Formation of Multiple Structural Formats of DNA in a Bio-Deep Eutectic Solvent

DNA nanotechnology in ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents

Nucleic acids have the ability to generate advanced nanostructures in a controlled manner and can interact with target sequences or molecules with high affinity and selectivity. For this reason, they have applications in a variety of nanotechnology applications, from highly specific sensors to smart nanomachines and even in other applications such as enantioselective catalysis or drug delivery systems. However, a common disadvantage is the use of water as the ubiquitous solvent. The use of nucleic acids in non-aqueous solvents offers the opportunity to create a completely new toolbox with unprecedented degrees of freedom. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are the most promising alternative solvents due to their unique electrolyte and solvent roles, as well as their ability to maintain the stability and functionality of nucleic acids. This review aims to be a comprehensive, critical, and accessible evaluation of how much this goal has been achieved and what are the most critical parameters for accomplishing a breakthrough.

Stimuli responsive ion gels based on polysaccharides and other polymers prepared using ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents

Ion gels and self-healing gels prepared using ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been largely investigated in the past years due to their remarkable applications in different research areas. Herewith we provide an overview on the ILs and DESs used for the preparation of ion gels, highlight the preparation and physicochemical characteristics of stimuli responsive gel materials based on co-polymers and biopolymers, with special emphasis on polysaccharides and discuss their applications. Overall, this review summarizes the fundamentals and advances in ion gels with switchable properties prepared using ILs or DESs, as well as their potential applications in electrochemistry, in sensing devices and as drug delivery vehicles.

Surfactant-Solvent Interaction Effects on the Micellization of Cationic Surfactants in a Carboxylic Acid-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent

Deep eutectic solvents have been demonstrated to support amphiphile self-assembly, providing potential alternatives as structure-directing agents in the synthesis of nanostructures, and drug delivery. Here we have expanded on this recent research to investigate the self-assembly of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactants in choline chloride:malonic acid deep eutectic solvent and mixtures of the solvent with water. Surface tension and small-angle neutron scattering were used to determine the behavior of the amphiphiles. Surfactants were found to remain active in the solvent, and surface tension measurements revealed changes in the behavior of the surfactants with different levels of hydration. Small-angle neutron scattering shows that in this solvent the micelle shape depends on the surfactant chain length, varying from globular micelles (aspect ratio ∼2) for short chain surfactants to elongated micelles (aspect ratio ∼14) for long chain surfactants even at low surfactant concentration. We suggest that the formation of elongated micelles can be explained through the interaction of the solvent with the surfactant headgroup, since ion-ion interactions between surfactant headgroups and solvent may modify the morphology of the micelles. The presence of water in the deep eutectic solvents promotes an increase in the charge density at the micelle interface and therefore the formation of less elongated, globular micelles.

Micelle structure in a deep eutectic solvent: a small-angle scattering study

Choline chloride:urea deep eutectic solvent provides a novel media for surfactant self-assembly with micelle morphology tunable by adding water.

Deep eutectic solvents as efficient solvent system for the extraction of κ-carrageenan from Kappaphycus alvarezii

Three different deep eutectic solvents (DESs) prepared by the complexation of choline chloride with urea, ethylene glycol and glycerol along with their hydrated counterparts were used for the selective extraction of κ-carrageenan from Kappaphycus alvarezii. Upon comparison of the quality of the polysaccharide with the one obtained using water as extraction media as well as the one extracted using widely practiced conventional method, it was found that, the physicochemical as well as rheological properties of κ-carrageenan obtained using DESs as solvents was at par to the one obtained using conventional method and was superior in quality when compared to κ-carrageenan obtained using water as solvent. Considering the tedious nature of the extraction method employed in conventional extraction process, the DESs can be considered as suitable alternative solvents for the facile extraction of the polysaccharide directly from the seaweed. However, among the hydrated and non-hydrated DESs, the hydrated ones were found to be more effective in comparison to their non-hydrated counterparts.