Biomimetic Light-Driven Aerogel Passive Pump for Volatile Organic Pollutant Removal.

Inspired by the solar-light-driven oxygen transportation in aquatic plants, a biomimetic sustainable light-driven aerogel pump with a surface layer containing black manganese oxide (MnO ) as an optical absorber is developed. The flow intensity of the pumped air is controlled by the pore structure of nanofilbrillated cellulose, urea-modified chitosan, or polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels. The MnO -induced photothermal conversion drives both the passive gas flow and the catalytic degradation of volatile organic pollutants.

Ureido Functionalization through Amine-Urea Transamidation under Mild Reaction Conditions.

Ureido-functionalized compounds play an indispensable role in important biochemical processes, as well as chemical synthesis and production. Isocyanates, and KOCN in particular, are the preferred reagents for the ureido functionalization of amine-bearing compounds. In this study, we evaluate the potential of urea as a reagent to graft ureido groups onto amines at relatively low temperatures (<100 °C) in aqueous media.

Strong, Machinable, and Insulating Chitosan-Urea Aerogels: Toward Ambient Pressure Drying of Biopolymer Aerogel Monoliths.

Biopolymer aerogels are an emerging class of materials with potential applications in drug delivery, thermal insulation, separation, and filtration. Chitosan is of particular interest as a sustainable, biocompatible, and abundant raw material. Here, we present urea-modified chitosan aerogels with a high surface area and excellent thermal and mechanical properties.

Biopolymer Aerogels and Foams: Chemistry, Properties, and Applications.

Biopolymer aerogels were among the first aerogels produced, but only in the last decade has research on biopolymer and biopolymer-composite aerogels become popular, motivated by sustainability arguments, their unique and tunable properties, and ease of functionalization. Biopolymer aerogels and open-cell foams have great potential for classical aerogel applications such as thermal insulation, as well as emerging applications in filtration, oil-water separation, CO capture, catalysis, and medicine. The biopolymer aerogel field today is driven forward by empirical materials discovery at the laboratory scale, but requires a firmer theoretical basis and pilot studies to close the gap to market.

Thermoresponsive amperometric glucose biosensor.

The authors report on the fabrication of a thermoresponsive biosensor for the amperometric detection of glucose. Screen printed electrodes with heatable gold working electrodes were modified by a thermoresponsive statistical copolymer [polymer I: poly(ω-ethoxytriethylenglycol methacrylate-co-3-(N,N-dimethyl-N-2-methacryloyloxyethyl ammonio) propanesulfonate-co-ω-butoxydiethylenglycol methacrylate-co-2-(4-benzoyl-phenoxy)ethyl methacrylate)] with a lower critical solution temperature of around 28 °C in aqueous solution via electrochemically induced codeposition with a pH-responsive redox-polymer [polymer II: poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-allyl methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-[Os(bpy)2(4-(((2-(2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)amino)methyl)-N,N-dimethylpicolinamide)](2+)] and pyrroloquinoline quinone-soluble glucose dehydrogenase acting as biological recognition element. Polymer II bears covalently bound Os-complexes that act as redox mediators for shuttling electrons between the enzyme and the electrode surface.