Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Research Articles

High Areal Capacity Anode Enabled by Enhanced Charge Transport on Self‐Supported Spindle‐like Carbon Nanofiber Architecture of CTAB‐treated Geothermal Silica Waste

High areal‐capacity anodes are crucial for compact and energy‐dense lithium‐ion batteries. Nevertheless, thick slurry cast on current collectors often leads to sluggish charge transport and poor cycle stability. This study addresses these issues by developing self‐supported spindle‐like silica‐carbon nanofiber architectures via electrospinning. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant is employed to modify the surface potential of geothermal silica waste nanoparticles, enhancing their dispersibility in electrospinning solution and producing fully encapsulated silica nanoparticles within spindle‐like carbon nanofibers (SiO2‐CTAB@CNF). Unlike thick slurry‐based designs, spindle‐like structures can serve as spacers, creating efficient pathways for electrolyte infiltration across the anode thickness. Consequently, SiO2‐CTAB@CNF balances optimal porosity (34%) toward high active material loading (9.5 mg cm−2), establishing low tortuosity (τ: 2) and high coefficient of diffusivity. The half‐cell SiO2‐CTAB@CNF battery delivers a notable areal discharge capacity of 4 mAh cm⁻2, meeting commercial high‐areal capacity targets. The full‐cell SiO2‐CTAB@CNF||LFP achieves high discharge capacity of 3.6 mAh cm‒2 at 0.1 mA cm‒2. Even under higher areal current value (0.3 mA cm−2), the full‐cell battery can deliver capacity of 2.58 mAh cm−2 and remain stable after 100 cycles. This work highlights the use of advanced nanostructures and geothermal silica waste to produce sustainable and high‐areal capacity lithium‐ion batteries.

A novel hierarchical porous ZIF-8 for effective removal of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs simultaneously from environment.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) adsorbents have significant advantages to remove contaminates. While their microporous structure is not conducive to entry of larger molecules, making it difficult to simultaneously utilize the inner and outer surfaces of the pores to achieve higher adsorption capacity. In this work, the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide was employed as soft template to prepare a novel hierarchical porous ZIF-8 (HP-ZIF-8) in water. The result showed that the developed HP-ZIF-8 has both microporous (0.59 nm) and mesoporous structures (35.59 nm), which is 33 times larger than that of initial ZIF-8 (1.08 nm). Mesoporous HP-ZIF-8 enhances adsorption, enabling simultaneous capture of diclofenac sodium (DFS), flunixin meglumine (FM), and meloxicam (ME). The adsorption process for DFS, FM, and ME was agreement with the Langmuir model, and maximum adsorption capacities were 119.33, 162.87, and 40.45 mg g-1, respectively. Moreover, the mesopores effectively enhance mass transfer rate, and the adsorption equilibrium can be reached within 10 min. Mechanistic analysis revealed that DFS, FM, and ME adsorption onto HP-ZIF-8 was driven by hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, electrostatic and metal coordination interactions, alongside mesoporous structure-induced physical adsorption. Furthermore, HP-ZIF-8 was successfully applied in the removal of these pharmaceutical compounds from five different real water samples and three food matrices, achieving recoveries between 84.54% and 106.59%, with relative standard deviations below 4.05%. This work provides a simple and feasible method to improve the adsorption performance of MOFs, making them efficiently adsorbing and removing pollutants from the environment.

A modified method for isolation of total RNA from leaves of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.)

ABSTRACT Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), a dicotyledonous plant belonging to the Convolvulaceae family, is the world’s sixth most important food crop cultivated for its tubers which are rich in carbohydrates. Polysaccharide and polyphenol content are high in sweetpotato, which can negatively interfere with isolating high quality nucleic acid. This study aims to determine a rapid and reliable method for total RNA extraction from sweetpotato leaves. Three procedures using Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide–Lithium Chloride (CTAB- LiCl), TRIzol and TRIzol method with modifications were carried out in 100 mg of ground tissue. The quantity and quality of the isolated RNA were evaluated using a microvolume spectrophotometer at A260/280 and A260/230 and 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The TRIzol method with modifications showed more intact RNA when compared to the other two methods with ratios of 1.862 ± 0.02 at A260/280 and 2.027 ± 0.02 at A260/230. RNA isolated was then subjected to DNase treatment and converted to cDNA by reverse-transcriptase-PCR. Internal control genes reported for sweetpotato, alpha-tubulin and translation initiation factor (eIF) were amplified successfully from the cDNA. Considering that only a few transcriptomic studies have been done on sweetpotato, which aid in crop improvement strategies, this method is ideal for total RNA isolation from sweetpotato leaves.

Optimizing a modified cetyltrimethylammonium bromide protocol for fungal DNA extraction: Insights from multilocus gene amplification

Abstract Genomic DNA (gDNA) extraction is an important step in many molecular studies of fungal biology, and it is necessary to evaluate the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and efficacy of different extraction methods to ensure successful amplification of the target gene and minimize deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) degradation. The modified cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method was found to be effective in releasing high molecular weight gDNA with minimal protein contamination. Based on anticipated gDNA yield and quality, extraction time, cost effectiveness, successful amplification, and waste management, our findings serve as a guide for selecting techniques of gDNA extraction from fungal species. This study presents a modified CTAB method for extracting DNA from a variety of fungal species including Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Dothiorella, and Fusarium. Comparison of three cell crushing methods reveals similar gDNA yields, demonstrating the method’s effectiveness. Furthermore, the modified CTAB method is cost-effective and safe, eliminating the need for grinding with liquid nitrogen or bead beating. The method has a potential use for nucleic-based fungal disease diagnosis such as fish fungal diseases, plant pathogens, fruit rot associated pathogens, and human fungal diseases as we were successful in PCR amplifying several gene loci from varied fungal pathogens.

Highly Sensitive and Interference-Free Detection of Multiple Drug Molecules in Serum Using Dual-Modified SERS Substrates Combined with AI Algorithm Analysis.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology has shown broad potential in drug concentration detection, but its application in blood drug monitoring faces significant challenges. The primary difficulty lies in overcoming the interference caused by various biomolecules present in serum, which can severely obscure the SERS signals of target drug molecules. Traditional enhancement substrates are often limited to detecting single drugs and are prone to interference, making the label-free detection of multiple drugs particularly challenging. To address these issues, we developed a novel SERS substrate based on Au@AgNRs, which undergoes a two-step modification to produce Au@AgDBCNRs. This innovative substrate provides exceptional signal amplification, simultaneously allowing the sensitive detection of multiple drug molecules. Moreover, our method eliminates the need for serum deproteinization, enabling the direct detection of drugs in serum while effectively mitigating interference from blood components. The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide coating on Au@AgDBCNRs is an internal standard for drug quantification without additional standards. The platform significantly improves detection accuracy and efficiency by automatically integrating artificial intelligence to recognize and analyze Raman spectral features. This novel SERS platform provides a new idea for therapeutic drug monitoring and is expected to provide rapid, accurate, and cost-effective drug detection in the clinical environment, which has great potential in improving patient care and optimizing drug dosage strategies.

Gold Nanorod Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Substrate for l-DOPA Detection: Experimental and Theoretical Approaches.

Experimental efforts aimed at detecting levodopa (l-DOPA) using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) face a persistent challenge in obtaining a SERS signal with negatively charged nanoparticles. This challenge stems from the repulsion between deprotonated l-DOPA in aqueous solution and the charged surface of the nanoparticles, revealing dependencies on time and concentration to achieve the SERS signal. This study explores the adsorption mechanism of l-DOPA on the surface of gold nanorods (AuNRs) covered with a cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) bilayer as a colloidal solution, subsequently dried onto a solid substrate such as glass, silicon, and Au substrate. Experimental findings are supported by density functional theory theoretical calculations. The comparison between experimental and theoretical results highlights that the SERS profile can be attributed to the adsorption of l-DOPA via the catechol ring, leading to the formation of anionic and dianionic species.

New insights into improved SO2＆H2O resistance over MoCrCeOx catalyst by CTAB for medium-low temperatures NH3-SCR: Regulation of surface acid and oxygen species

Selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) of NH3 is the most efficient NOx removal technology. Improving the SO2/H2O resistance of SCR catalyst is of great importance for its industrial application. The Mo(0.3)-CrCeOx catalysts synthesized by the citric acid method exhibited excellent high concentration SO2 resistance but poor H2O tolerance. In this work, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used to improve SO2＆H2O resistance over Mo(0.3)-CrCeOx catalyst at medium-low temperatures. The mechanism of CTAB modification and the discrepancy to citric acid (CA) method were investigated. The results indicated that the CTAB catalyst had a large specific surface area, and was conducive to forming a specific structural strength. The enhancement of surface acidity of CTAB is the reason for the further enhancement of SCR activity. The regulation of hydroxyl oxygen to promote the activation of Brønsted acid sites is the key factor to SO2＆H2O resistance. In addition, the in-situ DRIFTS results revealed the different mechanisms of the two catalysts. This paper raised the deactivation reason of sol-gel catalyst caused by SO2＆H2O and presented an effective modification strategy.

Damage characteristics of high-temperature sandstone impacted by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-enhanced jet

High-pressure water jet technology is an efficient and eco-friendly method with the potential to enhance rock-breaking efficiency in deep-earth high-temperature environments. This study introduces the use of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in water jets to improve thermal exchange between low-temperature jets and high-temperature rocks, aiming to optimize rock-breaking efficiency under high-temperature conditions in deep reservoirs. Experiments were conducted using jets with varying CTAB concentrations impacting rock at different temperatures to assess the feasibility and elucidate the underlying rock-breaking mechanisms. Computed Tomography (CT) combined with three-dimensional reconstruction was employed to establish the internal damage field of the rock, thereby analyzing the jet rock-breaking mechanisms. The findings indicate that the erosion pit formed in sandstone under the impact of a pure water jet has a regular inverted “Ω”-shape, while the pit formed under CTAB-enhanced jets resembles a “J”-shape. Furthermore, at elevated rock temperatures, the depth and volume of erosion pits created by jet impacts are greater than those at room temperature. At 100 °C, the rock-breaking volume increases by 16.81% with a pure water jet, whereas it increases by 75.46% with a jet containing 500 ppm CTAB. Optimal concentrations of CTAB additives range from 500 to 1000 ppm, substantially enhancing rock-breaking efficiency at high temperatures by bolstering heat exchange between the jet and rock and intensifying the water wedge effect. These findings provide a theoretical basis and novel approaches for hydraulic fracturing of deep, high-temperature hard rock.

Synergistic Strategy of Hard-Template Etching and Soft-Template Protection for Rapid Fabrication of Aerogel Short Fibers

Aerogel fibers are produced by integrating aerogel nanonetworks with structures possessing large aspect ratios, which provide enhanced thermal insulation, noise attenuation, and pollutant adsorption properties compared to those of bulk aerogels. The conventional method for fabricating aerogel fibers, which involves dynamic spinning, depends on the swift solidification of gels within a coagulation bath. This process inevitably affects the gel's internal three-dimensional network structure after it has assumed a formed state, posing substantial difficulties in regulating the pore structure and mechanical strength of the aerogel fibers. In this research, we present a novel technique for the fabrication of poly(methylsilsesquioxane) aerogel short fibers (PAFs), utilizing an ice template-based static molding process. Directional ice crystals act as "hard templates" to form prismatic structures within the wet gel matrix, whereas the electrostatic repulsion from the "soft template," cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), safeguards the fiber structure during its formation. Furthermore, the internal pore structure of the aerogel can be precisely controlled by modulating the aggregation states of CTAB micelles in water, which offers diverse reaction sites for silane hydrolysis. The fibers fabricated using this method exhibit large aspect ratios, low density, high specific surface area, and flexibility, displaying excellent insulation properties, stability at high and low temperatures, and hydrophobicity. They are suitable for use as functional fillers in high-performance wearable fabrics.

Interaction of biomimetic lipid membranes with detergents with different physicochemical characteristics.

Membrane solubilization by detergents is routinely performed to separate membrane components, and to extract and purify membrane proteins. This process depends both on the characteristics of the detergent and properties of the membrane. Here we investigate the interaction of eight detergents with very distinct physicochemical features with model membranes in different biologically relevant phases. The detergents chosen were the non-ionic Triton X-100, Triton X-165, C10E5, octyl glucopyranoside (OG) and dodecyl maltoside (DDM) and the ionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and Chaps. Three lipid compositions were explored: pure palmitoyl oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC), in the liquid-disordered (Ld) phase, sphingomyelin (SM)/cholesterol 7:3 (chol) in the liquid-ordered (Lo) phase and the biomimetic POPC/SM/chol 2:1:2, which might exhibit Lo/Ld phase separation. Turbidity measurements of small liposomes were performed along the titration with the detergents to obtain the overall solubilization profiles and optical microscopy of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) was used to reveal the mechanism of interaction of the detergents. The presence of cholesterol renders the membranes partly/fully insoluble in all detergents, and the charged detergents are the least effective to solubilize POPC. The non-ionic detergents, with exception of DDM, with the bulkiest headgroup, caused a substantial increase in surface area of POPC, which was quantified directly on single GUVs. The other detergents induced mainly vesicle burst. Detergents that caused some increase in area induced Lo/Ld phase separation in the ternary mixture, with preferential solubilization of the latter. The insoluble area fraction left intact was quantified. Overall, the non-ionic detergents were the most effective in solubilizing lipid membranes.

Deciphering adsorption behaviour and mechanisms of enhanced phosphate removal via optimized cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified nanofibrillated cellulose.

To combat the persistent environmental issues resulting from eutrophication, it is necessary to scavenge excess phosphorous levels from aquatic ecosystems. In response, a cationic adsorbent was prepared by modifying agrowaste-derived natural biomacromolecule; nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. Comprehensive characterization through XRD, FTIR, HR-SEM, SEM-EDX, BET and XPS demonstrated that quaternizing NFC significantly improved its surface chemistry by introducing substantial quaternary ammonium groups. This modification imparted positive ζ potential across broad pH range, underscoring a strong affinity for negatively charged phosphate ions. Enhanced roughness and improved spatial dispersion led to nearly threefold increase in phosphate removal efficiency compared to pristine NFC, attributable to a higher number of available active sites. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetic and Sips isotherm model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 21.78 mg P/g, reaching equilibrium within 120 min. Besides, the prepared adsorbent demonstrated pH-dependent adsorption and displayed stable adsorption capacity particularly at weakly acidic or neutral pH conditions. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent retention capacity with only 12.61 % desorption rates over three cycles. Both XPS and FTIR results revealed that electrostatic adsorption (based on Lewis acid-base principle) and hydrogen bonding were primary adsorption mechanism.

Enhanced density separation efficiency of microplastics in presence of nonionic surfactants.

Microplastics (MPs) recycling, a promising approach to tackle its pollution, faces significant challenges due to the lack of effective separation methods. Herein, the optimized density separation accompanied with nonionic surfactants was employed to purify single MPs species from mixed systems. By adjusting the flotation fluid density, the single MPs can be separated from their mixtures in equal proportions (e.x., 97±2% pure polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was extracted from polystyrene (PS)/PET mixed system). Under the optimized density separation conditions, nonionic surfactants of Tween 20 (TW20) enhanced the purity of the separated MPs for all MPs mixture systems (from 69%-85% to 76%-96%). The enhanced separations can be mainly attributed to adsorption of surfactant onto the surface of MPs which would alter hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of MPs. But anionic surfactants could reduce or promote the separated efficiencies of MPs (e.x., the purity of separated polyvinylchloride increased by 4.8% in Thermoplastic polyurethanes/polyvinylchloride group by added sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, and the purity of PS decreased by 8.3% in PS/PET group in presence of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide). The efficient separations have also been obtained in simulated environmental aqueous experiments where TW20 promoted the separated purity of PET from 83.4% to 91.8% in the PS/PET group, consistent with the separation effect in the laboratory environment. This paper provided a convenient and cost-effective method to separate mixed MPs to high-purity MPs, which would be improve the quality of plastic recycling.

Evaluation of the Anticarcinogenic and Cytotoxicity Effects of Small Gold Nanorods Against Gliomablast Cell Lines in an In vitro Model

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and anticancer potential of gold nanorods (GNRs) synthesized using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide capped seed (CTAB) on L929 fibroblast cells and glioma cells. Methods: Gold nanorods were synthesized through the CTAB method, and their characterization was conducted using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MTT cell viability assay was employed to assess the cytotoxic and anticancer effects of the synthesized gold nanorods on L929 fibroblast cells and glioma cells. Results: Analysis results revealed that the synthesized gold nanorods had an average size of 6.4 nm and rod-like morphology, with an absorbance peak of 836 nm. The quantity of synthesized GNRs was calculated to be 3.63 μM. Cytotoxicity analysis showed an IC50 value of 1.29 μM for L929 fibroblast cells and 1.26 μM for C6 glioma cells, indicating significant cytotoxic effects. Treatment with GNRs induced apoptosis in glioma cells and inhibited their proliferation, suggesting potential anticancer activity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that GNRs hold promise as effective agents for cancer therapy. Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying their anticancer effects and to explore their potential clinical applications in cancer treatment.

Bipyramidal gold nanoparticles-assisted plasmonic photothermal therapy for ocular applications.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) play a key role in the field of nanomedicine due to their fascinating plasmonic properties as well as their great biocompatibility. An intriguing application is the use of plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) mediated by anisotropic AuNPs irradiated with a near-infrared (NIR) laser for treating ocular diseases in ophthalmology. For this purpose, bipyramidal-shaped AuNPs (BipyAu), which were surface-functionalized with three different organic ligands (citrate, polystyrene sulphonate (PSS), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)), were synthesized. The long-term storage stability was assured, in terms of minimal variation in aspect ratio and localized surface plasmon resonance. Better performance was achieved with BipyAu@citrate and BipyAu@PSS NPs. PPTT experiments mediated with the synthesized BipyAu NPs demonstrated that BipyAu@citrate provided the highest value of temperature increase (40 °C at 2.0 W cm-2) after 15 min of 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. The potential future clinical application in ophthalmology was assessed by in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, confirming that BipyAu@citrate NPs were biocompatible for the three major corneal cell types. Furthermore, ex vivo analysis was performed by treating pig corneas with BipyAu@citrate NPs (0.18 μg Au) and subsequent NIR laser irradiation at 808 nm for 15 min, showing distortions in the collagen type I fibrils at the ultrastructural level and promoting the flattening of the corneal surface after treatment, without inducing cell cytotoxicity. This work suggests that a precise control of the fibril distortions can be provoked by PPTT mediated with BipyAu@citrate in the NIR region, paving the way for nanomedicine to correct common deficiencies in corneal diseases.

Revisiting the Facet Control in the Growth of Au Nanobipyramids.

Abnormalities of Au nanobipyramids (NBPs), such as rough surfaces, variable tip angles, corrugated edges, and curved tips, cannot be explained by traditional facet control. The underlying mechanism and significance of these abnormalities have not been fully recognized. This study revisits the growth process, focusing on the transition from normal to abnormal structures. We propose that both cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and Ag+ ions passivate the Au surface. When the passivation exceeds a limit, a nonequilibrium growth regime ensues (active surface growth, ASG), where the dynamic interplay between growth and passivation causes some sites to grow faster and thus become less passivated, leading to focused Au growth at these sites. This positive feedback leads to inequivalent growth of the initially equivalent surfaces, causing abnormalities in the Au NBPs. We believe these insights resolve the long-standing puzzle of why "ligand-specific facet control" does not always lead to flat, well-defined facets.

Novel Mesoporous Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide-Modified Magnetic Nanomaterials for Trace Extraction and Analysis of Bisphenol Endocrine Disruptors in Diverse Liquid Matrices

In this study, Fe3O4 was used as a magnetic core, combined with the characteristics of mesoporous adsorbents, to prepare a novel magnetic mesoporous composite material named MMC. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as functional monomers, and a simple etching method was employed. The resulting MMC was used as an effective adsorbent for the magnetic solid-phase extraction of trace residues of six bisphenol endocrine disruptors (bisphenol A, bisphenol B, bisphenol C, bisphenol F, bisphenol AF, and bisphenol AP) from environmental water and food samples. Characterization results indicated that the surface of MMC exhibited a distinct wormhole-like mesoporous structure, with the successful incorporation of CTAB functional groups and Si-OH. The crystal structure of Fe3O4 remained stable throughout the preparation process. Mapping analysis confirmed the uniform distribution of CTAB functional groups without aggregation and demonstrated high magnetic intensity, enabling rapid separation and collection under an external magnetic field. Extraction and elution conditions were optimized, and tests were conducted for interfering substances such as humic acid, glucose, fructose, and sucrose under optimal parameters. The results showed that recovery rates were not significantly affected. The quality evaluation of the method demonstrated good linearity, a broad linear range, low limits of detection and quantification, and satisfactory recovery rates. Blank and spiked analyses were conducted for seven real samples, including environmental water (rivers and lakes) and food samples (dairy, juice, and carbonated beverages), with satisfactory spiked recovery rates achieved. Thus, the developed analytical method enables the analysis and detection of trace residues of various bisphenol pollutants in complex matrices, such as environmental water and food samples, providing a valuable reference for trace analysis of similar contaminants in complex matrices.

Physicochemical and DFT insights into streptomycin sulfate and cetrimonium bromide interactions

Physicochemical and DFT insights into streptomycin sulfate and cetrimonium bromide interactions

Preparation and properties of PLCL/OM-Laponite materials with potential applications in orthopedic bandage

Abstract Poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) is the polymeric material with good biodegradability and biocompatible properties, but it is insufficient in strength properties that the pure PLCL is performed as orthopedic bandage. The PLCL has been blended with the laponite which is modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to prepare composited bandage splines. The organic-modified laponite (OM-laponite) results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetry analysis (TG) indicate that the laponite was successfully grafted with CTAB and the thermal stability was improved with increasing CTAB. The mechanical properties reveal that elongation at break strengthen with the increasing OM-laponite. When the content of OM-laponite is 2.0 %, the elongation at break and tensile strength of composited spline are superior to the medical orthopedic bandage. The results of thermal stability show that it was helpful to improve the crystallization properties of PLCL with the addition of OM-laponite. The water contact angle results demonstrate that the hydrophilicity is enhanced and is beneficial to cell adhesion. The results of cell experiment illustrate that the composite materials have a certain effect on cell proliferation when the content of OM-laponite is less than 2 %. Compared with the medical orthopedic bandage, it is satisfied with the application requirements.

Structured Liquid-in-Liquid Emulsion Stabilized by Surface-Engineered Liquid Metal Droplets as "Mutant" Pickering Emulsifiers.

Liquid metals (LMs), i.e., metals and alloys that exist in a liquid state at room temperature, have recently attracted considerable attention owing to their electronic and rheological properties useful in various cutting-edge technologies. In this study, eutectic Ga-In (EGaIn), one of the most studied LMs, in its microdroplet form was engineered to produce a novel droplet-type surfactant that can stabilize a liquid-in-liquid emulsion with unique functionality and processability. Dual-engineered LM droplets with a robust SiO2 encapsulation shell and adsorbed amphiphilic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) exhibited high chemical stability against water-mediated oxidation while possessing excellent oil-water interfacial activity. These engineered droplet-type surfactants densely adsorb at microscale water-oil interfaces and prevent coalescence of the dispersed oil droplets in the liquid continuous phase, thereby producing long-term stable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions─these droplet-type surfactants were named as "mutant" Pickering emulsifiers, indicating particle emulsifiers (different from molecular surfactants) that are similar to conventional Pickering emulsifiers, but consisting of the liquid core instead of the solid. The resulting emulsions exhibited enhanced yield stresses with viscoelastic properties, even at a minimal LM load, and showed remarkable sedimentation stability, indicating significant implications in terms of processability in versatile applications. The "structured" nature of such emulsions combined with the excellent photothermal conversion ability of LM droplets adsorbed at O/W interfaces resulted in the extremely localized photothermal heating effect. Furthermore, photothermally responsive phase-change oil droplets were produced using engineered LM droplets, which can be used for the on-demand release of valuable oil-soluble cargo as a potential application. We expect that engineered LM droplets as novel droplet-type emulsifiers of immiscible liquids in colloidal multidisperse systems will provide unique opportunities for various applications.

Comparing Genomic DNA Extraction Methods/ Protocols to obtain High Quality DNA from Ulva lactuca

DNA extraction is the process of isolating the nucleic acid (e.g. DNA) from the cells isolated from organism or samples. DNA extraction protocol is crucial for the quality of DNA to be isolated from a sample, it also entails the success of other downstream application like PCR amplification and sequencing. In this study, three (3) extraction protocols were used to extract DNA from the blade of a seaweed, the Ulva lactuca. The protocols that were used in this study were optimized to extract genomic DNA for other organisms, for instance, the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) method was used for insects, the tri-phosphate extraction (TPE) method is used for rice, while cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method is commonly used for plants. Some of the components of the protocols were modified like for instance changing the pH of Tris-HCl. The experiment consists of two trials with two replicates in each trial, the trials ensure the reliability of result, specifically the experiment. For the first trial, the TPE method got the highest DNA concentration of 304.1 ng/ul but it did not pass the purity ratio of A260/280 (1.8-2.0) by only having 1.46, however, two replicates pass the A260/280 ratio and both are the replicates 1 of SDS and CTAB protocol having 1.81 and 1.80 A260/280 ratio and the concentrations of 127 ng/ul and 77.0 ng/ul, respectively. For the second trial, both the replicates using CTAB protocol pass the A260/280 ratio with 1.82 and 1.81, and DNA concentration of 24.2 ng/ul and 1,993.6 ng/ul, respectively. This concludes that, still the conventional genomic DNA extraction protocol for plants, which is the CTAB method can also be used to isolate high quality DNA from a green seaweed, the Ulva lactuca. However, some of the components of CTAB method poses health risks and possible environment hazard, the TPE and SDS method can offer a less harmful way to extract DNA, though further optimization on the components of the two protocol is highly encouraged. This study also shows that CTAB can also be used to isolate DNA from other marine plants.