Acrylic Acid Research Articles

Asymmetric adhesive SIS-based wound dressings for therapeutically targeting wound repair

Severe tissue injuries pose a significant risk to human health. Conventional wound dressings fall short in achieving effective tissue regeneration, resulting in suboptimal postoperative healing outcomes. In this study, an asymmetric adhesive wound dressing (marked as SIS/PAA/LAP) was developed, originating from acrylate acid (AA) solution with laponite (LAP) nanoparticles polymerization and photo-crosslinked on the decellularized extracellular matrix small intestinal submucosa (SIS) patch. Extensive studies demonstrated that the SIS/PAA/LAP exhibited higher tissue adhesion strength (~ 33 kPa) and burst strength (~ 22 kPa) compared to conventional wound dressings like Tegaderm and tissue adhesive products. Importantly, it maintained favorable cell viability and demonstrated robust angiogenic capacity. In animal models of full-thickness skin injuries in rats and skin injuries in Bama miniature pigs, the SIS/PAA/LAP could be precisely applied to wound sites. By accelerating the formation of tissue vascularization, it displayed superior tissue repair outcomes. This asymmetrically adhesive SIS-based patch would hold promising applications in the field of wound dressings.

Supramolecular Peptoid Structure Strengthens Complexation with Polyacrylic Acid Microgels.

We have studied the complexation between cationic antimicrobials and polyanionic microgels to create self-defensive surfaces that responsively resist bacterial colonization. An essential property is the stable sequestration of the loaded (complexed) antimicrobial within the microgel under a physiological ionic strength. Here, we assess the complexation strength between poly(acrylic acid) [PAA] microgels and a series of cationic peptoids that display supramolecular structures ranging from an oligomeric monomer to a tetramer. We follow changes in loaded microgel diameter with increasing [Na+] as a measure of the counterion doping level. Consistent with prior findings on colistin/PAA complexation, we find that a monomeric peptoid is fully released at ionic strengths well below physiological conditions, despite its +5 charge. In contrast, progressively higher degrees of peptoid supramolecular structure display progressively greater resistance to salting out, which we attribute to the greater entropic stability associated with the complexation of multimeric peptoid bundles.

High-pressure hydrothermal dope Ce into MoVTeNbOx for one-step oxidation of propylene to acrylic acid

A high-pressure hydrothermal method was employed to introduce Ce element facilely into MoVTeNbOx catalysts in 0.5 h. It was indicated that Ce atoms were doped into the framework of MoVTeNbOx without changing the unique crystal structure of MoVTeNbOx. The introduction of Ce could facilitate the formation of oxygen vacancies and improve the redox ability of surfacial V. However, it was worth noting that the doping amount of Ce was negatively related to the content of M1 active phase. Within a certain range, the catalytic performance could be improved by sacrificing an appropriate amount of M1 phase. In the conversion of propylene to acrylic acid, the highest yield of 58.2% was obtained under catalyst MoVTeNbCeOx (V: Ce =1: 0.05) at 380 °C with the M1 phase content of 81.6%. The appropriate amount of Ce doping improved the propylene conversion by more than 20% compared to undoped. Moreover, the changes in Gibbs free energy of the rate-limiting step of direct oxidation of propylene before and after Ce doping were evaluated by Density functional theory (DFT). It is illustrated that the doping of Ce is thought to affect the main reason for the reduction of Gibbs free energy.

Interfacial electron transfer of perylenes: Influence of the anchor binding mode.

Interfacial electron transfer (IET) through saturated single-linker and dual-linker groups from a perylene chromophore into nanostructured TiO2 films was studied by ultrafast spectroscopy. Perylene chromophores with one and two propanoic acid linker groups in the peri and ortho positions were investigated. In comparison to previously studied perylenes bound via unsaturated acrylic acid linkers, the chromophores with saturated linkers showed bi-exponential IET dynamics. Two distinct transfer times were observed that indicate the presence of two concurrent binding modes. A comparison between ortho- and peri-substituted sensitizers resulted in slower IET dynamics and weaker electronic coupling for ortho substitution. Finally, IET from sensitizers with saturated linker groups is neither promoted nor hindered by a second linker group. This indicates that only one of the two linkers binds covalently to the surface. This study reveals the importance of the anchor-binding mode and design considerations of the linker for regulating IET.

A novel soluble di-iron monooxygenase from the soil bacterium Solimonas soli.

Soluble di-iron monooxygenase (SDIMO) enzymes enable insertion of oxygen into diverse substrates and play significant roles in biogeochemistry, bioremediation and biocatalysis. An unusual SDIMO was detected in an earlier study in the genome of the soil organism Solimonas soli, but was not characterized. Here, we show that the S. soli SDIMO is part of a new clade, which we define as 'Group 7'; these share a conserved gene organization with alkene monooxygenases but have only low amino acid identity. The S. soli genes (named zmoABCD) could be functionally expressed in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 but not in Escherichia coli TOP10. The recombinants made epoxides from C2 C8 alkenes, preferring small linear alkenes (e.g. propene), but also epoxidating branched, carboxylated and chlorinated substrates. Enzymatic epoxidation of acrylic acid was observed for the first time. ZmoABCD oxidised the organochlorine pollutants vinyl chloride (VC) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), with the release of inorganic chloride from VC but not cDCE. The original host bacterium S. soli could not grow on any alkenes tested but grew well on phenol and n-octane. Further work is needed to link ZmoABCD and the other Group 7 SDIMOs to specific physiological and ecological roles.

Grafting Starch with Acrylic Acid and Fenton's Initiator: The Selectivity Challenge.

Through the graft polymerization of acrylic monomers onto starch, materials with interesting new properties can be synthesized. Fenton's chemistry, Fe2+/H2O2, is considered to be attractive for the initiation of graft polymerization with the monomer acrylic acid since it is cheap and reacts quickly at ambient conditions and should therefore be easy to scale up. However, the selectivity of the grafting versus the homopolymerization reaction poses a challenge with this monomer and this type of initiator. In the present review paper, we investigate why data from the literature on grafting systems with other monomers and initiation systems tend to show higher graft selectivity. A scheme is presented, based on reaction engineering principles, that supports an explanation for these observed differences. It is found that more selective activation of starch is a factor, but perhaps even more important is a low monomer-to-starch ratio at the starting sites of graft reactions. Since water is the most common solvent, monomers that are less water-soluble have an advantage in this respect. Based on the proposed scheme, methods to improve the graft selectivity with Fenton's initiator and acrylic acid are evaluated. Most promising appears to be a method of gradual monomer dosage. With gelatinized cassava starch in a batch reactor, both the grafting percentage (17 => 29%) and graft selectivity (18 => 31%) could be improved. This can be considered a principal breakthrough. Still, more research and development would be needed to refine the method and to implement the idea in a continuous reactor at a larger scale.

Hydrogel-Functionalized Bandages with Janus Wettability for Efficient Unidirectional Drug Delivery and Wound Care.

Chronic wounds have imposed a severe physical and economic burden on the global healthcare system, which are usually treated by the delivery of drugs or bioactive molecules to the wound bed through wound dressings. In this work, we have demonstrated a hydrogel-functionalized bandage with Janus wettability in a bilayer structure to achieve unidirectional drug delivery and multifunctional wound care. The Janus patterned bandage with porous gradient wetting channels on the upper layer is responsible for the unidirectional transport of the drug from the outside to the wound bed (up to 90% drug transport efficiency) while preventing drug diffusion in unwanted directions (<8%). The hydrogel composed of chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (HACC), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) at the bottom layer further functionalized such a bandage with biocompatibility, excellent antibacterial properties, and hemostatic ability to promote wound healing. Especially, the hydrogel-functionalized bandage with Janus wettability exhibits excellent mechanical flexibility (∼198% strain), which can comply well with skin deformation (stretching, bending, or twisting) and maintain unidirectional drug delivery behavior without any leakage. The in vivo full-thickness skin wound model confirms that the hydrogel-functionalized bandage can significantly facilitate epithelialization and collagen deposition and improve drug delivery efficiency, thus promoting wound closure and healing (the wound healing ratio was 98.10% at day 15). Such a synergistic strategy of unidirectional drug delivery and multifunctional wound care provides a more efficient, economical, and direct method to promote wound healing, which could be used as a potential high-performance wound dressing for clinical application.

Potential anticancer agents of Curcuma aeruginosa-based kombucha: In vitro and in silico study

BackgroundThe kombucha is an original drink from China that is traditionally produced from fermentation that rich in polyphenol and act as antioxidants and anticancer. In the times, kombucha is widely combined with several medicinal plants, one of which is Curcuma aeruginosa, an herbal plant used as medicine because it has chemical constituents of saponins, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Kombucha-based Curcuma aeruginosa is believed to have role as an antioxidant and anticancer. Research objectivesto determine antioxidant and anticancer activities of kombucha-based C. aeruginosa through in vitro and in silico study. Methodsproduction of kombucha-based C. aeruginosa with variation of C. aeruginosa extract concentration (2, 4, 6 %) and variation of time fermentation of kombucha production (6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 days). Then antioxidant activity analysis was carried out with the DPPH assay. The bioactive compounds contained in kombucha-based C. aeruginosa was screened using LCHRMS (Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mas Spectrometry). Anticancer activity was predicted using in silico study such as PASS Online and molecular docking. ResultsThe highest antioxidant activity was showed by 6 % of C. aeruginosa and 14 days fermentation of kombucha (IC50 = 13.17). There were 15 bioactive compounds contained in kombucha-based C. aeruginosa and 4 of them with anticancer activity, such as 2-(8-Hydroxy-4a,8-dimethyldecahhydro-2-naphthalenyl)acrylic acid, 2-[(2-Chlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-4,6-dimethylnicotinonitrile, 3,5-Di‑tert‑butyl‑4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and Zedoarondiol. 2-[(2-Chlorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-4,6-dimethylnicotinonitrile showed the most potential anticancer compound with the strongest interaction to inhibit ERa and PR protein.

Comparison of Structural, Water-Retaining and Sorption Properties of Acrylamide-Based Hydrogels Cross-Linked by Physical and Chemical Methods.

Two series of hydrogels based on acrylamide and its copolymers with acrylonitrile and acrylic acid were synthesized by two cross-linking methods - chemical (using N,N'-methylene bis-acrylamide) and physical (using montmorillonite (MMT)) ones. The structure of the gels was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling and sorption properties were analyzed as a function of both the monomer composition and the cross-linking method. The shift of the band corresponding to Si-O (995-1030 cm-1 ) confirmed the formation of intercalation structures for MMT-cross-linked gels. Moreover, physically cross-linked gels demonstrated a non-monotonic dependence of the swelling degree on the MMT concentration, and acrylamide-acrylic acid copolymer MMT-cross-linked gels showed pH sensitivity and the highest swelling degree of 150 g/g. The highest sorption capacity towards cadmium(II) ions was demonstrated by acrylamide-acrylic acid copolymer gels, both covalently cross-linked (30 mg/g) and MMT-cross-linked (8.9 mg/g).

A Visible Light Cross-Linked Underwater Hydrogel Adhesive with Biodegradation and Hemostatic Ability.

Hydrogel adhesives with integrated functionalities are still required to match their ever-expanding practical applications in the field of tissue repair and regeneration. A simple and effective safety strategy is reported, involving an in situ injectable polymer precursor and visible light-induced cross-linking. This strategy enables the preparation of a hydrogel adhesive in a physiological environment, offering wet adhesion to tissue surfaces, molecular flexibility, biodegradability, biocompatibility, efficient hemostatic performance, and the ability to facilitate liver injury repair. The proposed one-step preparation process of this polymer precursor involves the mixing of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), poly(thioctic acid) [P(TA)], poly(acrylic acid)/amorphous calcium phosphate (PAAc/ACP, PA) and FDA-approved photoinitiator solution, and a subsequent visible light irradiation after in situ injection into target tissues that resulted in a chemically-physically cross-linked hybrid hydrogel adhesive. Such a combined strategy shows promise for medical scenarios, such as uncontrollable post-traumatic bleeding.

Thermal Decomposition Process of Fireproof Sealant Measured with Thermogravimetric and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis and Estimated Using Shuffled Complex Evolution

Fireproof sealing technology is widely used in industrial, commercial, and other public buildings, so the performance of fireproof sealing materials in high temperatures or fire environments must be taken into account as an important factor. Fireproof sealant is considered to be a highly effective adhesive for sealing and fireproofing purposes. To explore its thermal decomposition mechanism and estimate its pyrolysis behaviors, a series of thermogravimetric experiments from 10 K/min to 60 K/min coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis technology were performed. The results indicated that the thermal decomposition of the fireproof sealant could be divided into three reactions: the degradation of ammonium polyphosphate, melamine, and acrylic acid. In addition, the pyrolysis behavior of the fireproof sealant was compared under two kinds of atmosphere (nitrogen and air). Furthermore, the initial kinetic parameters in the nitrogen atmosphere were calculated based on model-free methods including the Friedman, KAS, and Starink methods. The average activation energy of three reactions obtained by the three methods was 108.32 kJ/mol, 200.46 kJ/mol, and 177.10 kJ/mol, respectively, while these obtained parameters were hard to regenerate, the thermogravimetric curves were accurately based on the established pyrolysis reaction scheme, with the existence of clear deviations. Therefore, a global heuristic optimization algorithm, Shuffled Complex Evolution (SCE), was selected to optimize 14 parameters (including activation energies and the pre-exponential factors) and the optimized pyrolysis results agreed well with the experimental data, even at the extra heating rate, with the correlation coefficient for the mass loss and mass loss rate being reaching up to 0.9943 and 0.9019, respectively. The study indicated that the SCE algorithm showed an appropriate potential to estimate the pyrolysis behavior of an unknown thermogravimetric experiment group.

Optimization of swelling and mechanical behavior of Acer platanoides cellulose combo hydrogel

To reduce resource scarcity and environmental concerns, it is better to choose both sustainable and biodegradable materials for the synthesis of value-added products. In this study, a biodegradable combo hydrogel was developed that is prone to decompose and possesses high swello-mechanical properties. The combo hydrogel is fabricated through crosslinking of Acrylic acid (AA) and n-isopropyl acrylamide monomers on Acer platanoides cellulose (APC) in the presence of MBA (N, N-methylene bisacrylamide). The APC-combo hydrogel was characterized through SEM, FTIR, swelling, mechanical, and biodegradability tests and got results in favor. SEM images show high crosslinking density and porous surface that facilitates water penetration for swelling behavior. The potential use of cellulose in combo hydrogel helped in intensifying its mechanical and biodegradable properties. APC-combo hydrogel (APC-CH9) has a higher swelling ratio at 2:1 monomer to APC ratio, 0.5 percent MBA concentration, 70% neutralization degree, 40 °C temperature, and pH 6. Similarly, the hydrogel possesses higher values for tensile strength and Young's modulus at 0.6 percent MBA concentration but shows higher compression strength and elongation at break at 0.2% MBA. The high swello-mechanical and moderate biodegradability properties of combo hydrogel make it a promising material for minimizing the agricultural water and nutrient leaching issues and results in reducing plant wither rate.

Preparation of photo-grafted magnetic nano-silver composites and their catalytic studies on organic dyes

More active and stable catalyst is needed for degradation of organic dyes in wastewater. A new kind of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microsphere hybridized with Ag and Fe3O4 was developed as catalyst. PMMA microspheres were prepared by photoinitiated dispersive polymerization, and then acrylic acid (AA) was photo-grafted on the surface of microspheres with 365 nm UV light to prepare PMMA-AA microspheres whose carboxyl group was up to 164 × 1021 per microsphere. Under the effect of NaBH4, the Ag nanoparticles on the surface of PMMA and PMMA-AA microspheres were successfully modified with the help of carboxyl groups on the surface of PMMA and PMMA-AA microspheres. Fe3O4 particles were adsorbed onto the microsphere surface to obtain two kinds of microspheres (PMMA@Ag@Fe3O4, PMMA-AA@Ag@Fe3O4) for the catalytic reduction of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (Rh-B), respectively. PMMA-AA@Ag@Fe3O4 microspheres exhibited excellently catalytic performance that the apparent rate coeffcients of MB and Rh-B were 0.045 s−1 and 0.036 s−1 respectively. The catalytic efficiency of PMMA-AA@Ag@Fe3O4 heterogeneous catalyst can reach 90% even after 8 cycles for MB. It has excellent catalytic performance, high non-selective adsorption and good reusability. Excellent catalytic performance, high non-selective adsorption and reusability even in the presence of mixed dyes.

A self-healing waterborne acrylic latex coating based on intrinsic hydrogen bonding

Acrylic coatings suffer damage in the form of cracking, which degrades both their protective and aesthetic performance over time. Self-healing technology offers the ability to solve this problem by allowing cracks to spontaneously heal without external diagnosis or intervention, offsetting the enormous costs associated with coating damage and repair. However, there is currently no efficient self-healing acrylic coating design, and research in the area remains noticeably sparse. In this research we sought to imbue a mechanically tough methyl methacrylate (MMA)/butyl acrylate (BA)/acrylic acid (AA) acrylic coating with self-healing functionality by incorporating self-healing monomers within the formulation. We synthesized a library of four acrylic monomers containing both a long amphiphilic spacer of variable length, and the 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) unit, which forms strong self-complementary quadruple hydrogen bonds. These UPy-monomers were able to participate in the emulsion polymerization of MMA, BA and AA, forming intrinsic hydrogen bonding networks within the subsequent acrylic coatings. These UPy functionalized coatings displayed optical self-healing and strain recovery over 24 h both at room temperature (∼28 %), and at elevated temperatures up to 50 °C (∼80 %). The coatings also displayed repeatable self-healing after four healing cycles, relative to an MMA/BA/AA coating.

Construction of porous chitosan-based organic/inorganic composite with synergistic antibacterial activity

The increasing resistance of antibiotics and the global spread of pathogenic bacteria highlight the urgent need for novel antibacterial materials. In this study, a terpolymer (PVBA) with carboxyl (-COOH) and benzyl chloride (-C7H6Cl) groups was synthesized using acrylic acid (AA), butyl acrylate (BA), and 4-vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC) as monomers. The -C7H6Cl groups in the PVBA terpolymer was then reacted with N-N-dimethylhexadecane 1-amine (HAM) to prepare a more hydrophilic antibacterial (PVBA-N) terpolymer. Further, a synthetic/natural (PVBA-N/C) composite with quaternary ammonium (QA) groups was prepared by covalent crosslinking of the PVBA-N terpolymer and chitosan (CS). Finally, the AgCl-decorated PVBA-N/C (AgCl@PVBA-N/C) antibacterial composite was were constructed by anchoring silver chloride nanoparticles (AgClNPs) to the surface of the PVBA-N/C composite. Remarkably, the resulting AgCl@PVBA-N/C antibacterial composite had a porous network structure and exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) based on both contact-typed and release-typed antibacterial modes, and low cytotoxicity against L929 cells. This research provides an effective strategy to combat the threat of bacterial resistance to human health relying on the advantage of the respective antibacterial mechanisms of various antibacterial ingredients.

Synthesis and surface modification of sunflower oil‐based non‐isocyanate polyurethane: Physicochemical and antibacterial properties

AbstractIn this work, non‐isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) films are synthesized from sunflower oil (SFO) with the object of using a renewable resource and establishing a nonpolluting process. SFO also has the advantage of having a higher level of unsaturation than other commercial oils, which provides more reactive sites to be chemically modified. This feature enables a higher degree of conversion to the two monomers, cyclocarbonate, and polyamine‐polyol. NIPU is obtained from their mixture and further crosslinking at 90°C allows the films with suitable mechanical properties to be used in biomedical applications. However, NIPU does not show antibacterial activity, so the surface must be modified. Two methods are used: layer‐by‐layer coating of alginate‐chitosan, and immersion in tea tree oil (TTO), previously activating the surface with acrylic acid (AANIPU). Surface modifications are confirmed by increased hydrophilicity, thermochemical changes, and a drop in mechanical performance. TTO on NIPU films inhibits bacterial growth against S. aureus and E. Coli. NIPU and AANIPU can be accepted as noncytotoxic, while incorporation of the two agents can produce cytotoxicity. No previous reports of such modifications have been found on NIPU films, which appear as promising alternatives for biomedical applications.

Hydrogen Bonds Reinforced Ionogels with High Sensitivity and Stable Autonomous Adhesion as Versatile Ionic Skins.

Flexible wearable sensors have demonstrated enormous potential in various fields such as human health monitoring, soft robotics, and motion detection. Among them, sensors based on ionogels have garnered significant attention due to their wide range of applications. However, the fabrication of ionogels with high sensitivity and stable autonomous adhesion remains a challenge, thereby limiting their potential applications. Herein, we present an advanced ionogel (PACG-MBAA) with exceptional performances based on multiple hydrogen bonds, which is fabricated through one-step radical polymerization of N-acryloylglycine (ACG) in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate (EMIES) in the presence of N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBAA). Compared with the ionogel (PAA-MBAA) formed by polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in EMIES, the resulting ionogel exhibits tunable mechanical strength (35-130 kPa) and Young's modulus comparable to human skin (60-70 kPa) owing to the multiple hydrogen bonds formation. Importantly, they demonstrate stable autonomous adhesion to various substrates and good self-healing capabilities. Furthermore, the ionogel-based sensor shows high sensitivity (with a gauge factor up to 6.16 in the tensile range of 300-700%), enabling the detection of both gross and subtle movements in daily human activities. By integration of the International Morse code, the ionogel-based sensor enables the encryption, decryption, and transmission of information, thus expanding its application prospects.

Deciphering the Mechanism by Which Carbon Dioxide Extends the Shelf Life of Raw Milk: A Microbiomics- and Metabolomics-Based Approach.

Microbial community succession in raw milk determines its quality and storage period. In this study, carbon dioxide (CO2) at 2000 ppm was used to treat raw milk to investigate the mechanism of extending the shelf life of raw milk by CO2 treatment from the viewpoint of microbial colonies and metabolites. The results showed that the shelf life of CO2-treated raw milk was extended to 16 days at 4 °C, while that of the control raw milk was only 6 days. Microbiomics analysis identified 221 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in raw milk, and the alpha diversity of microbial communities increased (p < 0.05) with the extension of storage time. Among them, Pseudomonas, Actinobacteria and Serratia were the major microbial genera responsible for the deterioration of raw milk, with a percentage of 85.7%. A combined metagenomics and metabolomics analysis revealed that microorganisms altered the levels of metabolites, such as pyruvic acid, glutamic acid, 5'-cmp, arginine, 2-propenoic acid and phenylalanine, in the raw milk through metabolic activities, such as ABC transporters, pyrimidine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism, and reduced the shelf life of raw milk. CO2 treatment prolonged the shelf life of raw milk by inhibiting the growth of Gram-negative aerobic bacteria, such as Acinetobacter guillouiae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia liquefaciens and Pseudomonas simiae.

Revolutionizing colon cancer therapy by site-specific 5-fluorouracil delivery with novel stimuli-responsive mucoadhesive hydrogel: Optimization via response surface methodology

5-fluorouracil (FU) is the key option of systemic therapy for advanced metastatic colon cancer but has a cytotoxic impact on normal cells after intravenous administration therefore the primary goal of this research was to fabricate a unique oral site-specific mucoadhesive delivery technique for FU to reach the colon and improving the targeting effectiveness of FU to colon. In the present research, we investigate the novel utilization of developed carboxymethyl cellulose/polyvinylpyrrolidone-grafted-poly(acrylic acid) based hydrogel as a potential carrier for FU administration. The utilization of such novel hydrogels as potential mucoadhesive and swelling behaviour candidates, carriers of FU for colon cancer, as well as the in-vitro evaluations of FU-release, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C Nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (13C NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, average molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc), cross-link density, in addition to cytotoxicity analysis, hemocompatibility evaluation and acute oral toxicity analysis, were carried out. Notably, over the initial 36 h of dissolution, FU % cumulative release from CMC/PVP-g-poly (AA) hydrogel ranges from 2.62 % to 6.60 % at 1.2 pH, 7.23 %–11.35 % at 6.8 pH, and 85.48 %–99.63 % at 7.4 pH, respectively. Its thermal stability has been demonstrated by TGA and DSC. The FTIR, 13C NMR and XRD have verified the molecular-level entrapment of FU inside the designed hydrogel. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) results showed that the produced hydrogel had an irregular along with porous surface. The degree of a hydrogel's swelling and crosslink density were found to be negatively correlated with each other, whereas Mc was directly linked with the swelling of accomplished hydrogel. The developed hydrogel with the highest carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) content demonstrated 147 min of mucoadhesion with colonic mucosal lining. Cytotoxicity analysis, hemocompatibility evaluation and acute oral toxicity testing confirmed the biocompatibility of the fabricated hydrogel and indicated their potential for safe as well as site-specific sustained FU transport as well as being used as a valuable asset of therapeutic agents for colon cancer treatment.

A new starch-based adhesive material containing diblock branches for sizing cotton and cotton/polyester

A new starch macroinitiator (dibromopropyl etherified starch, DPES) with two active sites per dibromopropyl substituent, was successfully prepared and then conducted a two-step graft polymerization with EMA and AA, respectively, to prepare new grafted starch (DPES-g-poly(ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(acrylic acid), DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA) samples using the electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) technique in an aqueous medium. The DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA had excellent adhesion to cotton and cotton/polyester roving. As the grafting ratios increased from 0 to 9.346%, gradually promoted adhesion forces from 61.3 N to 76.8 N for cotton roving and from 91.2 N to 123.0 N for cotton/polyester roving were presented. In addition, the DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA possessed lower film crystallinity and brittleness as well as higher viscosity compared with ATS. Based on these results, the DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA with a total grafting ratio of 9.346% was concluded as a new adhesive material in the application of sizing cotton and cotton/polyester warps.