Sphere-like Particles Research Articles

Role of ionic nature of surfactants on zinc stannate nanostructure and their application towards supercapacitors

This work demonstrates the role of cationic, anionic, and non-ionic surfactants [ethylene diamine (EDA), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and triton X100 (TX100)] in synthesizing the phase pure zinc stannate (ZTO) nanostructures via hydrothermal technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals that EDA is a suitable surfactant for fabricating high crystalline ZTO nanostructures. The nature of surfactants alters the size and shape of the ZTO nanostructures, as evidenced by the FESEM micrographs. Specifically, hemi-pyramid embedded with fine spherical particles (EDA-assisted) and sphere-like particles (non and other surfactants) morphological features are observed. Their energy storage performance is evaluated through a three-electrode system. EDA-assisted ZTO delivered the specific capacitance value of 31 F/g at 1 A/g current density, slightly higher than that of the non-surfactant ZTO (27 F/g @ 1 A/g) electrode. Furthermore, the role of calcination is investigated, and it was found that the specific capacitance value is increased to 77 F/g (from 31 F/g) for the EDA-ZTO sample calcined at 600 °C for 3 h in an ambient atmosphere.Graphical abstract

Tuneable Red and Blue Emission of Bi3+-Co-Doped SrF2:Eu3+ Nanophosphors for LEDs in Agricultural Applications.

Tunable blue/red dual-emitting Eu3+-doped, Bi3+-sensitized SrF2 phosphors were synthesized utilizing a solvothermal-microwave method. All phosphors have cubic structure (Fm-3m (225) space group) and well-distinct sphere-like particles with a size of ~20 nm, as examined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The diffuse reflectance spectra reveal a redshift of the absorption band in the UV region as the Bi3+ concentration in SrF2: Eu3+ phosphor increases. Under the 265 nm excitation, photoluminescence spectra show emission at around 400 nm from the host matrix and characteristic orange 5D0 → 7F1,2 and deep red 5D0 → 7F4 Eu3+ emissions. The red emission intensity increases with an increase in Bi3+ concentration up to 20 mol%, after which it decreases. The integrated intensity of Eu3+ red emission in the representative 20 mol% Bi3+ co-doped SrF2:10 mol% Eu3+ shows twice as bright emission compared to the Bi3+-free sample. To demonstrate the potential application in LEDs for artificial light-based plant factories, the powder with the highest emission intensity, SrF2: 10Eu, 20 Bi, was mixed with a ceramic binder and placed on top of a 275 nm UVC LED chip, showing pinkish violet light corresponding to blue (409 nm) and red (592, 614, and 700 nm) phosphors' emission.

Visible-light photocatalytic performance of SrTiO3 nanoparticles modified with cobalt

In this article, an experimental study on the photocatalytic performance of SrTi1-yCoyO3 nanoparticles (with y = 0.0, 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09) synthesized by the Pechini-type sol-gel method is presented. The crystalline structure analysis revealed that all the samples exhibited the cubic perovskite phase of SrTiO3. In particular, the SrTi0.91Co0.09O3 sample was found to consist of rough spherical-like particles with an average size of 26 ± 0.5 nm. Cobalt ions with 2+ and 3+ oxidation states are responsible for modifying the electronic band structure of the semiconductor and a narrowing of optical band gap from 3.1 to 1.08 eV. The resulting Co-doped SrTiO3 nanoparticles exhibited photocatalytic activity under visible light due to their enhanced light absorption, effective charge transport and effective surface chemisorption. In particular, the SrTi0.91Co0.09O3 sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with 91 % degradation efficiency of methylene blue dye within 120 min of simulated solar irradiation.

A novel process approach of a circular economy practice in the production of hydroxyapatite from phosphogypsum

Phosphogypsum (PG), a by-product of phosphate fertilizer industry, is chemically impure gypsum (CaSO4 · 2 H2O) containing phosphate residues. Provided by the calcium and phosphorus content, PG can be considered as a precursor for synthetic hydroxyapatite (s-HAp) production. This study proposes a two-step alkali route for s-HAp production from PG. Resulting samples were characterized by ICP-OES, SEM, XRD and FT-IR analyses in comparison with bone ash (BA) sample. Ca/P ratio (wt%) was determined as 2.46 and 2.78 for s-HAp and BA samples, respectively. SEM analysis showed the uniform distribution of spherical shaped particles in BA samples; however s-HAp particles showed irregular distribution of nearly spherical-like particles agglomerated as platelets on the surface. XRD analysis indicated that s-HAp particles possessed low crystallinity and ICDD references showed the appearance of apatite-CaOH phases. FT-IR spectrum showed the vibration bands of PO4 3− bands in the range of 1018–601 cm−1. According to characterization analyses, s-HAp samples show lower Ca/P ratio, irregular morphology, and low crystallinity due to possible impurities. Thus, further downstream operations regarding to impurity removal should be employed to develop a promising route to synthetic HAp production and employ a CE approach on industrial scale to evaluate s-HAp samples as a commercial substitute to BA.

Preparation and application of a pseudo-templated multi-monomer aflatoxins imprinted polymer.

Afunctional material was developedwith specific recognition properties for aflatoxins for pre-processing enrichment and separation in the detection of aflatoxins in Chinese herbal medicines. In the experiment, ethyl coumarin-3-carboxylate, which has a highly similar structure to the oxonaphthalene o-ketone of aflatoxin, was selected as a pseudo-template, zinc acrylate, neutral red derivative, and methacrylic acid, which have complementary functions, were selected as co-monomers to prepare a pseudo-template multifunctional monomer molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). The MIP obtained under the optimal preparation conditions has a maximum adsorption capacity of 0.036mg/mg and an imprinting factor of 3.67. The physical property evaluation of the polymers by Fourier infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy, pore size analyzer, thermogravimetric analyzer, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that the MIP were successfully prepared and porous spherical-like particles were obtained. The synthesized polymer was used as a solid-phase extraction agent for the separation of aflatoxins from the extract of spina date seed. The linear range of the developed method was 10-1000ng/mL, the limit of detection was 0.36ng/mL, the limit of quantification was1.19ng/mL, and the recoveries of the extracts at the concentration level of 0.2μg/mL were in the range 88.0-93.4%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.97% (n). The results showed that the preparation of MIPs using ethyl coumarin-3-carboxylate as a template was simple, economical, and convenient. It is expected to become a promising functional material for the enrichment and separation aflatoxins from complex matrices.

Nanogel particles formed from ethanol-treated whey proteins: Effect of heating, pH and NaCl on their stability.

Whey protein particles have gained significant attention for their ability to enhance the functional properties of foods as they can be used for emulsions and foams stabilization or fat substitution. This study explores the ability of whey protein nanogel particles formed in the presence of ethanol (30–70 % w/w) by controlling pH and ionic strength, to retain their morphological properties after ethanol removal. The stability of the produced nanogel particles after the removal of ethanol was investigated under various conditions, including heat treatment (90 °C, 20 min), pH modification (4−7), and the addition of NaCl (50–300 mM). Morphological analysis was conducted using confocal laser scanning microscopy, laser diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the exclusion of ethanol resulted in the formation of spherical-like nanogel particles with different sizes ranging from 100 to 200 nm in diameter. The pH of the solution affected the stability of the ethanol-free particles, leading to aggregation when the net charge of the protein approached zero. However, no aggregation phenomena were observed away from the isoelectric point. High concentrations of NaCl led to extensive aggregation, but no substantial changes were found upon heating. The production of nanogel particles is a promising advance with potential for a wide range of food applications.

Fabrication and optimization of naringin-loaded MOF-5 encapsulated by liponiosomes as smart drug delivery, cytotoxicity, and apoptotic on breast cancer cells

Introduction Cancers are regarded as hazardous due to their high worldwide death rate, with breast cancer (BC), which affects practically all cancer patients globally, playing a significant role in this statistic. The therapeutic approach for BC has not advanced using standard techniques, such as specialized naringin (NG) chemotherapy. Instead, a novel strategy has been utilized to enhance smart drug delivery (SDD) to tumors. Significance Herein, we established NG-loaded zinc metal-organic framework-5 (NG-MOF-5) coated with liponiosomes (LNs) to manufacture NG-MOF-5@LNs nanoparticles (NPs) for antibacterial and cancer treatment. Methods MOF-5, NG, and NG-MOF-5@LNs were evaluated with XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, SEM, TEM, PDI, ZP, encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading efficiency (LE), and drug release (DR) kinetics. We examined the antibacterial activity involving minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and zone of inhibition by NG, MOF-5, and NG-MOF-5@LNs. The cell viability, necrosis, and total apoptosis (late and early) were evaluated for anti-cancer activity against MCF-7 BC cells. Results TEM results demonstrated that NG-MOF-5@LNs formed monodispersed spherical-like particles with a size of 122.5 nm, PDI of 0.139, and ZP of +21 mV. The anti-microbial activity results indicated that NG-MOF-5@LNs exhibited potent antibacterial effects, as evidenced by inhibition zones and MIC values. The Higuchi model indicates an excellent fit (R 2 = 0.9988). The MTT assay revealed anti-tumor activity against MCF-7 BC cells, with IC50 of 21 µg/mL for NG-MOF-5@LNs and demonstrating a total apoptosis effect of 68.2% on MCF-7 cells. Conclusion NG-MOF-5@LNs is anticipated to show as an effective antimicrobial and novel long-term-release antitumor agent and might be more suitable for MCF-7 cell therapy.

Preparation, characterization, and anticancer evaluation of polydatin conjugated with zinc MOF and encapsulated by liponiosomes as a potential nanotool-induce apoptosis

Tumor is a serious worldwide issue that ranks as the second cause of mortality, regardless of the region's status. It is treated with a variety of techniques, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, however, there are drawbacks, such as adverse medication reactions. The investigation of stable and effective zinc metal-organic frameworks (ZMOFs) for medicinal applications has received increasing attention. Herein, we report the fabrication of our work has promised a drug delivery system (DDS) by polydatin (PD)-loaded ZMOF (PD-ZMOF) and encapsulated into liponiosomes (LNs) to form (PD-ZMOF@LNs) for increased drug targeting to tumor cells. The obtained compounds were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, TGA, BET, PDI, zeta seizer, and zeta potentials (ZP) analysis. A computational approach based on Monte Carlo simulation was adopted to elucidate the PD loading mechanism into the ZMOF. Both ZMOF and PD-ZMOF@LNs showed no significant weight loss up to approximately 551⁰C, indicating their high thermal stability and the final weight decrease due to the full degradation of the ZMOF framework at that point. TEM images of ZMOF and PD-ZMOF@LNs NPs demonstrated a spherical-like and needle-like particles with an average diameter of 17.6 nm and 27.3 nm (*P < 0.05), respectively. The hydrodynamic size analyzer displayed an average particle size of 194.4 nm, with ZP of +23 mV. The encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), drug release (DR), and drug-release kinetics of PD and PD-ZMOF@LNs were evaluated, and the results showed that PD was EE into ZMOF up to 91.27 ± 0.83 % (*P < 0.05). To understand the procedure of PD release at pH 6.9, four kinetic models were examined to identify which model best fit the obtained release data, and the Zero-order model demonstrated excellent release fitness with R2 = 0.9953. Anticancer activity of optimized free PD, ZMOF, and PD-ZMOF@LNs was evaluated in MCF-7 cells utilizing cell viability and flow-cytometric assays. Our samples demonstrate anti-tumor activity against MCF-7 cells with inhibitory concentrations (IC50) at 105 ± 1.5 µg/mL for PD-ZMOF@LNs. The surviving fraction and plating efficiency colony formation potential for PD-ZMOF@LNs were 32 % and 23 %, respectively (*P < 0.05). Flow cytometry analysis indicated that PD-ZMOF@LNs induced apoptosis in 77.39 % of MCF-7 cells.

Highly Tuning of Sunlight-Photocatalytic Properties of SnO2 Nanocatalysts: Function of Gd/Fe Dopants

Gd/Fe-SnO2 nanopowders as novel photocatalysts for the active removal of Rose Bengal dye and methyl parathion pesticide were synthesized with a low-cost coprecipitation route. The X-ray diffraction analysis of SnO2, Sn0.96Gd0.02Fe0.02O2 and Sn0.94Gd0.02Fe0.04O2 nanopowders proved the formation of a tetragonal phase of tin oxide with average crystallite sizes in the range of 13–18 nm. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of all samples displayed the characteristic absorption bands of SnO2. The nanopowder of the pure SnO2 sample, as seen in its transmission electron microscope (TEM) image, contains spherical-like particles of variable sizes. The TEM images of the Sn0.96Gd0.02Fe0.02O2 and Sn0.94Gd0.02Fe0.04O2 powders revealed the synthesis of fine spherical nanoparticles. Based on the TEM images, the average particle size of the pure, (Gd, 2 wt% Fe) and (Gd, 4 wt% Fe) codoped SnO2 nanopowders was estimated to be 14, 10 and 12 nm, respectively. After the addition of (Gd, 2 wt% Fe) and (Gd, 4 wt% Fe) to the SnO2 structure, the band gap energy of SnO2 was reduced from 3.4 eV to 2.88 and 2.82 eV, respectively. Significantly, the Sn0.96Gd0.02Fe0.02O2 nanocatalyst exhibited a high removal efficiency of 98 and 96% for Rose Bengal dye and methyl parathion pesticide after activation by sunlight for 35 and 48 min, respectively. Furthermore, this catalyst has shown perfect mineralization as well as high stability properties for the treatment of Rose Bengal dye and methyl parathion pesticide. These results suggest the suitability of the Sn0.96Gd0.02Fe0.02O2 nanocatalyst for the treatment of agriculture and industrial effluent under sunlight light energy.

Effect of drying methods on the structure and properties of bacterial nanocellulose/MoS2 hybrid gel membranes and sphere-like particles for enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic applications

Effect of drying methods on the structure and properties of bacterial nanocellulose/MoS2 hybrid gel membranes and sphere-like particles for enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic applications

Magnetic, dielectric and thermal study of CoNiFe2O4 nanoparticles

CoxNi1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.2–0.8) (CNFO) nanoparticles have been prepared using a low temperature hydrothermal technique. X-ray diffraction confirmed the cubic spinel structure of the nanoparticles, offering an increasing trend of lattice parameters from 8330 to 0.8345 nm as a function of Co-content. The microstructures were analysed using FESEM and TEM. The average grain size determined using FESEM images for x = 0.2–0.8 was found in the range from 110 to 183.7 nm. The TEM images show asymmetrical sphere-like particles, with the particle size changing from 69.4 to 82.1 nm as a function of ‘x’. The hysteresis curves were recorded for x = 0.2–0.8 to understand the ferrimagnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization (Ms) varies unsystematically between 35.3 and 43.3 emu/g with ‘x’, while a high magnetic moment of 1.819 μB/f.u. is found at a high Co-content. The paramagnetic term (χ x 10−5) goes on increasing from 125 to 148 emu/g.Oe with ‘x’. The zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) curves provide the decreasing trend of variation blocking temperature (TB) from 270 to 260 for x = 0.2–0.6, whilst for x = 0.8, it is increased to 280 K. The high real part of the permittivity of ∼ 12.42 and low imaginary part of the permittivity of ∼0.638 are recorded at 8 MHz for x = 0.2, indicting energy storage applications. The power law fit was applied to log σac-log ω plots and the dc-electrical conductivity was evaluated. The TG-DTG and DSC curves revealed mass loss and transition temperatures for x = 0.2–0.8 as a function of temperature.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite/Alginate Composites: Study of pH and Sintering Influenced on the Structural, Morphological, and Clindamycin Release Behavior

The hydroxyapatite/alginate (HAp/Alg) composite was synthesized using an in-situ precipitation route. The effect of pH (8, 9, 10, and 11) and calcination temperature (300, 500, 700, and 900 °C) were studied by characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM with EDAX). XRD results show the hexagonal crystal system of HAp for each pH value and the biphase (HAp and whitelockite) for the sintering temperature at 700 and 900 °C. The FTIR spectra show no impurity peaks. SEM images revealed spherical-like (HAp/Alg-11) and flake-like (HAp/Alg-900) particles with good homogeneity, size, and shape that could be notable for biomedical utilization, such as drug delivery material. Drug loading and release ability of pure HAp, HAp/Alg-11, and HAp/Alg-900 composites have been investigated with clindamycin hydrochloride as the drug model. The maximum clindamycin HCl release from HAp, HAP/Alg-11, and HAp/Alg-900 reached 74.48, 92.75, and 69.65% in the 8th hour. HAp/Alg-11 has the highest release because it has the largest surface area of 162.584 m2/g. Antibacterial test results showed HAp/Alg-11 has antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, confirming that HAp/Alg-11 composite has the potential to be applied as drug delivery.

Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Hordein-Whey Protein Isolate Complex: Delivery System of Quercetin.

As a lipophilic flavonol, quercetin has low bioavailability, which limits its application in foods. This work aimed to prepare a hordein-based system to deliver quercetin. We constructed hordein-whey isolate protein fibril (WPIF) complexes (H-Ws) by anti-solvent precipitation method at pH 2.5. The TEM results of the complexes showed that spherical-like hordein particles were wrapped in WPIF clusters to form an interconnected network structure. FTIR spectra revealed that hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the main driving forces for the complex formation. H-W1 (the mass ratio of hordein to WPIF was 1:1) with a three-phase contact angle of 70.2° was chosen to stabilize Pickering emulsions with oil volume fractions (φ) of 40-70%. CLSM images confirmed that the oil droplets were gradually embedded in the three-dimensional network structure of H-W1 with the increase in oil volume fraction. The emulsion with φ = 70% showed a tight gel structure. Furthermore, this emulsion exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (97.8%) and a loading capacity of 0.2%, demonstrating the potential to deliver hydrophobic bioactive substances. Compared with free quercetin, the bioaccessibility of the encapsulated quercetin (35%) was significantly improved. This study effectively promoted the application of hordein-based delivery systems in the food industry.

The Treatment of Natural Calcium Materials Using the Supercritical Antisolvent Method for CO2 Capture Applications

The potential of the supercritical antisolvent micronization (SAS) technique was evaluated for the production of CaO-based particles with a size and a physical structure that could enable high performance for CO2 capture through the calcium looping process. Two sources of calcium derivative compounds were tested, waste marble powder (WMP) and dolomite. The SAS micronization of the derivate calcium acetate was carried out at 60 °C, 200 bar, a 0.5 mL min−1 flow rate of liquid solution, and 20 mg mL−1 concentration of solute, producing, with a yield of more than 70%, needle-like particles. Moreover, since dolomite presents with a mixture of calcium and magnesium carbonates, the influence of the magnesium fraction in the SAS micronization was also assessed. The micronized mixtures with lower magnesium content (higher calcium fraction) presented needle-like particles similar to WMP. On the other hand, for the higher magnesium fractions, the micronized material was similar to magnesium acetate micronization, presenting sphere-like particles. The use of the micronized material in the Ca-looping processes, considering 10 carbonation-calcination cycles under mild and realistic conditions, showed that under mild conditions, the micronized WMP improved CaO conversion. After 10 cycles the micronization, WMP presented a conversion 1.8 times greater than the unprocessed material. The micronized dolomite, under both mild and real conditions, maintained more stable conversion after 10 cycles.

Novel lanthanide-doped Y3-xNaxAl5-yVyO12 garnets: Synthesis, structural and optical properties

In this study the novel garnet-type Y2.47Na0.5Ln0.03Al5O12, Y2.97Ln0.03Al4.95V0.05O12, Y2.92Na0.05Ln0.03Al4.9833V0.0167O12 (Ln = Ce3+, Tb3+, Eu3+) phosphors were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel method for the first time. The structural, morphological and optical properties were characterized by using multiple characterization techniques. The XRD and FTIR results confirmed that all obtained phosphors are monophasic yttrium aluminium garnet compounds, i.e. the doping of Ce3+, Tb3+, Eu3+, Na+, V5+ ions does not induce any impurity phases, indicating the successful incorporation of these dopants into the YAG host. The formation of novel garnets was probed using 27Al, 51V, 23Na MAS NMR techniques. SEM micrographs revealed that almost in all cases, the surface of the obtained luminophores is porous and consists of homogeneously distributed irregular sphere-like shape particles, which tend to form larger agglomerates. The optical properties of obtained compounds were also investigated by recording their excitation and emission spectra and calculating the colour coordinates in the CIE 1931 colour space.

Crystallographic, Morphological, Magnetic, and Thermal Characterization of Superparamagnetic Magnetite Nanoparticles (Fe3O4) Synthesized by Chemical Coprecipitation Method and Calcined at 250°C for 4 hr

Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4) were prepared by chemical coprecipitation method using ferric chloride (FeCl3) and heptahydrate ferrous sulfate (FeSO4·7H2O) salts employing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a precipitant. To determine the size, shape, and chemical makeup of the produced magnetite nanoparticles, the generated powders were examined by transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and X-ray diffractometer. It was found that the magnetite powder had made a face-centered cubic crystal structure and spherical-like particle form with particle diameters of about 30 nm. The magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles were evaluated using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The obtained superparamagnetic properties of the produced nanoparticles, with saturation magnetization and coercivity of 50.75 emu/g and 30.09 Oe, respectively, allow them for applications in drug delivery, MRI contrast agent, catalysis, degradation of antibiotics, antibacterial activity, removal of heavy metals and organic dyes, etc.

Comparative investigation of organic contaminant removal in the synthesized greigite (Fe3S4)- and other iron sulfide-enhanced PDS/Fe(II) systems: Efficiencies, kinetics, and mechanism insights

In this research, greigite (Fe3S4) was innovatively applied for the enhancement of PDS/Fe(II) system. From XRD and SEM analyses, Fe3S4 was successfully synthesized and appeared uniform sphere-like particles with a petal-like structure. Trichloroethylene (TCE), as the target, was significantly degraded from 28.5 % to 92.8 % in PDS/Fe(II)/Fe3S4 system. The enhanced mechanisms, differences, and superiority of Fe3S4 against the other three iron sulfides were elucidated as follows: (1) on account of the abundant reduction sites on its surface, Fe3S4 could not only directly release Fe(II) and accelerate Fe(II) regeneration by sulfur substances, but also participate in the process of O2−• generation, and (2) the reaction mainly took place on Fe3S4 surface, in which the surface-bound reactive species (RSs) were of great importance for TCE degradation. Through EPR, quantification, and scavenging tests of RSs, HO•, SO4−•, and O2−• were all the dominant RSs responsible for TCE removal. Besides, these enhanced systems had high tolerance on complex water conditions and could remediate various contaminants in actual groundwater. Three TCE degradation pathways were deduced in four iron sulfide-enhanced systems and the toxicities of intermediates were evaluated, recommending that Fe3S4-enhanced system was of the least toxicity and most favorable for application in practice.

Isolation of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) from Mimosa pudica (Semalu) for Production of Bacterial Cellulose

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a potential eco-friendly biopolymer. BC has higher crystallinity and purity compared to plant cellulose. Scientific studies on the production of BC from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are minimal compared to other common bacteria such as Acetobacter xylinum. LAB was screened and isolated from different tissues of Mimosa pudica (medicinal plant) using MRS broth and agar as the selective medium. LAB isolates were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing of all the bacterial isolates. BC was produced from all LAB isolates by incubating at 30 °C for 14 days in herbal tea medium (Strobilanthes crispus) and HS medium (control) with 130 r.p.m agitation. BC produced by two selected bacterial isolates was characterized using FESEM, FTIR, XRD, and TGA. Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of all the potential LAB isolates shows 99.86 - 100% identity to 16S rRNA sequences of other Lactobacillus plantarum strains. Two selected L. plantarum strains (LBM001 &amp; LBM004) produce BC in sphere-like particles with a 1.4 to 2.2 µm diameter range of microfiber. FTIR analysis shows that BC produced by LBM001 and LBM004 have four similar cellulose regions identified in cellulose from other sources, which are O-H stretch (3400-330 cm-1), C-H stretch (2970-2800 cm-1), O-H bending (1620cm-1) and C-O-C stretch (1100-1073 cm-1). XRD analysis shows BC produced by the L. plantarum strains consists of two different XRD peaks at the 2θ angle of 21.53° and 21.85° instead of a single peak (22.76°) identified in the BC produced by A. xylinum and plant cellulose. A similar TG and DTG curved pattern was detected in the BC produced by the L. plantarum strains with the BC produced by A. xylinum and plant cellulose. The LAB isolates from M. pudica have potential in BC production based on the multiple characterization studies.

Microparticles comprising cinnamoyl cellulose and cinnamoyl gelatin prepared by emulsion method and their pH and electric field-responsive release property

pH- and electric field-responsive microparticles were prepared by photo cross-linking cinnamoyl gelatin (CinGel) and cinnamoyl cellulose nanocrystal (CinCNC) contained in the water droplet of W/O emulsion. Cinnamoyl chloride (CC) was covalently attached to Gel and CNC through a condensation reaction to obtain CinGel and CinCNC, confirmed by 1H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. Using a colorimetric method, the cinnamoyl group (CG) content of CinGel was determined to be 1.6 % and that of CinCNC to be 3–15.3 %, depending on the CC/CNC ratio in the reaction mixture. The maximum photo-dimerization degree of CG of CinGel obtained under UV irradiation was about 33 % and that of CinCNC was 4.4–7.5 %. Microparticles were prepared by cross-linking CinGel and CinCNC contained in the water droplet of the emulsion using UV irradiation. Sphere-like particles and irregularly shaped ones were found on the SEM photo of CinGel/CinCNC microparticles and the mean dimeters were determined to be 11.6–17.1 µm. CinGel/CinCNC ratio in the emulsion little affected the shape and size of the resulting microparticles. An energy dispersive spectroscopy revealed that the microparticle composition was reflecting CinGel/CinCNC ratio in the emulsion. The release of a payload (i.e. amaranth) markedly promoted as the medium pH value increased from 3 to 8, possibly due to the decomplexation of CinGel/CinCNC electrostatic complex and/or the electrostatic expulsion of the payload from CinGel. The release was expedited as the applied voltage increased up to 4.5 V, probably due to the shear stress-induced deformation of the microparticle matrix and/or the forced electrostatic expulsion of the payload.

Investigation of supercapacitor properties using iron tungsten porous electrode in neutral aqueous electrolyte

Porous supercapacitors (SCs) materials are great interesting for energy storage systems. Electrolyte contributes to the enhancement of supercapacitor performance. In this paper, iron tungstate mixed oxides electrode was prepared by polymeric precursor method. The material was deposited onto conductor substrate by drop casting and annealed at 500 ºC for 2 h. The thermal, structural, and morphological characterizations were realized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman, emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The crystallization process of polymeric resin occurred at 454 °C. The synergistic effect of monoclinic FeWO4 and monoclinic Fe2W3O12 phases was confirmed with Fe2+|Fe3+ of iron tungstate mixed oxides. An irregular shape of condensed spherical-like particles aggregated with rough and porous nanostructures was observed. Neutral electrolytes were employed in electrochemical measurement as lithium nitrate (LiNO3) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). SC electrochemical analyses of FeWO4|Fe2W3O12 electrode accomplishes a capacitance of 75 F g–1 at 5 mV s–1, energy density of 3.73 Wh kg–1, power density of 582.1 W kg−1and long-term electrochemical cycling with a capacity retention of 94.04% after 6000 cycles in 1.0 mol L−1 Na2SO4. Therefore, an iron tungstate-based electrode demonstrates a potential supercapacitor device with excellent stability in a nontoxic aqueous electrolyte.