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There is significant environmental concern about chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) in wastewater, surface water, and groundwater due to their low biodegradability and high persistence. In this work, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (124-TCB) was selected as a model compound to study its abatement using wet peroxide oxidation at neutral pH with goethite as a heterogeneous catalyst, which was enhanced with visible monochromatic light-emitting diode (LED) light (470 nm). A systematic study of the main operating variables (oxidant and catalyst concentration and irradiance) was accomplished to investigate their influence in the abatement of 124-TCB in water. The reaction was carried out in a well-mixed reactor of glass irradiated by a visible LED light. The hydrogen peroxide concentration was tested from 0 to 18 mM, the goethite concentration within the range 0.1–1.0 g·L−1 and the irradiance from 0.10 to 0.24 W·cm−2 at neutral pH. It was found that this oxidation method is a very efficient technique to abate 124-TCB, reaching a pollutant conversion of 0.9 when using 0.1 g·L−1 of goethite, 18 mM of H2O2, and 0.24 of W·cm−2 . Moreover, the system performance was evaluated using the photonic efficiency (ratio of the moles of 124-TCB abated and the moles of photons arriving at the reactor window). The maximum photonic efficiencies were obtained using the lowest lamp powers and moderate to high catalyst loads. Fil: Lorenzo, David. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; España Fil: Santos, Aurora. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; España Fil: Sánchez-Yepes, Andrés. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; España Fil: Conte, Leandro Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; Argentina Fil: Domínguez, Carmen María. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; España

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

The scarcity of drinking water and the contamination of water sources in underdeveloped countries are serious problems that require immediate low-tech and low-cost solutions. In this study, we fabricated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous membranes coated with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and demonstrated their use for water filtration and water treatment applications. The membranes were prepared by electrospinning a PAN solution and treating in a hydroxylamine (NH2OH) aqueous solution to form &ndash, C(NH2)N&ndash, OH groups that were used for functionalization (Ag+ ions) of the membrane. The coordinated silver ions were then converted to silver nanoparticles. The microstructure of the membrane, water permeability, antimicrobial effect (using Escherichia coli), and particulate filtration capabilities were studied. This study verified that the membrane demonstrated a 100% reduction for Gram-negative bacteria with an effective filtration rate of 8.0 mL/cm2 min. Furthermore, the membrane was able to eliminate 60% of latex beads as small as 50 nm and over 80% of the 2 &micro, m beads via gravity filtration. This study demonstrated that PAN&ndash, AgNP membranes can be employed as antimicrobial membranes for the filtration of water in underdeveloped countries.

The use of lead in manufacturing has decreased significantly over the last few decades. However, previous widespread use of lead-containing products and their incorrect disposal has resulted in environmental contamination. Accumulation of harmful quantities of lead pose a threat to all living organisms, through inhalation, ingestion, or direct contact, resulting in lead poisoning. This study utilized synthetic biology principles to develop plasmid-based whole-cell bacterial biosensors for detection of lead. The genetic element of the lead biosensor construct consists of pbrR, which encodes the regulatory protein, together with its divergent promoter region and a promoterless gfp. GFP expression is controlled by PbrR in response to the presence of lead. The lead biosensor genetic element was cloned onto a low-copy number broad host range plasmid, which can stably exist in a range of laboratory and environmental isolates, including Pseudomonas, Shewanella, and Enterobacter. The biosensors constructed were found to be sensitive, rapid, and specific and could, as such, serve as monitoring tools for lead-contaminated water.

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.

Inductive powering for implanted medical devices, such as implantable biosensors, is a safe and effective technique that allows power to be delivered to implants wirelessly, avoiding the use of transcutaneous wires or implanted batteries. Wireless powering is very sensitive to a number of link parameters, including coil distance, alignment, shape, and load conditions. The optimum drive frequency of an inductive link varies depending on the coil spacing and load. This paper presents an optimum frequency tracking (OFT) method, in which an inductive power link is driven at a frequency that is maintained at an optimum value to ensure that the link is working at resonance, and the output voltage is maximised. The method is shown to provide significant improvements in maintained secondary voltage and system efficiency for a range of loads when the link is overcoupled. The OFT method does not require the use of variable capacitors or inductors. When tested at frequencies around a nominal frequency of 5 MHz, the OFT method provides up to a twofold efficiency improvement compared to a fixed frequency drive. The system can be readily interfaced with passive implants or implantable biosensors, and lends itself to interfacing with designs such as distributed implanted sensor networks, where each implant is operating at a different frequency.

A fully-integrated complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor for combined temperature and humidity measurements is presented. The main purpose of the device is to monitor the hermeticity of micro-packages for implanted integrated circuits and to ensure their safe operation by monitoring the operating temperature and humidity on-chip. The smart sensor has two modes of operation, in which either the temperature or humidity is converted into a digital code representing a frequency ratio between two oscillators. This ratio is determined by the ratios of the timing capacitances and bias currents in both oscillators. The reference oscillator is biased by a current whose temperature dependency is complementary to the proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) current. For the temperature measurement, this results in an exceptional normalized sensitivity of about 0.77%/°C at the accepted expense of reduced linearity. The humidity sensor is a capacitor, whose value varies linearly with relative humidity (RH) with a normalized sensitivity of 0.055%/% RH. For comparison, two versions of the humidity sensor with an area of either 0.2 mm2 or 1.2 mm2 were fabricated in a commercial 0.18 μm CMOS process. The on-chip readout electronics operate from a 5 V power supply and consume a current of approximately 85 μA.

Designing energy-efficient cognitive radio sensor networks is important to intelligently use battery energy and to maximize the sensor network life. In this paper, the problem of determining the power allocation that maximizes the energy-efficiency of cognitive radio-based wireless sensor networks is formed as a constrained optimization problem, where the objective function is the ratio of network throughput and the network power. The proposed constrained optimization problem belongs to a class of nonlinear fractional programming problems. Charnes-Cooper Transformation is used to transform the nonlinear fractional problem into an equivalent concave optimization problem. The structure of the power allocation policy for the transformed concave problem is found to be of a water-filling type. The problem is also transformed into a parametric form for which a ε-optimal iterative solution exists. The convergence of the iterative algorithms is proven, and numerical solutions are presented. The iterative solutions are compared with the optimal solution obtained from the transformed concave problem, and the effects of different system parameters (interference threshold level, the number of primary users and secondary sensor nodes) on the performance of the proposed algorithms are investigated.

Actigraphs for personalized health and fitness monitoring is a trending niche market and fit aptly in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) paradigm. Conventionally, actigraphy is acquired and digitized using standard low pass filtering and quantization techniques. High sampling frequencies and quantization resolution of various actigraphs can lead to memory leakage and unwanted battery usage. Our systematic investigation on different types of actigraphy signals yields that lower levels of quantization are sufficient for acquiring and storing vital movement information while ensuring an increase in SNR, higher space savings, and in faster time. The objective of this study is to propose a low-level signal encoding method which could improve data acquisition and storage in actigraphs, as well as enhance signal clarity for pattern classification. To further verify this study, we have used a machine learning approach which suggests that signal encoding also improves pattern recognition accuracy. Our experiments indicate that signal encoding at the source results in an increase in SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) by at least 50&ndash, 90%, coupled with a bit rate reduction by 50&ndash, 80%, and an overall space savings in the range of 68&ndash, 92%, depending on the type of actigraph and application used in our study. Consistent improvements by lowering the quantization factor also indicates that a 3-bit encoding of actigraphy data retains most prominent movement information, and also results in an increase of the pattern recognition accuracy by at least 10%.

Surface Electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive measurement process that does not involve tools and instruments to break the skin or physically enter the body to investigate and evaluate the muscular activities produced by skeletal muscles. The main drawbacks of existing sEMG systems are: (1) they are not able to provide real-time monitoring, (2) they suffer from long processing time and low speed, (3) they are not effective for wireless healthcare systems because they consume huge power. In this work, we present an analog-based Compressed Sensing (CS) architecture, which consists of three novel algorithms for design and implementation of wearable wireless sEMG bio-sensor. At the transmitter side, two new algorithms are presented in order to apply the analog-CS theory before Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). At the receiver side, a robust reconstruction algorithm based on a combination of ℓ1-ℓ1-optimization and Block Sparse Bayesian Learning (BSBL) framework is presented to reconstruct the original bio-signals from the compressed bio-signals. The proposed architecture allows reducing the sampling rate to 25% of Nyquist Rate (NR). In addition, the proposed architecture reduces the power consumption to 40%, Percentage Residual Difference (PRD) to 24%, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) to 2%, and the computation time from 22 s to 9.01 s, which provide good background for establishing wearable wireless healthcare systems. The proposed architecture achieves robust performance in low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) for the reconstruction process.

This work presents a new on-line adaptive filter, which is based on a similarity analysis between standard electrode locations, in order to reduce artifacts and common interferences throughout electroencephalography (EEG) signals, but preserving the useful information. Standard deviation and Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) between target electrodes and its correspondent neighbor electrodes are analyzed on sliding windows to select those neighbors that are highly correlated. Afterwards, a model based on CCC is applied to provide higher values of weight to those correlated electrodes with lower similarity to the target electrode. The approach was applied to brain computer-interfaces (BCIs) based on Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) to recognize 40 targets of steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), providing an accuracy (ACC) of 86.44 ± 2.81%. In addition, also using this approach, features of low frequency were selected in the pre-processing stage of another BCI to recognize gait planning. In this case, the recognition was significantly (p < 0.01) improved for most of the subjects (ACC ¿ 74.79%), when compared with other BCIs based on Common Spatial Pattern, Filter Bank - Common Spatial Pattern, and Riemannian Geometry., This research was partially supported by the Spanish Government, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants NeuroMOD, DPI2015-68664-C4-1-R, and ESSENTIAL, DPI2015-72638-EXP). Authors would like to thank CNPq (304192/2016-3), CAPES (88887.095626/2015-01), and FAPES (72982608) from Brazil, Emerging Leaders in the America’s Program (ELAP, Canada), and SENESCYT (Ecuador) for supporting this research

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 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.

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.

The combustion of fossil fuels is intensifying global warming and destructing the ecosystem with negative human health impacts as well. Even so, other anthropogenic activities have unfortunately constituted pollution also to our environment, say, in the form of waste waters. Beside these, the existing technologies for waste water treatment have problems such as high costs, sludge disposal challenges, etc. Thus, it is now important to find economically viable and safe alternatives to decontaminate waste waters. Hence, low cost, renewable, easily accessible, and readily prepared biosorbents have become favourable alternatives to traditional counterpart for the elimination of pollutants from aqueous systems. Fortunately, these biosorbents also have requisite and comparable properties necessary for adsorption of pollutants. Many studies have been reported on the application of biosorbents for pollutants removal. However, this paper provides an overview of biosorbents preparation, properties, their applications in pollutants removal and related use. Biosorbents are usually used in raw or processed forms such as activated carbon (AC), biobar (BC), and charcoal (CC) for removal of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, organics, inorganics, mycotoxins, etc. from aqueous systems. Besides classical sorption of the pollutants, biosorbents have prospect of applications as electrodes in the microbial fuel cells, green packaging materials, energy storage devices, catalysts, soil remediation agent, carbon sequestration, etc. Hence, further concerted investigations should be exercised to develop feasibly best conditions for the preparations and modifications of biosorbents. In addition, mean pore size, pore size distribution, porosity, surface functionality, and zeta potential studies are necessary to be had about biosorbents, especially novel types. There is need for development of biosorbents for specific tasks. Another essential thing is to determine desorption studies of these novel biosorbents. Focus should also be directed on more economically viable and sustainable biosorbents to enhance their use. Again, it is suggested that more suitable biomasses be identified to enable successful preparation of efficient biosorbents. More so, biosorbents can be recycled after use to avoid littering and possible pollution.

Solvents are an inevitable part of industries. They are widely used in manufacturing and processing industries. Despite the numerous controlling measures taken, solvents contaminate our environment to a vast extent. Green and sustainable solvents have been a matter of growing interest within the research community over the past few years due to the increasing environmental concerns. Solvents are categorized as “green” based on their nonvolatility, nonflammability, availability, biodegradability and so on. The use of ionic liquids, super critical carbon dioxide and aqueous solvents for the fabrication of polymer composites is discussed in this review. The progress of utilizing solvent-free approaches for polymer composite preparation and efforts to produce new biobased solvents are also summarized.

The present work evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of a rhamnolipids production process that utilizes digestate from anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste. Technical feasibility, profitability and extent of investment risks between fermenter scale and its operating strategy for rhamnolipids production was investigated in the present study. Three scenarios were generated and compared: production using a single large fermenter (Scenario I), using two small fermenters operated alternately (Scenario II) or simultaneously (Scenario III). It was found that all the scenarios were economically feasible, and Scenario III was the most profitable since it allowed the most optimum fermenter operation with utilization of multiple small-scale equipment to reduce the downtime of each equipment and increase the production capacity and overall productivity. It had the highest net present value, internal rate of return and shortest payback time at a discount rate of 7%. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to indicate how the variation in factors such as feedstock (digestate) cost, rhamnolipids selling price, extractant recyclability and process capacity influenced the process economics. The work provides important insights on techno-economic performance of a food waste digestate valorization process which would be useful to guide its sustainable scale-up.

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 effort is related to describe and assess the performance of the Iraqi cement sample planned for oil well-cementing jobs in Iraq. In this paper, major cementing properties which are thickening time, compressive strength, and free water in addition to the rheological properties and filtration of cement slurry underneath definite circumstances are experimentally tested. The consequences point to that the Iraqi cement after special additives encounter the requests of the API standards and can consequently is used in cementing jobs for oil wells. At this research, there is a comparative investigation established on experimental work on the effectiveness of some additives that considered as waste materials which are silica fume, bauxite, and glass powder, and other conventional additives which are: (SCR -100 Retarder, HR-5, FWCA, Hollow Glass Spheres (HGS) and Halad-9) that currently used in our fields on local Iraqi cement and putting foreign cement results as a governor. Chemical analysis for Iraqi cement, imported cement, and waste materials samples was determined using the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique and found minor differences in composition between those samples and depending on the results of X-ray, we selecting the appropriate additives to prepare cement slurry samples. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results show that Iraqi Cement has a low value of silica which is about 18.63% while Omani cement about 37.58%. This research examined the potential of micro silica, bauxite, and waste glass powder to produce sustainable cement slurry. The results showed that adding micro silica and bauxite enhances the performance of Iraqi cement but also leads to a slight decrease in thickening time. To avoid this problem, Superplasticizer is used to make the process of cement pumping more easily, in other words, increase thickening time and increase compressive strength. Furthermore, adding glass powder increase the value of compressive strength. Both additives (waste and conventional) are used for the slurry design for achieving better slurry properties, but waste additives increase and enhance Iraqi cement performance than conventional additives, in other words, making it more effective than commercial cement. Depending on the results of the compressive strength test, the optimal concentration of the waste materials used in this research was found, and then the optimal concentration was used to prepare cement samples. The results showed that the use of waste materials to prepare cement slurry is a promising way to improve the efficiency of cement work and to reduce the negative environmental impact resulting from the industry. The results of the program CemCADE proved to be the sample A and C showed good performance through high cement bonding and ideal distribution of fluids designed to accomplish the cementing process.

A brief overview is presented of the modified random network (MRN) model in glass science emphasizing the practical outcome of its use. Then, the configuron percolation theory (CPT) of glass–liquid transition is concisely outlined, emphasizing the role of the actual percolation thresholds observed in a complex system. The MRN model is shown as an important tool enabling to understand within CPT the reduced percolation threshold in complex oxide systems.

A method of deriving standard electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data such as Bode diagram, Nyquist diagram, and others from frequency dependence of the external impedance using numerical differentiation of the indicated dependence in quadratic coordinates is proposed, the method being named as the differential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS). The method was tested experimentally on polyvinyl alcohol-based proton membranes doped with sulphated montmorillonite in granulated or dispersed states as an example. It is shown that DEIS data can be easier and with higher accuracy described by regular semicircles while leaving intact values of ohmic resistance. Very high values of dielectric permeability were obtained in the work enabling to develop condensers with high capacity based on highly conductive polymeric proton electrolytes.

Due to their inherent chemical complexity and their refractory nature, the obtainment of highly dense and single-phase high entropy (HE) diborides represents a very hard target to achieve. In this framework, homogeneous (Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2)B2, (Hf0.2Zr0.2Ta0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2)B2, and (Hf0.2Zr0.2Nb0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2)B2 ceramics with high relative densities (97.4, 96.5, and 98.2%, respectively) were successfully produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). Although the latter technique did not lead to the complete conversion of initial precursors into the prescribed HE phases, such a goal was fully reached after SPS (1950 °C/20 min/20 MPa). The three HE products showed similar and, in some cases, even better mechanical properties compared to ceramics with the same nominal composition attained using alternative processing methods. Superior Vickers hardness and elastic modulus values were found for the (Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2)B2 and the (Hf0.2Zr0.2Ta0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2)B2 systems, i.e., 28.1 GPa/538.5 GPa and 28.08 GPa/498.1 GPa, respectively, in spite of the correspondingly higher residual porosities (1.2 and 2.2 vol.%, respectively). In contrast, the third ceramic, not containing tantalum, displayed lower values of these two properties (25.1 GPa/404.5 GPa). However, the corresponding fracture toughness (8.84 MPa m1/2) was relatively higher. This fact can be likely ascribed to the smaller residual porosity (0.3 vol.%) of the sintered material.

The striking feature of X-ray diffraction pattern of vitreous silica is that the center of its intense but broad ring is located at nearly the same position as the strongest diffraction ring of β-cristobalite. Two fundamentally different explanations to the diffraction patterns were appeared about 90 years ago, one based on the smallest crystals of β-cristobalite and the other based on the non-crystalline continuous random network. This work briefly outlines the facts supporting and objecting these two hypotheses, and aims to present a new interpretation based on a medium-range ordering structure on the facets of clusters formed in the glass transition process. It will be shown that the new interpretation provides a more satisfactory explanation of the diffraction pattern and physical properties of silica glass, and offers considerable valuable information regarding the nature of glass and glass transition.

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.