Insights into Carvone: Fatty Acid Hydrophobic NADES for Alkane Solubilization.

The urge to adopt cleaner technologies drives the search for novel and sustainable materials such as Hydrophobic Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (HNADESs), a new class of green solvents characterized by their low toxicity, biodegradability, and tunable properties, aiming to be applied in various fields for handling non-polar substances. In this work, the solubilization of hydrocarbons in type V HNADESs (non-ionic organic molecules) formed by mixing carvone, a natural monoterpenoid, with organic acids (hexanoic to decanoic acids) is examined by applying both experimental and theoretical approaches. The synthesis and physicochemical characterization of different HNADESs allowed us to tailor their properties, aiming for optimal interactions with desired hydrocarbons.

Toxicological assessment of pristine and degraded forms of graphene functionalized with MnOx nanoparticles using human in vitro models representing different exposure routes.

The development of novel advanced nanomaterials (NMs) with outstanding characteristics for their use in distinct applications needs to be accompanied by the generation of knowledge on their potential toxicological impact, in particular, that derived from different occupational risk exposure routes, such as inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. The harmful effects of novel graphene-metal oxide composites on human health are not well understood, many toxicological properties have not been investigated yet. The present study has evaluated several toxicological effects associated with graphene decorated with manganese oxide nanoparticles (GNA15), in a comparative assessment with those induced by simple graphene (G2), on human models representing inhalation (A549 cell line), ingestion (HT29 cell line) and dermal routes (3D reconstructed skin).

Addressing Practical Use of Viologen-Derivatives in Redox Flow Batteries through Molecular Engineering.

In practical scenarios, viologen-derivatives face an accelerated degradation in the unavoidable presence of traces of oxygen in large-scale redox flow batteries. Herein, we confirm the primary degradation mechanism and propose a straightforward, cheap, and fast method to evaluate the stability of viologen-derivatives toward this degradation. Considering that the cleavage of the N-substituent is the main proposed pathway for viologen degradation, a new viologen-derivative, bearing an alkylsulfonate chain with a secondary carbon center joined to the N atom, is synthesized to illustrate how molecular engineering can be used to improve stability.

Advances in experimental and computational methodologies for the study of microbial-surface interactions at different omics levels.

The study of the biological response of microbial cells interacting with natural and synthetic interfaces has acquired a new dimension with the development and constant progress of advanced omics technologies. New methods allow the isolation and analysis of nucleic acids, proteins and metabolites from complex samples, of interest in diverse research areas, such as materials sciences, biomedical sciences, forensic sciences, biotechnology and archeology, among others. The study of the bacterial recognition and response to surface contact or the diagnosis and evolution of ancient pathogens contained in archeological tissues require, in many cases, the availability of specialized methods and tools.

New Technique for Probing the Protecting Character of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase as a Critical but Elusive Property for Pursuing Long Cycle Life Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The formation of a protecting nanolayer, so-called solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), on the negative electrode of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) from product precipitation of the cathodic decomposition of the electrolyte is a blessing since the electrically insulating nature of this nanolayer protects the electrode surface, preventing continuous electrolyte decomposition and enabling the large nominal cell voltage of LIBs, e.g., 3.

Self-Assembled Structures Formed in CO-Enriched Atmospheres: A Case-Study for Martian Biomimetic Forms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the biomimetic precipitation processes that follow the chemical-garden reaction of brines of CaCl and sulfate salts with silicate in alkaline conditions under a Mars-type CO-rich atmosphere. We characterize the precipitates with environmental scanning electron microscope micrography, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. Our analysis results indicate that self-assembled carbonate structures formed with calcium chloride can have vesicular and filamentary features.

Molecular Phylogeny Reveals the Past Transoceanic Voyages of Drywood Termites (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae).

Termites are major decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems and the second most diverse lineage of social insects. The Kalotermitidae form the second-largest termite family and are distributed across tropical and subtropical ecosystems, where they typically live in small colonies confined to single wood items inhabited by individuals with no foraging abilities. How the Kalotermitidae have acquired their global distribution patterns remains unresolved.

Low Toxicological Impact of Commercial Pristine Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Yeast .

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the attention of academy and industry due to their potential applications, being currently produced and commercialized at a mass scale, but their possible impact on different biological systems remains unclear. In the present work, an assessment to understand the toxicity of commercial pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the unicellular fungal model is presented. Firstly, the nanomaterial was physico-chemically characterized, to obtain insights concerning its morphological features and elemental composition.

Processing Optimization and Toxicological Evaluation of "Lead-Free" Piezoceramics: A KNN-Based Case Study.

Due to the ever-increasing limitations of the use of lead-based materials, the manufacturing of lead-free piezoceramics with competitive piezoelectric properties and established nontoxicity is considered a priority for the scientific and industrial community. In this work, a lead-free system based on sodium potassium niobate (KNN), opportunely modified with MgNbO (MN), was prepared through a combination of a mechanochemical activation method and air sintering, and its toxicity was evaluated. The effect of the mechanical processing on the microstructure refinement of the processed powders was established by X-ray diffraction and the average crystallite size content of the NbO species was evaluated.

A Simple Ball Milling and Thermal Oxidation Method for Synthesis of ZnO Nanowires Decorated with Cubic ZnO Nanoparticles.

In this work, we propose the synthesis of ZnO nanostructures through the thermal oxidation of ball-milled powders with the introduction of Mg and Sn doping species at the preliminary step of milling. We investigate the advantages and challenges of this two steps process for the production and fabrication of highly crystalline ZnO nanowires. This simple method allows us to fabricate ZnO nanowires with a higher quality core crystal at a much lower temperature and for a shorter processing time than the state-of-the-art, and decorated with by ZnO nanoparticles as determined via TEM analysis.

Toxicological assessment of commercial monolayer tungsten disulfide nanomaterials aqueous suspensions using human A549 cells and the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The utilization of tungsten disulfide (WS) nanomaterials in distinct applications is raising due to their unique physico-chemical properties, such as low friction coefficient and high strength, which highlights the necessity to study their potential toxicological effects, due to the potential increase of environmental and human exposure. The aim of this work was to analyze commercially available aqueous dispersions of monolayer tungsten disulfide (2D WS) nanomaterials with distinct lateral size employing a portfolio of physico-chemical and toxicological evaluations. The structure and stoichiometry of monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS-ACS-M) and nano size monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS-ACS-N) was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, whereas a more quantitative approach to study the nature of formed oxidized species was undertaken employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Assessment of Physico-Chemical and Toxicological Properties of Commercial 2D Boron Nitride Nanopowder and Nanoplatelets.

Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials have been increasingly explored for potential applications in chemistry and biology fields (e.g., biomedical, pharmaceutical, and energy industries) due to their unique physico-chemical properties.

Toxicological evaluation of MnAl based permanent magnets using different in vitro models.

Due to economic, environmental and geopolitical issues, the development of permanent magnets with a composition free of rare earth elements and with acceptable magnetic properties has been considered a priority by the international community, being MnAl based alloys amongst the most promising candidates. The aim of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of powders of two forms of newly developed MnAl(C) permanent magnets through exposure experiments applying three model organisms, using as a benchmark powders of a commercial rare-earth-containing magnet (NdFeB). For this purpose, the direct exposure to the different particles suspensions as well as to magnets leachates was evaluated.

Commonalities and Differences in the Transcriptional Response of the Model Fungus to Different Commercial Graphene Oxide Materials.

Graphene oxide has become a very appealing nanomaterial during the last years for many different applications, but its possible impact in different biological systems remains unclear. Here, an assessment to understand the toxicity of different commercial graphene oxide nanomaterials on the unicellular fungal model organism was performed. For this task, an RNA purification protocol was optimized to avoid the high nucleic acid absorption capacity of graphene oxide.

Fate assessment of commercial 2D MoS aqueous dispersions at physicochemical and toxicological level.

The physicochemical properties and the toxicological potential of commercially available MoS nanoparticles with different lateral size and degradation stage were studied in the present research work. To achieve this, the structure and stoichiometry of fresh and old aqueous suspensions of micro-MoS and nano-MoS was analyzed by Raman, while x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy allowed to identify more quantitatively the nature of the formed oxidized species. A, the toxicological impact of the nanomaterials under analysis was studied using adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549 cells) and the unicellular fungus S.

Toxicological response of the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae to different concentrations of commercial graphene nanoplatelets.

Graphene nanomaterials have attracted a great interest during the last years for different applications, but their possible impact on different biological systems remains unclear. Here, an assessment to understand the toxicity of commercial polycarboxylate functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (GN) on the unicellular fungal model Saccharomyces cerevisiae was performed. While cell proliferation was not negatively affected even in the presence of 800 mg L of the nanomaterial for 24 hours, oxidative stress was induced at a lower concentration (160 mg L), after short exposure periods (2 and 4 hours).

Interaction Analysis of Commercial Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles with Unicellular Systems and Biomolecules.

The ability of commercial monolayer graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide nanocolloids (GOC) to interact with different unicellular systems and biomolecules was studied by analyzing the response of human alveolar carcinoma epithelial cells, the yeast and the bacteria to the presence of different nanoparticle concentrations, and by studying the binding affinity of different microbial enzymes, like the α-l-rhamnosidase enzyme RhaB1 from the bacteria and the AbG β-d-glucosidase from sp. (strain ATCC 21400). An analysis of cytotoxicity on human epithelial cell line A549, (colony forming units, ROS induction, genotoxicity) and (luminescence inhibition) cells determined the potential of both nanoparticle types to damage the selected unicellular systems.

Forward Genetics by Genome Sequencing Uncovers the Central Role of the Locus in Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Glucose Oxidase Expression.

is an industrially important source for gluconic acid and glucose oxidase (GOx), a secreted commercially important flavoprotein which catalyses the oxidation of β-D-glucose by molecular oxygen to D-glucolactone and hydrogen peroxide. Expression of , the GOx encoding gene and the concomitant two step conversion of glucose to gluconic acid requires oxygen and the presence of significant amounts of glucose in the medium and is optimally induced at pH 5.5.

Analysis of Polycaprolactone Microfibers as Biofilm Carriers for Biotechnologically Relevant Bacteria.

Polymeric electrospun fibers are becoming popular in microbial biotechnology because of their exceptional physicochemical characteristics, biodegradability, surface-to-volume ratio, and compatibility with biological systems, which give them a great potential as microbial supports to be used in production processes or environmental applications. In this work, we analyzed and compared the ability of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, Brevundimonas diminuta, and Sphingobium fuliginis to develop biofilms on different types of polycaprolactone (PCL) microfibers. These bacterial species are relevant in the production of biobased chemicals, enzymes, and proteins for therapeutic use and bioremediation.

Insights into the Rb-Mg-N-H System: an Ordered Mixed Amide/Imide Phase and a Disordered Amide/Hydride Solid Solution.

The crystal structure of a mixed amide-imide phase, RbMgNDND, has been solved in the orthorhombic space group Pnma ( a = 9.55256(31), b = 3.70772(11) and c = 10.

Effects of Stoichiometry on the H -Storage Properties of Mg(NH ) -LiH-LiBH Tri-Component Systems.

The hydrogen desorption pathways and storage properties of 2 Mg(NH ) -3 LiH-xLiBH samples (x=0, 1, 2, and 4) were investigated systematically by a combination of pressure composition isotherm (PCI), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), and volumetric release methods. Experimental results showed that the desorption peak temperatures of 2 Mg(NH ) -3 LiH-xLiBH samples were approximately 10-15 °C lower than that of 2 Mg(NH ) -3 LiH. The 2 Mg(NH ) -3 LiH-4 LiBH composite in particular began to release hydrogen at 90 °C, thereby exhibiting superior dehydrogenation performance.