Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide due to its sensory and potential health-related properties. In the present comparative study, a preparation known as Greek or Turkish coffee, made with different types/varieties of coffee, has been investigated for its physicochemical attributes (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, carob and its derived products have gained wide attention due to their health-promoting effects, which are mainly attributed to their phenolic compounds. Carob samples (carob pulps, powders, and syrups) were analyzed to investigate their phenolic profile using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with gallic acid and rutin being the most abundant compounds. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of the samples were estimated through DPPH (IC 98.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFControlled pulmonary drug delivery systems employing non-spherical particles as drug carriers attract considerable attention nowadays. Such anisotropic morphologies may travel deeper into the lung airways, thus enabling the efficient accumulation of therapeutic compounds at the point of interest and subsequently their sustained release. This study focuses on the fabrication of electrospun superparamagnetic polymer-based biodegradable microrods consisting of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and oleic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles (OA·FeO).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFerrous core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a magnetic γ-FeO multi-nanoparticle core and an outer silica shell have been synthesized and covalently functionalized with Rhodamine B (RhB) fluorescent molecules (γ-FeO/SiO/RhB NPs). The resulting γ-FeO/SiO/RhB NPs were integrated with a renewable and naturally-abundant cellulose derivative (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElectrospun nanocomposite fibers consisting of crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) chains and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were fabricated, starting from highly stable PVP/Au NP colloidal solutions with different NP loadings, followed by thermal treatment. Information on the morphological characteristics of the fibers and of the embedded Au NPs was obtained by electron microscopy. Cylindrical, bead-free fibers were visualized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Diffraction X-ray (EDX) analysis supported the presence of Au NPs within the fibers and gave information on their morphologies and average diameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a fast and cost-effective process for the growth of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) at a temperature compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology, using highly stable polymer-Pd nanohybrid colloidal solutions of palladium catalyst nanoparticles (NPs). Two polymer-Pd nanohybrids, namely poly(lauryl methacrylate)-block-poly((2-acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate)/Pd (LauMA -b-AEMA /Pd) and polyvinylpyrrolidone/Pd were prepared in organic solvents and spin-coated onto silicon substrates. Subsequently, vertically aligned CNFs were grown on these NPs by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at different temperatures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe fabrication of electrospun magnetoactive fibrous nanocomposite membranes based on the water-soluble and biocompatible poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), the biocompatible and biodegradable poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and preformed oleic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles (OA.Fe3O4) is reported. Visualization of the membranes by electron microscopy techniques reveals the presence of continuous fibers of approximately 2 μm in diameter, with the magnetic nanoparticles being evenly distributed within the fibers, retaining at the same time their nanosized diameters (≈ 5 nm).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF