All‐polymer and paper‐based energy storage devices have significant inherent advantages in comparison with many currently employed batteries and supercapacitors regarding environmental friendliness, ...flexibility, cost and versatility. The research within this field is currently undergoing an exciting development as new polymers, composites and paper‐based devices are being developed. In this report, we review recent progress concerning the development of flexible energy storage devices based on electronically conducting polymers and cellulose containing composites with particular emphasis on paper‐based batteries and supercapacitors. We discuss recent progress in the development of the most commonly used electronically conducting polymers used in flexible device prototypes, the advantages and disadvantages of this type of energy storage devices, as well as the two main approaches used in the manufacturing of paper‐based charge storage devices.
Recent progress within the field of conducting polymer and cellulose‐based charge storage is reviewed with particular emphasis on the development of environmentally friendly, versatile and flexible paper‐based batteries and supercapacitors. The latter devices, which can be constructed from a few paper sheets, enable the realization of a range of new types of charge storage devices.
The cosmetics industry was among the first to implement nanotechnological principles in product development. Of more than one thousand registered nanotechnology-based products on the global market in ...2009, more than 13% were classified as products for cosmetic use. In this review we highlight the most important scientific articles, expert opinions by regulatory authorities, and patent literature from Europe and the USA for the time period between 2000 and 2010 concerning the use of nanotechnology in dermatological, dental, and haircare products intended for improving the appearance of the user. We present current and suggested uses of nanotechnology in cosmetics with the main focus on nanomaterials as active substances, carriers and formulation aids. The new functionalities these materials are claimed to introduce are also described. We briefly discuss public opinion of nanotechnology in general, and include the most important definitions related to this emerging technology along with a summary of the general characteristics of nanoparticles and their safety aspects. The aim of the review is, thus, to provide an update on the current status and trends of research and industrial development related to the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics and to give an indication of where the field could be heading in the future.
Conducting polymers for battery applications have been subject to numerous investigations during the last two decades. However, the functional charging rates and the cycling stabilities have so far ...been found to be insufficient for practical applications. These shortcomings can, at least partially, be explained by the fact that thick layers of the conducting polymers have been used to obtain sufficient capacities of the batteries. In the present letter, we introduce a novel nanostructured high-surface area electrode material for energy storage applications composed of cellulose fibers of algal origin individually coated with a 50 nm thin layer of polypyrrole. Our results show the hitherto highest reported charge capacities and charging rates for an all polymer paper-based battery. The composite conductive paper material is shown to have a specific surface area of 80 m2 g−1 and batteries based on this material can be charged with currents as high as 600 mA cm−2 with only 6% loss in capacity over 100 subsequent charge and discharge cycles. The aqueous-based batteries, which are entirely based on cellulose and polypyrrole and exhibit charge capacities between 25 and 33 mAh g−1 or 38−50 mAh g−1 per weight of the active material, open up new possibilities for the production of environmentally friendly, cost efficient, up-scalable and lightweight energy storage systems.
Flufenamic acid (FFA) is a problem drug that has up to eight different polymorphs and shows poor solubility. Variability in bioavailability has been reported in the past resulting in limited use of ...FFA in the oral solid dosage form. The goal of this article was to investigate the polymorphism and amorphization behavior of FFA in non-heated and heated mixtures with high surface area nanocellulose, i.e.,
cellulose (CLAD). As a benchmark, low surface area microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was used. The solid-state properties of mixtures were characterized with X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The dissolution behavior of mixtures was studied in three biorelevant media, i.e., fasted state simulated gastric fluid, fasted state simulated intestinal fluid, and fed state simulated intestinal fluid. Additional thermal analysis and dissolution tests were carried out following 4 months of storage at 75% RH and room temperature. Heated mixtures of FFA with CLAD resulted in complete amorphization of the drug, whereas that with MCC produced a mixture of up to four different polymorphs. The amorphous FFA mixture with CLAD exhibited rapid and invariable fasted/fed state dissolution in simulated intestinal fluids, whereas that of MCC mixtures was highly dependent on the biorelevant medium. The storage of the heated FFA-CLAD mixture did not result in recrystallization or changes in dissolution profile, whereas heated FFA-MCC mixture showed polymorphic changes. The straightforward dry powder formulation strategy presented here bears great promise for reformulating a number of problem drugs to enhance their dissolution properties and reduce the fasted/fed state variability.
This article explores the effect of cross-linking of nanocellulose with citric acid for the development of novel paper filters for potential application within nanofiltration, including sterile ...(virus) filtration. Cladophora cellulose paper sheets were cross-linked by first soaking in 16 wt % citric acid in the presence of 1 wt % sodium hypophosphate overnight and then curing at 160 °C for 10 min in a hot-press. The cross-linked paper filter samples were then characterized with FTIR, AFM, N2 gas adsorption, and tensile strength analysis (dry and wet strength). The particle retention properties were further studied with respect to filtering of 20 nm Au nanoparticles with SEM and comparing the UV absorbance intensity of the starting solution and the filtrate. The wet strength of the paper filter was greatly improved following the cross-linking, although in the dry state, the paper becomes brittle. The improved wet strength of the paper filter enables increasing the pressure gradient applied for filtration without compromising the integrity of the filter. This is the first report in which a fully nature-derived paper filter is capable of removing tracer particles as small as 20 nm. It is concluded that citric acid cross-linking of nanocellulose is beneficial for developing paper based sterile (virus) removal industrial filters.
Cellulose is one of the oldest electrically insulating materials used in oil-filled high-power transformers and cables. However, reports on the dielectric properties of nanocellulose for electrical ...insulator applications are scarce. The aim of this study was to characterize the dielectric properties of two nanocellulose types from wood, viz., nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), and algae, viz., Cladophora cellulose, for electrical insulator applications. The cellulose materials were characterized with X-ray diffraction, nitrogen gas and moisture sorption isotherms, helium pycnometry, mechanical testing, and dielectric spectroscopy at various relative humidities. The algae nanocellulose sample was more crystalline and had a lower moisture sorption capacity at low and moderate relative humidities, compared to NFC. On the other hand, it was much more porous, which resulted in lower strength and higher dielectric loss than for NFC. It is concluded that the solid-state properties of nanocellulose may have a substantial impact on the dielectric properties of electrical insulator applications.
Composites of polypyrrole (PPy) and Cladophora nanocellulose, reinforced with 8 μm‐thick chopped carbon filaments, can be used as electrode materials to obtain paper‐based energy‐storage devices with ...unprecedented performance at high charge and discharge rates. Charge capacities of more than 200 C g−1 (PPy) are obtained for paper‐based electrodes at potential scan rates as high as 500 mV s−1, whereas cell capacitances of ∼60–70 F g−1 (PPy) are reached for symmetric supercapacitor cells with capacitances up to 3.0 F (i.e.,0.48 F cm−2) when charged to 0.6 V using current densities as high as 31 A g−1 based on the PPy weight (i.e., 99 mA cm−2). Energy and power densities of 1.75 Wh kg−1 and 2.7 kW kg−1, respectively, are obtained when normalized with respect to twice the PPy weight of the smaller electrode. No loss in cell capacitance is seen during charging/discharging at 7.7 A g−1 (PPy) over 1500 cycles. It is proposed that the nonelectroactive carbon filaments decrease the contact resistances and the resistance of the reduced PPy composite. The present straightforward approach represents significant progress in the development of low‐cost and environmentally friendly paper‐based energy‐storage devices for high‐power applications.
Adding carbon filaments to composite electrodes containing polypyrrole and nanocellulose significantly improves the performance of supercapacitors based on these electrodes. The electrode charge capacity and cell capacitance are maintained at high potential scan rates and charging currents when carbon filaments are included to decrease the cell resistance. The results represent significant progress in the development of inexpensive, paper‐based, environmentally friendly energy‐storage devices.
This is the first time a 100% natural, unmodified nanofibrous polymer‐based membrane is demonstrated capable of removing viruses solely based on the size‐exclusion principle, with a log10 reduction ...value (LRV) ≥ 6.3 as limited by the assay lower detection limit and the feed virus titre, thereby matching the performance of industrial synthetic polymer virus removal filters.
Nifedipine (NIF) is a 1,4-dihydropyridine-based calcium channel blocker with poor solubility, whose bioavailability is highly dependent on the type of formulation. Dry powder mixtures of 20%
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NIF ...with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and its high surface area nanocellulose analogue, which is namely Cladophora (CLAD) cellulose, were produced by heating at the melting temperature of the drug for 1 h. Non-heated samples were used as a reference. The solid-state properties of the mixtures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The drug release was studied in biorelevant media, including simulated gastric fluid (SGF), fasted-state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSIF) and fed-state simulated intestinal fluid (FeSIF). An enhanced apparent solubility and faster dissolution rate of NIF were observed in the heated mixture of NIF with CLAD-H in all tested biorelevant media (i.e., SGF, FaSIF and FeSIF), which was due to NIF amorphization in the high surface area nanocellulose powder. Ordinary MCC, which is essentially non-porous, did not produce an enhancement of a similar magnitude. The results of the study suggest that dry powder formulation using high surface area nanocellulose is a facile new strategy for formulating calcium channel blocker drugs, which could potentially be a viable alternative to currently used soft gel liquid capsules.
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