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The use of environmentally benign alternatives to replace harmful petrochemical-based polymers has been largely explored. The work reports an eco-friendly polymeric system derived from vegetable oil (Corn oil) and evaluated the impact on the functional properties due to the variation in d-orbital electrons (Co/Cu). The dispersed transition metal (TM) acts as the connecting nuclei generating layered structures using the corn diol fatty amide (CDFA) ligands that facilitate the conversion of linear CDFA into crosslinked multifunctional metallopolymers (MP). The transmission electron microscopic images of CuXMPY show the presence of well-dispersed nanospheres (15 ± 8 nm), however, the images for CoXMPY reveal the formation of larger particles (ca. 100 nm). The incorporation of the respective TMs influences the physicomechanical, thermal, and electrochemical properties. The energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies confirm the presence of TMs in the metallopolymers (MPs). The XPS suggests a dominant interaction of polar "N" ends over "O" groups during the self-assembled coordination of polymers with the TM ions. The incorporation of TMs improves the crystalline nature, water contact angles (89° and 92°), and corrosion resistance abilities (electrochemical impedance performance) in the MPs. The work highlights thorough electrochemical studies (corrosion resistance, current, and potential values) and the importance of the TMs used during the development of functional and sustainable polymeric coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based proteins have shown great potential as an alternative substitute for animal proteins to meet the increasing global demand. Nevertheless, several limitations mitigate plant-based protein application and utilization. As a panacea to meeting the market demand, it is imperative to modify plant-based proteins to produce improved quality and techno-functionalities compared to conventional animal protein ingredients. Enzymatic, chemical, and physical modifications have been used for plant-based proteins, which have shown exciting results in improving their techno-functional properties, digestibility, and inherent allergenicity. Among these modification methods, the low-cost, limited time, high sensitivity, and high reproducibility give enzymatic modification leverage over chemical and physical methods. This review gave a concise summary of the advantages and disadvantages of enzymatic modifications. The efficacy of enzymatic modification in producing protein ingredients from plant sources with improved techno-functional properties, digestibility, and alleviated allergenicity was discussed. Furthermore, the application of enzymatic modification in the production of bioactive compounds with health-beneficial properties adds in no small measure to the novelty of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present work reports the synthesis of polyethylene glycol, PEG 300 (soft segment) and toluene 2,4-diisocyanate, TDI (hard segment) based hydroxy-terminated polyurethane ligands (HTPU300) for the formulation of metal ion coordinated polymeric systems. The effect of zinc ions within HTPU300 [Zn(II)HTPU300] was evaluated by studying the thermal, and antibacterial properties of the polymeric material along with their conductivity and crystalline properties. Zn(II)HTPU300 was conveniently synthesized in appreciable yields by following a facile one-pot addition polymerization reaction. The detailed thermal stability of Zn(II)HTPU300 was evaluated using TGA and DSC analysis combined with IPDT calculations. FTIR technique was used to ascertain the structure of Zn(II)HTPU300, while SEM/EDX and XRD techniques were used to study their morphology and elemental analysis of the material. Further, the in-vitro antimicrobial activity of the HTPU300 and Zn(II)HTPU300 was investigated against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains. The comparatively moderate efficacy against bacterial strain supports the possible application of such HTPU300 as thermally stable bacterial resistant additive material in polymeric or other structural constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]