Solvent Research Articles

Allelopathic Effects of Sugarcane Leaves: Optimal Extraction Solvent, Partial Separation of Allelopathic Active Fractions, and Herbicidal Activities

The inhibitory potential of allelopathic plants is the subject of increasing research attention for their application in weed management. The sugarcane leaf is an agricultural waste product that has been reported to have allelopathic potential. Therefore, the present study determined the optimal organic solvent system and fractionation procedure to enhance the quantity of this extract and its allelopathic efficiency. Sugarcane leaves were extracted using five ethanol/water solvent ratios (v/v): 00:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:00. Their allelopathic effects on seed germination and seedling growth were assayed in two major weeds, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. and Amaranthus viridis L. The results showed that the extract concentration, solvent ratio, and their interaction significantly inhibited the growth parameters in A. viridis. Consequently, a crude ethanol/water ratio of 00:100 was used to separate the active fraction via acid–base solvent partitioning. The acidic fraction (AE) exerted the greatest inhibitory effect and completely (100%) inhibited A. viridis at all concentrations, followed by the original crude fraction, neutral fraction, and aqueous fraction. Moreover, all of the fractions had selective effects, inhibiting A. viridis much more than E. crus-galli in the laboratory tests. The chemical analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry indicated that the AE fraction contained 20 different compounds. The five major compounds included alkaloids, organic acids, and phenols. Therefore, the AE fraction was selected for formulation in a concentrated suspension and tested for its herbicidal characteristics. The formulation exhibited early post-emergence activities and had a stronger effect on A. viridis compared to E. crus-galli. The physiological mechanism of the formulation was tested against A. viridis. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and H2O2 occurred in the A. viridis leaf, which suggests lipid peroxidation and cell disruption.

Improving the efficiency of acidic eluents for elution of Scandium from Lewatit® VP OC 1026 and TP 272 solvent impregnated ion exchange resins

Scandium is a strategic element with exceptional applications however, its widespread application has been limited mainly due to its high price which itself originates from lack of enriched primary reserves. Mineralized waste materials and mine tailings collected from various mining activities often contain low amounts of Sc and rare earth elements (REE), along with much higher levels of contaminants such as Si, Fe and Al. Ion exchange resins, especially phosphorus containing solvent impregnated ones, show extremely high selectivity for quantitative adsorption of Sc from pregnant leach solutions. However, efficient and economical elution of Sc from these types of resins is still a challenge. In this study, a series of water miscible organic solvents including methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol and acetone are explored with sulfuric acid in elution of Sc at room temperature (25 °C). With the proposed binary solvent system in this study, 98% of the adsorbed Sc was eluted from VP OC 1026 (impregnated with D2EHPA) with 4 M H2SO4 in 50 vol.% 1-propanol while negligible amount of Sc could be recovered with 2 M H2SO4 even at high temperatures. Also, exceeding 97% of the loaded Sc on TP 272 (impregnated with Cyanex 272) could be successfully eluted with 6 M H2SO4 containing 50 vol.% 2-Propanol. Nevertheless, the elution efficiency of Sc from TP 272 was notably constrained, falling below 20 %, when 2 M H2SO4 was employed as the eluent. The added organic solvents also significantly increased the performance of H2SO4 in elution of Sc from the resins in columns. The addition of just 10 vol.% 2-propanol to 2 M H2SO4 led to significant increase in the elution of Sc from TP 272. The maximum concentration of Sc in the eluted fractions increased by over threefold, going from 167.0 mg/L to 532.6 mg/L, when compared to using 2 M H2SO4 under similar elution conditions.

A molecule with aggregation-induced emission for the pH sensing and anti-counterfeiting applications

In this paper, a meaningful pH sensor (E)-4-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl) styryl)quinoline (TPQ) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect was synthesized based on the conjugated 4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)benzaldehyde and 4-methylquinoline connected by a CC bond. The conjugated quinoline moiety acts as a proton acceptor, and the small variations of pH value in the linear range of 4.01–7.03 and 7.96–9.45 can cause obvious fluorescence fluctuations. The TPQ has good selectivity and reversibility in pH detection, and importantly, it can detect pH fluctuations in real-time in practical applications by fluorescent means. Moreover, TPQ can also be used as a potential viscosity fluorescence sensor for organic solvents. In addition, by combining various color changes of TPQ caused by acid, alkali, water and ammonia stimulation under sunlight and 365 nm ultraviolet light irradiation, it provides a novel concealed optical anti-counterfeiting technique with high security. Therefore, TPQ is a multifunctional molecule with great potential for applications in pH, viscosity sensing and anti-counterfeiting.

Aerodynamic thermal breakup droplet ionization combined with a β-irradiation source for mass-spectrometric analysis of samples in a nonpolar solvent

A method is proposed for increasing the number of ions during mass-spectrometric analysis of samples in a nonpolar solvent (benzene). For this purpose, aerodynamic thermal breakup droplet ionization (ATBDI) with the impact of β-radiation on the aerosol droplets used in ATBDI was evaluated. This modification of the method, which we named β-ATBDI, allows to shift a nonvolatile analyte (trinitrotoluene in the negative ionization region and cocaine in the positive ionization region, as an example) into a gas phase as an aerosol at room temperature (in contrast to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization). In addition, β-ATBDI enables a researcher to distinguish mass spectrometric peaks of the compounds located in an aerosol droplet from compounds located outside the droplet, i.e., to identify background peaks. Also briefly discussed the ionization of two antibiotics—azithromycin in methylene chloride and sulfadiazine in salt water with β-ATBDI, ATBDI and electrospray ionization source.

Papain-Mediated Conjugation of Peptide Nucleic Acids to Delivery Peptides: A Density Functional Theory/Molecular Mechanics Metadynamics Study in Aqueous and Organic Solvent.

Enzymatic peptide synthesis is a powerful alternative to solid-phase methods, as enzymes can have high regio- and stereoselectivity and high yield and require mild reaction conditions. This is beneficial in formulation research due to the rise of nucleic acid therapies. Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) have a high affinity toward DNA and RNA, and their solubility and cellular delivery can be improved via conjugation to peptides. Here, we designed and assessed the viability of the papain enzyme to conjugate four PNA-peptide models in water and an organic solvent using QM/MM metadynamics. We found that the reactions in water yield better results, where three conjugates could potentially be synthesized by the enzyme, with the first transition state as the rate-limiting step, with an associated energy of 14.53 kcal mol-1, although with a slight endergonic profile. The results highlight the importance of considering the enzyme pockets and different substrate acceptivities and contribute to developing greener, direct, and precise synthetic routes for nucleic acid-based therapies. By exploring the enzyme's potential in conjunction with chemical synthesis, current protocols can be simplified for the synthesis of longer nucleic acids and peptide sequences (and, by extension, proteins) from smaller oligo or peptide blocks.

A General Nucleation Model for Semiconductor Nanocrystals.

We introduce a nonclassical model for nanocrystal nucleation in solution which centers on the dynamic interplay of chemical bond breakage and formation coupled with the desolvation of precursor molecules, which we term the molecular chemistry (MC) model. Departing from classical theory, our model employs the bond count as the key variable rather than particle size, thereby redefining the role of supersaturation and its role in determining the so-called critical nucleus size. We apply the model to CdSe nanocrystal formation in nonpolar solvents and showcase its efficacy in predicting solvent dynamics, precursor characteristics, crystal phase, stoichiometry, "magic number" behavior, and transition states. While the coupled-cluster method is used to determine the bond energy, we show that it is possible to derive reaction pathways by reducing the calculations to algebraic approximations for the nucleation energy. This singular set of bond energy parameters allows nanocrystal nucleation and growth to be conceptualized as a straightforward chemical reaction.

A Photoinduced Annulation Strategy Towards a Novel Polycyclic Heteroaromatic Chromophore: Scope, Mechanism, Properties and Applications.

This article reports a detailed mechanistic and kinetic study of an unusual photoreaction leading to the (diazonia)tetrabenzonaphthacene skeleton. The photo‐triggered double intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr∗) has been investigated by varying the leaving groups. Photoreaction quantum yields have been determined and mechanistic insights have been supported by theoretical calculations using DFT and TD‐DFT methods. Additionally, we show that this light‐triggered formed diazonia constitutes a potent photosentitizer with a singlet oxygen generation quantum yield of 55 %, both in organic solvents and in water, which is an extremely relevant value in view of PDT applications or use as an oxidation photocatalyst in aqueous media. Once again, the experimental observations were supported by TD‐DFT calculations showing a large density of triplet states below the S1 excited state along with large spin‐orbit couplings. The reaction is not restricted to solutions but can also occur in solid PDMS matrices thus allowing for photochemical encoding of information that will progressively vanish upon prolonged UV‐exposure.

Preparation and application of wormlike micelles generated from a rosin-based aggregation-induced emission surfactant through coordinating aggregation

Fluorescent nanomaterials have drawn considerable attentions due to their high fluorescence sensitivity, excellent signal stability and tunable luminescent properties. A bio-based aggregation-induced emission (AIE) surfactant (Sodium 4-(tetraphenylstyrene)maleate, MPA-TPE-Na) was prepared from rosin, which showed typical AIE characteristic, obvious solvatochromism and a large Stokes shift (>100 nm). AIE viscoelastic solutions were further prepared by complexing MPA-TPE-Na and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) through coordinating aggregation and their microstructure, fluorescence properties and viscoelasticities were investigated. The aggregates in the viscoelastic solutions were wormlike micelles. As the concentration of MPA-TPE-Na increased, the fluorescence intensity of the viscoelastic solutions increased, and their viscosity increased at first and then decreased. The fluorescence emission intensity of the viscoelastic solutions was barely affected by the change in pH. But reducing the pH could increase its viscosity. This system can specifically recognize Fe3+ without any organic solvent and has anti-interference ability. The present work provided a bio-based fluorescent nanomaterial and verified the feasibility of preparing aqueous AIE nanomaterials by modifying AIE groups with rosin skeleton.

Fabrication of a family of porous azo polymers with multifunctional adsorption and separation performances

In this paper, a class of porous organic polymers (POPs) of p-hydroxy azobenzene with a mesoporous structure was designed and synthesized by a –NN– coupling reaction of tetraamino-metal phthalocyanine (MTAPc, where M = Co, Ni or Cu) with hydroquinone (namely Azo-MHQ, where M = Co, Ni or Cu). The Azo-MHQ materials possessed good thermal stabilities, excellent dispersibilities in water, polar and non-polar organic solvents, as well as excellent chemical stabilities. Among them, Azo-CuHQ showed an outstanding iodine trapping ability in an iodine solution and vapor with saturated adsorption capacities of 1347.47 mg g−1 and 118 wt%. In addition, Azo-CuHQ also showed a high adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB) with the adsorption amount of 191.21 mg g−1. Furthermore, by loading Azo-CuHQ onto polyethersulfone (PES) membrane, the water permeability of the obtained membranes reached 147.03 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and the retention rate of Ag in a very low concentration solution of 20 ppm was 56.8 %. Additionally, a thorough analysis of the Azo-CuHQ adsorption and separation mechanism was conducted. A novel approach to the design and synthesis of a class of materials with multifunctional adsorption and separation capabilities is presented in this research.

Fabrication and Efficient Interfacial Assembly of Bright Red-Emitting Carbon Quantum Dots for Security-Warning Textiles.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted more attentions due to their multiple performances. However, the fabrication of long-wavelength emitting CQDs with aliphatic precursors still remains a challenge, mainly because it is difficult to generate large sp2 domains to reduce energy gap, which is not conducive to a redshift of the luminescence peak. Hereon, by regulating the pH of citric acid and thiourea mixture, a N, S co-doped CQD emitting bright red fluorescence at 635nm is successfully fabricated through the solvothermal reaction under acidic condition, achieving a high quantum yield of 32.66%. Solvatochromic effects of the CQDs are discussed through theoretical equations and models, which confirm that the hydrogen-bonding interaction dominates the fluorescence emission behavior of CQDs in polar solvents. Besides, a feasible strategy is proposed to prepare an anti-counterfeiting textile via the deposition of red-emitting CQDs onto cotton fibers, through rapidly evaporating the preferred organic solvent. As expected, the CQD-decorated textiles exhibit encouraging anti-counterfeiting and security-warning functions, along with underwater and long-distance detectability, washability, and sun resistance. It is worth noting that the present work is innovative in realizing the application of red-light-emitting CQDs in the fields of security-warning textiles.

Chiral metal-organic frameworks grown in situ for monolithic capillary electrochromatographic enantioseparation.

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) with chiral selectivity are one of the high-quality stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). However, there is a problem of unsatisfactory enantioseparation performance of capillary columns due to insufficient loading. In this work, a lamellar CMOF (Cu-TC) was grown in situ on the surface of the monolith in a capillary monolithic column to obtain a Cu-TC@monolithic column. The CEC system constructed based on the Cu-TC@monolithic column shows a satisfactory chiral separation performance. Compared with the Cu-TC-based coated column (Cu-TC@coated column), the enantioseparation performance of the CEC system based on the Cu-TC@monolithic column was greatly improved, and the resolutions (Rs) of the model analytes were increased by 80-500%. In addition, the effects of experimental conditions such as the number of cycles of Cu-TC in situ growth, buffer concentration, buffer pH, organic solvent addition and applied voltage on the performance of CEC were also investigated. Finally, the chiral selection mechanism of the stationary phase was explored by selective adsorption experiments. The present work provides a new idea for the development of capillary stationary phases, which has great potential considering the diversity of CMOFs.

Natural wax recovery from Musa acuminata biomass using organic solvents

The main aim of this study is to experimentally investigate the yield of extraction and the presence of wax in the extracted yield from Musaacuminata (banana) biomass based on various functional groups that are present in natural wax. Extraction of natural wax from Musaacuminata (banana) biomass has been done by using the Soxhlet apparatus method in the presence of both polar (ethyl acetate and ethanol) and non-polar (toluene and hexane) solvents. The extracted yield has been found as 3.58% from hexane, 5.16% from toluene, 7.03% from ethyl acetate, and 10.26% from ethanol. The wax was also found in the extracted yield only in the case of nonpolar solvents (toluene and hexane). The novelty of this work is that Musaacuminata (banana) waste biomass has been utilized to recover the natural wax using nonpolar solvents and also compared with that of polar solvents to check the scope of wax extraction using polar solvents. Also, statistical analysis has been performed of the extracted yield using both solvents. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) methods have been used to determine the various hydrocarbon chains present in the extracted yield which is similar to that of natural wax.

Li-Ion Batteries with a Binder-Free Cathode of Carbon Nanotubes-LiFePO4-Al Foam

With the increasing demand for Li resources worldwide, the easy recycling of Li-ion batteries materials becomes essential. We report a binder-free cathode consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and LiFePO4 (LFP) nanoparticles embedded in a 3D Al network. The electrode stability depends on the CNT ratio, where 3% CNT-wrapping LFPs provide a stable structure free of detachment from Al foam, as observed on Al foil. The binder-free cathode sheet exhibited excellent performance for high-rate discharge and long-term cycle life. Materials on the cathode can be easily detached with ultrasonic treatment when immersed in organic solvent, which is advantageous for a green and high-efficiency strategy of recycling all valuable materials compared to the binder-used electrode.

A Mechanistic Study on Iron-Based Styrene Aziridination: Understanding Epoxidation via Nitrene Hydrolysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed nitrene transfer reactions are typically performed in organic solvents under inert and anhydrous conditions due to the involved air and water-sensitive nature of reactive intermediates. Overall, this study provides insights into the iron-based ([FeII(PBI)3](CF3SO3)2 (1), where PBI = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole), catalytic and stoichiometric aziridination of styrenes using PhINTs ([(N-tosylimino)iodo]benzene), highlighting the importance of reaction conditions including the effects of the solvent, co-ligands (para-substituted pyridines), and substrate substituents on the product yields, selectivity, and reaction kinetics. The aziridination reactions with 1/PhINTs showed higher conversion than epoxidation with 1/PhIO (iodosobenzene). However, the reaction with PhINTs was less selective and yielded more products, including styrene oxide, benzaldehyde, and 2-phenyl-1-tosylaziridine. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of water in the formation of oxygen-containing by-products during radical-type nitrene transfer catalysis. During the catalytic tests, a lower yield was obtained in a protic solvent (trifluoroethanol) than in acetonitrile. In the case of the catalytic oxidation of para-substituted styrenes containing electron-donating groups, higher yield, TON, and TOF were achieved than those with electron-withdrawing groups. Pseudo-first-order kinetics were observed for the stoichiometric oxidation, and the second-order rate constants (k2 = 7.16 × 10−3 M−1 s−1 in MeCN, 2.58 × 10−3 M−1 s−1 in CF3CH2OH) of the reaction were determined. The linear free energy relationships between the relative reaction rates (logkrel) and the total substituent effect (TE, 4R-PhCHCH2) parameters with slopes of 1.48 (MeCN) and 1.89 (CF3CH2OH) suggest that the stoichiometric aziridination of styrenes can be described through the formation of a radical intermediate in the rate-determining step. Styrene oxide formation during aqueous styrene aziridination most likely results from oxygen atom transfer via in situ iron oxo/oxyl radical complexes, which are formed through the hydrolysis of [FeIII(N•Ts)] under experimental conditions.

Experimental study and analysis of CO2 and SO2 absorption in various water-based nanofluids by response surface methodology

The absorption of acidic gases in the oil and gas industries is important due to their toxicity and corrosive effects. Recently, the application of nanofluids based on aqueous or organic solvents as absorbents has been examined by a variety of researchers. In this study, a single bubble column was exploited to study the effect of water-based nanofluids on the absorption processes of SO2 and CO2 using response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken three-level experiment design. With this in mind, CO2 and SO2 are separately injected at the bottom of a bubble column filled with one of the nanofluids: Al2O3-water, SiO2-water, or ZnO-water for each experiment. Then, the rate of SO2 or CO2 absorption in the nanofluids has been elucidated. The effect of important parameters including the weight fraction of the nanoparticles (NPs) (0.01, 0.055, and 0.1 wt.%), gas–liquid contact time (150, 300, and 450 s), and the diameter of nozzle for gas injection (0.46, 0.57, and 0.68 mm) have been studied. Results revealed that the maximum molar flux of both gases was observed in the ZnO-water nanofluid, followed by the SiO2-water nanofluid. In addition, increasing the nanoparticle mass fraction and the bubble size causes the molar flux to rise. However, increasing the gas–liquid contact time causes the molar flux of the mentioned gases to decrease. Finally, a set of the accurate equations has been proposed to predict the molar flux of SO2 and CO2 in the various nanofluids assessed in this work.

Sustainable fabrication of metal-organic frameworks for improved hydrogen storage

As greenhouse gas emissions become serious, the need for sustainable and efficient hydrogen storage solutions to replace traditional fuel energy becomes increasingly urgent. This study focuses on enhancing the hydrogen storage performance of CuBTC, a metal-organic framework (MOF) via green synthesis, aligning with the green circular economy principles of reducing energy consumption and chemical solvent waste. By applying the Design of Experiments methodology, we systematically explored the impact of different synthesis conditions on CuBTC properties, offering valuable insights for mechanochemical synthesis and hydrogen storage applications. Identified optimal conditions significantly increased CuBTC hydrogen uptake to 3.2 wt% at 20 bar, comparable to solvothermal CuBTC at 3.37 wt% and 10% higher than prior studies. This optimal CuBTC also possesses a comparable hydrogen adsorption rate to solvothermal CuBTC and an accelerated adsorption rate compared to smaller CuBTC crystal samples. A notable achievement of this work is the drastic reduction of the CuBTC synthesis time to just minutes while eliminating the need for chemical solvents. This breakthrough consumes less than 2% of the energy required for traditional solvothermal synthesis and completely avoids chemical solvent waste, marking a significant environmental and efficiency improvement. In addition, the CuBTC formation mechanism was explored in this research, shedding light on the intricate process of crystal structure development. Our findings demonstrate that the ball-milling technique can significantly enhance the hydrogen storage capabilities of CuBTC while reducing energy consumption and chemical solvent waste during the synthesis process.

Green-Solvent-Processed Lead-free Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract Tin-based perovskite has been considered as one of the most potential candidates for the lead-based perovskite. The solution proceed method were widely utilized in fabricating tin perovskite solar cells. So far, all fabrication process for tin perovskite solar cells involved the toxic organic solvents, which is contrary to the development of environmentally friendly perovskite solar cells. In this study, we report for the first time, by using a mixed green solvent N-diethyl formamide and green 1,3-Dimethyl-3,4,5,6-Tetrahydro-2 (1H)-pyrimidinone as precursor solvent, and a green solvent dibutyl ether as antisolvent, a high-quality FA0.75MA0.25SnI3 film was achieved. The optical band gap of the prepared perovskite layer was 1.36 eV, which was close to the ideal band gap. The green-solution-proceed perovskite films showed reduced defect density. As a consequence, the champion green-solution-proceed photovoltaic device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 4.4%. Moreover, it still maintains 80% of the initial efficiency after 600 hours storage in a nitrogen atmosphere. This work would promote the perovskite solar cells from a “new” technique to the “new and green” technique.

Controllable construction of mesoporous hollow carbon spheres rich in micropores from waterborne benzoxazine and their application in supercapacitors

Mesoporous hollow carbon spheres (MHCSs) with mesoporous channels and nanocages structure have unique advantages in energy storage. However, this structure alone does not significantly enhance the electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLC). Additionally, the current hydrophobic nature of polymer precursors with high char yield impedes effective binding with templates due to polarity differences. Moreover, the use of toxic organic solvents presents obstacles to further development. So, it remains a challenge to prepare MHCSs rich in micropores using polar polymers with high char yield in green solvent. In this work, we prepared MHCSs rich in micropores (MMHCSs) using waterborne benzoxazine as a carbon sources and dendritic/fibrous nano-silica as a sacrificial hard template using water as the solvent and combined with freeze-drying, curing, carbonization and an activation step. The optimal MMHCSs (MMHCSs306–1–7000.5h) has a large specific surface area (1057 m2 g−1), and has a maximum specific capacitance value near 221.45 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 in a three-electrode system, the specific capacitance still reaches 156.66 F g−1 at a high current density (20 A g−1) due to the full utilization of micropores in the presence of mesoporous-shell and hollow-core. When assembled into a symmetrical supercapacitor, the energy density reaches 5.91 Wh kg−1 when the power density is 137.5 W kg−1. The study provides an eco-friendly method for preparing MMHCSs, and the unique structure has potential application in supercapacitors.

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus incrassatulus using natural deep eutectic solvent under microwave assisted by ultrasound

Microalgae are increasingly recognized as promising sources of natural bioactive compounds. However, traditional extraction methods using volatile organic solvents (VOCs) pose environmental risks. This study explores renewable deep eutectic solvents (DES) as sustainable alternatives for extracting bioactive compounds from microalgae biomass, focusing on Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus incrassatulus. Four DES systems, comprising choline chloride (ChCl) and glycerol, citric acid, urea, and glucose, were compared with three conventional solvents (ethanol, methanol, and water). Extraction efficiency was assessed based on total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content, and tannin content, followed by antioxidant activity evaluation using DPPH, CAT, and FRAP assays. Additionally, antibacterial activity of the DES extracts was determined against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 3366) using disc diffusion and microplate dilution methods to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Results reveal that DES, particularly choline chloride: citric acid, outperform conventional solvents in terms of polyphenol extraction efficiency, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. For instance, the citric acid-based DES (SIDES2) showed a TPC of 4.98 mg/g, while the conventional solvent ethanol exhibited a TPC of 3.27 mg/g. Additionally, SIDES2 exhibiting the highest DPPH scavenging activity of 75 %, compared to 60 % for ethanol. Furthermore, SIDES2 showed an MIC of 0.5 mg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus. This study underscores the potential of DES for sustainable extraction of natural antioxidants from microalgae biomass, contributing to the development of environmentally friendly extraction processes in various industries.

Comparison of the Impact of NaIO4-Accelerated, Cu2+/H2O2-Accelerated, and Novel Ion-Accelerated Methods of Poly(l-DOPA) Coating on Collagen-Sealed Vascular Prostheses: Strengths and Weaknesses.

Sensitive biomaterials subjected to surface modification require delicate methods to preserve their structures and key properties. These include collagen-sealed polyester vascular prostheses. For their functionalization, coating with polycatecholamines (PCAs) can be used. PCAs change some important biological properties of biomaterials, e.g., hydrophilicity, bioactivity, antibacterial activity, and drug binding. The coating process can be stimulated by oxidants, organic solvents, or process conditions. However, these factors may change the properties of the PCA layer and the matrix itself. In this work, collagen-sealed vascular grafts were functionalized with a poly(l-DOPA) (PLD) layer using novel seawater-inspired ion combination as an accelerator, compared to the sodium periodate, Cu2+/H2O2 mixture, and accelerator-free reference methods. Then, poly(l-DOPA) was used as the interface for antibiotic binding. The coated prostheses were characterized (SEM, FIB-SEM, FTIR, UV/vis), and their important functional parameters (mechanical, antioxidant, hemolytic, and prothrombotic properties, bioactivity, stability in human blood and simulated body fluid (SBF), antibiotic binding, release, and antibacterial activity) were compared. It was found that although sodium periodate increased the strength and drug-binding capacity of the prosthesis, it also increased the blood hemolysis risk. Cu2+/H2O2 destabilized the mechanical properties of the coating and the graft. The seawater-inspired ion-accelerated method was efficient, stable, and matrix- and human blood-friendly, and it stimulated hydroxyapatite formation on the prosthesis surface. The results lead to the conclusion that selection of the PCA formation accelerator should be based on a careful analysis of the biological properties of medical devices. They also suggest that the ion-accelerated method of PLD coating on medical devices may be highly effective and safer than the oxidant-accelerated coating method.