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Topic Review
CO2 Hydroboration
The use of CO2 as C1 building block for chemical synthesis is receiving growing attention, due to the potential of this simple molecule as abundant and cheap renewable feedstock. Among the possible reductants used in the literature to bring about CO2 reduction to C1 derivatives, hydroboranes have found various applications, in the presence of suitable homogenous catalysts. The main results obtained since 2016 in the synthetic design of main group, first and second row transition metals for use as catalysts for CO2 hydroboration are summarized.
  • 1.7K
  • 04 Jun 2024
Topic Review
Phosphorus fire retardants for polystyrene
Polystyrene, despite its high flammability, is widely used as a thermal insulation material for buildings, for food packaging, in electrical and automotive industries, etc. A number of modification routes have been explored to improve the fire retardance and boost the thermal stability of commercially important styrene-based polymeric products. The earlier strategies mostly involved the use of halogenated fire retardants. Nowadays, these compounds are considered to be persistent pollutants that are hazardous to public and environmental health. Many well-known halogen-based fire retardants, regardless of their chemical structures and modes of action, have been withdrawn from built environments in the European Union, USA, and Canada. This had triggered a growing research interest in, and an industrial demand for, halogen-free alternatives, which not only will reduce the flammability but also address toxicity and bioaccumulation issues. Among the possible options, phosphorus-containing compounds have received greater attention due to their excellent fire-retarding efficiencies and environmentally friendly attributes. Numerous reports were also published on reactive and additive modifications of polystyrene in different forms, particularly in the last decade; hence, the current article aims to provide a critical review of these publications. The authors mainly intend to focus on the chemistries of phosphorous compounds, with the P atom being in different chemical environments, used either as reactive, or additive, fire retardants in styrene-based materials. The chemical pathways and possible mechanisms behind the fire retardance are discussed in this review.
  • 1.7K
  • 26 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Catalytic Synthesis of Glycerol Carbonate
Glycerol carbonate (GC) belongs to the family of organic carbonates that are regarded as very typical “green chemistry” products for their unique advantages in many fields, such as high boiling point solvents, pharmaceutical intermediates, and material intermediates.
  • 1.7K
  • 10 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Plasmonic biosensing schemes for virus
The uncertain proportions of pandemic outbreaks have triggered the need of reliable and cost-effective protocols easily adaptable to the changing virulence of virus strains. In recent years, plasmonic biosensors are being increasingly applied for clinical diagnosis of viral and other infectious diseases. Typical plasmonic biosensing strategies rely on the versatility of SPR and LSPR as label-free detection systems capable of monitoring binding interactions in a short period of time. Nevertheless, the incorporation of technological advancements has precipitated the development of nanomaterial-based applications for improving the sensitivity and specificity of classical configurations. The unique optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures has been exploited in combination with SERS colorimetric, fluorescence or luminescence enhancement for viral diagnosis. Likewise, the development of plasmonic virus sensing approaches has also benefitted from the variety of virus biomarkers. Thus, a high number of virus plasmonic biosensors have prompted the advance of novel functionalization strategies to achieve the effective coverage of the biological receptor while ensuring the affinity and specificity towards the target viral nucleic acids, proteins or whole virus. The huge potential for single virus detection along with the effectiveness and simplicity of current plasmonic configurations will impact on the routine surveillance of virus in clinical settings during this decade.
  • 1.7K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
The Application of Food-Grade Emulsions
Briefly, an emulsion is simply a mixture of two (or more) liquids that are otherwise immiscible. The detailed investigation of food-grade emulsions, which possess considerable structural and functional advantages, remains ongoing to enhance people's understanding of these dispersion systems and to expand their application scope. 
  • 1.7K
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Water Ionizer
A water ionizer (also known as an alkaline ionizer) is a home appliance which claims to raise the pH of drinking water by using electrolysis to separate the incoming water stream into acidic and alkaline components. The alkaline stream of the treated water is called alkaline water. Proponents claim that consumption of alkaline water results in a variety of health benefits, making it similar to the alternative health practice of alkaline diets. Such claims violate basic principles of chemistry and physiology. There is no medical evidence for any health benefits of alkaline water. Extensive scientific evidence has completely debunked these claims. The machines originally became popular in Japan and other East Asian countries before becoming available in the United States and Europe.
  • 1.7K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Injectable Hydrogels
The transfer of some innovative technologies from the laboratory to industrial scale is many times not taken into account in the design and development of some functional materials such as hydrogels to be applied in the biomedical field. There is a lack of knowledge in the scientific field where many aspects of scaling to an industrial process are ignored, and products cannot reach the market. Injectable hydrogels are a good example that we have used in our research to show the different steps needed to follow to get a product in the market based on them. From synthesis and process validation to characterization techniques used and assays performed to ensure the safety and efficacy of the product, following regulation, several well-defined proto-cols must be adopted.
  • 1.7K
  • 12 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Betulinic Acid
Betulinic acid (BA, 3β-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a pentacyclic triterpene acid present predominantly in Betula ssp. (Betulaceae) and is also widely spread in many species belonging to different plant families. BA presents a wide spectrum of remarkable pharmacological properties, such as cytotoxic, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities, including antiprotozoal effects.
  • 1.6K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Graphene as Reinforcing Filler
Graphene represents an innovative material, which possesses a unique combination of properties. The remarkable features of this material allow it to be often used as a reinforcing filler in organic based coatings. The excellent conductivity and mechanical strength properties of graphene produce a significant increase in the performance of the polymer matrix. Recently, however, scholars have focused on the barrier effect properties that can be provided by graphene flakes to obtain high corrosion resistance coatings. If well distributed in the polymeric matrix, in fact, the graphene-based sheets are able to provide a high resistance to the passage of aggressive ions, fundamental for the development of corrosion processes on the metal substrate. The distribution of graphene-based fillers, however, is a critical aspect, which can be improved by means of certain oxidation and functionalization processes of graphene flakes. Recent studies have shown the possibility of combining the excellent features of cataphoretic processes with the remarkable protective properties of graphene-based fillers in the creation of high-performance multifunctional composite coatings. The functionalized graphene oxide flakes, in the correct amount, can in fact increase the protective performance of cataphoretic coatings, as well as providing additional features such as mechanical strength and high conductivity.
  • 1.6K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Composite
A novel class of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nanomaterials has been surging since 1991 due to their noticeable mechanical and electrical properties, as well as their good electron transport properties. The development of CNT-reinforced polymer composites could contribute in expanding many areas of use, from energy-related devices to structural components. A CNT is defined as a one-atom thick sheet of graphite rolled into a tube with a diameter of one nanometer, which is classified as a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT); if there are additional or multiple graphene tubes around the core of an SWCNT, this is known as a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). Theoretical and experimental results on CNTs have showed a high modulus of elasticity: greater than 1 TPa (the elastic modulus of diamond is 1.2 TPa). In addition, CNTs also possess a strength that is 10–100 times higher than the resilient steel at a fraction of the weight. Additionally, CNTs have an excellent thermal stability of up to 2800 ◦C in vacuum and an electrical conductivity in the vicinity of 103 S/cm, with an electric-current-carrying capacity that is 1000 times higher and thermal conductivity of about 1900 W m−1 K−1 (which is about twice as high as diamond). SWCNTs in a hexagonal honeycomb structure consist of sp2 hybridized carbon in a that is rolled into a hollow tube morphology, while MWCNTs consist of multiple concentric tubes encircling one another.
  • 1.6K
  • 05 Aug 2021
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