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This review provides an overview of experimental and computational results on the interaction between nanocarriers of different natures and pulmonary surfactant models that have appeared in the literature in the last five years. The purpose is to highlight the changes in the nanoscopic structure and functionality of the pulmonary surfactant layer due to the interaction with nanocarriers and nanoparticles, which are inorganic, polymeric, or consist of biomolecules. The information gathered contributes to the development of carriers' nanotechnology, thus allowing specific and controlled drug delivery while being minimally invasive by crossing pulmonary surfactant without altering its structure and function. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waste-to-wealth strategy is encouraging the design of a plethora of new value-added materials, by exploiting the chemical and biological richness of biowastes. Humic Acids (HA) are mostly intriguing because of their amphiphilic supramolecular associations which are responsible for several assets, such as adsorption ability towards small molecules, metal ion chelation, redox behavior, and antibacterial activity. The molecular combination of HA with semiconductor nanoparticles represents a valuable strategy to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials and interfaces with advanced features. Concurrently, it permits to overcome intrinsic limits of such organic fraction, including poor stability, fast conformational dynamics, or rapid reactivity in aqueous media. Herein, hybrid HA/ZnO nanoparticles are synthetized through a bottom-up strategy, exerting an improved pro-oxidant behavior by generating Reactive Oxygen Species, even without light irradiation, f avoring an enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity against different bacterial pathogens. Several techniques, including SEM/TEM, DLS, ζ-potential, XRD, FTIR, TGA/DSC, EPR and DRUV, allows to define the structure-property-function relationships, thus highlighting the crucial role of a fine conjugation amongst the metal oxide precursor and bioderived fraction to drive the pro-oxidant activity. This study provides strategic guidelines to easily produce low-cost organo-inorganic nanomaterials with redox and biocide properties, aimed at coping environmental and health issues. [Display omitted] • A bottom-up wet-chemical strategy leads to hybrid humic acid-ZnO nanomaterials. • A molecular combination of precursors drives the colloidal and functional features. • The supramolecular design of nanohybrids valorizes the biowaste-derived molecules. • Nanostructured hybrid interfaces show high pro-oxidant and antibacterial activity. • ROS generation in aqueous medium occurs even without light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ibuprofen is one the most used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which is considered an emerging pollutant that may contaminate surface and underground water. Photodegradation using nanomaterials is one of the most sustainable and cheap technologies that can be used in water purification. In this study, the photodegradation efficiency of in-house prepared ceria (CeO 2) nanostructured materials towards ibuprofen was assessed under UV irradiation. CeO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared through wet-chemical synthesis and characterized by several techniques. The photodegradation activity of the synthesized CeO 2 -NPs was compared to the commercial Aeroxide TiO 2 -P25. Small crystalline CeO 2 -NPs were obtained with about 15 nm particle size, band-gap of 3.1 eV with irregular morphology. The surface area of CeO 2 -NPs was estimated to be 76 ± 5 m2/g. Dynamic light scattering analysis revealed that these nanoparticles have a strong tendency to self-aggregate and to form clusters in aqueous suspension. The results showed a slightly better performance of Aeroxide TiO 2 -P25 compared to CeO 2 -NPs. On the other hand, five reusability tests confirmed the stability of CeO 2 -NPs in the reaction conditions, without any significant effect on their photodegradation activity. The goodness of the kinetic modeling of the experimental data was proven through the estimated kinetic parameters, together with the statistical information. The temperature effect confirmed that the higher the temperature, the greater the dissociation rate. Thus, there is a direct relationship between temperature, reaction rate, and the activation energy for each reaction. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters, namely: changes in Gibbs free energy (∆ G °) , enthalpy (∆ H °) , and entropy (∆ S °) have been reported revealing the efficient photodegradation performance of CeO 2 -NPs. [Display omitted] • Ibuprofen is considered an emerging water pollutant. • CeO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared through wet-chemical synthesis. • CeO 2 -NPs were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, DLS, and UV-Vis DRS techniques. • The photodegradation activity of CeO 2 -NPs was compared to Aeroxide TiO 2 -P25. • Reusability tests confirmed the stability and the sustainability of CeO 2 -NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based extraction procedures were rationally designed and optimized for the recovery of antioxidants from chestnut wood fiber (CWF), a clean and largely available solid waste of the tannin industry. First, a mild protocol was developed using a choline chloride (ChCl)/tartaric acid DES at 50 °C, for 90 min. Ellagic acid (EA) was identified as the only low molecular weight phenolic component of the extract. In other experiments, harsher conditions were explored involving treatment of CWF with ChCl-based DESs at 120 °C for 8 h, which afforded a solid sample characterized by high phenolic content (up to 1.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents/mg of sample) and antioxidant properties (EC 50 <0.025 mg/mL in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay), and containing guaiacyl-syringyl lignin along with EA. Based on these results, a sequential two-step DES-based treatment of CWF was eventually designed, allowing to selectively obtain both an EA-enriched and an EA-free, lignin-enriched sample, with an overall 50% w/w of the starting CWF dissolved. In particular, a 2.3% w/w yield of EA was achieved, which is significantly higher than those reported in the case of DES-based processing of other agricultural wastes. The proposed tunable, straightforward, and eco-friendly approach may allow to fully exploit CWF as a green, cheap, and easily accessible source of high-value products. [Display omitted] • Chestnut wood fiber (CWF) can be exploited as a clean source of antioxidants. • Selective deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based extraction protocols were developed. • Choline chloride (ChCl)-tartaric acid DES afforded high yields of ellagic acid. • Subsequent treatment of CWF with ChCl-lactic acid DES led to a lignin-rich extract. • All the extracts exhibited a high phenol content and potent antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]