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Topic Review
Nitric Oxide for Dermal Application
Nitric oxide (NO•) is a free radical gas, produced in the human body to regulate physiological processes, including skin health. The lack of NO• is known to cause or worsen skin conditions, so an exogenous delivery through NO-donors can compensate its deficiency. This has been incorporated into natural, synthetic and semisynthetic polymeric matrices that have been evaluated for antimicrobial, wound healing and circulatory dermal applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Enhancing Weathering Resistance of Wood
Although weathering is primarily a surface phenomenon, it is an important issue for wood products as it affects their appearance, service life, and wood-coating performance. To encourage the use of wood as a material for joinery and other building components, the results of research into increasing the weathering resistance of wood are extremely significant. The development of weathering protection methods is of great importance to reduce the maintenance requirements for wood exposed outdoors and can have a major environmental impact.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Application of Polycaprolactone-Based Materials in Nanoformulations
Among the various materials used for the fabrication of nanoparticles, polycaprolactone (PCL) has gained considerable attention due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ease of synthesis.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Chitosan-Containing Composite Materials for Adsorption and Catalysis
Composite materials including organic–inorganic systems have drawn special attention due to their enhanced properties such as adsorbents and heterogeneous catalysts. At the same time, large-scale production of environmentally benign functionalized biopolymers, such as chitosan (CS), allows for constantly developing new materials, since CS reveals remarkable properties as a stabilizing agent for metal-containing compounds and enzymes and as an adsorbent of organic molecules. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Polymeric Structures
Certain natural and synthetic polymers are versatile materials that have already proved themselves to be highly suitable for the development of the next-generation of antimicrobial systems that can efficiently prevent and kill microbes in various environments.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 May 2021
Topic Review
3D Printed Silicone Meniscus Implants
Osteoarthritis of the knee with meniscal pathologies is a severe meniscal pathology suffered by the aging population worldwide. However, conventional meniscal substitutes are not 3D-printable and lack the customizability of 3D printed implants and are not mechanically robust enough for human implantation. Similarly, 3D printed hydrogel scaffolds suffer from drawbacks of being mechanically weak and as a result patients are unable to execute immediate post-surgical weight-bearing ambulation and rehabilitation. To solve this problem, we have developed a 3D silicone meniscus implant which is (1) cytocompatible, (2) resistant to cyclic loading and mechanically similar to native meniscus, and (3) directly 3D printable. The main focus of this study is to determine whether the purity, composition, structure, dimensions and mechanical properties of silicone implants are affected by the use of a custom-made in-house 3D-printer. We have used the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) absorption test, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, surface profilometry, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to effectively assess and compare material properties between molded and 3D printed silicone samples.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Flexible Electrochromic Materials
The application potential of flexible electrochromic materials for wearable devices, smart textiles, flexible displays, electronic paper, and implantable biomedical devices is enormous. These materials offer the advantages of conformability and mechanical robustness, making them highly desirable for these applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Drug Delievery of Nanocrystals
The development of new drugs is often hindered by low solubility in water, a problem common to nearly 90% of natural and/or synthetic molecules in the discovery pipeline. Nanocrystalline drug technology involves the reduction in the bulk particle size down to the nanosize range, thus modifying its physico-chemical properties with beneficial effects on drug bioavailability. Nanocrystals (NCs) are carrier-free drug particles surrounded by a stabilizer and suspended in an aqueous medium. Due to high drug loading, NCs maintain a potent therapeutic concentration to produce desirable pharmacological action, particularly useful in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. In addition to the therapeutic purpose, NC technology can be applied for diagnostic scope. The possibility of adapting NCs to different pharmaceutical forms has led to the development of these nanosystems for different routes of administration, among which the most studied is the oral route.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Fabrication-4D-Printed Shape Memory Polymers
Additive manufacturing (AM) is the process through which components/structures are produced layer-by-layer. In this context, 4D printing combines 3D printing with time so that this combination results in additively manufactured components that respond to external stimuli and, consequently, change their shape/volume or modify their mechanical properties. Therefore, 4D printing uses shape-memory materials that react to external stimuli such as pH, humidity, and temperature. Among the possible materials with shape memory effect (SME), the most suitable for additive manufacturing are shape memory polymers (SMPs).
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Chemical Composition of Giant Miscanthus from Different Climatic Regions
Lignocellulosic biomass is of great interest as an alternative energy resource because it has a number of advantages. Miscanthus x gigantis is a lignocellulosic feedstock of particular interest because it combines high biomass productivity with low environmental impact, including control of CO 2 emissions. The chemical composition of lignocellulose determines the possibilities of its use for efficient industrial processing. Here we have collected specimens from a collection of Miscanthus x giganteus, which were grown in different climatic regions between 2019 and 2021. The chemical composition was quantified using traditional wet methods. The results were compared with each other and with known data. It has been shown that already from the first year of vegetation, miscanthus has the following chemical composition: cellulose content 43.2–55.5%, acid-insoluble lignin content 17.1–25.1%, pentosan 17.9–22.9%, ash content 0, 90–2.95%, and 0.3–1.2% extractives. Habitat and environment have been found to influence the chemical composition of miscanthus. It was found that the stem part of miscanthus is richer in fiber than the leaf part (48.4–54.9% versus 47.2–48.9%, respectively), regardless of the age of the plantation and habitat. The data obtained expand the geography of research into the chemical composition of miscanthus and confirm the high value of miscanthus for industrial processing into cellulose products around the world.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Synthetic Polymeric Corrosion Inhibitor
An anti-corrosion inhibitor is one of the most useful methods to prevent metal corrosion toward different media. In comparison with small molecular inhibitors, a polymeric inhibitor can integrate more adsorption groups and generate a synergetic effect, which has been widely used in industry and become a hot topic in academic research.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Polymer-Based Thermal Management Material
The thermally conductive polymer is usually categorized into the intrinsic thermally conductive polymers and the thermally conductive polymer composites.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Synthetic Polymer-Based Sensors
Polymers are long-chain, highly molecular weight molecules containing large numbers of repeating units within their backbone derived from the product of polymerization of monomeric units. The materials exhibit unique properties based on the types of bonds that exist within their structures. Among these, some behave as rubbers because of their excellent bending ability, lightweight nature, and shape memory. Moreover, their tunable chemical, structural, and electrical properties make them promising candidates for their use as sensing materials. Polymer-based sensors are highly utilized in the current scenario in the public health sector and environment control due to their rapid detection, small size, high sensitivity, and suitability in atmospheric conditions.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Graphene Sensors
Graphene is one of the most promising materials for gas-sensor applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Thermally Conductive 3D Aerogels Based on Carbon Nanofillers
Aerogels are perfect 3D interconnected designs with unique properties provided by tenuous networks of nanosheets or filaments; they are typically fabricated via sol–gel, freeze drying, and other phase-separating and drying techniques and possess remarkable properties, such as an extraordinarily high specific surface area, great flexibility, low density, variable tunable porosity, low dielectric constant, and low TC. Due to the abovementioned advantageous physical features, they present a large amount of promise for applications as adaptable absorbent materials and for their uses in EM shielding, thermal insulation, and wearable pressure-sensing materials, to be employed as a multifunctional aerogel material. 
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Membrane-Based Environmental Remediation
During the last century, industrialization has grown very fast and as a result heavy metals have contaminated many water sources. Due to their high toxicity, these pollutants are hazardous for humans, fish, and aquatic flora. Traditional techniques for their removal are adsorption, electro-dialysis, precipitation, and ion exchange, but they all present various drawbacks. Membrane technology represents an exciting alternative to the traditional ones characterized by high efficiency, low energy consumption and waste production, mild operating conditions, and easy scale-up. In this review, the attention has been focused on applying driven-pressure membrane processes for heavy metal removal, highlighting each of the positive and negative aspects. Advantages and disadvantages, and recent progress on the production of nanocomposite membranes and electrospun nanofiber membranes for the adsorption of heavy metal ions have also been reported and critically discussed. Finally, future prospective research activities and the key steps required to make their use effective on an industrial scale have been presented
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Thiolated-Polymer-Based Nanoparticles
Thiomers (or thiolated polymers) have broken through as avant-garde approaches in anticancer therapy. Their distinguished reactivity and properties, closely linked to their final applications, justify the extensive research conducted on their preparation and use as smart drug-delivery systems (DDSs).
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Design of Liquid-Crystalline Elastomeric Fluorescent Force Sensors
Liquid single crystal elastomers (LSCEs) containing carbazole fluorogenic components alter their luminescence when they are stretched along the director direction. The differential luminescent behavior arises from the distinct interaction between the carbazole fluorophores and their local environment before and after the application of the mechanical input. Indeed, the uniaxial deformation of the material, along its anisotropic direction, forces a closer mesogen–fluorophore interaction, which leads to the quenching of the carbazole luminescence. Importantly, this intermolecular interaction is intimately related to the intrinsic order present in the LSCE. As a result, the amount of light emitted by the material in the form of fluorescence diminishes upon deformation. Thus, the application of mechanical stimuli to liquid-crystalline elastomers furnishes to two interconvertible states for the system with distinct optical properties (with either different emission color or fluorescence intensity). The initial state of the material is completely restored once the applied force is removed. In this way, this kind of macromolecular system can transduce mechanical events into detectable and processable optical signals, thus, having great potential as optical force sensors. In this context, the realization of the distinct structural factors that govern the interactions established between the mesogenic and fluorogenic units at the supramolecular level upon deformation is essential for the development of efficient LSCE-based force sensors. In fact, not only the density of carbazole units and their connection to the main polymer backbone, but also the presence of long range molecular order in the system and the type of mesophase exhibited by the LSCE are key factors for the conception of efficient force sensors based on these self-organized polymer networks.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Dec 2021
Topic Review
3D Printing of ECHs
Electrically conductive hydrogels (ECHs), an emerging class of biomaterials, have garnered tremendous attention due to their potential for a wide variety of biomedical applications, from tissue-engineered scaffolds to smart bioelectronics. Along with the development of new hydrogel systems, 3D printing of such ECHs is one of the most advanced approaches towards rapid fabrication of future biomedical implants and devices with versatile designs and tuneable functionalities.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 May 2021
Topic Review
Molecularly Imprinted Polydopamine in Sensing Applications
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic receptors that mimic the specificity of biological antibody–antigen interactions. By using a “lock and key” process, MIPs selectively bind to target molecules that were used as templates during polymerization. While MIPs are typically prepared using conventional monomers, such as methacrylic acid and acrylamide, contemporary advancements have pivoted towards the functional potential of dopamine as a novel monomer. The overreaching goal of the proposed review is to fully unlock the potential of molecularly imprinted polydopamine (MIPda) within the realm of cutting-edge sensing applications. 
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Oct 2023
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