Use of Chitosan-Iron Oxide Gels for the Removal of Cd Ions from Aqueous Solutions.

High-quality water availability is substantial for sustaining life, so its contamination presents a serious problem that has been the focus of several studies. The presence of heavy metals, such as cadmium, is frequently studied due to the increase in the contamination levels caused by fast industrial expansion. Cadmium ions were removed from aqueous solutions at pH 7.

Synthesis, characterization and stability of crosslinked chitosan-maltodextrin pH-sensitive nanogels.

Polysaccharide-based nanogels offer a wide range of chemical compositions and are of great interest due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and their ability to display pH, temperature, or enzymatic response. In this work, we synthesized monodisperse and tunable pH-sensitive nanogels by crosslinking, through reductive amination, chitosan and partially oxidized maltodextrins, by keeping the concentration of chitosan close to its overlap concentration, i.e.

Lignocellulosic Membranes Grafted with -Vinylcaprolactam Using Radiation Chemistry: Load and Release Capacity of Vancomycin.

Radiation chemistry presents a unique avenue for developing innovative polymeric materials with desirable properties, eliminating the need for chemical initiators, which can be potentially detrimental, especially in sensitive sectors like medicine. In this investigation, we employed a radiation-induced graft polymerization process with N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) to modify lignocellulosic membranes derived from , commonly known as maguey. The membranes underwent thorough characterization employing diverse techniques, including contact angle measurement, degree of swelling, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS C-NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and uniaxial tensile mechanical tests.

Removal of Arsenate by Fixed-Bed Columns Using Chitosan-Magnetite Hydrogel Beads and Chitosan Hydrogel Beads: Effect of the Operating Conditions on Column Efficiency.

Fixed-bed columns packed with chitosan-magnetite (ChM) hydrogel and chitosan (Ch) hydrogel were used for the removal of arsenate ions from aqueous solutions at a pH of 7.0. The effect of flow rate (13, 20, and 25 mL/h), height of the columns (13 and 33 cm), and initial arsenate concentration (2, 5 and 10 mg/L) on the column's efficiency for the removal of As(V) is reported.

Pluronic F127 and P104 Polymeric Micelles as Efficient Nanocarriers for Loading and Release of Single and Dual Antineoplastic Drugs.

The potential application of biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric micelles formed by Pluronic F127 and P104 as nanocarriers of the antineoplastic drugs docetaxel (DOCE) and doxorubicin (DOXO) is presented in this work. The release profile was carried out under sink conditions at 37 °C and analyzed using the Higuchi, Korsmeyer-Peppas, and Peppas-Sahlin diffusion models. The cell viability of HeLa cells was evaluated using the proliferation cell counting kit CCK-8 assay.

Silver Nanoparticles Loaded on Polyethylene Terephthalate Films Grafted with Chitosan.

Currently, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used polymeric materials in different sectors such as medicine, engineering, and food, among others, due to its benefits, including biocompatibility, mechanical resistance, and tolerance to chemicals and/or abrasion. However, despite all these excellent characteristics, it is not capable of preventing the proliferation of microorganisms on its surface. Therefore, providing this property to PET remains a difficult challenge.

Arsenate Removal from Aqueous Media Using Chitosan-Magnetite Hydrogel by Batch and Fixed-Bed Columns.

The removal of arsenate ions from aqueous solutions at near-neutral pH was carried out using chitosan-magnetite (ChM) hydrogel beads in batch systems. Equilibrium isotherms and kinetic studies are reported. Obtained equilibrium and kinetic data were fitted to mathematical models, estimating model parameters by non-linear regression analysis.

Drug Delivery from Stimuli-Responsive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-isopropylmethacrylamide)/Chitosan Core/Shell Nanohydrogels.

The synthesis of stimulus-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-isopropylmethacrylamide)/chitosan core/shell nanohydrogels made by batch emulsion polymerization in the presence of chitosan (CS) micelles is reported. The ratio of monomers required to obtain copolymers with a volume phase transition temperature (T) in the range of the temperatures observed in the human body in response to an infection (38 to 40 °C) was estimated with the Fox equation. The conversion was determined by gravimetry; mean particle size, size distribution, and thermal response were measured by quasi-elastic light scattering (QLS).

Removal of Cu(II) by Fixed-Bed Columns Using Alg-Ch and Alg-ChS Hydrogel Beads: Effect of Operating Conditions on the Mass Transfer Zone.

The removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions at a pH of 5.0 was carried out using fixed-bed columns packed with alginate-chitosan (Alg-Ch) or alginate-chitosan sulfate (Alg-ChS) hydrogel beads. The effect of the initial Cu(II) concentration, flow rate, pH, and height of the column on the amount of Cu removed by the column at the breakpoint and at the exhaustion point is reported.

Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Bilayers Wood-Plastic Composites and Foams Obtained by Rotational Molding.

In this work, the suitability for the production of sustainable and lightweight materials with specific mechanical properties and potentially lower costs was studied. Agave fiber (AF), an agro-industrial waste, was used as a reinforcement and azodicarbonamide (ACA) as a chemical blowing agent (CBA) in the production of bilayer materials via rotational molding. The external layer was a composite of linear medium density polyethylene (LMDPE) with different AF contents (0-15 wt %), while the internal layer was foamed LMDPE (using 0-0.

Antibacterial effect of acrylic bone cements loaded with drugs of different action's mechanism.

Introduction: Antibiotic-loaded bone cements of poly(methyl methacrylate) are considered as very useful biomaterials for the management of corporal deep osseous infections. However, the high prevalence of resistant germs and polymicrobial infections makes it necessary to search for new formulations of bone cements containing antibiotics for local antibacterial therapy. In this work, bone cements loaded with drugs with different mechanism of action were evaluated to determine its antibacterial effectiveness on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Development, Characterization and In Vitro Biological Properties of Scaffolds Fabricated From Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles.

Ceramic materials mimic the mineral composition of native bone and feature osteoconductive properties; they are therefore used to regenerate bone tissue. Much research focuses on increasing the porosity and pore interconnectivity of ceramic scaffolds to increase osteoconductivity, cell migration and cell-cell interaction. We aimed to fabricate biocompatible 3D-scaffolds featuring macro- and microporous calcium phosphates with high pore interconnection.

Effect of monomer dosing rate in the preparation of mesoporous polystyrene nanoparticles by semicontinuous heterophase polymerization.

The semicontinuous heterophase polymerization of styrene in the presence of cross-linking and porogen agents was carried out. Latexes with close to 20% solid content, which contained mesoporous nanoparticles with 28 nm in average diameters, up to 0.5 cm3/g in porosity and 6-8 nm in pore diameters were obtained.

Size matters: smart copolymeric nanohydrogels: synthesis and applications.

In this work the synthesis of smart nanoparticles capable of respond to external stimulus (pH and temperature variations) is reported. To avoid post-polymerization modification, functionalized monomers able to respond to pH and temperature changes were and then polymerized. The synthesized monomers have the capability for coupling with folic acid which is the target molecule.

Specific interactions study in complexes of poly(mono-n-alkyl itaconates) with tertiary polyamides.

This paper reports an FT-IR study of blends of poly(mono-n-alkyl itaconates) with poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) and poly(ethyloxazoline) (PEOX). Strong hydrogen bonding has been found, and both polybases have shown similar acceptor strengths. Derivative techniques show asymmetric profiles for the free carbonyl band of the polybases, resulting in shifted band locations.