Publications by authors named "Ricardo Lopez-Gonzalez"

Biodegradation of estrogen hormone micropollutants is a well-established approach toward their remediation. Fluorescently labeled substrates are used extensively for rapid, near-real-time analysis of biological processes and are a potential tool for studying biodegradation processes faster and more efficiently than conventional approaches. However, it is important to understand how the fluorescently tagged surrogates compare with the natural substrate in terms of chemical analysis and the intended application.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the coordinative chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) of biobased terpenes, specifically myrcene and farnesene, using a specialized Ziegler-Natta catalyst system.
  • The process achieved over 85% yield, indicating efficient monomer conversion, and the kinetics suggested a reversible chain transfer mechanism when using a certain amount of cocatalyst/chain transfer agent.
  • The resulting polyterpenes exhibited controlled molecular weight distributions and a high percentage of desired 1,4-microstructure, essential for improving polymer properties.
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Packaging materials play an essential role in the preservation and marketing of food and other products. To improve their conservation capacity, antimicrobial agents that inhibit bacterial growth are used. Biopolymers such as starch and chitosan are a sustainable alternative for the generation of films for packaging that can also serve as a support for preservatives and antimicrobial agents.

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The growing concern for environmental problems has motivated the use of materials obtained from bio-based resources such as cellulose nanocrystals which have a promising application acting as fillers or reinforcements of polymeric materials. In this context, in this article, plasma-induced polymerization is proposed as a strategy to modify nanocrystals at different plasma power intensities using ε-caprolactone and δ-decalactone to improve their compatibility with polymeric matrices. The characterization was carried out using techniques such as FTIR, TGA, XRD, XPS, and AFM, with which a successful functionalization was demonstrated without altering the inherent properties of the nanocrystals.

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