New Insight into Mercury Removal from Fish Meat Using a Single-Component Solution Containing cysteine.

A novel approach for reducing mercury content in fish meat during post-packaging storage is developed to extend the margin of their safe consumption. It involves employing a single-component aqueous medium containing cysteine, as the active agent responsible for displacing mercury from fish proteins and its stabilization in the medium without the need for pH adjustments. The mercury removal efficiency depends on the cysteine concentration and its ratio to fish muscle.

CO induced phase transition on a self-standing droplet studied by X-ray scattering and magnetic resonance.

Hypothesis: Acoustic levitation is a suitable approach for studying processes occurring at the gas-liquid interfaces, as it allows its investigation in a contact-free manner while providing control over the gas phase. Here, we hypothesize that phase transitions induced by a CO rich atmosphere can be examined, at different length scales, in a contact-free manner.

Experimental: A system consisting of 12-hydroxysteric acid (HSA) soaps mixed with different ratios of monoethanolamine (MEA) and choline hydroxide, was prepared.

The role of chelating agent in the self-assembly of amphoteric surfactants.

Hypothesis: Limited research has been conducted on the influence of chelating agents on the self-assembly process in surfactant solutions. The traditional approach assumes the chelating agent only interferes as a salting-out ion, therefore promoting surfactant separation. However, the opposite behavior has been observed for iminodipropionate based surfactants, in which the presence of chelating agents of the aminopolycarboxylate type increases solubility of nonionic ethoxylated surfactants in mixed micellar systems.

Exploiting Mass Spectrometry to Unlock the Mechanism of Nanoparticle-Induced Inflammasome Activation.

Nanoparticles (NPs) elicit sterile inflammation, but the underlying signaling pathways are poorly understood. Here, we report that human monocytes are particularly vulnerable to amorphous silica NPs, as evidenced by single-cell-based analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells using cytometry by time-of-flight (CyToF), while silane modification of the NPs mitigated their toxicity. Using human THP-1 cells as a model, we observed cellular internalization of silica NPs by nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) and this was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy.

Liquid foams as sensors for the detection of biomarkers.

Bioassays are widely used in healthcare to detect and quantify biomarkers, such as molecules or enzymes, which are crucial in monitoring diseases and health conditions. In developed countries, healthcare professionals use specialized reagents and equipment's to perform these bioassays. However, in less-industrialized countries, the creation of low cost, fast, and technically simple bioassays is required.

Wet spinning of strong cellulosic fibres with incorporation of phase change material capsules stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals.

Incorporating a phase change material (PCM) into fibres allows the fabrication of smart textiles with thermo-regulating properties. Previously, such fibres have been made from thermoplastic polymers, usually petroleum-based and non-biodegradable, or from regenerated cellulose, such as viscose. Herein, strong fibres are developed from aqueous dispersions of nano-cellulose and dispersed microspheres with phase changing characteristics using a wet spinning technique employing a pH shift approach.

Contact-free measurement of surface tension on single droplet using machine learning and acoustic levitation.

Hypothesis: Acoustic levitation provides the possibility to deform levitated droplets in a controllable, and quantifiable manner, thus offering a means to measure the surface tension of a liquid droplet based on its deviation from sphericity. However, for new generation of multi-source and highly stable acoustic levitators, no model relates the acoustic pressure field to the deformation and surface tension. Utilizing a machine learning algorithm is expected to identify correlations between the experimental data without any set preconditions.

Radial discharge high shear homogenization and ultrasonication assisted pH-shift processing of herring co-products with antioxidant-rich materials for maximum protein yield and functionality.

Cross-processing herring co-products with antioxidant-rich helpers including lingonberry-press-cake, shrimp-shells and seaweed was reported to mitigate lipid oxidation but reduce protein yield. Here, four strategies were used to counteract such yield-reduction; optimizing solubilization/precipitation pH, increasing raw-material-to-water-ratio, replacing single-stage-toothed- by radial-discharge- high-shear-mechanical-homogenization (RD-HSMH) and ultrasonication (US). The effects of RD-HSMH and US on lipid oxidation, protein structural and functional properties were studied.

Development of Microfluidic, Serum-Free Bronchial Epithelial Cells-on-a-Chip to Facilitate a More Realistic Testing of Nanoplastics.

Most cell culture models are static, but the cellular microenvironment in the body is dynamic. Here, we established a microfluidic-based model of human bronchial epithelial cells in which cells are stationary, but nutrient supply is dynamic, and we used this system to evaluate cellular uptake of nanoparticles. The cells were maintained in fetal calf serum-free and bovine pituitary extract-free cell culture medium.

pH-Controlled assembly of polyelectrolyte layers on silica nanoparticles in concentrated suspension.

Hypothesis: Preparation of suspensions of nanoparticles (>1 wt%) coated with a polyelectrolyte multilayers is a challenging task because of the risk of flocculation when a polyelectrolyte is added to a suspension of oppositely charged nanoparticles. This situation can be avoided if the charge density of the polymers and particles is controlled during mixing so as to separate mixing and adsorption events.

Experiments: The cationic polyethylenimine (PEI) and the anionic carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were used as weak polyelectrolytes.

Formation of oleogels based on emulsions stabilized with cellulose nanocrystals and sodium caseinate.

Hypothesis: In the preparation of oleogels based on Pickering-emulsions, the choice of the preparation route is critical to withstand drying under ambient conditions, as it conditions the composition of the interfacial layer at the oil-water interface.

Experiments: Hexadecane and olive oil oleogels were prepared using an emulsion-template approach from oil-in-water emulsions formulated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and sodium caseinate (CAS) added in different orders (CNC/CAS together; first CAS then CNC; first CNC then CAS). The oleogels were formed from preconcentrated emulsions by drying at ambient temperature.

Nanomaterials for Combined Stabilisation and Deacidification of Cellulosic Materials-The Case of Iron-Tannate Dyed Cotton.

The conservation of textiles is a challenge due to the often fast degradation that results from the acidity combined with a complex structure that requires remediation actions to be conducted at several length scales. Nanomaterials have lately been used for various purposes in the conservation of cultural heritage. The advantage with these materials is their high efficiency combined with a great control.

Conductive textiles prepared by spray coating of water-based graphene dispersions.

In the development of embedding devices on textiles like sensors and detectors the controlled formation of a conductive coating remains a critical point. Although there are several approaches for imparting conductivity to any textile, the challenges remain in balancing the practical aspects of the coating procedure that affect the conductivity with the associated mechanical properties of the textile along with a feasible economic viability of the process. In this research we developed an approach to deposit uniform conductive graphene surface coatings on polyester (PET) fabric using graphene oxide (GO) particles.

How Promoting and Breaking Intersurfactant H-Bonds Impact Foam Stability.

On the basis of previous results revealing that intersurfactant H-bonds improve foam stability, we now focus on how foams stabilized by two different -acyl amino acid surfactants are affected by different salts (NaF, NaCl, NaSCN), which can promote or break intersurfactant H-bonds. The chosen surfactants, namely, sodium -lauroyl sarcosinate (CSarcNa) and sodium -lauroyl glycinate (CGlyNa), differ only by one methyl group at the nitrogen of the amide bond that blocks intersurfactant H-bonds in the case of CSarcNa. The salts were chosen because they are kosmotropic (NaF), chaotropic (NaSCN), and in between (NaCl) and thus influence the formation of an H-bond network in different ways.

Interfacial and Aggregation Behavior of Dicarboxylic Amino Acid-Based Surfactants in Combination with a Cationic Surfactant.

The interfacial and micellization behavior of three dicarboxylic mino acid-based nionic urfactants, abbreviated as AAS (-dodecyl derivative of -aminomalonate, -aspartate, and -glutamate) in combination with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) were investigated by surface tension, conductance, UV-vis absorption/emission spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and viscosity studies. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of the surfactant mixtures are significantly lower than the predicted values, indicating associative interaction between the components. Surface excess, limiting molecular area, surface pressure at the CMC, and Gibbs free energy indicate spontaneity of the micellization processes compared to the pure components.

Role of protein-cellulose nanocrystal interactions in the stabilization of emulsion.

Hypothesis: The interactions between two bio-based emulsifiers, namely cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and the surface active sodium caseinate (CAS), can influence the formation and stability of oil-in-water emulsion (O/W).

Experiments: After studying the interactions between CNC and CAS, in bulk, and at air-water and liquid-liquid interfaces, emulsions have been prepared through different routes of addition, at pH 7 and 3, at which CNC and CAS had repulsive and attractive interactions, respectively. The routes of addition were (1) CAS and CNC simultaneously, (2) CAS first followed by CNC in a subsequent emulsification step and (3) CNC first, followed by CAS.

Functionalized magnetic particles for water treatment.

In this study, we have taken the concept of water treatment by functionalized magnetic particles one step forward by integrating the technology into a complete proof of concept, which included the preparation of surface modified beads, their use as highly selective absorbents for heavy metals ions (Zinc, Nickel), and their performance in terms of magnetic separation. The separation characteristics were studied both through experiments and by simulations. The data gathered from these experimental works enabled the elaboration of various scenarios for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

Recovery of a protein-rich biomass from shrimp (Pandalus borealis) boiling water: A colloidal study.

Flocculation and sedimentation of a protein-rich biomass from shrimp boiling water (SBW) using food grade polysaccharides (carrageenan, alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)) as flocculants was investigated at different pH-values. The effect of flocculant concentration on particle size and viscosity of SBW was also evaluated. Flocculation with carrageenan (0.

Directed self-assembly of silica nanoparticles in ionic liquid-spun cellulose fibers.

The application range of man-made cellulosic fibers is limited by the absence of cost- and manufacturing-efficient strategies for anisotropic hierarchical functionalization. Overcoming these bottlenecks is therefore pivotal in the pursuit of a future bio-based economy. Here, we demonstrate that colloidal silica nanoparticles (NPs), which are cheap, biocompatible and easy to chemically modify, enable the control of the cross-sectional morphology and surface topography of ionic liquid-spun cellulose fibers.

Reversible flocculation of nanoparticles by a carbamate surfactant.

Fatty alkyldiamine readily reacts with CO in aqueous solution at pH 12 to reversibly form surface active carbamate species. The carbamate can be reverted to the amine by exposure to N and heat. In this work, a carbamate-based surfactant (Y12-carbamate) has been used to disperse and stabilize hydrophobic nanoparticles.

Evaluation of the Adhesion and Performance of Natural Consolidants for Cotton Canvas Conservation.

Recent developments in paper and canvas conservation have seen the introduction of nanocellulose (NC) as a compatible treatment for the consolidation of historical cellulosic artifacts and manuscripts. However, as part of the assessment of these new materials for canvas consolidation, the adhesion of the consolidation treatment (which takes place between the applied material and the substrate) has not yet been evaluated, and as a result, it is poorly understood by both the scientific and conservation communities. After evaluating the potential of NC treatments for the consolidation of cotton painting canvas, we investigate a route to promote the interaction between the existing canvas and the nanocellulose treatment, which is in our case made of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF).

A reverse degradation vs. temperature relationship for a carbonate-containing gemini surfactant.

The rate of hydrolysis of cleavable surfactant is known to have a strong temperature dependence. A nonionic gemini surfactant with a readily hydrolysable carbonate bond as spacer unit has been synthesized and evaluated. A carbonate linkage is special as spacer unit in a gemini surfactant because the hydrolysis results in two identical molecules, in this case a hydroxy-substituted nonionic surfactant, along with carbon dioxide.

On the potential of using nanocellulose for consolidation of painting canvases.

Nanocellulose has been recently proposed as a novel consolidant for historical papers. Its use for painting canvas consolidation, however, remains unexplored. Here, we show for the first time how different nanocelluloses, namely mechanically isolated cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibrils (CCNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), act as a bio-based alternative to synthetic resins and other conventional canvas consolidants.

Wet Spinning of Flame-Retardant Cellulosic Fibers Supported by Interfacial Complexation of Cellulose Nanofibrils with Silica Nanoparticles.

The inherent flammability of cellulosic fibers limits their use in some advanced applications. This work demonstrates for the first time the production of flame-retardant macroscopic fibers from wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and silica nanoparticles (SNP). The fibers are made by extrusion of aqueous suspensions of anionic CNF into a coagulation bath of cationic SNP at an acidic pH.