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7. 3D‐Printing of Highly Piezoelectric Barium Titanate Polymer Nanocomposites with Surface‐Modified Nanoparticles at Low Loadings.

Author

Maturi, Mirko, Migliorini, Lorenzo, Villa, Sara Moon, Santaniello, Tommaso, Fernandez‐Delgado, Natalia, Molina, Sergio Ignacio, Milani, Paolo, Sanz de León, Alberto, and Franchini, Mauro Comes

Abstract

This work describes the development and characterization of tetragonal barium titanate nanoparticles (BTO NPs) and their surface functionalization with dopamine dodecylamine (DDA), a lipophilic organic ligand. The so‐obtained lipophilic NPs (BTO‐DDA) are then formulated at low loadings (< 5 wt.%) into liquid photocurable resins for vat photopolymerization (VP) and 3D printed into solid objects. The printed composites are mechanically characterized in order to assess the effect of the nanomaterial on the mechanical properties of the 3D printed polymer, revealing no significant variations in the mechanical properties (tensile or flexural) of the nanocomposites compared to the original polymer matrix. In light of these results, the printed nanocomposites are studied in terms of their capacity to generate a separation of charge by the piezoelectric effect, typical of the BTO crystal structure. This study reveals that BTO‐loaded nanocomposites display outstanding piezoelectric coefficients as high as 50 pC/N when BTO‐DDA is formulated at 3.0 wt.%, only slightly less than one‐third of the piezoelectric coefficient previously reported for bulk BTO, while preserving the mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2025
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8. Development of Polymer Composites Using Surface-Modified Olive Pit Powder for Fused Granular Fabrication.

Author

Burgos Pintos, Pedro, Maturi, Mirko, Sanz de León, Alberto, and Molina, Sergio I.

Subjects
*OLIVE oil industry, *SPECIFIC heat capacity, *POLYETHYLENE terephthalate, *COMPOSITE materials, *TENSILE tests, *OLIVE oil
Abstract

In this study, olive pit agro-waste from the olive oil industry is valorized by incorporating it as an additive in a polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) matrix to develop bio-based composite materials for large format additive manufacturing (LFAM). The olive pits were first ground into olive pit powder (OPP) and then functionalized by polymerizing poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) PBAT on their surface, resulting in a hydrophobic, modified olive pit powder (MOPP) with enhanced compatibility with the PETG matrix. OPP and MOPP composites were compounded and 3D-printed via Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) using 5, 10, and 15 wt.% concentrations. The PBAT coating increased the degradation temperature and specific heat capacity of the material, contributing to a lower melt viscosity during printing, as confirmed by MFR, MDSC, and TGA analyses. Tensile testing revealed that MOPP composites generally exhibited superior mechanical properties compared to OPP composites, likely due to the improved compatibility between PBAT on the MOPP surface and the PETG matrix. SEM analysis further validated these findings, showing a highly irregular and porous fracture surface in OPP composites, while MOPP composites displayed a smooth surface with well-integrated MOPP in the PETG matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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11. Gold nanorod-assisted theranostic solution for nonvisible residual disease in bladder cancer.

Author

Armanetti, Paolo, Locatelli, Irene, Venegoni, Chiara, Alchera, Elisa, Campanella, Beatrice, Pederzoli, Filippo, Maturi, Mirko, Locatelli, Erica, Tortorella, Silvia, Curnis, Flavio, Corti, Angelo, Lucianò, Roberta, Onor, Massimo, Salonia, Andrea, Montorsi, Francesco, Moschini, Marco, Popov, Viktor, Jose, Jithin, Franchini, Mauro Comes, and Ean Hin Ooi

Subjects
NON-muscle invasive bladder cancer, ACOUSTIC imaging, BLADDER cancer, BLADDER diseases, THERMOTHERAPY
Abstract

Residual nonvisible bladder cancer after proper treatment caused by technological and therapeutic limitations is responsible for tumor relapse and progression. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a solution for simultaneous detection and treatment of bladder cancer lesions smaller than one millimeter. The α5β1 integrin was identified as a specific marker in 81% of human high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancers and used as a target for the delivery of targeted gold nanorods (GNRs). In a preclinical model of orthotopic bladder cancer expressing the α5β1 integrin, the photoacoustic imaging of targeted GNRs visualized lesions smaller than one millimeter, and their irradiation with continuous laser was used to induce GNR-assisted hyperthermia. Necrosis of the tumor mass, improved survival, and computational modeling were applied to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of this solution. Our study highlights the potential of the GNR-assisted theranostic strategy as a complementary solution in clinical practice to reduce the risk of nonvisible residual bladder cancer after current treatment. Further validation through clinical studies will support the findings of the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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19. Surface-Modified Nanocellulose for Application in Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine: A Review

Author

Tortorella, Silvia, Vetri Buratti, Veronica, Maturi, Mirko, Sambri, Letizia, Comes Franchini, Mauro, Locatelli, Erica, Tortorella S., Buratti V.V., Maturi M., Sambri L., Comes Franchini M., and Locatelli E.

Subjects
Medicine (General), Nanomedicine, R5-920, Surface Properties, tissue engineering, drug delivery, Biomedical Engineering, nanocelluse, Review, scaffold, Cellulose, surface modification, Nanostructures
Abstract

Silvia Tortorella, Veronica Vetri Buratti, Mirko Maturi, Letizia Sambri, Mauro Comes Franchini, Erica Locatelli Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Bologna 40136, ItalyCorrespondence: Erica Locatelli Email erica.locatelli2@unibo.itAbstract: Presently, a plenty of concerns related to the environment are due to the overuse of petroleum-based chemicals and products; the synthesis of functional materials, starting from the natural sources, is the current trend in research. The interest for nanocellulose has recently increased in a huge range of fields, from the material science to the biomedical engineering. Nanocellulose gained this leading role because of several reasons: its natural abundance on this planet, the excellent mechanical and optical features, the good biocompatibility and the attractive capability of undergoing surface chemical modifications. Nanocellulose surface tuning techniques are adopted by the high reactivity of the hydroxyl groups available; the chemical modifications are mainly performed to introduce either charged or hydrophobic moieties that include amination, esterification, oxidation, silylation, carboxymethylation, epoxidation, sulfonation, thiol- and azido-functional capability. Despite the several already published papers regarding nanocellulose, the aim of this review involves discussing the surface chemical functional capability of nanocellulose and the subsequent applications in the main areas of nanocellulose research, such as drug delivery, biosensing/bioimaging, tissue regeneration and bioprinting, according to these modifications. The final goal of this review isto provide a novel and unusual overview on this topic that iscontinuously under expansion for its intrinsic sophisticated properties.Keywords: nanocelluse, surface modification, drug delivery, scaffold, tissue engineering

Published
2020

22. Advanced Functional Organic-Inorganic Hybrid (Nano)Materials: from Theranostics to Organic Electronics and Additive Manufacturing

Author

Maturi, Mirko <1993> and Comes Franchini, Mauro

Subjects
CHIM/06 Chimica organica
Abstract

This work is going to show the activities performed in the frame of my PhD studies at the University of Bologna, under the supervision of Prof. Mauro Comes Franchini, at the Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”. The main topic of this dissertation will be the study of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures and materials for advanced applications in different fields of materials technology and development such as theranostics, organic electronics and additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. This work is therefore divided into three chapters, that recall the fundamentals of each subject and to recap the state-of-the-art of scientific research around each topic. In each chapter, the published works and preliminary results obtained during my PhD career will be discussed in detail.

Published
2021

24. Advanced Functional Organic-Inorganic Hybrid (Nano)Materials: from Theranostics to Organic Electronics and Additive Manufacturing

Author

Comes Franchini, Mauro, Maturi, Mirko <1993>, Comes Franchini, Mauro, and Maturi, Mirko <1993>

Abstract

This work is going to show the activities performed in the frame of my PhD studies at the University of Bologna, under the supervision of Prof. Mauro Comes Franchini, at the Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”. The main topic of this dissertation will be the study of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures and materials for advanced applications in different fields of materials technology and development such as theranostics, organic electronics and additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. This work is therefore divided into three chapters, that recall the fundamentals of each subject and to recap the state-of-the-art of scientific research around each topic. In each chapter, the published works and preliminary results obtained during my PhD career will be discussed in detail.

Published
2021

29. Surface-Modified Nanocellulose for Application in Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine: A Review

Author

Tortorella,Silvia, Vetri Buratti,Veronica, Maturi,Mirko, Sambri,Letizia, Comes Franchini,Mauro, Locatelli,Erica, Tortorella,Silvia, Vetri Buratti,Veronica, Maturi,Mirko, Sambri,Letizia, Comes Franchini,Mauro, and Locatelli,Erica

Abstract

Silvia Tortorella, Veronica Vetri Buratti, Mirko Maturi, Letizia Sambri, Mauro Comes Franchini, Erica Locatelli Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Bologna 40136, ItalyCorrespondence: Erica Locatelli Email erica.locatelli2@unibo.itAbstract: Presently, a plenty of concerns related to the environment are due to the overuse of petroleum-based chemicals and products; the synthesis of functional materials, starting from the natural sources, is the current trend in research. The interest for nanocellulose has recently increased in a huge range of fields, from the material science to the biomedical engineering. Nanocellulose gained this leading role because of several reasons: its natural abundance on this planet, the excellent mechanical and optical features, the good biocompatibility and the attractive capability of undergoing surface chemical modifications. Nanocellulose surface tuning techniques are adopted by the high reactivity of the hydroxyl groups available; the chemical modifications are mainly performed to introduce either charged or hydrophobic moieties that include amination, esterification, oxidation, silylation, carboxymethylation, epoxidation, sulfonation, thiol- and azido-functional capability. Despite the several already published papers regarding nanocellulose, the aim of this review involves discussing the surface chemical functional capability of nanocellulose and the subsequent applications in the main areas of nanocellulose research, such as drug delivery, biosensing/bioimaging, tissue regeneration and bioprinting, according to these modifications. The final goal of this review is to provide a novel and unusual overview on this topic that is continuously under expansion for its intrinsic sophisticated properties.Keywords: nanocelluse, surface modification, drug delivery, scaffold, tissue engineering

Published
2020

32. Soft Piezoionic/Piezoelectric Nanocomposites Based on Ionogel/BaTiO3 Nanoparticles for Low Frequency and Directional Discriminative Pressure Sensing

Author

Villa, Sara Moon, primary, Mazzola, Vittorio Massimo, additional, Santaniello, Tommaso, additional, Locatelli, Erica, additional, Maturi, Mirko, additional, Migliorini, Lorenzo, additional, Monaco, Ilaria, additional, Lenardi, Cristina, additional, Comes Franchini, Mauro, additional, and Milani, Paolo, additional

Published
2019
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34. A novel theranostic gold nanorods- and Adriamycin-loaded micelle for EpCAM targeting, laser ablation, and photoacoustic imaging of cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

Author

Locatelli,Erica, Li,Yan, Monaco,Ilaria, Guo,Wei, Maturi,Mirko, Menichetti,Luca, Armanetti,Paolo, Martin,Robert, Comes Franchini,Mauro, Locatelli,Erica, Li,Yan, Monaco,Ilaria, Guo,Wei, Maturi,Mirko, Menichetti,Luca, Armanetti,Paolo, Martin,Robert, and Comes Franchini,Mauro

Abstract

Erica Locatelli,1,* Yan Li,2,* Ilaria Monaco,1 Wei Guo,3 Mirko Maturi,1 Luca Menichetti,4 Paolo Armanetti,4 Robert C Martin,2 Mauro Comes Franchini1 1Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”, Bologna, Italy; 2Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA; 3Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China; 4Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy *These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction and purpose: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) present a higher capacity to evade being killed by cancer agents and developing chemoresistance, thus leading to failure of conventional anticancer therapeutics. Nanomaterials specifically designed for targeting and treating not only tumor cells, but also CSCs, may encompass therapeutic and diagnostic tools, thus successfully eradicating the tumor. Materials and methods: Polymeric micelles simultaneously loaded with gold nanorods (GNRs) and Adriamycin were prepared and used as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic weapon. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is an important CSC surface marker and has been exploited in this work as an active targeting agent. Photoacoustic imaging was applied for GNR individuation and tissue recognition. Results: The nanosystem was demonstrated to be able to elicit effective targeting of cancer cells and cause their killing, in particular under laser ablation. Moreover, ex vivo photoacoustic imaging is able to clearly identify tumor regions thanks to GNR’s contrast. Conclusion: The nanosystem can be considered a powerful and promising theranostic weapon for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment. Keywords: gold nanorods, drug delivery, photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy, EpCAM, cancer stem cells

Published
2019

39. Current concepts in nanostructured contrast media development for in vivophotoacoustic imaging

Author

Maturi, Mirko, Locatelli, Erica, Monaco, Ilaria, and Comes Franchini, Mauro

Abstract

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is indeed one of the most promising bioimaging techniques for theranostics applications in humans, allowing for the visualization of blood vessels and melanomas with high spatial resolution. However, in order to overcome the endogenous contrast arising from interfering endogenous species such as haemoglobin and melanin, specific contrast agents need to be developed, allowing PAI to successfully identify targeted contrast in the range of wavelengths in which interference from the biomatrix is minimized. This has been first performed by small molecule dyes, which, however, suffer from some important limitations such as low hydrophilicity and short circulation times. For this reason, scientific research has recently directed its efforts towards the development of nanostructured contrast agents capable of providing efficient PA contrast at low concentrations with low toxicity and high biocompatibility. The principal nanostructures are based on (1) metal and semiconducting nanoparticles, amongst which variously shaped nano-gold plays the main role, (2) carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, and (3) conjugated polymer nanoparticles. In this review, the principal characteristics of this class of materials are reported and greater focus is directed towards in vivostudies. A detailed analysis is performed on various physical–chemical parameters that define the PA response of reported contrast agents, like absorption coefficients and photoacoustic efficiencies. By comparing the experimental data, this review provides a comprehensive tool for the evaluation of new nanostructured contrast agents for PA imaging.

Published
2019
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40. Chitosan-Coated Gold Nanorods as Contrast Agents for Hyperspectral Photoacoustic Imaging of Murine Bladder Cancer

Author

Maturi, Mirko, thesis supervisor: Comes Franchini, Mauro, Maturi, Mirko, and thesis supervisor: Comes Franchini, Mauro

Abstract

In the present work, gold nanorods (GNRs) are synthetized from metal salt precursors in presence of CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium chloride) in aqueous environment, leading to the formation of nanoparticles capped by a double bilayer of surfactant. Then, high-molecular-weight chitosan is chemically modified with thioglycolic acid to insert thiol groups on the sugar backbone. Thiol moieties have been exploited due to their ability of binding gold, replacing cytotoxic CTAB from the surface of the nanoparticle. Chitosan is able to strongly interact with bladder wall cells and GNRs display a strong optical absorption in the NIR: therefore, the nanosystem is tested as contrast agent for multispectral photoacoustic imaging of the bladder. Firstly, biodistribution and toxicity of the nanosystem is tested in vivo on mice which have been intravesically perfused with chitosan-coated GNRs. Then, catheterally perfused murine bladders are studied ex vivo by dual-modality ultrasound/photoacoustic imaging, highlighting the localization of GNRs in part of the urothelium. Finally, acquired multispectral data are decomposed by a multivariate curve resolution algorithm (MCR-ALS) which allows the successful separation of the spectral contributions of different photoabsorbers in different distribution images, generating a refined spectrum related to each pure component.

41. Chitosan-Coated Gold Nanorods as Contrast Agents for Hyperspectral Photoacoustic Imaging of Murine Bladder Cancer

Author

Maturi, Mirko, thesis supervisor: Comes Franchini, Mauro, Maturi, Mirko, and thesis supervisor: Comes Franchini, Mauro

Abstract

In the present work, gold nanorods (GNRs) are synthetized from metal salt precursors in presence of CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium chloride) in aqueous environment, leading to the formation of nanoparticles capped by a double bilayer of surfactant. Then, high-molecular-weight chitosan is chemically modified with thioglycolic acid to insert thiol groups on the sugar backbone. Thiol moieties have been exploited due to their ability of binding gold, replacing cytotoxic CTAB from the surface of the nanoparticle. Chitosan is able to strongly interact with bladder wall cells and GNRs display a strong optical absorption in the NIR: therefore, the nanosystem is tested as contrast agent for multispectral photoacoustic imaging of the bladder. Firstly, biodistribution and toxicity of the nanosystem is tested in vivo on mice which have been intravesically perfused with chitosan-coated GNRs. Then, catheterally perfused murine bladders are studied ex vivo by dual-modality ultrasound/photoacoustic imaging, highlighting the localization of GNRs in part of the urothelium. Finally, acquired multispectral data are decomposed by a multivariate curve resolution algorithm (MCR-ALS) which allows the successful separation of the spectral contributions of different photoabsorbers in different distribution images, generating a refined spectrum related to each pure component.

42. Smart assembly of Mn-ferrites/silica core–shell with fluorescein and gold nanorods: robust and stable nanomicelles for in vivo triple modality imaging

Author

Luca Menichetti, Paolo Armanetti, Alessandra Flori, Ilaria Monaco, Mirko Maturi, Serena Del Turco, Mauro Comes Franchini, Erica Locatelli, Monaco, Ilaria, Armanetti, Paolo, Locatelli, Erica, Flori, Alessandra, Maturi, Mirko, Del Turco, Serena, Menichetti, Luca, and Comes Franchini, Mauro

Subjects
Fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy, Materials science, Biocompatibility, Biomedical Engineering, Nanoparticle, Nanotechnology, 02 engineering and technology, General Chemistry, General Medicine, Conjugated system, 010402 general chemistry, 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, 01 natural sciences, 0104 chemical sciences, chemistry.chemical_compound, chemistry, In vivo, Nanomedicine, General Materials Science, Nanorod, Fluorescein, 0210 nano-technology, Nanomedicine, imaging, gold nano rods, magnetic
Abstract

Herein we report the synthesis of a resilient nanosystem based on silica-coated magnetic MnFe2O3 nanoparticles conjugated to fluorescein and PEGylated gold nanorods embedded in polymeric micelles (MnFe2O4@SiO2@GNRs@PMs), for magnetic–photoacoustic–optical triple-modality imaging. The magnetic relaxivity of the nanosystem has been evaluated, revealing high r2/r1 ratios that suggest the effectiveness of the nanosystem as the T2-contrast agent. In addition, contrast-based fluorescence imaging has been tested both in vitro and ex vivo, showing that the nanosystem exhibits the suitable optical properties of fluorescein, with contrast intensities comparable with previously reported results. Finally, photoacoustic, due to gold nanorods, performances of the nanosystem have been evaluated, revealing good linearity between concentration and photoacoustic response in the 25–250 nM concentration under irradiation at 690 nm. The results showed a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) as high as 60 in a mouse leg subcutaneously injected with the nanosystem. Biocompatibility studies revealed no hemolytic effect induced by the nanoconstruct, revealing the applicability of the studied diagnostic tool for medical studies.

Published
2018

43. Photoluminescent decoration of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles for dual-imaging applications

Author

Paolo Armanetti, Ilaria Monaco, Erica Locatelli, Andrea Pace, Mirko Maturi, Luca Menichetti, Alessandra Flori, Antonio Palumbo Piccionello, Piccionello, Antonio Palumbo, Menichetti, Luca, Armanetti, Paolo, Flori, Alessandra, Monaco, Ilaria, Maturi, Mirko, Pace, Andrea, Locatelli, Erica, and Palumbo Piccionello, Antonio

Subjects
Fluorescent nanoparticle, Materials science, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optic, Dopamine, Magnetic nanoparticle, Iron oxide, Nanoparticle, Nanotechnology, Bioengineering, 02 engineering and technology, 010402 general chemistry, 01 natural sciences, chemistry.chemical_compound, General Materials Science, Chemistry (all), technology, industry, and agriculture, Settore CHIM/06 - Chimica Organica, General Chemistry, 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Condensed Matter Physics, Fluorescence, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, 0104 chemical sciences, chemistry, Targeted drug delivery, Dual-imaging, Modeling and Simulation, Drug delivery, Surface modification, Magnetic nanoparticles, Materials Science (all), 0210 nano-technology, Iron oxide nanoparticles
Abstract

A selective functionalization of dopamine amino group with the photoluminescent 7-nitroben-zofurazan was achieved through a one-pot protection-functionalization-deprotection sequence. The resulting fluorescent catecholic ligand was used as a capping agent for iron oxide nanoparticles thus obtaining photoluminescent magnetic nanoparticles (PL-MNPs). The PL-MNPs were then embedded into PLGA-b-PEG polymeric nanocarriers which quenched the emission of the capping agent. Full recovery of fluorescence was observed after disassembling the polymeric layer of the nanoparticle, thus supporting the use of PL-MNPs as a multifunctional system for targeted drug delivery.

Published
2018

44. The DnaE polymerase from Deinococcus radiodurans features RecA-dependent DNA polymerase activity

Author

Mirko Maturi, Fabrizio Dal Piaz, Lorenzo Randi, Michela Camerani, Alejandro Hochkoeppler, Alessandro Perrone, Randi, Lorenzo, Perrone, Alessandro, Maturi, Mirko, Piaz, Fabrizio Dal, Camerani, Michela, and Hochkoeppler, Alejandro

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, DNA, Bacterial, DNA polymerase, DNA polymerase II, 030106 microbiology, Biophysics, α subunit, Deinococcus radiodurans, DNA polymerase III, DnaE polymerase, Escherichia coli, RecA, αsubunit, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, DNA polymerase delta, 03 medical and health sciences, Bacterial Proteins, Deinococcus radiodurans, DnaE polymerase, DNA polymerase III, Escherichia coli, RecA, α subunit, Polymerase, Original Paper, DNA clamp, biology, DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases, Molecular biology, Original Papers, Rec A Recombinases, biology.protein, bacteria, Deinococcus, DNA polymerase I, DNA polymerase mu, In vitro recombination
Abstract

We report in the present study on the catalytic properties of Deinococcus radiodurans DnaE polymerase, whose DNA elongation efficiency was compared with the homologous Escherichia coli polymerase. Contrary to the latter, the deinococcal enzyme was found to be strictly dependent on RecA recombinase., We report in the present study on the catalytic properties of the Deinococcus radiodurans DNA polymerase III α subunit (αDr). The αDr enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, both in soluble form and as inclusion bodies. When purified from soluble protein extracts, αDr was found to be tightly associated with E. coli RNA polymerase, from which αDr could not be dissociated. On the contrary, when refolded from inclusion bodies, αDr was devoid of E. coli RNA polymerase and was purified to homogeneity. When assayed with different DNA substrates, αDr featured slower DNA extension rates when compared with the corresponding enzyme from E. coli (E. coli DNA Pol III, αEc), unless under high ionic strength conditions or in the presence of manganese. Further assays were performed using a ssDNA and a dsDNA, whose recombination yields a DNA substrate. Surprisingly, αDr was found to be incapable of recombination-dependent DNA polymerase activity, whereas αEc was competent in this action. However, in the presence of the RecA recombinase, αDr was able to efficiently extend the DNA substrate produced by recombination. Upon comparing the rates of RecA-dependent and RecA-independent DNA polymerase activities, we detected a significant activation of αDr by the recombinase. Conversely, the activity of αEc was found maximal under non-recombination conditions. Overall, our observations indicate a sharp contrast between the catalytic actions of αDr and αEc, with αDr more performing under recombination conditions, and αEc preferring DNA substrates whose extension does not require recombination events.

Published
2016

45. Hybrid membranes for wastewater treatment based on polymer-coated barium titanate nanoparticles.

Author

Maturi M, de la Mata M, Comes Franchini M, Molina SI, and Sanz de León A

Abstract

In this work we present a series of hybrid membranes with piezocatalytic properties for wastewater treatment. For this, four types of barium titanate nanoparticles (BTO NPs) with different coatings were synthesized. These NPs were embedded in a polystyrene (PS) matrix to fabricate hybrid, porous membranes using the breath figures (BF) technique. In-depth electron microscopy analysis showed that the NPs with an amphiphilic coating composed of PS (hydrophobic, compatibilizing them with the PS matrix) and hydrocaffeic acid (HCA) (hydrophilic, favoring the formation of ordered pores) led to the formation of honeycomb-patterned films where these NPs are selectively placed inside of the pores for a wide range of concentrations, from 5 to 100 wt%. We demonstrated the potential of these membranes in piezocatalysis applications, through proof-of-concept studies of methylene blue (MB) degradation in aqueous solutions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Published
2024
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46. Soft Piezoionic/Piezoelectric Nanocomposites Based on Ionogel/BaTiO 3 Nanoparticles for Low Frequency and Directional Discriminative Pressure Sensing.

Author

Villa SM, Mazzola VM, Santaniello T, Locatelli E, Maturi M, Migliorini L, Monaco I, Lenardi C, Comes Franchini M, and Milani P

Abstract

We report on the fabrication and electro-mechanical characterization of a nanocomposite system exhibiting anisotropic electrical response under the application of tactile compressive stresses (5 kPa) at low frequencies (0.1-1 Hz). The nanocomposite is based on a chemically cross-linked gel incorporating a highly conductive ionic liquid and surface functionalized barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) ferroelectric nanoparticles. The system was engineered to respond to mechanical stimulations by combining piezoionic and piezoelectric activity, generating electric charge due to a redistribution of the mobile ions across the polymer matrix and to the presence of the electrically polarized ceramic nanoparticles, respectively. The nanocomposite response was characterized in a quasi-static regime using a custom-designed apparatus. The results obtained showed that the combination of both piezo-effects led to output voltages up to 8 mV and anisotropy in the response. This allows to discriminate the sample orientation with respect to the load direction by monitoring the phase and amplitude modulation of the output signal. The integration of cluster-assembled gold electrodes produced by Supersonic Cluster Beam Deposition (SCBD) was also performed, enabling to enhance the charge transduction efficiency by a factor of 10, compared to the bare nanocomposite. This smart piezoionic/piezoelectric nanocomposite represents an interesting solution for the development of soft devices for discriminative touch sensing and objects localization in physically unstructured environments.

Published
2019
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