Sustainable and Reusable Modified Membrane Based on Green Gold Nanoparticles for Efficient Methylene Blue Water Decontamination by a Photocatalytic Process.

Methylene blue (MB) is a dye hazardous pollutant widely used in several industrial processes that represents a relevant source of water pollution. Thus, the research of new systems to avoid their environmental dispersion represents an important goal. In this work, an efficient and sustainable nanocomposite material based on green gold nanoparticles for MB water remediation was developed.

Advances in Nanomaterials Based on Cashew Nut Shell Liquid.

Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), obtained as a byproduct of the cashew industry, represents an important natural source of phenolic compounds, with important environmental benefits due to the large availability and low cost of the unique renewable starting material, that can be used as an alternative to synthetic substances in many industrial applications. The peculiarity of the functional groups of CNSL components, such as phenolic hydroxyl, the aromatic ring, acid functionality, and unsaturation(s) in the C alkyl side chain, permitted the design of interesting nanostructures. Cardanol (CA), anacardic acid (AA), and cardol (CD), opportunely isolated from CNSL, served as building blocks for generating an amazing class of nanomaterials with chemical, physical, and morphological properties that can be tuned in view of their applications, particularly focused on their bioactive properties.

A New Ion-Imprinted Chitosan-Based Membrane with an Azo-Derivative Ligand for the Efficient Removal of Pd(II).

Herein, we described the synthesis of a novel ion-imprinted membrane for the detection of palladium(II) prepared through the glutaraldehyde crosslinking of chitosan with a 4-[(4-Hydroxy)phenylazo]benzenesulfonic acid ligand trapped into the membrane. The imprinting technology was used to improve adsorption capacity and adsorption selectivity, and was combined with some advantages of the developed membrane, such as low cost and ease of preparation, water-friendly synthesis, and high biocompatible chitosan material. The membranes were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS).

Molecularly Imprinted Composite Membranes for Selective Detection of 2-Deoxyadenosine in Urine Samples.

An important challenge for scientific research is the production of artificial systems able to mimic the recognition mechanisms occurring at the molecular level in living systems. A valid contribution in this direction resulted from the development of molecular imprinting. In this work, a novel molecularly imprinted polymer composite membrane (MIM) was synthesized and employed for the selective detection in urine samples of 2-deoxyadenosine (2-dA), an important tumoral marker.

Developments in the synthesis of a water compatible molecularly imprinted polymer as artificial receptor for detection of 3-nitro-L-tyrosine in neurological diseases.

A highly selective water compatible molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for 3-nitro-L-tyrosine (3NT), an oxidative stress marker associated with neurodegenerative disorders, was prepared and its use as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent material was demonstrated. The MIP was prepared by bulk polymerization using methacrylic acid as functional monomer and acetonitrile as porogen with traces of acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid. In order to evaluate its binding properties, the MIP was analyzed by batch rebinding experiments and subsequently used as SPE sorbent for the selective clean-up and pre-concentration of 3NT from standard solutions and spiked human urine samples.

Molecularly imprinted polymers: present and future prospective.

Molecular Imprinting Technology (MIT) is a technique to design artificial receptors with a predetermined selectivity and specificity for a given analyte, which can be used as ideal materials in various application fields. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), the polymeric matrices obtained using the imprinting technology, are robust molecular recognition elements able to mimic natural recognition entities, such as antibodies and biological receptors, useful to separate and analyze complicated samples such as biological fluids and environmental samples. The scope of this review is to provide a general overview on MIPs field discussing first general aspects in MIP preparation and then dealing with various application aspects.

Synthesis of nicotinamide-based molecularly imprinted microspheres and in vitro controlled release studies.

Nicotinamide (NAM), which is one of the two principal forms, together with nicotinic acid, of vitamin B3, is both a food nutrient and a drug. Controlled NAM release systems are useful to extend the duration of the drug's pharmacological activity and to minimize administration frequency. In this paper, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been used as unconventional synthetic polymeric carriers, to prepare drug delivery systems for sustained release of NAM molecules.

Experimental and computational studies on non-covalent imprinted microspheres as recognition system for nicotinamide molecules.

Molecularly imprinted microspheres obtained by precipitation polymerization using nicotinamide (nia) as template have been prepared and characterised by SEM. How various experimental parameters can affect microsphere morphology, reaction yield and re-binding capacity have been evaluated. Pre-polymerization interactions between template and functional monomer in chloroform and MeCN have been studied by (1)H-NMR.