Continuous mechanical work output can be generated by using combustion engines and electric motors, as well as actuators, through on/off control via external stimuli. Solar energy has been used to generate electricity and heat in human daily life; however, the direct conversion of solar energy to continuous mechanical work has not been realized. In this work, a solar engine is developed using an oscillating actuator, which is realized through an alternating volume decrease of each side of a polypropylene/carbon black polymer film induced by photothermal-derived solvent evaporation. The anisotropic solvent evaporation and fast gradient diffusion in the polymer film sustains oscillating bending actuation under the illumination of divergent light. This light-driven oscillator shows excellent oscillation performance, excellent loading capability, and high energy conversion efficiency, and it can never stop with solvent supply. The oscillator can cyclically lift up a load and output work, exhibiting a maximum specific work of 30.9 × 10 J g and a maximum specific power of 15.4 × 10 W g under infrared light. This work can inspire the development of autonomous devices and provide a design strategy for solar engines.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33374-x | DOI Listing |
Pharmaceutics
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy.
Background/objectives: This study investigates for the first time the use of the prilling technique in combination with solvent evaporation to produce nano- and submicrometric PLGA particles to deliver properly an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Curcumin (CCM), a hydrophobic compound classified under BCS (Biopharmaceutics Classification System) class IV, was selected as the model drug.
Methods: Key process parameters, including polymer concentration, solvent type, nozzle size, and surfactant levels, were optimized to obtain stable particles with a narrow size distribution determined by DLS analysis.
Pharmaceutics
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni Suef 62764, Egypt.
Liver cancer is a prevalent form of carcinoma worldwide. A novel chitosan-coated optimized formulation capped with irradiated silver nanoparticles (INops) was fabricated to boost the anti-malignant impact of rosuvastatin calcium (RC). Using a 2-factorial design, eight formulations were produced using the solvent evaporation process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
December 2024
Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea.
The use of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) in drug delivery systems offers the advantages of enhancing drug efficacy and minimizing side effects; In this study, L-threonine polyurethane (LTPU) NPs have been fabricated by water-in-oil-in-water emulsion and solvent evaporation using biodegradable and biocompatible LTPU. This polymer was pre-synthesized through the use of an amino acid-based chain extender, desaminotyrosyl L-threonine hexyl ester (DLTHE), where urethane bonds are formed by poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) (PLA-PEG-PLA) triblock copolymer and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). LTPU is designed to be degraded by hydrolysis and enzymatic activity due to the presence of ester bonds and peptide bonds within the polymer backbone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
December 2024
Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico.
Curcumin appears to be well tolerated and effective for managing chronic inflammatory pain, but its poor oral bioavailability has been a hurdle in its use as a therapeutic agent. The current study was performed to characterize a novel co-amorphous compound based on curcumin/L-arginine 1:2 (CAC12). : Stability, solubility and structural characterization of the CAC12 were carried out by spectrometry techniques and in vitro assays, whereas the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated by CFA or carrageenan models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymers (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Cosmetic and Biomaterials Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.
As the demand for sustainable and innovative solutions in food packaging continues to grow, this study endeavors to introduce a comprehensive exploration of novel active materials. Specifically, we focus on characterizing polylactide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA/PEG) films filled with olive leaf extract (OLE; ) obtained via solvent evaporation. Examined properties include surface structure, thermal degradation and mechanical attributes, as well as antibacterial activity.
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