Thermal stability and structural characteristics of PTHF–Mmt organophile nanocomposite

Designing an "all-in-one" microextraction capsule device for the liquid chromatographic-fluorescence determination of doxorubicin and its metabolites in rat plasma

In this study, an "all-in-one" microextraction device was designed and fabricated for the extraction of doxorubicin and its two metabolites from rat plasma prior to their determination by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescence detector. A sol-gel-based sorbent was synthesized in situ and incorporated within two conjoined porous polypropylene tubes together with a cylindrical magnetic bar in order to avoid the need of an external stirring bar. Among other sorbents investigated, the moderately polar sol-gel poly(tetrahydrofuran) was found to be advantageous due to its high affinity toward the target analytes. Systematic investigation of the critical parameters affecting the adsorption and the desorption step was carried out. Due to the "built-in" filtration mechanism of the porous microextraction capsules, the isolation of the analytes was performed directly in the plasma matrix without any previous sample pretreatment (i.e., protein precipitation, centrifugation, etc.). The proposed method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, and stability according to the FDA guidelines. The limits of detection ranged between 1 - 2 ng mL^-1 while the lower limits of quantitation of the analytes were calculated as 10 ng mL^-1. The accuracy (% relative error) was found within -9.7 - 15.3% under both intra- and inter-day conditions. The precision was better than 13.4% in all cases. ComplexGAPI index was employed to present the green attributes of the developed protocol from the preparation of the microextraction device to the final determination of the analytes. Finally, the applicability of the fabricated stand-alone extraction device was demonstrated in the analysis of the target analytes in rat plasma after intravenous administration of doxorubicin in order to assess its pharmacokinetic profile.

The Stability of Intercalated Sericite by Cetyl Trimethylammonium Ion under Different Conditions and the Preparation of Sericite/Polymer Nanocomposites

Layered silicates are suitable for use as fillers in nanocomposites based on their particular features, such as large aspect ratio, easy availability, and chemical resistance. Among them, sericite is distinguished for its higher aspect ratio, higher resilience, and ultraviolet shielding and absorption. Previously, sericite was structure-modified and intercalated by CTAB to expand its interlayer space. The intercalated sericite seems promising for use in the fabrication of polymer/sericite composites or pillared sericite. However, special attention should be paid to the stability of the intercalated sericite because the CTAB inside the layer may be de-intercalated, which would affect the interlayer spacing and its surface properties. In this article, the stability of the sericite intercalated by CTAB was tested by changing different variables, such as different washing solvents, different temperatures, ultrasonic cleaning, and different solution conditions. Finally, sericite/polymer nanocomposites were produced with the stable intercalated sericite, and showed excellent properties compared with pure epoxy resin.

Morphology and thermal properties of clay based biocomposites

Carboxymethylcellulose/poly(ethylene glycol) (CMC/PEG) blend and CMC/PEG/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were produced by the solvent casting method. The clay, a sodium MMT, was incorporated in the polymer matrix at low weight loadings (from 1 wt% to 7 wt%). The MMT dispersion in the matrix was evaluated by X-ray diffraction, which revealed an intercalated structure of the nanocomposites. Different levels of intercalation have been detected. The changes in morphology caused by the addition of layered silicate on CMC/PEG blend were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images of CMC/PEG blend containing 5% of MMT displayed more homogenous morphology than CMC/PEG blend. The compatibilizing performance of the filler was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The effect of the introduction of the clay on the crystallization temperature, melting temperature and crystallization degree of CMC/PEG revealed that clay behaved as a nucleating agent and enhanced the crystallization rate of PEG. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the addition of a small percentage of montmorillonite (1%) was enough to improve the thermal stability of the nanocomposites.