Hemicellulose-Based Sensors: When Sustainability Meets Complexity.

Hemicelluloses (HCs) are promising sustainable biopolymers with a great natural abundance, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Yet, their potential sensing applications remain limited due to intrinsic challenges in their heterogeneous chemical composition, structure, and physicochemical properties. Herein, recent advances in the development of HC-based sensors for different chemical analytes and physical stimuli using different transduction mechanisms are reviewed and discussed.

The interactions between zeolite and two cellulose derivatives: A comprehensive analysis of liquid and solid phase properties.

This study investigates the impact of cellulose-derived polymers, anionic carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and cationic cellulose (CC) on the colloidal and thermal stability of zeolite Na-X materials. By exploring polymer adsorption onto Na-X surfaces and characterising the resultant materials, using FT-IR, XPS, SEM, PSD, CHN, and zeta potential, the research unveils how CMC and CC modify zeolite properties. This investigation elucidates the potential roles of these polymers in colloidal systems with zeolites, revealing their promise for crafting organic-inorganic materials.

A Further Study on Calcium Phosphate Gardens Grown from the Interface of κ-Carrageenan-based Hydrogels and Counterion Solutions.

Originating from the concept of classical chemical gardens, a new field coined 'chemobrionics' has recently emerged. In the present work, two chemobrionic systems grown from a hydrogel/liquid interface at different time scales (for 1, 7, 14 or 28 days) were investigated, i. e.

Molecular Metallocorrole-Nanorod Photocatalytic System for Sustainable Hydrogen Production.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Lilac Amirav at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The image shows the sustainable solar-driven photocatalytic generation of hydrogen from water using a molecular metallocorrole-nanorod photocatalytic system. The Research Article itself is available at 10.

Molecular Metallocorrole-Nanorod Photocatalytic System for Sustainable Hydrogen Production.

Solar-driven photocatalytic generation of hydrogen from water is a potential source of clean and renewable fuel. Yet systems that are sufficiently stable and efficient for practical use have not been realized. Here, nanorod photocatalysts that have proven record activity for the water reduction half reaction were successfully combined with molecular metallocorroles suitable for catalyzing the accompanying oxidation reactions.

Synthesis, characterization, and humidity-responsiveness of guar gum xanthate and its nanocomposite with copper sulfide covellite.

A novel conjugation of guar gum with xanthate groups via facile aqueous xanthation reaction has been reported. Density of grafted xanthate on guar gum product (GG-X) is as high as 4.4%, thus GG-X is conceivably characterized and confirmed by various spectrometric, electrochemical, thermogravimetric, and microscopic methods.

Synthesis, characterization and biocompatibility of guar gum-benzoic acid.

A novel chemical functionalization of guar gum (GG) by benzoic acid (BA) via nucleophilic substitution reaction in aqueous solution has been reported. BA moieties are chosen due to coordination chemistry of carboxylic acid moieties, hydrophobicity and intermolecular interaction of aromatic rings. The presence of conjugated BA on guar gum-benzoic acid (GG-BA) with grafting density of 5.

Biodegradable Active Packaging as an Alternative to Conventional Packaging: A Case Study with Chicken Fillets.

Innovative active packaging has the potential to maintain the food quality and preserve the food safety for extended period. The aim of this study was to discover the effect of active films based on commercially available polylactic acid blend (PLA) and natural active components on the shelf life and organoleptic properties of chicken fillets and to find out; to what extent they can be used as replacement to the traditional packaging materials. In this study, commercially available PLA was compounded with citral and cinnamon oil.

The Combination of Hydrogen and Methanol Production through Artificial Photosynthesis-Are We Ready Yet?

Because 100 % quantum efficiency for the photosynthetic production of H from H O under visible illumination has been achieved recently, the oxidation of H O to O remains the bottleneck to the overall water-splitting reaction. Oxidation of CH to CH OH might be combined with water reduction instead, so that H and CH OH chemical fuels can be simultaneously produced through a one-step process under solar illumination. This combination would be a promising approach towards a more sustainable future of chemistry, in which developing different strategies for artificial photosynthesis is of paramount importance.