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Topic Review
BODIPY-Based Molecules for Organic PhotoVoltaics
The 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY)-based molecules have emerged as interesting material for optoelectronic applications. This type of structure is commonly described as an example of a “rigidified” monomethine cyanine dye or as a boradiazaindacene by analogy with the all-carbon tricyclic ring and the numbering of any substituents follows rule setup for the carbon polycycles (see COVER). This dye has also been  called “porphyrin’s little sister” and this happy definition has been so successful that in analogy with porphyrinic systems, the 8-position is often referred to as the meso site. The facile structural modification of BODIPY core provides an opportunity to fine-tune its photophysical and optoelectronic properties thanks to the presence of eight reactive sites which allows for the developing of a large number of functionalized derivatives for various applications. In particular, BODIPY dyes find increasing application in laser dyes, organic electronic (OLED and OPV), bioimmagining,  thanks to their properties  like high fluorescent quantum yield, sharp absorption and emission peak,  photostability and stability under physiological conditions. Because of this they can be used also  as probes for pH changes, detection of cations, anions and so on.
  • 1.6K
  • 01 Feb 2021
Topic Review
CRM for Additive Manufacturing
The term “critical raw materials” (CRMs) refers to various metals and nonmetals that are crucial to Europe’s economic progress. Modern technologies enabling effective use and recyclability of CRMs are in critical demand for the EU industries. The use of CRMs, especially in the fields of biomedicine, aerospace, electric vehicles, and energy applications, is almost irreplaceable. Additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing) is one of the key enabling technologies in the field of manufacturing which underpins the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 3D printing not only suppresses waste but also provides an efficient buy-to-fly ratio and possesses the potential to entirely change supply and distribution chains, significantly reducing costs and revolutionizing all logistics. This review provides comprehensive new insights into CRM-containing materials processed by modern additive manufacturing techniques and outlines the potential for increasing the efficiency of CRMs utilization and reducing the dependence on CRMs through wider industrial incorporation of AM and specifics of powder bed AM methods making them prime candidates for such developments.
  • 1.6K
  • 05 May 2021
Topic Review
Megamolecular Polysaccharide Sacran
Natural polymer is a frequently used polymer in various food applications and pharmaceutical formulations due to its benefits and its biocompatibility compared to synthetic polymers. One of the natural polymer groups (i.e., polysaccharide) does not only function as an additive in pharmaceutical preparations, but also as an active ingredient with pharmacological effects.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Encapsulation of Lipid-Soluble Bioactives
Lipid-soluble bioactives, such as vitamins A, E, D and K, carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential oils, are important nutrients in foods. However, their addition in food formulations, is often limited by limited solubility and high tendency for oxidation. Among the different encapsulation technologies, nanoemulsions are one of the most promising for protecting lipid-soluble bioactives.
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Chemical Rings
The epoxidized group, also known as the oxirane group, can be considered as one of the most crucial rings in chemistry. Due to the high ring strain and the polarization of the C–O bond in this three-membered ring, several reactions can be carried out. One can see such a functional group as a crucial intermediate in fuels, polymers, materials, fine chemistry, etc. 
  • 1.6K
  • 30 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Fiber-Shaped Electronic Devices
Electronic fiber is a building block of electronic textiles (e-textiles) for developing wearable electronics. In practical applications, fiber-shaped devices have attracted great attention as a potential alternative to conventional planar-type electronic devices. Because of their structural features, which enable them to be sewn into various fabrics, electronic fibers are an ideal device platform for realizing the three-dimensional (3D) deformability, light weight, breathability, washability, and comfort required for e-textiles.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Biolubricants Based on Vegetable Oils
Biolubricants are a kind of lubricant obtained from plants (mainly vegetable oils such as cardoon, corn, palm, safflower, or rapeseed oils), which makes them biodegradable and environmentally friendly (especially important if they are spilled in the environment).  They mainly act as anti-friction media between contact surfaces.
  • 1.5K
  • 20 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Bis-Chalcone-Based Photoinitiators of Polymerization
Over the past several decades, photopolymerization has become an active research field, and the ongoing efforts to develop new photoinitiating systems are supported by the different applications in which this polymerization technique is involved—including dentistry, 3D and 4D printing, adhesives, and laser writing.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Three Species of Lycium Genus
The genus Lycium belongs to the Solanaceae family and comprises more than 90 species distributed on diverse continents. Lycium barbarum is by far the most studied and considered to possess healthy properties. The biological properties of L. barbarum fruits are mainly attributed to polysaccharides, particularly complex glycoproteins with different compositions. In contrast, L. europaeum, L. intricatum, and L. schweinfurthii found particularly in the Mediterranean region, are poorly studied, although used by native populations. The evaluation of the chemical composition and biological, nutritional, or pharmacological properties of these species must be unveiled. Such studies will not only enrich knowledge but may also lead to the use of some of these species in food to replace L. barbarum or other plant species. Since L. europaeum, L. intricatum, L. infaustum and L. schweinfurthii generally occur in impoverished areas, the culture and transformation of these species products could contribute to the sustained enrichment of the populations living in those zones.
  • 1.5K
  • 17 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Supercritical Fluid Extraction as a Green Extraction
Extraction is a technique of isolating components from natural materials using chemical or physical methods. The world has turned to using green extraction as part of its efforts to preserve the environment. Green extraction is based on procedures that require less energy, allow for the use of alternative solvents and sustainable natural resources, and offer a safe and high-quality extract. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) procedures are compatible with the principles of green extraction.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Food Science's Chemical Element Compositions
In recent years, many analyses have been carried out to investigate the chemical components of food data. However, studies rarely consider the compositional pitfalls of such analyses. This is problematic as it may lead to arbitrary results when non-compositional statistical analysis is applied to compositional datasets. In this study, compositional data analysis (CoDa), which is widely used in other research fields, is compared with classical statistical analysis to demonstrate how the results vary depending on the approach and to show the best possible statistical analysis. For example, honey and saffron are highly susceptible to adulteration and imitation, so the determination of their chemical elements requires the best possible statistical analysis. Our study demonstrated how principle component analysis (PCA) and classification results are influenced by the pre-processing steps conducted on the raw data, and the replacement strategies for missing values and non-detects. Furthermore, it demonstrated the differences in results when compositional and non-compositional methods were applied. Our results suggested that the outcome of the log-ratio analysis provided better separation between the pure and adulterated data and allowed for easier interpretability of the results and a higher accuracy of classification. Similarly, it showed that classification with artificial neural networks (ANNs) works poorly if the CoDa pre-processing steps are left out. From these results, we advise the application of CoDa methods for analyses of the chemical elements of food and for the characterization and authentication of food products.
  • 1.5K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Gellan
Gellan is a water-soluble gum that structurally exists as a tetrasaccharide comprised of 20% glucuronic acid, 60% glucose and 20% rhamnose, for which various food, non-food and biomedical applications have been reported.
  • 1.5K
  • 08 May 2021
Topic Review
Self-Heating Mould for Composite Manufacturing
The shipbuilding industry, engine manufacturing, aviation, rocket and space technology are promising fields of application for polymeric composite materials. Shape-generating moulding tools with internal heating are used for the creation of a more economically viable method of moulding of internally heated composite structures. The use of a fine-fibered resistive structure in the heated tools allows implementation of effective heating of the composite and elimination of the need for expensive and energy-intensive heating equipment.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Luminescent Micelles for Sensing Nitroaromatic and Nitramine Explosives
Luminescent micelles are extensively studied molecular scaffolds used in applied supramolecular chemistry.
  • 1.5K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Development Aspects for Practical Non-aqueous Redox-Flow Batteries
Redox-flow cells can be divided into four basic types: all-liquid redox-flow batteries (ALRFBs), semi-solid redox-flow batteries (SSRFBs), hybrid redox-flow batteries (HRFBs), and single-flow batteries (SFB). These four basic types can be further classified by their cell separation techniques and membrane setups. They range from having no separation membrane to having up to three separation membranes in parallel.
  • 1.5K
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Insight on Mercapto-Coumarins
Mercapto (or sulfanyl)-coumarins are heterocycles of great interest in the development of valuable active structures in material and biological domains. They represent a highly exploitable class of compounds that open many possibilities for further chemical transformations.
  • 1.5K
  • 07 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Plant-Derived Metal Nanoparticles
Plant-derived metal nanoparticles (PDMNPs) have gained considerable interest because of their tremendous and remarkable potential as therapeutic agents as well as development of less expensive, safer, and easier biomedical equipment. PDMNPs are synthesized from metal salts or oxides by using plant extracts because plants have diversified bioactive compounds that can act as reducing and stabilizing agents at the time of nanoparticle synthesis. Besides, PDMNPs take advantages over the nanoparticles synthesized by other methods because of their low cost, environmental friendliness, and sustainability. 
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Hydrogels Combined with Silver Nanoparticles against Antimicrobial Resistance
The development of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms has increased dramatically as a natural consequence of the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that this is one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity today, demanding urgent multisectoral action. In this sense, metallic nanoparticles (such as silver nanoparticles) have emerged as promising alternatives due to their outstanding antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. The efficient delivery of the nanoparticles (NPs) is also a matter of concern, and studies have demonstrated that hydrogels present an excellent ability to perform this task.
  • 1.4K
  • 03 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Fabrication of SiC Membranes
The scale of research for developing and applying silicon carbide (SiC) membranes for gas separation has rapidly expanded over the last few decades. The precursor-derived ceramic approaches for preparing SiC membranes include chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) deposition and pyrolysis of polymeric precursor. Generally, SiC membranes formed using the CVD/CVI deposition route have dense structures, making such membranes suitable for small-molecule gas separation. On the contrary, pyrolysis of a polymeric precursor is the most common and promising route for preparing SiC membranes, which includes the steps of precursor selection, coating/shaping, curing for cross-linking, and pyrolysis. Among these steps, the precursor, curing method, and pyrolysis temperature significantly impact the final microstructures and separation performance of membranes.
  • 1.4K
  • 19 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Cellulose Alcoholysis to Alkyl-levulinate Biofuels
Alkyl levulinates (ALs) represent outstanding bio-fuels and strategic bio-products within the context of the marketing of levulinic acid derivatives. In order to promote the market for these bio-products and, concurrently, the immediate development of new applications, it is necessary to speed up the intensification of their production processes. In this regard, today, it is possible to achieve this important issue only by using low-cost or, even better, waste biomasses, as starting feedstocks. Thus, the transition to the real biomass now represents a necessary choice for allowing the next ALs production on a larger scale. The improvement of the available synthetic strategies, the use of raw materials and the development of new applications for ALs can contribute to develop more intensified, greener and sustainable processes. 
  • 1.4K
  • 16 Dec 2020
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