Upcycling of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate bottles into aluminum-based metal-organic framework adsorbents for efficient orthophosphate removal.

2-Phosphonobutane-1,2,4,-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC) is an orthophosphate compound widely used as an antiscalant chemical and corrosion inhibitor in manufacturing. However, PBTC poses persistent environmental concerns due to its stability and resistance to conventional water treatment. In addressing the issues of PBTC in aquatic systems, Al-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been developed and applied as sustainable adsorbents.

Fabrication of Sacha Inchi Oil-Loaded Microcapsules Employing Natural-Templated Spores and Their Pressure-Stimuli Release Behavior.

Polymeric particles have attracted vast attention for use in various fields, especially as drug carriers and cosmetics, due to their excellent ability to protect active ingredients from the environment until reaching a target site. However, these materials are commonly produced from conventional synthetic polymers, which impose adverse effects on the environment due to their non-degradable nature, leading to waste accumulation and pollution in the ecosystem. This work aims to utilize naturally occurring spores to encapsulate sacha inchi oil (SIO), which contains active compounds with antioxidant activity, by applying a facile passive loading/solvent diffusion-assisted method.

Sizing down and functionalizing polylactide (PLA) resin for synthesis of PLA-based polyurethanes for use in biomedical applications.

Alcoholysis is a promising approach for upcycling postconsumer polylactide (PLA) products into valuable constituents. In addition, an alcohol-acidolysis of PLA by multifunctional 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (DMPA) produces lactate oligomers with hydroxyl and carboxylic acid terminals. In this work, a process for sizing down commercial PLA resin to optimum medium-sized lactate oligomers is developed at a lower cost than a bottom-up synthesis from its monomer.

Microwave assisted synthesis of MnO nanograins intercalated into reduced graphene oxide layers as cathode material for alternative clean power generation energy device.

MnO nanograins incorporated into reduced graphene oxide as a nanocomposite electrocatalyst have been synthesized via one-step, facile, and single-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique. The nanocomposites were employed as cathode material of fuel cells for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The synthesized product was thoroughly studied by using important characterization, such as XRD for the structure analysis and FESEM and TEM analyses to assess the morphological structures of the material.

Preparation of Water-Based Alkyl Ketene Dimer (AKD) Nanoparticles and Their Use in Superhydrophobic Treatments of Value-Added Teakwood Products.

A process for preparing emulsions of alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) nanoparticles a nanoemulsion template (emulsion/evaporation) method has been developed. The effects of types and contents of stabilizing agents, , anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB), amphoteric (phosphatidylcholine, PC), and polymeric (poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA), on the colloidal stability and hydrodynamic size of the AKD nanoparticles are investigated. The use of 0.

Biodegradable porous micro/nanoparticles with thermoresponsive gatekeepers for effective loading and precise delivery of active compounds at the body temperature.

Stimuli-responsive controlled delivery systems are of interest for preventing premature leakages and ensuring precise releases of active compounds at target sites. In this study, porous biodegradable micro/nanoparticles embedded with thermoresponsive gatekeepers are designed and developed based on Eudragit RS100 (PNIPAM@RS100) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) via a double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The effect of initiator types on the polymerization of NIPAM monomer/methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) crosslinker was investigated at 60 °C for thermal initiators and ambient temperature for redox initiators.

Smart gating porous particles as new carriers for drug delivery.

The design of smart drug delivery carriers has recently attracted great attention in the biomedical field. Smart carriers can specifically respond to physical and chemical changes in their environment, such as temperature, photoirradiation, ultrasound, magnetic field, pH, redox species, and biomolecules. This review summarizes recent advances in the integration of porous particles and stimuli-responsive gatekeepers for effective drug delivery.

Self-assembly of amphiphilic poly(styrene--acrylic acid) on magnetic latex particles and their application as a reusable scale inhibitor.

The deposition of scale on membranes or container and pipe surfaces (clogging the system) is a costly issue in water treatment processes or water-cooling systems. To effectively cope with this issue, magnetic polymeric nanoparticles (MPNPs) have been developed and applied as promising scale inhibitors, due to their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, surface modifiability, and magnetic separation ability. Carboxylated MPNPs, having a monodisperse size distribution (236 ± 26 nm) with a high magnetic content of 70 wt% and superparamagnetic properties, were fabricated by using a 2-step process: (i) formation of clusters of hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles stabilized by oleic acid (OA-MNPs), and (ii) self-assembly of the amphiphilic block copolymer of poly(styrene--acrylic acid) (PS--PAA) onto the cluster surfaces.

Fabrication of functional hollow magnetic polymeric nanoparticles with controllable magnetic location.

Hollow magnetic polymeric particles (HoMPs) with controllable location of magnetic nanoparticles and functionality of polymeric double shell were fabricated by means of the facile soft templating method in one-pot. During the in situ miniemulsion polymerization, hexadecane, the Ostwald suppressing agent, acted as a soft template, which later formed a controllable void size. Adjusting ratio and polarity of monomers caused the difference in polymerization kinetics and phase separation, which resulted in HoMPs with two internal architectures, i.

PMMA particles coated with chitosan-silver nanoparticles as a dual antibacterial modifier for natural rubber latex films.

The antibacterial activity in sulphur prevulcanized natural rubber (SPNR) latex film was effectively improved by deposition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles encircled with chitosan-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-CS). With the focus on a green process, CS was selected as a safe reducing and stabilizing agent for the one-step synthesis of AgNPs-CS (38 nm, +40.4 mV) in an autoclave.

One-pot, large-scale green synthesis of silver nanoparticles-chitosan with enhanced antibacterial activity and low cytotoxicity.

Silver nanoparticles stabilized with chitosan (AgNPs-CS) were synthesized based on the one-pot green process in an autoclave, in which CS acts as reducing agent as well as stabilizer. Effects related to temperature and pressure input on particle formation were systematically investigated. Mechanism taking place during particle nucleation and growth was proposed.

Multifunctional Fluorescent-Magnetic Polymeric Colloidal Particles: Preparations and Bioanalytical Applications.

Fluorescent-magnetic particles (FMPs) play important roles in modern materials, especially as nanoscale devices in the biomedical field. The interesting features of FMPs are attributed to their dual detection ability, i.e.

Mesenchymal stem cell in vitro labeling by hybrid fluorescent magnetic polymeric particles for application in cell tracking.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell that contains multi-differentiation and proliferative properties and that shows high treatment implications for many clinical problems. The outcome of stem cell transplantation is still limited due to many factors, especially their survival and their interaction with the microenvironment after transplantation. Molecular imaging is a challenging technique that has been used to overcome this limitation and is based on the concept of labeling cells with tractable, visible, and non-toxic materials to track the cells after transplantation.

Fluorescent chitosan functionalized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles: Cytotoxicity and in vitro evaluation of cellular uptake.

Nanoparticles possessing magnetic and fluorescent properties were fabricated by the covalent attachment of fluorescein isothiocyanate onto magnetic polymeric nanoparticles functionalized by chitosan. The synthesized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles-chitosan/fluorescein isothiocyanate were successfully used for labeling the living organ and blood-related cancer cells, i.e.

Fluorescent-magnetic Janus particles prepared via seed emulsion polymerization.

Anisotropic polymeric colloidal or Janus particles possessing simultaneous magnetic and fluorescent properties were successfully prepared via the swelling-diffusion or the in situ emulsion polymerization method. In the swelling-diffusion process, magnetic emulsions (an organic ferrofluid dispersed in aqueous medium) were synthesized and used for seeds of submicron magnetic Janus particles. After swelling the anisotropic particles obtained by 1-pyrene-carboxaldehyde fluorescent dye dissolved in tetrahydrofuran, well-defined fluorescent-magnetic Janus particles were produced.

Facile method for preparation of anisotropic submicron magnetic Janus particles using miniemulsion.

Submicron hybrid magnetic, polystyrene (PS) based Janus particles containing magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) on one side were successfully assembled using the miniemulsion/solvent evaporation method. Nanodroplets of styrene (St) monomer in the presence of PS and MNPs were generated in an aqueous continuous phase. The subsequent evaporation of St monomers resulted the precipitation of PS and MNPs into spherical nanoparticles.

Janus colloidal particles: preparation, properties, and biomedical applications.

Janus or anisotropic colloidal particles comprising of at least two components of different chemistry, functionality, and/or polarity have attracted attentions in a wide range of applications, e.g., in optics, magnetics, plasmonics, colloidal chemistry, and biomedicine.

Immobilization of fluorescein isothiocyanate on magnetic polymeric nanoparticle using chitosan as spacer.

The nanoparticle with simultaneous combination of magnetic and fluorescent properties was prepared by immobilization of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) onto magnetic polymeric nanoparticle (MPNP). The MPNP with 41% magnetic content was obtained from incorporating Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) into poly(styrene/divinyl benzene/acrylic acid) via the miniemulsion polymerization. Before labeling with FITC, the carboxylated MPNP was coated with chitosan (CS) having low, medium, or high molecular weight (MW) in order to avoid quenching of the fluorescent by iron oxide.