Publications by authors named "Gabriela-Madalina Oprica"

Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a valuable biopolymer that is produced in industrial quantity but is not widely used in applications due to some drawbacks. The addition of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) as a biofiller in PHB/CNF nanocomposites may improve PHB properties and enlarge its application field. In this work, n-octyltriethoxy silane (OTES), a medium-chain-length alkyl silane, was used to surface chemically modify the CNF (CNF_OTES) to enhance their hydrophobicity and improve their compatibility with PHB.

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Finding efficient and environmental-friendly methods to produce and chemically modify cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) remains a challenge. In this study, lactic acid (LA) treatment followed by microfluidization was employed for the isolation and functionalization of CNFs. Small amounts of HCl (0.

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The medical sector is one of the biggest consumers of single-use materials, and while the insurance of sterile media is non-negotiable, the environmental aspect is a chronic problem. Nanocellulose (NC) is one of the safest and most promising materials that can be used in medical applications due to its valuable properties like biocompatibility and biodegradability, along with its good mechanical properties and high water uptake capacity. However, NC has no bactericidal activity, which is a critical need for the effective prevention of infections in chronic diabetic wound dressing applications.

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Nanocellulose (NC) is a valuable material in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery, but its lack of antimicrobial activity is a major drawback for these applications. In this work, basil ethanolic extract (BE) and basil seed mucilage (BSM) were used to endow nanocellulose with antibacterial activity. NC/BE and NC/BE/BSM sponges were obtained from nanocellulose suspensions and different amounts of BE and BSM after freeze-drying.

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The growing interest in materials derived from biomass has generated a multitude of solutions for the development of new sustainable materials with low environmental impact. We report here, for the first time, a strategy to obtain bio-based nanocomposites from epoxidized linseed oil (ELO), itaconic acid (IA), and surface-treated nanofibrillated cellulose (NC). The effect of nanofibrillated cellulose functionalized with silane (NC/S) and then grafted with methacrylic acid (NC/SM) on the properties of the resulted bio-based epoxy systems was thoroughly investigated.

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