Hybrid molecules have the potential to enhance the efficacy against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant organisms, and Ferroquine, a ferrocene hybrid, has demonstrated great potency in clinical ...trials against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant malaria. Accordingly, hybridization of ferrocene with other antimalarial pharmacophores represents a promising strategy to develop novel antimalarial candidates. This work attempts to systematically review the recent study of ferrocene hybrids in the design and development of antimalarial agents, and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) is also discussed to provide an insight for rational design of more effective antibacterial candidates.
This review outlines the recent development of ferrocene hybrids with potential in vitro antiplasmodial and in vivo antimalarial activity. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) is discussed to set up the direction for the design and development of ferrocene hybrids with high efficiency and activity. Display omitted
•Ferrocene hybrids have potential antimalarial activity.•Ferroquine is being under clinical trial.•The structure-activity relationship is enriched.
Cellulose is an important raw material used for the preparation of aerogel materials in life sciences. Cellulose aerogel's excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity combined with ...its multiple chemical functions make it an ideal carrier for drug delivery. Cellulose aerogels offer high porosity, large specific surface area, and ultra-light density. They can be used as drug carriers to improve bioavailability and drug loading. We reviewed the methods used to prepare cellulose aerogels with nanocellulose, renewable cellulose, and cellulose derivatives as raw materials. In addition, we described cellulose aerogels as a drug delivery carrier to inspire work in new drug delivery systems that intelligently use cellulose aerogels. Finally, we described the application prospects of intelligent and responsive cellulose aerogels in drug delivery systems.
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•Kraft lignin was cationized with glycidyl-trimethylammonium chloride.•Reaction was optimized based on charge density and solubility of the product.•Cationic lignin was analyzed by ...FTIR, TGA, NMR, GPC and elemental analyzer.•Cationic lignin was used as a flocculant for dye removal from model wastewater.
The cationization of polymers was regarded as an effective method to improve their performance for various applications. In this work, the cationization of kraft lignin was investigated using glycidyl-trimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) with kraft lignin in an aqueous solution under altered conditions. The conditions investigated were temperature, time, pH, GTMAC to lignin molar ratio, and lignin concentration. The optimized conditions based on charge density and solubility of cationic lignin were found to be 70°C, 1h, 12.5 pH, 2/1 GTMAC/lignin molar ratio, and 1.0wt.% lignin concentration. The solubility of the resulting cationic lignin reached 90% in 1wt.% lignin concentration and the charge density reached 1.10meq/g under the optimized conditions. The cationic lignin was characterized and compared with unmodified kraft lignin using elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and thermogravimetry (TGA) analysis in order to confirm the success of the grafting reaction. The cationic lignin was used as a flocculant for dye removal (Remazol Brilliant Violet, Reactive Black, and Direct Yellow) from model wastewater.
Fused filament fabrication (FFF), also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM™), is considered one of the most promising additive manufacturing (AM) methods for its versatility, reliability and ...affordability. First adopted by industries for professional uses such as rapid prototyping, then by the general public in recent years, FFF has gathered itself considerable attention. Nevertheless, despite key advancements in printer technologies and filament materials, the fabrication of robust, performing and functional parts for high-demanding practical applications remains a significant challenge. Due to intrinsic deficiencies, such as the presence of voids and weak layer-to-layer adhesion, FFF-printed parts are plagued by weak and anisotropic mechanical properties in contrast to their conventionally manufactured counterparts. With the increasing demand for designable porous structures in the fields of biomedicine, 4D printing and lightweight cellular composites, understanding the challenges presented by void presence has become more relevant than ever. As existing literature has reviewed the significance of interlayer bonding, this review focuses on documenting recent insights on the formation of voids by its categorization, research method and mechanism. The primary objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the two current primary methods of void research—quantitative analysis and imaging. Detailed discussions on the effects of feedstock and printing parameters on void formation are also presented. Lastly, this review discusses gaps in the current research and outlines unaddressed challenges regarding void formation and its relation with the mechanical performance of FFF parts.
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•Kraft lignin was carboxymethylated to produce a water soluble product.•Reaction was optimized based on charge density and solubility of the product.•Carboxymethylated lignin was ...analyzed by FTIR, TGA, GPC and elemental analyzer.•Carboxymethylated lignin was used as a dispersant for a clay suspension.
Kraft lignin is currently combusted in the pulping process to produce heat. It can be extracted from the process and converted to value-added products, but its limited water solubility hampers its end use applications. The main objective of this study was to investigate the carboxymethylation of hardwood kraft lignin to produce an anionic water soluble product. The results showed that the optimal conditions for carboxymethylation were 1.5M NaOH concentration, 3mol/mol sodium chloroacetate (SCA)/lignin ratio, 40°C, 4h and 16.7g/L lignin concentration. The produced lignin had a charge density and carboxylate group of 1.8meq/g and 1.68mmol/g, respectively. The carboxymethylated lignin was further characterized using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H NMR) and elemental analyses. Moreover, the application of carboxymethylated lignin as a dispersant for a clay suspension was successfully analyzed by means of a photometric dispersion analyzer.
In this work, we designed a novel multifunctional Pickering emulsion stabilized by lignin-based nanoparticles. We utilized the industrial waste lignin to prepare thermoresponsive lignin copolymer by ...grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) onto lignin via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and then formed self-assembled nanoparticles (AL-g-PNIPAM NPs). AL-g-PNIPAM NPs well stabilized trans-resveratrol (trans-RSV)-containing palm oil emulsion droplets in water. Thanks to the abundant UV chromophoric groups of lignin, the light stability of trans-RSV was significantly improved by the protecting of the AL-g-PNIPAM NPs layer. Moreover, the emulsion properties and release behavior strongly depend on the temperature and nanoparticles size: decreasing temperature induced deformation of AL-g-PNIPAM NPs at the interface, an increase in droplet size, and the accelerated release of trans-RSV. These results showed the great potential of this approach of a green functional lignin-based nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsion for storage and thermal-controlled release of light-unstable and poorly water-soluble drugs.
Paper-based substrates have been increasingly attractive in flexible electronics technology as flexible support substrates due to their advantages of availability, environmental friendliness (as ...disposable, degradable, and renewable materials), and foldability. Hereby, a facile method for installation of p-type and n-type semiconductor legs in the thickness direction of a paper substrate was established. A transparent paper-based thermoelectric generator prototype by impregnating the paper with resin was then fabricated. The resulting transparent paper-based thermoelectric generator with 10 thermocouples showed excellent mechanical flexibility. The generator maintained a maximum voltage and an output power of ∼8.3 mV and ∼10 nW, respectively, at a temperature difference of 35 K after 1000 bending cycles. This work offers a promising strategy for the development of paper-based thermoelectric generators that are adaptable to a wide variety of complex curved surface heat source. Therefore, the heat recovery efficiency in both human and natural environments can be greatly improved.
Temperature-responsive aerogels from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-grafted N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) were developed for the first time as a novel drug delivery system. The morphology and ...structure of temperature-responsive HPMC-NIPAM aerogels were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses. Water-soluble 5-fluorouracil was used as a model drug to study drug loading and release. Drug release experiments demonstrated a sustained and controlled release behavior of the HPMC-NIPAM aerogels that were highly dependent on temperature. Meanwhile, the first-order kinetic model, Higuchi model, and Korsmyer–Peppas model were used to fit the sustained-release curve of drug-loaded aerogel revealing a sustained-release mechanism.
The presence of dyes in wastewater effluents made from the textile industry is a major environmental problem due to their complex structure and poor biodegradability. In this study, a cationic lignin ...polymer was synthesized via the free radical polymerization of lignin with 2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC) and used to remove anionic azo-dyes (reactive black 5, RB5, and reactive orange 16, RO16) from simulated wastewater. The effects of pH, salt, and concentration of dyes, as well as the charge density and molecular weight of lignin-METAC polymer on dye removal were examined. Results demonstrated that lignin-METAC was an effective flocculant for the removal of dye via charge neutralization and bridging mechanisms. The dye removal efficiency of lignin-METAC polymer was independent of pH. The dosage of the lignin polymer required for reaching the maximum removal had a linear relationship with the dye concentration. The presence of inorganic salts including NaCl, NaNO₃, and Na₂SO₄ had a marginal effect on the dye removal. Under the optimized conditions, greater than 98% of RB5 and 94% of RO16 were removed at lignin-METAC concentrations of 120 mg/L and 105 mg/L in the dye solutions, respectively.
This work explores a simple way to regulate the morphology and structure of biomass-based carbon and effectively utilize its internal functional groups as the substrate for the next energy materials. ...The unique randomly oriented and highly interconnected cordyceps-like 3D structure of rice husk is formed by direct high-temperature carbonization, and the main component is SiC. The well-arranged cordyceps-like structure of SiC demonstrates a remarkable structural/chemical stability and a high rate of electron migration, and further could be used as a stable substrate for metal deposition and find application in the field of electrocatalysis. The oxygen evolution reaction catalyst (SiC-C@Fe3O4) prepared by chemical deposition exhibits a low overpotential (260 mV), low Tafel slope (56.93 mV dec−1), high electrochemical active surface area (54.92 mF cm−2), and low Rct value (0.15 Ω) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH electrolyte. The produced natural Si-C composite materials overcome the limitations imposed by the intricate internal structure of silicon-rich biomass. The existence of this stable substrate offers a novel avenue for maximizing the utilization of rice-husk-based carbon, and broadens its application field. At the same time, it also provides a theoretical basis for the use of rice husks in the field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, thus promoting their high-value utilization.
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