Preparation and anti-leakage properties of hydroxyethyl cellulose-g-poly (butyl acrylate-co-vinyl acetate) emulsion

Preparation and properties of a metal-organic frameworks polymer material based on Sa-son seed gum capable of simultaneously absorbing liquid water and water vapor

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology has attracted significant attention as an effective strategy to tackle the global shortage of freshwater resources. Work has focused on the use of hydrogel-based composite adsorbents in water harvesting and water conservation. The approaches adopted to make use of hygroscopic inorganic salts which subject to a "salting out" effect. In this study, we report the first use of modified UIO-66-NH2 as a functional steric cross-linker and Sa-son seed gum was used as polymeric substrate to construct super hygroscopic hydrogels by free radical copolymerization. The maximum water uptake on SMAGs (572 cm3·g-1) outperforms pure UIO-66-NH2 (317 cm3·g-1). Simultaneously, our first attempt to use it for anti-evaporation applications in an arid environment (Lanzhou, China) simulating sandy areas. The evaporation rate of the anti-evaporation material treated with 0.20 % super moisture-absorbent gels (SMAGs) decreased by 6.1 % over 64 h period under natural condition in Lanzhou, China. The prepared material can not only absorb liquid water but also water vapor, which can provide a new way for water collection and conservation technology. The design strategy of this material has wide applications ranging from atmospheric water harvesting materials to anti-evaporation technology.

Corynoxine triggers cell death via activating PP2A and regulating AKT-mTOR/GSK3β axes in NSCLC

This study investigates the anticancer activity and pharmacological mechanisms of Corynoxine (Cory) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cory, a natural product derived from the Chinese herbal medicine Uncaria rhynchophylla, demonstrates promising pharmacological activity. Cell proliferation and viability were evaluated via MTT and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze cell apoptosis, cycle distribution, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Autophagy was detected using fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Western blotting, protein overexpression, gene knockdown, co-immunoprecipitation, and bioinformatics characterized Cory's impact on signaling pathways. The research indicates that Cory inhibits the proliferation of NSCLC cells in vivo and in vitro. Cory enhances PP2A activity, inhibits the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway triggering autophagy, while suppressing the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway to induce cellular apoptosis in NSCLC. Notably, the activation of PP2A plays a crucial role in Cory's antitumor effects by inhibiting AKT. In vivo experiments validated Cory's efficacy in NSCLC treatment. These findings highlight the promising role of Cory as a lead compound for drug development in NSCLC therapy, providing a viable option for addressing this challenging disease.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose-Based Hydrogels as Controlled Release Carriers for Amorphous Solid Dispersion of Bioactive Components of Radix Paeonia Alba

Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) has been used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders, immune-modulating diseases, cancers, and numerous other conditions. A few of its active components include paeoniflorin, albiflorin, lactiflorin, and catechin. However, their therapeutic effectiveness is compromised by poor pharmacokinetic profiles, low oral bioavailability, short half-lives, and poor aqueous solubility. In this study, hydroxyethyl cellulose-grafted-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (HEC-g-AMPS) hydrogels were successfully prepared for the controlled release of Radix Paeonia Alba-solid dispersion (RPA-SD). A total of 43 compounds were identified in RPA-SD using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. The hydrogel network formation was confirmed by FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD, and SEM. Hydrogels' swelling and drug release were slightly higher at pH 1.2 (43.31% swelling, 81.70% drug release) than at pH 7.4 (27.73% swelling, 72.46% drug release) after 48 h. The gel fraction, drug release time and mechanical strength of the hydrogels increased with increased polymer and monomer concentration. Furthermore, the hydrogels were porous (84.15% porosity) and biodegradable (8.9% weight loss per week). Moreover, the synthesized hydrogels exhibited excellent antimicrobial and antioxidative properties.

Fabrication porous adsorbents templated from aqueous foams using astragalus membranaceus and attapulgite as stabilizer for efficient removal of cationic dyes

The water-based foam stabilized by the natural surfactant applied in the fabrication of porous materials has attracted extensive attention, as the advantages of cleanness, convenience and low cost. Particularly, the development of a green preparation method has became the main research focus and frontier. In this work, a green liquid foam with high stability was prepared by synergistic stabilization of natural plant astragalus membranaceus (AMS) and attapulgite (APT), and then a novel porous material with sufficient hierarchical pore structure was templated from the foam via a simple free radical polymerization of acrylamide (AM). The characterization results revealed that the amphiphilic molecules from AMS adsorbed onto the water-air interface and formed a protective shell to prevent the bubble breakup, and APT gathered in the plateau border and formed a three-dimensional network structure, which greatly slowed down the drainage rate. The porous material polyacrylamide/astragalus membranaceus/attapulgite (PAM/AMS/APT) showed the excellent adsorption performance for cationic dyes of Methyl Violet (MV) and Methylene Blue (MB) in water, and the maximum adsorption capacity could reach to 709.13 and 703.30 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the polymer material enabled to regenerate and cycle via a convenient calcination process, and the adsorption capacity was still higher than 200 mg/g after five cycles. In short, this research provided a new idea for the green preparation of porous materials and the treatment of water pollution.

Flexible Pressure Sensors Based on Molybdenum Disulfide/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose/Polyurethane Sponge for Motion Detection and Speech Recognition Using Machine Learning

Flexible pressure sensors with excellent performance have broad application potential in wearable devices, motion monitoring, and human-computer interaction. In this paper, a flexible pressure sensor with a porous structure is proposed by coating molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) on a polyurethane (PU) sponge skeleton. The obtained sensor has excellent sensitivity (0.746 kPa^-1), a wide detection range (250 kPa), fast response (120 ms), and outstanding repeatability over 2000 cycles. It is proven that the sensor can realize human motion detection and distinguish the touch of varying strength. In addition, a pressure sensing array was fabricated to reflect the pressure distribution and recognize the writing of Arabic numerals. Finally, the sensor performs speech detection through throat muscle movements, and high-accuracy (97.14%) speech recognition for seven words was achieved by a machine learning algorithm based on the support vector machine (SVM). This work provides an opportunity to fabricate simple flexible pressure sensors with potential applications in next-generation electronic skin, health detection, and intelligent robotics.

Preparation and fertilizer retention/anti-leakage performances of superabsorbent composite based on hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose

To reduce the preparation cost of superabsorbent composites (SACs) and improve the water and fertilizer retention properties of soil, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grafted with acrylic acid, polyaspartic acid and palygorskite (HPMC-g-P(AA-co-PASP)/ATP) was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization and used to reduce of preventing water leakage in soil. The structure, surface morphology and thermal stability of the optimized SACs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. Under optimum synthesis conditions, the maximum equilibrium absorption of SACs was 1785 g·g^-1, 254 g·g^-1, 138 g·g^-1 in deionized water, tap water and NaCl solution (0.9 wt%) respectively. Application of the SACs to soils increased their water holding and water retention capacities. In addition, the reduced leaching of added urea and low water permeability of the treated soils indicated that the SACs has the potential for applications in future sustainable agriculture.