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Graphene‐loaded thermoplastic nanocomposite films must be evaluated for antibacterial activity, mechanical, and barrier properties before being utilized as food packaging. Herein, economically feasible linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)‐based flexible packaging materials were developed via the melt compounding technique at 170°C temperature by taking advantage of both graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and nano zinc oxide (ZnO) fillers. Morphological studies reveal that in composites loaded with GNP/ZnO hybrid fillers, ZnO nanoparticles form a network‐like structure throughout the polymer matrix. Simultaneously, GNPs are uniformly dispersed. The inclusion of hybrid nanofiller considerably reduces both the oxygen transmission rate and the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) in LLDPE nanocomposites. A maximum decrease of 36% and 67%, respectively, in both oxygen transmission rate and WVTR is observed for 3 wt% of hybrid filler loading in a thermoplastic matrix containing 1 wt% of nano ZnO. The antibacterial efficacy of the derived nanocomposite films is obvious against gram‐positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial strains. These nanocomposite films have the potential to be successfully utilized as flexible packaging materials owing to their improved thermal, barrier, and antibacterial effectiveness. Highlights: GNP/ZnO was used as a hybrid reinforcing filler in the LLDPE matrix.ZnO nanoparticles establish a network‐like morphology.LLDPE nanocomposite films exhibited excellent antibacterial activity.Oxygen and water vapor barrier properties were significantly improved.The thermoplastic composite films could be used as food packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, electrically conductive thermoplastic elastomeric blend composite films based on polystyrene (PS)/ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate (EMA) filled with functionalized graphene were developed via the solution mixing technique. Morphological analysis revealed that selective localization of amine‐functionalized reduced graphene oxide (G‐ODA) sheets in the EMA phase of co‐continuous binary blend formed a well‐connected dense conductive pathway by graphene sheets ultimately facilitating the double percolation phenomenon. The electrical percolation threshold was achieved at ~2 wt% of G‐ODA loading which was much lower than that for both single polymer composites. An electrical conductivity of 0.9 S/cm was obtained for blend composite film with 10 wt% of graphene concentration whereas for the same filler loading, PS and EMA composites exhibited electrical conductivity of 1.9 × 10−1 and 2.3 × 10−1 S/cm, respectively. The obtained thermal conductivity of the blend composite with 10 wt% of G‐ODA loading was 0.95 W/m K with 400% enhancement compared to the neat blend system. The same composite exhibited increased real and imaginary permittivity of 92 and 83, respectively. The electrical percolation threshold is well‐correlated with the percolation concentration found from storage modulus and thermal conductivity data. The fabricated PS/EMA blend composite film exhibited absorption‐dominant electromagnetic interference SE of −25 and − 35 dB in X‐band frequency (8.2–12.4 GHz) for 10 wt% of graphene loading with a sample thickness of 0.5 and 1 mm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, thermoplastic nanocomposites reinforced with different types of nanofillers have seen widespread use in the automotive, pharmaceutical, food packaging and electronic sectors. Among the different nanofillers used to fabricate thermoplastic composite–based packaging materials, nanoclay and graphene are very beneficial for producing high‐barrier packaging materials. The high aspect ratio and large surface area of both nanoclay and graphene facilitate uniform filler dispersion and tortuous path in the thermoplastic matrix, which ultimately improves the physico‐mechanical, thermal and barrier to oxygen, water vapour and light as well as antimicrobial properties, which are key requirements for packaging materials. Because graphene nanomaterials are electrically and thermally conductive, these thermoplastic nanocomposites may display excellent electrical‐, thermal‐ and microwave‐shielding capabilities, allowing them to be used in electronic packaging. This review aims to summarize the preparation and characterization of thermoplastic nanocomposites based on different types of nanoclay, graphene and graphene derivatives, as well as their prospective applications in food and electronic packaging. This review paper also discusses the factors that can affect the performance and attributes of these packaging materials, such as processing conditions, types of nanofillers, functionalization or modification of nanofillers for better filler dispersion and so forth. This paper presents a comprehensive and state‐of‐the‐art article on nanoclay‐ and graphene‐loaded thermoplastic nanocomposite–based packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) stands out as a versatile solvent in synthetic chemists' repertoire, facilitating a diverse array of intricate chemical reactions. It demonstrates a multifaceted role that extends beyond conventional uses and, in many cases, the mechanism appears to be complicated. This feature article elucidates the significance of HFIP in the context of Lewis and Brønsted acid‐catalyzed reactions with a specific emphasis on the regio‐ and stereoselective functionalization of unsaturated carbon‐carbon bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquid is increasingly being used as a chemical modulator of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). Here, we report the practical method for producing biodegradable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield films made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polybutylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate (PBAT), and 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐3‐methyl‐1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium modified MWCNT (MIL). The field emission scanning electron microscopy study of cryo‐fractured 50:50 PBAT/TPU blend giving co‐continuous morphology and subsequent polymer EMI shield nanocomposite material had shown the co‐continuous nanofiller distribution. The nanoparticles were chosen to be distributed in the PBAT portion, according to subsequent research employing HRTEM and DMA. The electrical percolation threshold (EPT) is determined to be situated within 1–3 wt% of nanoparticles loading as the remarkable shift in total EMI shielding efficiency from −14.6 dB (for 1 wt%) to −28.6 dB (for 3 wt%) of nanoparticle‐loaded film at 10 GHz (in X‐band region) for a 0.8 mm thick film reveals that the EPT is approximately at 2 wt% of nanoparticle loading. The effective EMI shielding of −37.3 dB was achieved by 10 wt% of MIL loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report a general copper-catalyzed C(sp 3 ) carboboration of 1,3-diynes, providing access to an array of tetra-substituted boryl enynes in a regioselective manner. All four positions of enyne can be efficiently manipulated using this methodology. The reaction was smoothly applied in the conjugation of complex bioactive molecules to the enyne scaffold. Cross-coupling reactions were carried out with boron end groups on densely substituted 1,3-enynes, opening avenues for the modular synthesis of highly functionalized enynes. Control experiments and density functional theory studies supported the proposed mechanism.

In the present work, we demonstrate a regioselective [2 + 2 + 2] cyclotrimerization of 1,3-diynes catalyzed by Ni 0 to provide hexasubstituted benzenes (HSBs). HSBs have significant applications as functional materials and pharmaceuticals. The present protocol exhibited remarkable versatility, transforming 1,3-diynes with diverse alkyl, aryl, and heterocyclic groups to the corresponding HSBs. With the help of control experiments and density functional theory (DFT), the mechanism of the reaction and the origin of regioselectivity were elucidated.

Aim: To translate and validate the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer (EORTC) module for assessing the sexual health-related quality of life in cancer patients (QLQ-SH22), in Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla languages for clinical use., Methods and Results: The EORTC QLQ-SH-22 was translated into Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla by adopting standard guidelines given by EORTC. Initially, the original questionnaire was forward translated by two separate translators, followed by the reconciliation of the forward translations by a third person. This was followed by two back translations of the reconciled version into English by two other translators. These back-translated questions were then compared with the original EORTC questions for accuracy, and once acceptable, a preliminary questionnaire was prepared in all three languages. These questionnaires were then pilot tested with 30 patients (10 for each language) diagnosed with any of the cancers in the pelvic region who are expected to be at risk of sexual quality of life due to tumor or treatment like pelvic radiotherapy. Participated patients had never seen or filled the questionnaire before, each patient was interviewed after filling the questionnaire for difficulty in answering, confusion, difficulty understanding, or if any of the questions were upsetting and if patients would have asked the question differently., Results: None of the patients reported any changes or suggestions for all the three translations. All the translated questionnaires were well understood by all the patients. Pilot testing reports were sent to EORTC. After reviewing the entire report of Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla translations, these questionnaires were approved by the EORTC translation unit. The questionnaires are reliable with Cronbach's α for Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla being 0.69, 0.66, and 0.86, respectively., Conclusion: The final Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla translations of SH 22 have been approved by the EORTC and can be used to assess the sexual health of cancer patients in routine oncology practices and/or clinical studies., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)