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Green rusts with brucite-like layers of hydroxide intercalated with anions constitute a family of diverse precursors for the synthesis of iron oxides via dehydration, but precise structural control of the resulting oxides with respect to the size and shape at the nanometer level remains challenging due to the easy oxidation of the ferrous species. Herein, we report a new synthetic strategy for the facile preparation of fibrous-like green rusts by using appropriate balancing anions (CO32− and SO42−) in ethylene glycol to regulate the morphology. Depending on the type of the intercalating anion, the green rusts were converted into hematite with fibrous- or plate-like shapes upon thermal activation. When evaluated in the reaction of NO reduction by CO, these iron oxides showed a prominent shape-dependent catalytic behavior. The fibrous-like Fe2O3 was much more catalytically active and structurally robust than the plate-like analogue. Combined spectroscopic and microscopic characterizations on the nanostructured iron oxides revealed that the superior performance of the fibrous-like Fe2O3 stemmed from a facile Fe2O3/Fe3O4 redox cycle and a higher density of active sites for NO activation.

Didymocarpous pedicellata R.Br. (Gesneriaceae), also known as stone flower, is a valuable medicinal plant growing in the subtropical Himalayas (India). It is traditionally used for treating kidney and bladder stones and is the main ingredient of herbal formulations used to treat kidney stones, such as Cystone and Safoof-e-Pathr Phori (SPP). The present study explored the antiurolithiatic effect of Didymocarpous pedicellata leaves (DPL) in urolithiasis caused by ethylene glycol in Wistar male rats. The EG-induced urolithiasis group exhibited significantly higher (P

Recent studies showed that nanofluids are considered as a promising way to enhance the heat transfer properties of coolants. Currently, in a car radiator forced convection heat transfer method is carried out to cool circulating fluid. The mixture of water with either ethylene or propylene-glycol is necessary to lower its freezing point and eliminate ice formation. However, the boiling point of deionized water can be pushed up by mixing it with anti-freezing materials like ethylene glycol (EG). Hence the present research work focuses on the heat transfer characteristics of nano-fluids with different combinations of EG and deionized water (60:40, 30:70, and 20:80) along with graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles (0.1 % wt). The heat transfer potential of graphene oxide/ deionized water-ethylene glycol nanofluids is experimentally investigated in coolant application for car radiators, in which the coolant flow rate is varied from 180 to 420 (LPH) at a fixed coolant temperature of 90 °C. The evaluation of stability is performed using visual inspection and zeta potential test. The density of nanofluid was determined by oscillating U-Tube density meter. The optimized combination of 60% EG, 40% DW and 0.1 wt% GO exhibited higher heat transfer characteristics of the radiator system used. The maximum heat transfer enhancement of 42.77% at 300 LPH, 18.14% at 360 LPH, and 71.1% at 240 LPH for 60:40 EG/DW-based GO nanofluids were obtained. The maximum Nusselt number value of 192 at 420 LPH was observed for 60:40 EG/DW-based GO nanofluid as compared with 20:80, 30:70 EG/DW-based GO nanofluid. It is estimated that by replacing conventional coolant with this nanofluid, reduction in the frontal area of radiator is done which gives more flexibility for industrial design, more eco-friendly vehicle which produces less drag and hence less the fuel cost.

Glycerol, the “co-product” in the biodiesel process, can be considered as a raw material to expand a biorefinery scheme. Selective reductions and oxidations and steam reforming of glycerol were studied to produce added-value chemicals and energetic compounds, and also to show a possible integration of processes into a biorefinery framework. Selective reductions of glycerol in gas phase produced: i) propylene glycol on Cu-Ce/Al2O3, reaching 99.8% conversion and 83.2% selectivity to propylene glycol; and ii) ethylene glycol on Ni/SiO2, achieving 100% conversion and 91% selectivity to ethylene glycol in the liquid fraction. These reduction reactions demand hydrogen, which can also be obtained by steam reforming of glycerol using Ni/Al2O3 promoted by adding compounds as Ce, Co, Mg, and Zr; the steam reforming also produced carbon oxides and methane, being possible to use the syngas (hydrogen plus carbon monoxide) and methane as energetic compounds and carbon dioxide to carbonylation. Selective oxidations of glycerol in liquid phase produced: i) dihydroxyacetone on Pt/K-FER, being the first active and selective monometallic catalyst for this transformation, improving the catalytic behavior by using Pt-Bi/K-FER, reaching 75.9% conversion and 93.9% selectivity to dihydroxyacetone; and ii) lactic acid on Cu/Al2O3, obtaining 99.8% conversion and 86.5% selectivity to lactic acid. From the strong link with the productive sector, one pilot plant to produce 100 t/y of propylene glycol from glycerol but versatile to also obtain acetol and/or ethylene glycol is in the final building stage, and another one for reforming glycerol to produce the hydrogen demanded for those reduction processes was finished. Consequently, glycerol was converted to propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, hydrogen, dihydroxyacetone, lactic acid, syngas, carbon dioxide, and methane; therefore, the possible integration of the corresponding processes allows consider the co-product of biodiesel as a compound to expand a biorefinery scheme.

In this work, a highly stable Ca2+ ion-selective sensor was successfully developed by depositing a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer on top of a carbon paste electrode as an ion-electron transducing layer. The PEDOT:PSS was treated by a co-solvent of ethylene glycol (EG) using the bath-sonication technique to enhance electrical and electrochemical characteristics, and finally coated with Ca2+ ion-selective membrane cocktail. The developed Ca2+ ion-selective electrode (Ca2+-ISE) showed excellent electrochemical properties by much-improved charge transfer kinetics with remarkable electric conductivity. The fabricated Ca2+-ISE exhibited an excellent sensitivity of 37.7 mV/decade (n = 4) in the range from 10-4 to 10-1 M with a rapid response (< 20 seconds). Moreover, the EG-treated PEDOT:PSS (PEDOT:PSS-EG) based ISE showed negligible responses for primary interfering ions of human biofluid samples, proving significant potential selectivity. Furthermore, the negligible drift of open circuit potential (2.78 μV/s) proved the stability of the PEDOT:PSS-EG compared to pristine PEDOT:PSS(10.63 μV/s) based ISE. Based on these analyses, it can be expected that the organic solvent treatment on PEDOT:PSS will pave the way for long-term monitoring of other biochemical compounds.

Diflapolin is a dual FLAP/sEH inhibitor with potent anti-inflammatory efficiency in cellular assays and experimental in vivo studies. Despite these outstanding characteristics, its high lipophilicity and plasma protein binding hamper the bioactivity in blood. To overcome these limitations, diflapolin was encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles to develop an efficient and biocompatible drug delivery system. Two different cosolvent approaches were tested showing the possibility to exchange dimethyl sulfoxide in the organic phase by the sustainable 400 g/mol poly(ethylene glycol). A particle size of 220 nm and the amorphous encapsulation of diflapolin in high amounts rendered the nanoparticles appropriate for the intended application. Excellent biocompatibility of the nanoparticles was demonstrated in an ex ovo hen's egg model. The potent suppression of FLAP-dependent 5-lipoxygenase product formation by the nanoparticles in human whole blood, superior to the free drug, makes them to a promising drug delivery system to improve the bioactivity of diflapolin.

Well-defined two-dimensional (2D) cobalt oxalate (CoC2O4•2H2O) nanosheets exhibit more excellent property than common bulk cobalt oxalate due to high specific surface areas and high-efficient transport of ion and electron. However, the delicate control of the 2D morphology of CoC2O4•2H2O during their synthesis remains challenging. Herein, 2D CoC2O4•2H2O nanosheets (M1), grown by straightforward chemical precipitation, can be tuned from three-dimensional (3D) structure during their synthesis with no templates or capping agents. This control is obtained by rationally changing the ratio of reactants with ethylene glycol as solvent. Moreover, Co3O4/CoC2O4 composites (M1-250) have been fabricated through low-temperature thermal treatment of the M1 precursor in air, which possess porous surfaces with the 2D morphology maintained. Benefiting from the porous surfaces, more redox-active sites and better electrical conductivity of Co3O4, the constructed M1-250//AC aqueous device manifest improved kinetics of the electrochemistry process with energy density of 27.9 Wh/kg at 550.7 W/kg and good cycling stability with sustaining 73.0 mAh/g after 5000 cycles.

Poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (PEG-PBCA) is a remarkable drug delivery carrier for permeating blood-brain barrier. In this work, a novel high-gravity procedure was reported to intensify Knoevenagel condensation-Michael addition polymerization of PEG-PBCA. A series of PEG-PBCA containing different block ratios were synthesized with narrow molecular weight distribution of polydispersity indexes less than 1.1. Furthermore, the reaction time reduced 60% compared to conventional stirred tank reactor process. Chemical structures of as-prepared polymers were characterized. In vitro drug delivery performance was evaluated. The cytotoxicity of PEG-PBCA to brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMVEC) decreases with the extension of the PEG chain and the shortening of the PBCA chain. The polymer cellular uptake to BMVECs was better after improving hydrophilicity by PEG block. Results of blood-brain barrier permeability demonstrated that medium length of PBCA chain and short PEG chain are favorable for hydrophobic Nile red permeation, while long PEG chain and short PBCA chain are beneficial to delivery water-soluble doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox). The average apparent permeability coefficient increased 1.7 and 0.25 times than that of raw Nile red and Dox, respectively. High-gravity intensified condensation polymerization should have great potential in brain drug delivery system.

The first part of this study investigates synthesis protocols to tune the size and the morphology of zeolite L (LTL) crystals using three different glycols. The outcomes clearly demonstrate that the formation of pure LTL phase is greatly facilitated at 150 ºC for 6 days only when using triethylene glycol (TEG) as the co-solvent, verified by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). SEM images show that LTL crystals present a cylinder-like structure with an aspect ratio of one. The formation of pure LTL phase is dramatically deteriorated when the synthesis conditions are changed to higher temperature (180 ºC), various synthesis durations (1-3 days) and aging time, and using other co-solvents (ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol). Inspired by published results indicating the interactions between Ge and glycols, I developed three synthesis approaches exploring the feasibility of incorporating germanium (Ge) into LTL framework using TEG in the second part of this study. Moreover, studies report that the incorporation of Ge in zeolite frameworks can enhance zeolites’ catalytic performances. The results from my investigation show that highly crystalline and well-defined LTL crystals are attained at 150 ºC for 3 days. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) shows the presence of Ge in LTL samples, indicating that the incorporation of Ge is very promising using the developed synthesis approaches. The outcomes are expected to be very useful to other researchers in the zeolites research field.

Studies on the degradation process of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have become increasingly mature, but there are relatively few studies on the separation of degradation products. The products contain many components and the separation of which is difficult. Therefore, the study on phase equilibrium thermodynamics of bis-2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET) is of great theoretical significance and practical value to provide basic data for the BHET crystallization separation. In this work, the degraded products were purified and characterized. The solubility of BHET in methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, water and the mixture of ethylene glycol+water were determined by static method. The experimental results were correlated with different models, such as IS model, λh equation, Apelblat equation and NRTL model. Based on the Van't Hoff equation, the mixing Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy were calculated. From this work, the basic data which can be used to guide the crystallization process of BHET were obtained, including solubility data, correlation model and thermodynamic properties

Cu/SiO2 catalysts prepared by a deposition-decomposition (DD) method using ammonium hydroxide are currently among the most promising catalysts for oxalates hydrogenation to ethylene glycol (EG). Here, a Cu/SiO2 catalyst prepared by the DD method was pre-reduced at a) 200–350 °C in 100% H2, and 2) 200 °C in a 50% H2/N2 mixture. Then, it was tested at 200 °C, and 25 barg, while EG yields were optimized, with H2-GHSV and H2/DMO ratios in the ranges 1000–4000 h−1 and 30–200 mol/mol. The calcined catalyst presents an XRD amorphous Cu phyllosilicate phase. After pre-reduction in pure H2 at 200–250 °C (Tred), the Cu metallic surface area increased from 6 to 12 m2/gcat and slightly decreased at 350 °C. Simultaneously, the silanol's band, measured by DRIFT experiments, increased with Tred. The highest ethylene glycol yield (91%) was achieved after pre-reduction at 200 °C in pure hydrogen, working with an H2-GHSV and H2/DMO of 1050 h−1 and 68 mol/mol, respectively. The catalyst was stable for more than 36 h after a 20 h induction period. Catalyst characterization results as a function of Tred confirm that mixed-valence copper nanoparticles favor the EG selective formation, while side reactions leading to ethanol and 1,2-butanediol are related to exposed acidic and basic sites due to decreased Cu/support interactions.

The industrial wastewater contaminants including dyes and bacteria have caused serious environmental pollutions. Herein, ternary Ag/Ag2O/ZnO heterostructure decorating cellulose-chitosan films were constructed via in situ synthesis. Cellulose and chitosan dissolved in alkali/urea solvent and regenerated in ethylene glycol to form cellulose/chitosan nanofiber network, which was an ideal supporter for ZnO and Ag nanoparticles and beneficial for recycle usage. The hydroxyl groups of cellulose and chitosan chains exposed and were utilized for the synthesis of Ag particles, as well as ZnO nanoparticles by biomineralization. The Ag/Ag2O/ZnO decorating cellulose/chitosan (AZ@CC) films exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The width of inhibition zones around AZ@CC films reached 10.0-19.6 mm and 12.4-15.0 mm for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. Moreover, AZ@CC films exhibited good photocatalytic activity against methyl orange (MO), almost 97% degradation of methyl orange (MO) within 50 min was achieved with the assistance of AZ@CC film. Importantly, the nanocomposite films exhibited excellent tensile strength and thermal stability. This facile and eco-friendly approach provided a new route to utilize cellulose and chitosan advantages for constructing multifunctional materials.

Stem cell-derived exosomes (SC-EXO) was an emerging therapeutic agent in regenerative medicine. Intratunical injection of SC-EXO is considered as a prospective approach for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. However, high vascularization of cavernous body makes effective retention a major challenge for SC-EXO intratunical injection. In this study, a Polydopamine nanoparticles (PDNPs) incorporated poly (ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PDNPs-PELA) thermosensitive hydrogels were fabricated by a facile in situ polymerization for intratunical administration of adipose stem cell-derived exosomes (EXO). The hydrogels exhibited sol-gel transition at body temperature. Moreover, the in-situ polymerization of PDNPs using poly (ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PELA) block copolymer as a template was found to be more stable dispersion in the gel system. After being encapsulated into the hydrogel, EXO shows sustained release behavior within two weeks. In vivo animal experiments revealed that exosomes released from hydrogel lead to the healing of endothelial cells and neurons, increase of the cavity's pressure, thereby restoring the erectile function. In particular, since the PDNPs in thermosensitive gels have excellent photoacoustic performance, the hydrogel can be accurately delivered into the tunica albuginea by the guidance of real-time photoacoustic imaging. These results suggest that the as-prepared PDNPs-PELA has a promising future as an injectable exosome carrier for ED treatment., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlight • A temperature-sensitive hydrogel with photoacoustic activity was developed for intratunical injection by in-situ polymerization. •The exosomes encapsulated in the hydrogel can be slowly released and effectively restore damaged nerve and vascular endothelial cells. •The injection guided by photoacoustic images realizes accurate puncture and real-time filling detection of hydrogel in the corpus cavernosum.

To find the gold standard out of three pre-established routine slow freezing (SF) methods, ovarian cortex tissues of nine transsexual individuals were cryopreserved and compared to each other, as well as the control (fresh) samples. Histological, genomic, and endocrinological effects of the SFs were assessed post-thawing and after a seven-day culture period. SF1 included 10% dimethyl-sulfoxide (Me2SO) in the base medium (BM), SF2 had 1.5 M/L ethylene-glycol (EG) and 0.1 M/L sucrose in the BM, and SF3 consisted of 6% Me2SO, 6% EG and 0.15 M/L sucrose in the BM. The cortical tissue strips went under a programmed cooling process and were stored in liquid nitrogen. Histological criteria (tissue damage and follicular quality), as well as gene expression levels, were assessed in the thawed and control tissues. Half of the thawed and control tissues were cultured for seven days and their histology, genetic profile, and hormonal status were examined as the reflection of the avascular tension effect. Post-thawing tissue damage was similar between all groups but significantly increased post-culture (P 0.05). The percentages of high-quality follicles diminished in all SFs after thawing and culture (P 0.05) except for the similarity of post-thawing SF3, compared to control. The genetic profile of the tissue after thawing and culture suggested quiescence/activation balance in SF1 and 2 and significant down-regulation in SF3, compared to the control specimens (P 0.05). Post-thawing BAX:BCL2 was higher than control in SF1 and SF3 (P 0.05), while this ratio in SF2 was similar to the control. However, after culture this ratio was similar to that of control in SF3 and diminished in SF1 and 2 (P 0.05). The expression levels of gap-junction genes showed dramatic pre- and post-thawing fluctuations in all groups. After culture, estradiol in SF3 was significantly higher than SF1 and 2 (P 0.05). In addition, progesterone in SF3 was similar to control but significantly lower in SF1 and 2 (P 0.05). In conclusion, all SFs showed advantages and disadvantages, and the follicular quality and its function depend on the type of cryoprotectant and the speed of thawing. The effects of freezing/thawing continue to appear during the seven days of culture. According to the results of this study, SF3 seems to be more promising in keeping the follicles functional and safe from cell damage during culture.

Introducing polymerizable monomers into a binary hexagonal lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) template is a straightforward way for retaining the nanostructure but will decrease attractive intra- and inter- aggregate interactions. It is therefore crucial to understand the interfacial interactions at nanoscale after introducing the monomers but prior to polymerization. Herein, active species, poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), were introduced into hexagonal LLC of dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide and water to explore the structural variables, dimensional stability, and dynamic property. At a proper volume ratio of PEGDA/HEMA (1/4), the system presents excellent homogeneity with a higher dimensional stability and lower dynamic property from rheological assessments, thereby achieving robust, free-standing, and transparent membranes after photo-polymerization. The unique property of the system also lies in the much lower order–disorder transition temperature (45 °C) that facilitates the reorientation of mesochannels. They are in contrast inaccessible for the ternary system only with PEGDA, though the nanostructure for both systems could be retained. An insight into subtle variations in these parameters allows us to prepare a polymerizable template possessing higher dimensional stability and suitable flexibility via molecular design, thereby enabling simultaneous structural alignment and retention for the development of functional nanomaterials.

The hydrogel sponges have prepared successfully from gelatin/chitosan (GEL/CTS) matrix with different polyols basing on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The results indicate that the compressibility and thermal properties (thermal gravimetric analysis, TGA) were improved significantly with adding the different polyols [poly(vinyl alcohol) – PVA, and poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol)- poly(ethylene glycol) – PEPEG] into GEL/CTS matrix. Specially, the as-prepared hydrogel sponges with superabsorbent behavior were also investigated with the attained water absorption capacity to 605 ​g ​g−1 and 585 ​g ​g−1 for GCV_1/1/0.3 and GCE_1/1/0.3 sponges, respectively, as well as the excellent water absorption capacity in a wide range of pH and salt concentration. Hence, these studies demonstrated that the hydrogel sponges are concerned as potential and promising candidates to apply especially in the fields of biomedicine and hygiene.

Hypothesis One prevailing method to construct excellent temperature tolerance/long-lasting moisture hydrogels is to couple the original hydrogel networks with freezing-tolerant/moisture retaining agents, including ionic liquids, inorganic salts, zwitterionic osmolytes, and polyhydric alcohols. Among them, organohydrogels have shed new light on the development of ionic skins with long-term usability and stable sensing performance at subzero temperatures due to their long-lasting water retention and anti-freezing capability. Experiments We report a dual network organohydrogel by doping conductive ZnSO4 into the double network hydrogel of polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylamide (PVA-PAM) with subsequent immersing in a mixed solvent of ethylene glycol (EG) and H2O. The anti-freezing and moisture retaining abilities of the PVA/PAM/Zn/EG (PPZE) organohydrogel were studied and the sensing performances of the PPZE organohydrogel-based ionic skin were investigated. Findings The organohydrogel exhibits a high conductivity (0.44 S m−1), excellent fatigue resistance and exceptional moisture retaining ability with more than 99.3% of the initial weight retention after 31 days storage at ambient temperature. Importantly, the PPZE organohydrogel-based ionic skin shows an ultra-low temperature anti-freezing ability and remains flexibility and sensing capability with a high sensitivity (signal response time ∼ 0.23 s) even at -50 °C. The PPZE organohydrogel demonstrates a tremendous potential in artificial skin and health monitoring.

Hypothesis Delivery of multiple payloads using the same micelle is of significance to achieve multifunctional or synergistic effects. The interacting distribution of different payloads in micelles is expected to influence the loading stability and capacity. It is highly desirable to explore how intermolecular interactions affect the joint distribution of multi-payloads. Experiments Dissipative Particle Dynamics simulations were performed to probe the loading of three payloads: decane with a linear carbon chain, butylbenzene with an aromatic ring connected to carbon chain, and naphthalene with double aromatic rings, within poly(β-amino ester)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) micelles. Properties of core-shell micelles, e.g., morphological evolution, radial density distribution, mean square displacement, and contact statistics, were analyzed to reveal payloads loading stability and capacity. Explorations were extended to vesicular, multi-compartment, double helix, and layer-by-layer micelles with more complex inner structures. Findings Different payloads have their own preferred locations. Decane locates at the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface, butylbenzene occupies both the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface and the hydrophobic core, while naphthalene enters the hydrophobic core. More efficient delivery of multi-payloads is achieved since the competition of payloads occupying preferred locations is minimized. The fusion of micelles encapsulating different payloads suggests that specific payloads will move to their preferred positions without interfering other payloads.

In this study, highly pure rutileTiO2 nanorods (NRs) structures were grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by using a one-step hydrothermal method. The effect of the growth time on the structure and surface properties of the obtained products has been studied. The X-ray diffraction analysis and the Raman spectroscopy indicated that the films were single-crystalline rutile phase. At lower hydrothermal time, TiO2 NRs singly distributed with small diameter are found showing a high contact angle with ethylene glycol. When the hydrothermal reaction increases, nanoflowers (NFs) with a large diameter are formed over the TiO2 NRs leading to superhydrophilic surfaces. These nanostructured thin films can be tailored to the requirements of specific applications involving water and ethylene glycol.

Nanoparticles are potential candidates for numerous biological as well as chemical applications due to their exotic properties 1 - 3. Low lattice energy ions are found in deep eutectic solvents (DES). A quaternary ammonium salt is frequently complexed with a metal salt or hydrogen bond donor to produce these compounds (HBD) 4 - 6. The green synthesis of nanoparticles using DESs is always eco-friendly and attractive. The current study focuses on the synthesis of mercuric sulphide, Zirconium oxide, Manganese oxide and Copper oxide nanoparticles using the Choline Chloride - Ethylene Glycol DES as the solvent in presence of a reducing agent, hydrazine hydrate. The UV-Visible, FTIR spectra, XRD, SEM and EDAX analysis were carried out on these metal nanoparticles. The average sizes of these metal nanoparticles were found to be 50 to 150 nm. Hence the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using Ch. Cl – EG can be considered as an alternative route in chemical synthesis of metal nanoparticles.

The sol-gel combustion method was applied using three types of fuels (urea, glycine, and ethylene glycol) to synthetize Co sillenite. A Co sillenite - Co3O4 nanocomposite was obtained as result of the synthesis. The effects of initial pH, fuel type, and amount of fuel on the relative mass concentration of Co Sillenite phase present in the nanocomposite, obtained by Rietveld refinement of XRD data, were evaluated by the Box-Behnken design of experiments. Statistical analysis allowed the quantification of each synthesis parameter and the choice of the samples with higher relative mass concentration of Co Sillenite for each type of fuel. The selected samples were analyzed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and dielectric open-ended coaxial probe techniques. Rietveld refinements showed that Co sillenite and Co3O4 have cubic structure, and Co sillenite structure belongs to I 23 space group. The Co sillenite has crystallite sizes of 43.6 nm (urea), 40.3 nm (glycine) and 44.1 nm (ethylene glycol). The FESEM images displayed a significant change in samples morphology, presenting sphere, flakes and flowers-like shapes. The samples purity was confirmed by the presence of Bi, Co and O elements, identified through EDX. Functional groups and vibrational modes of Co sillenites (Bi–O, Co–O) were identified by FT-IR technique and Raman spectroscopy. Dielectric properties measurements displayed accordance with structural characterizations of each sample. Low losses could also be achieved above 4.5 GHz, leading to a composite suitable for highly efficient microwave systems.

In this present work, nanosize zinc oxide particles were prepared via modest coprecipitation synthesis route. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern was applied for calculating the size of crystallites in the prepared sample. Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectrum established the Zn-O bands at 539 and 433 cm−1 in nano ZnO sample. The structural analysis was done using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies for ZnO nanoparticles. Ultrasonicated two step procedure was followed to disperse the produced nanoparticles in the combination of water (60%) and ethylene glycol (40%) to produce ZnO nanofluids with five different particle volume fractions from 0.0125% to 0.1%. To overcome the stability problem and uniform distribution of nanoparticles within the fluid, Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) dispersant was added within the suspension while preparation. The investigation results of viscosity, density as well as thermal conductivity at various temperatures showed the enhanced results than the base fluid combination. Huge improvements in thermophysical properties leads the ZnO nanofluid as an alternate working liquid in heat transferring systems.

The potential use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for anhydrous conductivity of sulfonated polysulfone membrane is presented. To this end, different molar ratios of sodium bromide as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and ethylene glycol as hydrogen bond donor (HBD) are used for the synthesis of DESs. Two sulfonation degrees (DS) of 30 and 40% are also adjusted for the synthesis of sulfonated polysulfones. The synthesized DESs have suitable thermal stability as well as low viscosity to provide interconnected ionic pathways within the membranes. The proton conductivity of membranes is mainly influenced by the HBD/HBA molar ratio of DES as well as the DS of sulfonated polymer. The maximum proton conductivity of 301 mS/cm at 100 °C is obtained for the polymer with 40% DS containing a DES with a higher HBD/HBA molar ratio. The prepared composite membranes have great potential for fuel cell performance, especially in anhydrous conditions.

Self-healable aqueous batteries can improve their service lifetime and solve safety issues induced by device failure during large deformations at room temperature. At low temperatures (e.g. -20 °C), they generally lose most of their electrochemical performance and self-healing function since water molecules in aqueous electrolytes are inevitably frozen. Herein, a simple and effective method is adopted to prepare an anti-freezing and self-healable polyelectrolyte (AF-SH CPAM) by the in-situ polymerization of acrylamide monomer in a water/ethylene glycol solution. In AF-SH CPAM, ethylene glycol simultaneously achieves the anti-freezing and self-healing performance of the polyelectrolyte by restraining the icing of water molecules and dynamically adjusting the molecular interactions between polymer chains and water. Based on this polyelectrolyte, a self-healable zinc ion battery working at -20 °C is fabricated for the first time by using the gold-sprayed carbon nanotube/polyaniline film as cathode and the zinc foil as anode. This battery can deliver a high specific capacity of 233.9 mAh g − 1 at room temperature, exceeding that of those reported aqueous Zn/polyaniline batteries. More impressively, it also shows the prominent self-healablity with a high capacity retention of 90.4% after three cutting/self-healing cycles at -20 °C, presenting a breakthrough in low-temperature self-healing function of aqueous batteries.

The experimental study of the heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid plays a significant role in improving the heat transfer rate of the heat exchanger. A natural convection apparatus was used to study heat transfer in the suspension of Al2O3 nanoparticles in a water-ethylene glycol mixture base fluid. The effects of the heat input, the nanoparticle volume fraction, and the base fluid concentration on the heat transfer coefficient were studied using a 23 full factorial design matrix (16 experimental runs) and the MINITAB Design software. The levels for the heat input, nanoparticle volume fraction, and base fluid concentration were 10 and 100 W, 0.1 and 1 vol.%, and 30 and 50 vol.%, respectively. The residual, contour, 3D surface plots, and Pareto chart were drawn from the experimental results. The observed heat transfer coefficient showed the highest enhancement with the high level of the nanoparticle volume fraction and a moderate enhancement with the high level of heat input, and a slight enhancement with the base fluid concentration.

3D printed bioactive glass or bioceramic particle reinforced composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering currently suffer from low particle concentration (100% breaking strain) by adding poly(ethylene glycol) which is biocompatible and FDA approved. The scaffolds require no post-printing washing to remove hazardous components. More exposure of HA microparticles on strut surfaces is enabled by incorporating higher HA concentrations. Compared to scaffolds with 72 wt% HA, scaffolds with higher HA content (90 wt%) enhance matrix formation but not new bone volume after 12 weeks implantation in rat calvarial defects. Histological analyses demonstrate that bone regeneration within the 3D printed scaffolds is via intramembranous ossification and starts in the central region of pores. Fibrous tissue that resembles non-union tissue within bone fractures is formed within pores that do not have new bone. The amount of blood vessels is similar between scaffolds with mainly fibrous tissue and those with more bone tissue, suggesting vascularization is not a deciding factor for determining the type of tissues regenerated within the pores of 3D printed scaffolds. Multinucleated immune cells are commonly present in all scaffolds surrounding the struts, suggesting a role of managing inflammation in bone regeneration within 3D printed scaffolds.

A novel biocatalytic system for the synthesis of the industrially relevant C2 chemicals (e.g., ethylene glycol (3)) from formaldehyde (1) was established. The biocatalytic system consisted of a newly discovered thermostable glyoxylate carboligase from Escherichia coli K-12 (EcGCL) and a lactaldehyde reductase (FucO) of E. coli K-12. The affinity for formaldehyde of EcGCL was first improved by engineering the substrate access tunnel. One of the variants (i.e., EcGCLR484MN283QL478M) showed a high substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency of 18 mM and 5.2 M−1·s−1, respectively, for condensation of two molecules of formaldehyde into one molecule of glycolaldehyde. The recombinant E. coli cells expressing both EcGCLR484MN283QL478M and FucO produced ethylene glycol (3) to 6.6 mM from formaldehyde (1) with a bioconversion of 66% via glycolaldehyde (2), without leaving the reactants (1 and 2) in the reaction medium. This study demonstrated biocatalytic synthesis of ethylene glycol from C1 compounds in an environment-friendly way.

The article presents an application of curcumin, a widely available and cost-effective organic dye, to control visible-light mediated ATRP. A two-component photocatalytic system composed of curcumin and an amine-based electron donor activates alkyl bromide and controls radical polymerizations by a reductive quenching pathway. The polymerizations of various types of (meth)acrylates were performed under blue LED irradiation (λmax = 460 nm, 5 mW cm−2). The effect of electron donor type, solvent, photocatalyst and electron donor concentration, target degree of polymerization (DPtarget) etc. on the metal-free ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA500) was systematically investigated to optimize the polymerization conditions. Moreover, comestible curcumin of four different brands available in the market as kitchen spices was used, which makes this approach economical (∼0.04 € for 15 g of turmeric). In order to increase the applicability of the curcumin-based polymerization strategy, the concept was extended to the polymerization of other methacrylates – butyl methacrylate (nBMA), di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (DEGMA), 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), and acrylates i.e. poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (OEGA480), n-butyl acrylate (nBA) and 2-hydoxyethyl acrylate (HEA). In situ chain extension experiment demonstrated the preservation of chain-end functionality, enabling the facile synthesis of well-controlled copolymers.

The aim of the present study was to establish a vitrification protocol for ovine preantral follicles, which can retain viability after thawing and to evaluate the impact of different vitrification treatments on apoptosis and development-related gene expression. Preantral follicles were isolated from cortical slices of ovaries by the mechanical method of isolation. The isolated preantral follicles (200-300 μm) were randomly assigned into four groups. Group1 - Control Fresh preantral follicles (256 follicles); Group 2- Vitrification treatment A (259 follicles) (Vitrification solution 1 (VS1) - Fetal bovine serum (FBS)10%, Ethylene glycol (EG):1.8 M, Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO): 1.4 M, Sucrose-0.3 M for 4 min; VS2- FBS10%, EG:4.5 M, DMSO: 3.5 M, Sucrose:0.3 M for 45 s), Group 3 - Vitr. treatment B (235 follicles) (VS1-FBS 20%, EG:1.3 M, DMSO1.05 M for 15 min, VS2- FBS 20%, EG:2.7 M, DMSO:2.1 M for 5 min) and Group 4-Vitrification treatment C (248 follicles) (VS1-Glycerol(Gly):1.2 M for 3 min, VS2- Gly:1.2 M, EG:3.6 M for 3 min, VS3- Gly3M, EG: 4.5 M for 1 min). Preantral follicles were placed in corresponding vitrification treatments and later plunged immediately into liquid nitrogen (-196 °C). After a week, the follicles were thawed and analyzed for follicular viability by trypan blue dye exclusion method as well as for gene expression. The results showed that the low concentration of cryoprotectants (vitrification treatment B) negatively affected the viability of preantral follicles in comparison with control follicles. There was no significant difference in the viability rates among the Control (87%), Treatment A (79%) and Treatment C (75%). The percentage of viable preantral follicles (73%) derived from Treatment B was significantly decreased (P0.05%) in comparison to that of control. The expression of apoptotic gene BAK was higher in the vitrification treatment B group. Expressions of the other apoptosis-related genes i.e. Bcl2L1, BAD, BAX, Caspase 3, and Annexin showed no significant difference among the groups. The expression pattern of development competence genes GDF-9 and BMP-15 were higher (P 0.05) in vitrification treatment A and C, respectively. Expression of NOBOX gene was significantly increased in preantral follicles with Vitrification treatment B compared to the control group. We conclude that both the Vitrification treatment A and Treatment C were the efficient vitrification treatment methods for the vitrification of ovine preantral follicles.

Traditional hard/soft template approaches to hollow structures suffer from tedious procedures and time-consuming. Compare to these methods, self-template approaches usually gain advantages of step-economy. Herein, solid spherical Ni-glycolate/Ni microspheres were initially synthesized by reacting nickel (II) with ethylene glycol at high temperature. The source of nickel (II) has determinable impact on the formation of Ni-glycolate/Ni. Specially, nickel acetate as sources yielded Ni-glycolate/Ni, while nickel nitrate as precursor cannot. The plausible reason for this result can be attributed to the different acidity of the system caused by the dissolution of nickelacetate and nickel nitrate. By reacting with thioacetamide (TAA) under solvothermal condition and heat treatment, the Ni-glycolate/Ni microspheres were further employed as self-template for direct the formation of hollow NiS microspheres. The driving force for converting Ni-glycolate/Ni into hollow NiS could be attributed to Kirkendall effect resulted from the different diffusion rates of nickel ions (from Ni-glycolate/Ni) and sulfur ions from the decomposition of TAA. When applied as electrode material of supercapacitors, the formed hollow NiS microspheres exhibited a specific capacitance of 1674 F/g at 1 A/g with excellent rate capability and cycling performance. The corresponding asymmetric device of NiS//AC delivered a high energy density of 43.3 Wh/kg at the power density of 850.3 W/kg. These achievements pave innovative synthetic approach to hollow structures for many other practical applications.

Nanocomposite polymer electrolytes (NCPE) have been prepared by blending poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-functionalized with poly (ethylene glycol) (POSS-PEG) with lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4). NCPE has been characterized by DSC and impedance analyzer. POSS-PEG was highly compatible with PEO up to 50 wt% and resulted in single Tg and increased ionic conductivity. The ionic conductivity of the nanocomposites increased to 4.02 × 10−6 S/cm at POSS-PEG 50 wt% by more than 2 orders of magnitude. POSS-PEG nanoparticles sustainably increased ionic conductivity without impeding chain motion of polymer and were highly compatible with PEO up to POSS-PEG 50 wt%, which can mitigate the restriction of the amount of nanoparticles introduction. Also, the stable POSS core structure supplements the mechanical properties of polymer electrolytes. To understand ion transport behaviors, the segmental relaxation times ( τ s) of nanocomposites were studied by dielectric spectroscopy as function of POSS-PEG loading. τ s decreased to −1.54 from −1.01 at POSS-PEG 5 ∼20 wt%, but it slightly increased to −1.28 from −1.54 at POSS-PEG 40 ∼ 50 wt%, which could be attributed to bridged complex formed between PEO and POSS-PEG through Li+.

Electrically conducting nanospheres of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with tailored size were prepared using a solvent displacement technique. To fabricate these nanostructures, dried PEDOT:PSS was dissolved in ethylene glycol (EG) and the solution was precipitated in deionized water. The proposed fabrication route allowed obtaining a water-based dispersion of PEDOT:PSS nanospheres with good optical properties. To determine the physical properties of the nanospheres, we followed a nanoscale approach, using atomic force microscopy. Our nanoscale mechanical and electrical investigations showed that the nanospheres retained good physical and conductivity properties, compared to the commercial product. Moreover, the local studies indicated that the reprecipitation process and the spherical shape lead to a different arrangement of the PSS and PEDOT phases., M. S., A. A. and D. E. M.-T. acknowledge the Grants IT-1175-19 and IT-1566-22 from Eusko Jaurlaritza (Basque Government). D. E. M.-T. acknowledges the financial support obtained from the MCIU fellowship “Juan de la Cierva—Incorporación” (IJCI-2017-31600).

A triblock copolymer (PEG-b-PUEM-b-PMPC; EUM) comprising poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), thermo-responsive poly(2-ureidoethyl methacrylate) (PUEM), and poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) blocks was synthesized via controlled radical polymerization. PEG and PMPC blocks exhibit hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. The PUEM block exhibits an upper critical solution temperature (UCST). PMPC can dissolve hydrophobic fullerenes in water to form a complex by grinding PMPC and fullerene powders. Fullerene-C70 (C70) and EUM were ground in a mortar and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was added to synthesize a water-soluble complex (C70/EUM). C70/EUM has a core-shell-corona structure, whose core is a complex of C70 and PMPC, the shell is PUEM, and corona is PEG. The maximum C70 concentration dissolved in PBS was 0.313 g L-1 at an EUM concentration of 2 g L-1. The C70/EUM hydrodynamic radius (Rh) was 34 nm in PBS at 10 °C, which increased due to the PUEM block's UCST phase transition with increasing temperature, and Rh attained a constant value of 38 nm above 36 °C. An anticancer drug, doxorubicin, was encapsulated in the PUEM shell by hydrophobic interactions in C70/EUM at room temperature, which can be released by heating. The generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) from C70/EUM upon visible-light irradiation was confirmed using the singlet oxygen sensor green indicator. Water-soluble C70/EUM may be used as a carrier that releases encapsulated drugs when heated and as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy.

In recent years, nanofluids have captured great attention due to their enhanced thermal properties in comparison to conventional pristine base fluids. Among them, TiO2 nanofluids have shown outstanding improvements on heat exchange transfer and thermal conductivity at extremely low TiO2 volume fractions. However, there is a lack of research on nanofluid applications in cooling systems of internal combustion engine vehicles and their influence on the pollutant emissions from these mobile sources. Thus, in this work a nanofluid, composed of 0.5 vol.% TiO2 nanoparticles and a commercial ethylene glycol-based coolant, was prepared to assess their effect on CO2, CO, NOx, hydrocarbon (HC) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from a diesel passenger van under the IM-240 cycle, at Quito ambient conditions (2800 m.a.m.s.l.). Therefore, the use of TiO2-based nanofluids allowed improving the thermal efficiency of the engine, as demonstrated by the rise of CO2 emissions (2%), along with the consequent reduction of CO, HC and mainly PM2.5 up to 16, 17 and 60%, respectively. The substantial decrease in PM2.5 by using TiO2-nanocoolant could drop the impact of diesel vehicles on human health, particularly on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Hypothesis Although protein adsorption at an interface is very common and important in biology and biotechnology, it is still not fully understood – mainly due to the intricate balance of forces that ultimately control it. In food processing (and medicine), controlling and manipulating protein adsorption, as well as avoiding protein adsorption (biofilm formation or membrane fouling) by the production of protein-resistant surfaces is of substantial interest. A major factor conferring resistance towards protein adsorption to a surface is the presence of tightly bound water molecules, as is the case in oligo ethylene glycol (OEG)-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Due to strong attractive protein-protein and protein-surface interactions observed in systems containing trivalent salt ions, we hypothesize that these conditions may lead to a breakdown of protein resistance in OEG SAMs. Experiments We studied the adsorption behavior of BLG in the presence of a lanthanum(III) chloride (LaCl3) at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.8 and 5.0 mM on normally protein resistant triethylene glycol-termianted (EG3) SAMs on a gold surface. We used quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and neutron reflectivity (NR) to characterize the morphology of the interfacial region of the SAM. Findings We demonstrate that the protein resistance of the EG3 SAM breaks down beyond a threshold salt concentration c ∗ and mirrors the bulk behaviour of this system, showing reduced adsorption beyond a second critical salt concentration c ∗ ∗ . These results demonstrate for the first time the controlled switching of the protein-resistant properties of this type of SAM by the addition of trivalent salt.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles have recently become a popular study topic because of their intriguing physical and chemical properties and their potential applications in optoelectronics, chemical sensing, bio-sensing, and photo-catalysis. Present study reports a new, template and solvent less solid-state synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. The synthesis route includes the thermal degradation of novel starting reagents i.e., zinc acetate dehydrate and ethylene glycol at 500 °C for 3 h. XRD was used to determine crystalline structure, EDXS was used to determine chemical composition, FESEM was used to evaluate size and morphology and to determine the optical characteristics of the as-prepared product, UV–Visible spectroscopy was used. These results showed that ethylene glycol inhibits nanoparticles from sintering and leads to the creation of homogenous particles with an optical band-gap of 3.39 eV with an average particle size of 35.4 nm.

Gel electrolytes based on poly(acrylic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PAA-PEGDA-Ca2+) loaded with Ca2+ ions were successfully prepared using gamma irradiation. The use of radiation provides benefits, such as solventless preparation without byproducts. The obtained gel fraction, porosity, and swelling ratio were in the range of 60–90%, 11–60%, and 4–12 g/g, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful crosslinking between PAA and PEGDA. Crystallinity remained unaffected by the incorporation of Ca2+ ions. The thermal decomposition of the gels started at 200°C. The morphology was reported to have a spherical shape. 0.36-0.74 wt.% of Ca2+ was uniformly distributed on the gel electrolyte surface. In the presence of Ca2+ ions, the ionic conductivity of the gels improved by ∼2 times, whereas compressive strength slightly dropped to the range of 6–12 MPa. Graphical abstract Download : Download high-res image (122KB) Download : Download full-size image

Trivalent PROTACs having a functionalization site with controlled orientation were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. Based on the X-ray structure of BRD protein degrader MZ1 (1) in complex with human VHL and BRD4BD2, we expected that the 1,2-disubstituted ethyl group near the JQ-1 moiety in MZ1 (1) could be replaced by a planar benzene tether as a platform for further functionalization. To test this hypothesis, we first designed six divalent MZ1 derivatives, 2a-c and 3a-c, by combining three variations of substitution patterns on the benzene ring (1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-substitution) and two variations in the number of ethylene glycol units (1 or 2). We then tested the synthesized compounds for the BRD4 degradation activity of each. As expected, we found that 1,2D-EG2-MZ1 (2a), an MZ1 derivative with 1,2-disubstituted benzene possessing two ethylene glycol units, had an activity profile similar to that of MZ1 (1). Based on the structure of 2a, we then synthesized and evaluated four isomeric trivalent MZ1 derivatives, 15a-15d, having a tert-butyl ester unit on the benzene ring as a handle for further functionalization. Among the four isomers, 1,2,5T-EG2-MZ1 (15c) retained a level of BRD4 depletion activity similar to that of 2a without inducing a measurable Hook effect, and its BRD4 depletion kinetics was the same as that of MZ1 (1). Other isomers were also shown to retain BRD4 depletion activity. Thus, the trivalent PROTACs we synthesized here may serve as efficient platforms for further applications.

This study tests biodegradation resistance of a custom synthesized novel ethylene glycol ethyl methacrylate (EGEMA) with ester bond linkages that are external to the central polymer backbone when polymerized. Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) with internal ester bond linkages and EGEMA discs were prepared in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) mold using 40 μl macromer and photo/co-initiator mixture cured for 40 s at 1000 mW/cm(2). The discs were stored in the constant presence of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in Todd Hewitt Yeast + Glucose (THYE+G) media up to 9 weeks ([Formula: see text] for each macromer type) and physical/mechanical properties were assessed. Initial measurements EGEMA versus EGDMA polymer discs showed equivalent degree of conversion (45.69% ± 2.38 vs. 46.79% ± 4.64), diametral tensile stress (DTS; 8.12± 2.92 MPa vs. 6.02 ± 1.48 MPa), and low subsurface optical defects (0.41% ± 0.254% vs. 0.11% ± 0.074%). The initial surface wettability (contact angle) was slightly higher [Formula: see text] for EGEMA (62.02° ± 3.56) than EGDMA (53.86° ± 5.61°). EGDMA showed higher initial Vicker’s hardness than EGEMA (8.03 ± 0.88 HV vs. 5.93 ± 0.69 HV; [Formula: see text]). After 9 weeks of S. mutans exposure, EGEMA ([Formula: see text]) showed higher resistance to biodegradation effects with a superior DTS than EGDMA ([Formula: see text]) [Formula: see text]. Visible and scanning electron microscopy images of EGEMA show less surface cracking and defects than EGDMA. EGDMA had higher loss of material (18.9% vs. 8.5%, [Formula: see text]), relative changes to fracture toughness (92.5% vs. 49.2%, [Formula: see text]) and increased water sorption (6.1% vs. 1.9%, [Formula: see text]) compared to EGEMA discs. The flipped external ester group linkage design is attributed to EGEMA showing higher resistance to bacterial degradation effects than an internal ester group linkage design methacrylate.

Fabric-phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) coats organic–inorganic hybrid sorbent materials onto flexible and hydrophilic fabrics through sol–gel sorbent-coating technology. Herein, we explored four different coating chemistries, including those of nonpolar sol–gel poly(dimethylsiloxane), medium polar sol–gel poly(tetrahydrofuran), and polar sol–gel poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–block-poly(propylene glycol)–PEG, and sol–gel PEG. Results showed that PEG had the best extraction recoveries for the majority of the analytes. Subsequently, strongly polar sol–gels were prepared using PEG as precursor and FPSE medium. FPSE was then combined with a cut solid-phase extraction column and immobilised with magnetic-stirring beads so that FPSE could be automatically stirred magnetically throughout the entire extraction process. The developed method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry showed good linearity within the concentration range of 5–200 ng/mL. Under the optimum experimental conditions, limits of detection for 48 pesticides were obtained within the range of 0.014–6.280 ng/mL. Thereafter, the new method was applied to tomato, cucumber, and cabbage samples. Recoveries ranged from 71.4 to 99.8% at three concentration levels. The various parameters of this experimental method were systematically investigated and optimised to improve its sensitivity and prove its feasibility in vegetables. Overall, our results demonstrated that the method was simple, sensitive, efficient, and rapid. Furthermore, FPSE fibre cloth showed great potential for commercial exploitation because of its reusability.

We report a polypeptide-based thermogel as a new tool for hypothermic storage of stem cells at ambient temperature (25 °C). Stem cells were suspended in the sol state (10 °C) of an aqueous poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-alanine) (PEG-PA) solution (4.0 wt %) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), which turned into a stem cell-incorporated gel by a heat-induced sol-to-gel transition. The cell harvesting procedure from the thermogels was simply performed through a gel-to-sol transition by diluting and cooling the system. More than 99% of stem cells died in PBS and Pluronic F127 thermogel (control thermogel) when the cells were stored at 25 °C for 7 days. The cell recovery rate from the PEG-PA thermogel (64%) was significantly greater than that from the commercially available HypoThermosol FRS preservation solution (HTS) (26%). Additionally, the surviving stem cells from the PEG-PA thermogel were healthier than those from HTS in terms of (1) expression of stemness biomarkers (NANOG, OCT4, and SOX2), (2) proliferation rate, and (3) differentiation potentials into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages. Membrane stabilization was suggested as a cell protection mechanism in the cytocompatible PEG-PA thermogel. The PEG-PA thermogel provides a convenient cytocompatible way for the storage and recovery of cells and thus is a promising tool for the transportation and short-term banking of cells.

The solubilization of fatty acids by small amphiphiles such as butyl ethylene glycol, butyl or pentyl diethylene glycol, and hexyl triethylene glycol, also called hydrotropes, was demonstrated by t...

Hypothesis Water contamination from heavy metal ions is a major global environmental concern. Adsorbents based on biomaterials have been demonstrated to possess remarkable removal efficiency for metal ions, but the adsorption model of biosorbents is not clear and much efforts should be devoted to study the adsorption behaviors and understand the adsorption mechanism. Experiments The multifunctional rhodamine-modified chitosan (RMC) hydrogel for Hg2+ adsorption with fluorescent turn-ON properties was fabricated through grafting the rhodamine-modified poly (ethylene glycol) benzaldehyde (RM-PEG) onto the hydrogel network serving as the fluorescence/colorimetric sensing receptor. The adsorption behaviors and colorimetric sensing mechanism of RMC hydrogel towards Hg2+ were investigated in detail. Findings RMC hydrogel can remove more than 96.5% of Hg2+ from aqueous solution with significant fluorescence response and colorimetric change. The high adsorption selectivity and colorimetric sensing mechanism of RMC hydrogel towards Hg2+ can be explained by the hard and soft acid/base (HSAB) theory. The O atom in hydroxyl and carbonyl groups together with the N atom in amine/imine groups of RMC hydrogel play a vital role in the adsorption of Hg2+, while the colorimetric response and fluorescence enhancement of the hydrogel after adsorption are attributed to the specific spiro-lactam structure of rhodamine moieties. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics were investigated and well described by Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, RM-PEG showed low cytotoxicity towards mouse embryonic fibroblast cells and RMC hydrogel can be used as a fluorescent pH indicator from 4.2 to 7.4, demonstrating the potential applications of RMC hydrogel in biological diagnosis.

Lignosulfonate (LS) was successfully introduced into the epoxy resin matrix with the aid of ethylene glycol (EG) dissolution. Both the rigid LS and soft EG segments were linked into the cross-linked network structure of epoxy resin via esterification of hydroxyl groups in LS and EG molecules with anhydride. The ultimate properties of cured samples were adjusted effectively by changing the proportion of LS and EG components. Curing reaction and kinetics were analyzed, by which the optimal curing process parameters were determined. Although thermal stability of LS itself was relatively lower than that of neat epoxy, the thermal performance was significantly enhanced for the modified sample of epoxy/LS0.5-EG0.5. At the same time, the flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength were found to be increased by 23.1, 35.7 and 15.1% respectively compared with the neat epoxy. In addition, the excellent shape memory behavior and improved mechanical stability with LS addition were exhibited by the cured LS-EG modified specimens. This work reveals that lignin can be used as an efficient functional additive to regulate thermal, mechanical and shape memory properties of epoxy resin.

The catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to hydrocarbon fuels offers a tremendous opportunity for a transformational impact on both global energy and environmental sustainability. To enhance the CO2 reduction process, the design and synthesis of novel and efficient catalytic materials with control-over properties are needed. The solvent used in the synthesis of these materials can play a crucial role in tailoring the material properties resulting in changes to their catalytic performance. However, the field still lacks a systematic analysis of the specific effect for different solvents. Here, we report the role of water, ethanol (EtOH), ethylene glycol (EG), Dimethylformamide (DMF), and γ-Butyrolactone (GBL) on the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-copper nanoparticles (CuNP) electrocatalysts used in CO2 reduction reactions (CO2RR). As these solvents contain different terminal groups and molecular sizes, we observed a variation in the d-spacing of the rGO, surface area, nanoparticle yield, and defect density, and characterized the corresponding change in the CO2RR activity. The use of DMF results in higher porosity, d-spacing, yield of CuNP, surface area and defect density which lead to comparatively higher efficiency and selectivity of and selectivity of 19.5 % and 28.4 % for formate and CO, respectively.

The separation and sorting of human cells is an important step in the bioprocessing of cell-based therapeutics. Heterogeneous mixtures of cells must be sorted to isolate the desired cell type and purify the final product. This process is often achieved by antibody-based sorting techniques. In this work, we demonstrate that magnetic microspheres may be functionalized with peptides that selectively bind to cells on the basis of their relative concentration of specific surface proteins. Five-micrometer-magnetic microspheres were coated with the synthetic copolymer PVG (poly(poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate-ran-vinyl dimethyl azlactone-ran-glycidyl methacrylate) and functionalized with the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor binding peptide (VRBP), which binds to the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). These microspheres exhibited low cytotoxicity and bind to cells depending on their relative surface protein expression. Finally, coated, magnetic microspheres were used to separate heterogeneous populations of cells dependent on their VEGFR expression through magnetic-assisted cell sorting (MACS), demonstrating that peptide-based cell sorting mechanisms may be useful in the bioprocessing of human-cell-based products.

In this work, chitosan/caffeic acid mixtures in the weight ratios of 80/20 and 50/50 were used to obtain thin films enriched with poly(ethylene glycol). It was hypothesized that the presence of caffeic acid indicates the antibacterial properties of the materials (i) and that poly(ethylene glycol) acts as a films modifier (ii). The results showed that by poly(ethylene glycol) addition, the surface free energy as well as mechanical and thermal properties were improved. Moreover, water vapor permeability was observed. All the tested materials showed antioxidant properties in the range of approximately 90%. They also showed antibacterial effectiveness against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The most appropriate material for the application as packaging was composed of chitosan and caffeic acid mixed in a 50/50 weight ratio with 20% PEG addition.

It is very challenging to visualize implantable medical devices made of biodegradable polymers in deep tissues. Herein, we designed a novel macromolecular contrast agent with ultrahigh radiopacity (iodinate content > 50%) via polymerizing an iodinated trimethylene carbonate monomer into the two ends of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). A set of thermosensitive and biodegradable polyester-PEG-polyester triblock copolymers with varied polyester compositions synthesized by us, which were soluble in water at room temperature and could spontaneously form hydrogels at body temperature, were selected as the demonstration materials. The addition of macromolecular contrast agent did not obviously compromise the injectability and thermogelation properties of polymeric hydrogels, but conferred them with excellent X-ray opacity, enabling visualization of the hydrogels at clinically relevant depths through X-ray fluoroscopy or Micro-CT. In a mouse model, the 3D morphology of the radiopaque hydrogels after injection into different target sites was visible using Micro-CT imaging, and their injection volume could be accurately obtained. Furthermore, the subcutaneous degradation process of a radiopaque hydrogel could be non-invasively monitored in a real-time and quantitative manner. In particular, the corrected degradation curve based on Micro-CT imaging well matched with the degradation profile of virgin polymer hydrogel determined by the gravimetric method. These findings indicate that the macromolecular contrast agent has good universality for the construction of various radiopaque polymer hydrogels, and can nondestructively trace and quantify their degradation in vivo. Meanwhile, the present methodology developed by us affords a platform technology for deep tissue imaging of polymeric materials., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • A universal macromolecular contrast agent with ultrahigh radiopacity was prepared for construction of radiopaque hydrogels. • The location, morphology and volume of the hydrogels in deep tissues could be non-invasively achieved by CT imaging. • The degradation curve of radiopaque hydrogel confirmed by Micro-CT could truly reflect the in vivo fate of virgin hydrogel. • The present methodology is easily extended to other polymer devices for in vivo monitoring at clinically relevant depths.

Deep eutectic solvents have been established as feasible metal electroplating solvent alternatives over traditional toxic aqueous plating baths. However, water, either added intentionally or unintentionally, can significantly influence the solvent’s physical properties and performance, thereby hindering its industry application. In this study, the hygroscopicity, or the ability to absorb moisture from the environment, of synthesized ethaline (1:2 choline chloride:ethylene glycol) was investigated. The kinematic viscosity, electrical conductivity, electrochemical window, and water content of ethaline were monitored over a 2-week period. Karl Fischer titration tests showed that ethaline exposed to the atmosphere displayed significant hygroscopicity compared to its unexposed counterpart. 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed that water vapor was readily absorbed at the surface due to the hydrophilic groups present in the ethaline molecule. Water uptake resulted in the decrease in viscosity, increase in electrical conductivity and narrowing of the electrochemical window of ethaline. Solution heating at 100°C removed the absorbed moisture and allowed the recovery of the solvent’s initial properties.