Search

In this research, hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) was cross-linked with epigallocatechin (EGC) via one-pot precipitation polymerization. The synthesis was confirmed using FT-IR spectroscopy. The cross-linking density of the nanospheres was investigated by EPR spectroscopy. The mole ratio of HCCP:EGC had a major effect on the nanospheres' formation, growth, particle size, and shape. The thermal properties of the nanospheres were improved due to their cross-linked polymeric structures. The PCTPEC-3 nanospheres were used as anti-cancer drug carriers and the in vitro drug release profile was studied. The findings revealed that the cumulative release of drugs was dependent on the pH environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-piperazine) p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres were prepared. The successful preparation of the p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA and DLS, respectively. The prepared p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres were used for drug delivery system. The model drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded in p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres. The drug release properties of the p(HCCP-co-PIP) nanospheres were investigated in pH 4.0 and pH 7.4. The cumulative release was found to be 86.2% in pH 4.0 and 54.7% in pH 7.4 at 37 °C after 216 h. The obtained result suggested that the nanospheres could be used as drug carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cigarette industry plays an important role in the economy of the advanced countries. But the cigarette smoke contains toxic chemicals such as phenol which causes various kind of diseases and affect human life. In this paper, we synthesized carboxymethyl starch grafted poly vinyl imidazole (CMS-g-PVIs) by reacting carboxymehtyl starch (CMS) with vinyl imidazole (VI). The structures of the CMS-g-PVIs were investigated by 1H NMR and FT-IR. The crystalline properties of the CMS and CMS-g-PVIs were checked by XRD. The thermal properties of the original CMS and CMS-g-PVIs were investigated by TGA analysis. It was found that the modified starches had high thermal stability due to aromatic imidazole ring. The modified starches also showed more rough and distorted morphology as compared to native CMS. The CMS-g-PVIs were subjected for phenol adsorption and showed adsorption efficiencies of 0.170 g/g, 0.190 g/g, 0.192 g/g and 0.199 g/g for CMS, CMS-g-PVI 1, CMS-g-PVI 2 and CMS-g-PVI 3, respectively. Due to higher grafting ratio, CMS-g-PVI 3 showed good adsorption efficiency of 0.199 g/g for phenol. The obtained results showed that the grafting of vinyl imidazole on CMS can increase the adsorption efficiency of native CMS towards phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in‐situ chemical oxidative polymerization was introduced to prepare the composites of polyaniline/fullerene (PANI/C60) in this work. The effects of different reaction conditions such as the concentration of C60, the concentration of doping acids, the concentration of aniline (ANI), and the reaction temperature were investigated. The composites were characterized by FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, TGA, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and vector network analyzer measurements. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties were evaluated over the frequency range of 1.0–4.5 GHz, and it was found that the average total EMI SE was 23.01 dB with additional content of 50 wt% the optimized PANI/C60 composite powder, which contains ~97.26 wt% of PANI (mainly nanorods) and ~2.74 wt% of C60 in the paraffin wax matrix. The possible composites formation mechanism and EMI shielding mechanism for PANI/C60 composites were discussed. The relationship between the conductivities of the samples and the EM shielding performance was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a problem with directly loading insulin into the polymerized glucose‐responsive microneedle (MN) patch due to that polymerization conditions and solvents may damage the activity of insulin. In this study, we report a totally polymerized phenylboronic acid‐based MN patch, and insulin was directly loaded in MNs by a mild drop/dry procedure. MN patch was prepared by copolymerization of N‐isopropyl acrylamide, N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, and 3‐acrylamidoephenylboronic acid in MN mold. The MN patch showed good glucose‐dependent swelling behavior in pH 9.0 at 27°C. After insulin loading procedure, insulin was distributed on and within the MNs. About 43.2% of total insulin was diffused into MNs' interior. As a result, the release of insulin on MNs' surface was uncontrolled by MNs and rapidly finished after ~10 min. However, the release of insulin within MNs was depended on glucose concentration, and insulin was released 1.6 times more at 4 g/L than at 1 g/L glucose concentration after 12 h. Although further improvements are needed to make MN patch responding in physiological environment, this work suggests a solution for directly loading insulin in polymerized glucose‐responsive MNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to evaluate the use of non‐chlorine sanitizer in enhancing quality, microbial safety, and increased shelf life of carrots under various low‐cost packaging and storage at commercial cold storage. The study results revealed that irrespective of packaging conditions, none of the washed carrots stored in a commercial cold storage for six months was found cross the upper threshold microbial limit (7.0 log CFU/g) compared to non‐washed sample and thus acceptable in microbial quality. Among the packaging and washing treatment, waste shell powder (WSP) washed carrots kept in a plastic crate or CFB carton packaged showed better microbial quality, lower decay and weight loss, higher firmness, and acceptable color values than chlorine washed and non‐washed carrots under cold storage condition for 6 months. Although, the overall nutritional quality of 6‐months stored carrots decreased significantly, but WSP washed carrots showed relatively equal or higher phytochemicals than that of chlorine water‐washed carrots. Practical applications: The postharvest losses of horticultural products justify the use of preservation techniques and processing not only adds value to the products, but also makes the products more convenient to the consumers. In this study we find, simple changes in packaging (from Jute sack package to plastic crate packages) resulted in better quality carrots (less damage/decay) than that of existing storage practices. Therefore, this study results demonstrated that washing matured raw carrots with non‐chlorine sanitizer and packaged in the plastic crate was able to provide safe and quality carrots after holding 6 months at cold storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular imaging tool that is valuable for the early detection and monitoring of malignancies because it does not involve radiation and is noninvasive. Metal-based contrast agents (CAs) are commonly used in clinical settings despite concerns about the toxicity of free metals. Therefore, finding alternative nontoxic imaging probes is vital. In this work, we have synthesized and effectively utilized sustainable biomass lignin-based all-organic nanoconjugates linked with nitroxide radicals as MRI CAs. Lignin grafted with poly(4-glycidyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) (LPGT) exhibits a longitudinal relaxivity of 0.54 mM -1 s -1 . LPGT shows exceptional characteristics, including resistance to reduction and nontoxicity toward living organisms. LPGT displays enhanced MRI contrast in the BALB/c mouse model for a duration exceeding 4.35 h. Our primary goal is to design MRI agents that are exceptionally effective sustainable biomass-derived materials and do not require the use of metals. Nicely, LPGT offers adequate contrast enhancement at 5-fold lower (0.020 mmol/kg) than the standard dose (0.1 mmol/kg), easing worries about toxic metal buildup. Consequently, LPGT shows promise as a feasible CA for metal-free MRI.