Gelation of Textile Dye Solution Treated with Fish Scales.

In the present article, the commercial value of fish scales (FS), one of the most discarded fish wastes, has been identified by discovering their gelation capability. Fish scales of different physical forms were applied for the removal of dyes (acid red 1 (AR1), acid blue 45 (AB45), and acid yellow 127 (AY127)) from textile dye solution by absorption process. An astounding phenomenon, gelation of the treated solution, was noticed when it was aged for a certain period.

Investigation of Amphiphilic Polypeptoid-Functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes as Emulsion Stabilizer for Oil Spill Remediation.

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), naturally occurring and environmental benign clay nanoparticles, have been successfully functionalized with amphiphilic polypeptoid polymers by surface-initiated polymerization methods and investigated as emulsion stabilizers toward oil spill remediation. The hydrophilicity and lipophilicity balance (HLB) of the grafted polypeptoids was shown to affect the wettability of functionalized HNTs and their performance as stabilizers for oil-in-water emulsions. The functionalized HNTs having relatively high hydrophobic content (HLB = 12.

Sugar-Based Polyamides: Self-Organization in Strong Polar Organic Solvents.

Periodic patterns resembling spirals were observed to form spontaneously upon unassisted cooling of d-glucaric acid- and d-galactaric acid-based polyamide solutions in N-methyl-N-morpholine oxide (NMMO) monohydrate. Similar observations were made in d-galactaric acid-based polyamide/ionic liquid (IL) solutions. The morphologies were investigated by optical, polarized light and confocal microscopy assays to reveal pattern details.

Porous Carbon Nanofibers from Electrospun Biomass Tar/Polyacrylonitrile/Silver Hybrids as Antimicrobial Materials.

A novel route to fabricate low-cost porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) using biomass tar, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and silver nanoparticles has been demonstrated through electrospinning and subsequent stabilization and carbonization processes. The continuous electrospun nanofibers had average diameters ranging from 392 to 903 nm. The addition of biomass tar resulted in increased fiber diameters, reduced thermal stabilities, and slowed cyclization reactions of PAN in the as-spun nanofibers.

Sodium Deoxycholate Hydrogels: Effects of Modifications on Gelation, Drug Release, and Nanotemplating.

In the present study, sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) was used to produce gelation of tris(hydroxymethyl)amino-methane (TRIS) solutions above, below, and near the pKa of NaDC, respectively, which yielded a neutral gelator, a charged gelator, and a mixture of each. Impacts of ionic interactions on gel formation were studied in detail and showed that pH can be used to modify many hydrogel properties including sol-gel temperature, crystallinity, and mechanical strength. Several formulations yielded a unique rheological finding of two stable regions of elastic modulus.

Biocomposite films prepared from ionic liquid solutions of chitosan and cellulose.

Blends of chitosan and cellulose were successfully produced using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMAc) as solvent media. Films were prepared from the blends by manually spreading the solution on a flat surface and precipitating the polymers in a mixture of methanol and water. To prevent the shrinkage of films, most of the absorbed water was removed by freeze drying under vacuum.

Tunable size and spectral properties of fluorescent nanoGUMBOS in modified sodium deoxycholate hydrogels.

Microstructures of sodium deoxycholate hydrogels were altered considerably in the presence of variable tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (TRIS) concentrations. These observations were confirmed by use of X-ray diffraction, polarized optical microscopy, rheology, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Our studies reveal enhanced gel crystallinity and rigidity with increasing TRIS concentrations.

Kinetics modeling of dynamic pyrolysis of bagasse fibers.

The thermal decomposition mechanism of raw and treated bagasse fibers was modeled with three parallel independent first-order reactions. The kinetic parameters and pseudo components which best fit the experimental dynamic pyrolysis rate of bagasse was determined by means of the Matlab program using the least-square method. The calculated rate of thermal decomposition for each bagasse sample was consistent with experimental pyrolysis rate very well.

Biodegradable polymeric capsules obtained via room temperature spray drying: preparation and characterization.

The aim of this contribution is to determine the relationship existent between the chemistry and/or viscosity of some biodegradable polymer solutions and the morphology of micro- and nanospheres resulted after spray drying the solutions at room conditions either in the presence or in the absence of an encapsulated aqueous material. Using dichloromethane as solvent, the following polyesters were used to prepare 2 wt% solutions: polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and Eastar Bio GP (GP). A comprehensive thermal characterization was also performed on all polymers to verify the relationships existent between the structure of polyesters and certain important parameters, such as T(g), T(m), T(d).

Properties of protein powders from arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) and herring (Clupea harengus) byproducts.

Functional, nutritional, and thermal properties of freeze-dried protein powders (FPP) from whole herring (WHP), herring body (HBP), herring head (HHP), herring gonad (HGP), and arrowtooth flounder fillets (AFP) were evaluated. The FPP samples have desirable nutritional and functional properties and contained 63-81.4% protein.