Production Of Functional Materials Research Articles

Heat-Killed Enterococcus faecium KU22001 Having Effective Anti-Cancer Effects on HeLa Cell Lines at a Lower Temperature.

The anti-cancer effects of heat-killed Enterococcus faecium KU22001 (KU22001), KU22002, and KU22005 isolated from human infant feces were investigated. The anti-proliferative activity of these strains against various cancer cell lines was evaluated using the MTT assay. To determine the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) with potential anti-cancer effect, ethanol precipitation and phenol-sulfuric acid method was used with the cell free supernatant of strains grown at 25°C or 37°C. The EPS yield of E. faecium strains was higher at 25°C than at 37°C. Among these E. faecium strains, KU22001 grown at 25°C was associated with the highest bax/bcl-2 ratio, effective apoptosis rate, cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, and condensation of the nucleus in the cervical cancer HeLa cell line. In conclusion, these results suggest that KU22001 can be beneficial owing to the anti-cancer effects and production of functional materials, such as EPS.

Numerical simulation of fluidization: Driven by challenges

In the century-long development of fluidization technology, simulation methods have evolved in response to scientific and engineering demands, which in turn have produced advances in technology. Faced with the profound global challenges of climate change and sustainable development, fluidization has found new applications in carbon capture and utilization, non-energy uses of fossil fuels, production of functional materials, and the continuous production of drugs and fine chemicals. Revolutionary research and development tools, such as digital virtual reactors and even factories, are highly desirable for the effective and efficient conceptualization, scaling-up, and optimization of the processes and equipment in these sophisticated applications, and require unprecedented advances in the accuracy and speed of simulations. After a short review of the existing simulation methods for fluidization, this article focuses on how such advances could be achieved through the organic integration of multiscale modeling, scalable algorithms, and supercomputing. Gallery of representative simulation studies on fluidization. • Inherent logic and driving force behind the development of modeling and simulation. • Importance of multi-scale modeling, scalable algorithms and supercomputing for future. • Integration of simulation with AI, VR, big data and robot scientists for new applications.

Dissolution Performance of Carbon/Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposite Prepared from Fish Scales

The utilization of waste as raw materials in the production of functional materials is a growing area of interest to promote global sustainable growth. This work studied the microstructure, chemical properties, and phosphorus (P) dissolution efficiency of carbon/hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanocomposites derived from fish scale wastes, namely FSBCs. Tilapia scales were pyrolyzed at different temperatures (450–600 °C) and the dissolution performance of the biochars in acidic media was evaluated. The pyrolysis of fish scales yielded biochars which are carbon/HAP nanocomposites of which the characteristics, including the specific surface area, carbon content, degree of crystallinity of HAP, and the degree of CO32− substitution in HAP crystals, were dependent on the pyrolysis temperature and had an influence on the dissolution efficiency. P dissolution experiments suggested that the specific surface area and the presence of carbon in the composite played an important role during the dissolution process. The presence of the organic residues on the carbon could potentially block the calcium sites on HAP from citric acid and lower the dissolution efficiency. The ratio of CO32−/PO43− substitution in HAP also affected the dissolubility of FSBCs. The manipulation of their surface area and the CO32−/PO43− ratio of these materials would allow us to increase its solubility, which could benefit a prospective application such as P fertilizer production.

Titanium Hydroxide as a Precursor for Production of Functional Materials

Titanium Hydroxide as a Precursor for Production of Functional Materials

Sustainable Oleo Polymers: A promising Alternative Resource for Petro-Energy

The growth and development of all countries, in terms of their economic infrastructure and the quality of their citizen’s life, depend on energy. Particularly, in developing economies, the demand for energy is high in various sectors including residential, agricultural, industrial, medical and economy. The energy for these sectors comes from conventional (e.g. fossil fuels) and non-conventional (e.g. wind, solar, biomass, biofuels) sources. The production of petroleum-based products, i.e. the main conventional resource, was increased by 2.2 million b/d (barrels per day), while the natural gas consumption grew by 195 billion cubic meters. Thus, the annual growth in the consumption of conventional sources of energy favors their exhaustion in the near future. Besides, their extensive consumption causes severe environmental pollutions that risks the health of human as well as other beings. Therefore, we must switch from the consumption of polluting-conventional resources to green and renewable ones. In this regard, the production of biodiesel/biofuels, which are produced from the green and environmentally friendly resources, like vegetable and animal oils, have attracted the attention of various sectors. Among these, the utilization of vegetable oils as feedstock for the production of biodiesels is found to be more effective, owing to their availability, diversity, and their versatile properties. According to Statista, the annual production of various vegetable oils was ~ 204 million metric tons (mmt) in 2018-19, which was higher than 2017-18 by ~ 6.7 mmt. The extensive production of these vegetable oils (VOs) has also facilitated their application in the production of functional materials and compounds, which directly reduced the production cost and consumption of fossil-based products. During the past decades, our group has extensively utilized vegetable oils as active materials and synthetic medium for the synthesis and development of functional polymers, paints, nanomaterials, hydrogels, artificial tissues, etc. that confirms the diversity and applicability of VOs as promising alternates. This suggest “that everything made from fossil fuels (materials) today can be made from a tree (sustainable resource) tomorrow”.

Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Potential of Wild-Growing Plant Materials of the North Caucasus Region

The article presents the results of studying the qualitative composition and quantitative content of some groups of phenolic compounds in 11 types of medicinal plants growing in the foothills of the North Caucasus, and provides the estimates of the antioxidant activity of extracts from these plants. The qualitative and quantitative content of phenolic compounds was determined using a Kapel-105M capillary electrophoresis system, and the total antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured on a Tsvet Yauza-01-AA device with an amperometric detector. In the studied plant samples, the total content of tannins was determined, eight phenolcarbonic acids were identified and quantified, as well as quercetin and rutin — two of the most important flavonols. The highest total content of phenolcarbonic acids (11,776.2 mg/kg), as well as the highest antioxidant activity were noted in the aqueous extract obtained from Echinacea purpurea (lat. Echinacea angustifolia). The direct relationship between the antioxidant activity of the studied medicinal raw material and the content of phenolic compounds has been experimentally established as follows: the higher is the concentration of phenolic substances, the higher is the antioxidant activity. The results of this study provide new information on the composition and content of phenolic compounds in some types of wild-growing plant raw materials of the North Caucasus and the antioxidant activity of extracts based thereon that will facilitate the use of the studied plants as a potential source of natural antioxidants in the production of functional materials.

Prospects for the Development of the Kola Chemical Technological Cluster in Transition from a Resource-Based Economy to an Innovative Economy

Murmansk oblast has large resources of polymineral raw materials at deposits that are currently in operation, as well as at future sites, and a developed network of mining enterprises. Mineral concentrates are the main products of national and international companies in the region. Technologies for processing raw materials are being developed and tested at the Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences. For these reasons, the Kola Chemical Technological Cluster was established to improve and finalize processes and the upcoming development of production of functional materials, many of which can be regarded as indices of the state of industry determining national economic and defense security. The new geopolitical situation requires the national production of strategic materials for domestic needs and constituting a reserve to ensure national technological security and economic independence. The Center for Synthesis of New Functional Materials was founded as the first step toward the implementation of the idea of the Kola Chemical Technological Cluster. Additional possibilities can be found by more efficiently using the potential of the existing pilot plants of the Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, and mining and processing enterprises of the region—AO Apatit, AO Kol’skaya GMK, and AO Kovdorskii GOK.

Ion-Induced Formation of Nanocrystalline Cellulose Colloidal Glasses Containing Nematic Domains.

Controlling the assembly of colloids in dispersion is a fundamental approach toward the production of functional materials. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is a charged nanoparticle whose colloidal interactions can be modulated from repulsive to attractive by increasing ionic strength. Here, we combine polarized optical microscopy, rheology, and small-angle scattering techniques to investigate (i) the concentration-driven transition from isotropic dispersion to cholesteric liquid crystals and (ii) salt-induced NCC phase transitions. In particular, we report on the formation of NCC attractive glasses containing nematic domains. At increasing NCC concentration, a structure peak was observed in small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns. The evolution of the structure peak demonstrates the decrease in NCC interparticle distance, favoring orientational order during the isotropic-cholesteric phase transition. Small amounts of salt reduce the cholesteric volume fraction and pitch by a decrease in excluded volume. Beyond a critical salt concentration, NCC forms attractive glasses due to particle caging and reduced motility. This results in a sharp increase in viscosity and formation of viscoelastic glasses. The presence of nematic domains is suggested by the appearance of interference colors and the Cox-Merz rule failure and was confirmed by an anisotropic SAXS scattering pattern at q ranges associated with the presence of nematic domains. Thus, salt addition allows the formation of NCC attractive glasses with mechanical properties similar to those of gels while remaining optically active owed to entrapped nematic domains.

New Nanocompoite Thermal Interface Materials Based on Graphene Flakes, Mesoscopic Microspheres and Polymers

In recent years, there has been a great interest in the development and creation of new functional energy materials, including for improving the energy efficiency of power equipment and for effectively removing heat from energy devices, microelectronics and optoelectronics (power micro electronics, supercapacitors, cooling of processors, servers and data centers). In this paper, the technology of obtaining new nanocomposites based on mesoscopic microspheres, polymers and graphene flakes is considered. The methods of sequential production of functional materials from graphene flakes of different volumetric concentration using epoxy polymers, as well as the addition of monodisperse microspheres are described. Data are given on the measurement of the contact angle and thermal conductivity of these nanocomposites with respect to the creation of thermal interface materials for cooling devices of electronics, optoelectronics and power engineering.

Responsive Hybrid (Poly)peptide-Polymer Conjugates.

(Poly)peptide-polymer conjugates continue to garner significant interest in the production of functional materials given their composition of natural and synthetic building blocks that confer select and synergistic properties. Owing to opportunities to design predefined architectures and structures with different morphologies, these hybrid conjugates enable new approaches for producing micro- or nanomaterials. Their modular design enables the incorporation of multiple responsive properties into a single conjugate. This review presents recent advances in (poly)peptide-polymer conjugates for drug-delivery applications, with a specific focus on the utility of the (poly)peptide component in the assembly of particles and nanogels, as well as the role of the peptide in triggered drug release.

Spontaneous formation of discrete arrangement of particles by dipping ultraviolet/ozone‐treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate in solution

ABSTRACTThe spontaneous formation of well‐ordered microstructures is an interesting research topic because such formation is useful for cost‐effective production of functional materials. In this article, we report a novel method for spontaneous formation of a discrete arrangement of particles using an ultraviolet/ozone‐treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate. The substrate was first dipped in a solution (solvent: mixture of methanol and water, solute: sucrose or lithium perchlorate) in a sealed vessel filled with the vapor of the solvent, and was then dried in air to precipitate the solute as particles. In spite of the simplicity of the procedure, the particles were regularly and discretely arranged in a triangular lattice with a distance between the neighboring particles of about 48 µm. The mechanism of formation of the array was explained by considering the formation of regular dimples due to swelling of the substrate surface with the solution and the dewetting of the liquid film of the solution on the surface. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43506.

Novel Molten Salts Media For Production of Functional Materials

Physical-chemical properties of molten salt media based on potassium cryolite with additions of boron or scandium oxides have been considered from the point of view of their feasibility in production of functional materials, such as aluminum alloys. Liquidus temperature in the quasi-binary systems: [KF–AlF 3 ]-B 2 O 3 , [KF–AlF 3 ]-Sc 2 O 3 , [KF–NaF–AlF 3 ]-B 2 O 3 , and [KF–NaF–AlF 3 ]-Sc 2 O 3 has been measured by thermal analysis. Solubility of Al 2 O 3 , B 2 O 3 , and Sc 2 O 3 in potassium and potassium-sodium cryolites has been determined. The potassium-cryolite-based melts were found to have an enhance protective function due to a low melting point, and an effective refining ability due to a good alumina solubility. It has been assumed that for aluminum alloys production the potassium-cryolite-based melts can be used as fluxes with improved properties as well as electrolytes for low-temperature electrolysis.

ChemInform Abstract: Flow Chemistry Meets Advanced Functional Materials

AbstractReview: [68 refs.

The use of thermal printing to control the properties of calcium phosphate deposits

The objective of this work was to characterize the deposits of calcium phosphate produced by thermal printing in terms of structure, topography and mechanical properties. Hydroxyapatite was molten and directed to (a) a titanium target in relative motion and (b) stationary titanium substrates preheated to 100°C and 350°C. Scanning electron microscopy showed round-like deposits, but high resolution profilometry measured the profile. Micro-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterized the surface for structure, while nanoindentation revealed the hardness and elastic modulus. A symmetrical hemispherical deposit was formed on a surface in slow relative motion, but an off-centre shape formed at a higher relative speed. Deposits on preheated surfaces (100°C and 350°C) were identified as amorphous calcium phosphate. Nanoindentation revealed no significant difference in hardness between the amorphous deposits (4.0–4.4±0.3 GPa), but the elastic modulus increased from 65±4 GPa (annealed calcium phosphate reference) to 88±3 GPa (100°C surface) and then to 98±3 GPa (350°C substrate). The large change in elastic modulus is thought to arise from the dehydroxylation during thermal printing. Production of functional materials through crystallization is discussed to extend the range of possible microstructures. The characterization and testing approach is useful for hemispherical deposits produced by printing, coatings (laser ablation, thermal spraying, simulated body fluid) and melt extrusion elements in scaffolds.