Superior antibacterial surfaces using hydrophilic, poly(MPC) and poly(mOEGMA) free chains of amphiphilic block copolymer for sustainable use.

Surface modification of electrically neutral hydrophilic polymers is one of the most promising methods for preventing biofouling and biological contamination by proteins and bacteria. Surface modification of inorganic materials such as silica-based glass can render them more durable and thus help in achieving the sustainable development goals. This study reports a novel method for the simple and effective surface modification of glass surfaces with amphiphilic block copolymers possessing the silane coupling segment composed of 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltris (trimethylsilyloxy) silane and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane.

Development of a Method for Estimating Dietary Salt Intake Using the Overnight Urinary Sodium/Potassium Ratio.

Background: There are many patients who need to restrict and assess salt in their diet. However, it is difficult to estimate daily salt intake accurately and easily. Therefore, a method for estimating dietary salt intake using the overnight urinary sodium (Na)/potassium (K) ratio was developed.

Evaluation of bacterial adhesion strength on phospholipid copolymer films with antibacterial ability using microfluidic shear devices.

Biomimetic phospholipid copolymer films are known to possess antifouling properties against protein adsorption and biofilm formation. However, the interactions between bacterial cells and material surfaces are not fully understood. This work investigated the bacterial adhesion strength of phospholipid copolymer films using a shear stress-tunable microfluidic device.

Study on Bacterial Antiadhesiveness of Stiffness and Thickness Tunable Cross-Linked Phospholipid Copolymer Thin-Film.

Bacterial adhesion on material surfaces is a significant problem in many areas, especially on medical devices. Upon colonizing a surface, bacteria tend to form biofilms and become difficult to eradicate. A multistep process is involved in bacterial biofilm formation, including primary adhesion to material surface and accumulation of bacterial cells.

Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane oligomer/anatase titanium oxide nanocomposites possessing photocatalytic activity even after calcination at 1000°C.

Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane oligomer [R(F)-(VM)(n)-R(F)] underwent the sol-gel reaction under alkaline conditions in the presence of anatase titanium oxide nanoparticles (an-TiO(2)) in tetrahydrofuran to give the corresponding fluorinated oligomer/anatase titanium oxide nanocomposites [R(F)-(VM-SiO(2))(n)-R(F)/an-TiO(2)]. Crystalline structure of an-TiO(2) in the nanocomposites thus obtained was found to keep completely its structure without phase transformation to rutile even after calcination at 1000°C, although crystalline structure of the original an-TiO(2) nanoparticles underwent a complete phase transformation to the rutile under similar conditions. Interestingly, R(F)-(VM-SiO(2))(n)-R(F)/an-TiO(2) nanocomposites before and after calcination at 1000°C exhibited the similar photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of methylene blue under UV light irradiation.