a perfectly flat surface, thus ignoring the influences of surface roughness that might be encountered in experiment. For nanoindentation measurements, a flat surface is fabricated from curved specimens by mechanical polishing. However, the position of the polished curved surface cannot be controlled. There are no reliable theoretical or experimental methods to evaluate the mechanical behavior during nanoindentation of an elastic–plastic microsphere. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct reliable numerical simulations to evaluate this behavior. This article reports a systematic computational study regarding the instrumented nanoindentation of elastic–plastic microspherical materials. The ratio between elastic modulus of the microsphere and the initial yield stress of the microsphere was systematically varied from 10 to 1000 to cover the mechanical properties of most materials encountered in engineering. The simulated results indicate that contact height is unsuitable to replace contact depth for obtaining the indentation elastic modulus of microspherical materials. The extracted elastic modulus of a microsphere using the Oliver–Pharr method with the simulated unloading curve depends on the indentation depth. It demonstrates that nanoindentation on microspherical materials exhibits a “size effect”.

The need for sustainable solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of the ceramics and glass industry leads towards the development of new electric current-assisted technologies. Flash sintering-like processes in glasses allow a reduction of the softening temperature and could pave the way for new shaping technologies. Herein, we investigated the flash transition in soda-lime silicate glass using two different electrode materials, silver, and platinum. The high dielectric strength registered on samples tested with platinum electrodes undergoes a significant reduction when silver is used. In other words, in the case of silver electrodes, the flash ignition takes place at a lower onset field. Moreover, the Joule heating developed during the process can be turned from being highly inhomogeneous with Pt electrodes to homogeneous when Ag electrodes are used.

Considering global developments like climate change and the depletion of fossil resources, the use of new and sustainable feedstocks such as lignocellulosic biomass becomes inevitable. Green waste comprises heterogeneous lignocellulosic biomass with low lignin content, which does not stem from agricultural processes or purposeful cultivation and therefore mainly arises in urban areas. So far, the majority of green waste is being composted or serves as feedstock for energy production. Here, the hitherto untapped potential of green waste for material utilization instead of conventional recycling is reviewed. Green waste is a promising starting material for the direct extraction of valuable compounds, the chemical and fermentative conversion into basic chemicals as well as the manufacturing of functional materials like electrodes for electro-biotechnological applications through carbonization. This review serves as a solid foundation for further work on the valorization of green waste.

A dark-field scanning transmission ion microscopy detector was designed for the helium ion microscope. The detection principle is based on a secondary electron conversion holder with an exchangeable aperture strip allowing its acceptance angle to be tuned from 3 to 98 mrad. The contrast mechanism and performance were investigated using freestanding nanometer-thin carbon membranes. The results demonstrate that the detector can be optimized either for most efficient signal collection or for maximum image contrast. The designed setup allows for the imaging of thin low-density materials that otherwise provide little signal or contrast and for a clear end-point detection in the fabrication of nanopores. In addition, the detector is able to determine the thickness of membranes with sub-nanometer precision by quantitatively evaluating the image signal and comparing the results with Monte Carlo simulations. The thickness determined by the dark-field transmission detector is compared to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy measurements. Copyright © 2021, Emmrich et al.

Heart failure (HF) is a major health care issue, and the incidence of HF is only expected to grow further. Due to the frequent hospitalizations, HF places a major burden on the available hospital and healthcare resources. In the future, HF care should not only be organized solely at the clinical ward and outpatient clinics, but remote monitoring strategies are urgently needed to guide, monitor, and treat chronic HF patients remotely from their homes as well. The intuitiveness and relatively low costs of non-invasive remote monitoring tools make them an appealing and emerging concept for developing new medical apps and devices. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the associated transition of patient care outside the hospital will boost the development of remote monitoring tools, and many strategies will be reinvented with modern tools. However, it is important to look carefully at the inconsistencies that have been reported in non-invasive remote monitoring effectiveness. With this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of the available evidence on non-invasive remote monitoring in chronic HF patients and provide future perspectives that may significantly benefit the broader group of HF patients.

Natural fibre-reinforced composites have attracted a great deal of attention by the automotive industry mainly due to their sustainable characteristics and low cost. The use of sustainable composites is expected to continuously increase in this area as the cost and weight of vehicles could be partially reduced by replacing glass fibre composites and aluminium with natural fibre composites. Adhesive bonding is the preferred joining method for composites and is increasingly used in the automotive industry. However, the literature on natural fibre reinforced polymer composite adhesive joints is scarce and needs further investigation. The main objective of this study was to investigate experimentally adhesively bonded joints made of natural, synthetic and interlaminar hybrid fibre-reinforced polymer composites. The effect of the number of the interlaminar synthetic layers required in order to match the bonded joint efficiency of a fully synthetic GFRP bonded joint was studied. It was found that the failure load of the hybrid jute/glass adherend joints increased by increasing the number of external synthetic layers (i.e. the failure load of hybrid 3-layer joint increased by 28.6% compared to hybrid 2-layer joint) and reached the pure synthetic adherends joints efficiency due to the optimum compromise between the adherend material property (i.e. stiffness and strength) and a diminished bondline peel stress state.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent and deadliest cancers. In this study, the anti-tumor effect of singular degree of polymerization (DP) chitooligosaccharides (COS) (DP 2–5) and the underlay molecular mechanisms were investigated on HCC cell line HepG2. MTT assay showed that (GlcN)5 have the best anti-proliferation effect among the different DP of COS (DP2-5). Furthermore, the administration of (GlcN)5 could decrease mitochondrial membrane potential, release cytochrome c into cytoplasm, activate the cleavage of Caspases9/3, thus inducing mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in HepG2 cells (accounting for 24.57 ± 2.25%). In addition, (GlcN)5 treatment could increase the accumulation of autophagosomes. Further investigation showed that (GlcN)5 suppressed protective autophagy at the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes. Moreover, the inhibition of protective autophagy flux by (GlcN)5 could further decrease cell viability and increase the apoptosis rate. Our findings suggested that (GlcN)5 suppressed HepG2 proliferation through inducing apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway and impairing cell-protective autophagy. COS might have the potential to be an agent for lowering the risk of HCC.