Confined Flocculation of Ionic Pollutants by Poly(L-dopa)-Based Polyelectrolyte Complexes in Hydrogel Beads for Three-Dimensional, Quantitative, Efficient Water Decontamination

Fabrication of atelocollagen-coated bioabsorbable suture and the evaluation of its regenerative efficacy in Achilles tendon healing using a rat experimental model

Recently, the incidence of Achilles tendon ruptures (ATRs) has become more common, and repair surgery using a bioabsorbable suture is generally preferred, particularly in the case of healthy patients. Sutures composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are commonly used in ATR surgeries. Nevertheless, owing to the inherent limitations of PLGA, novel bioabsorbable sutures that can accelerate Achilles tendon healing are sought. Recently, several studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of atelocollagen on tendon healing. In this study, poly(3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine) (pDOPA), a hydrophilic biomimetic material, was used to modify the hydrophobic surface of a PLGA suture (Vicryl, VC) for the stable coating of atelocollagen on its surface. The main objective was to fabricate an atelocollagen-coated VC suture and evaluate its performance in the healing of Achilles tendon using a rat model of open repair for ATR. Structural analyses of the surface-modified suture indicated that the collagen was successfully coated on the VC/pDOPA suture. Postoperative in vivo biomechanical analysis, histological evaluation, ultrastructural/morphological analyses, and western blotting confirmed that the tendons in the VC/pDOPA/Col group exhibit superior healing than those in the VC and VC/pDOPA groups after 1 and 6 weeks following the surgery. The this study suggests that atelocollagen-coated PLGA/pDOPA sutures are preferable for future medical applications, especially in the repair of ATR.

Zein/Polysaccharide Nanoscale Electrostatic Complexes: Preparation, Drug Encapsulation and Antibacterial Properties

Characterization of zein aqueous solutions, as a function of the ethanol content and pH, was performed, giving information on the zein aggregation state for the construction of complexes. The aggregation state and surface charge of zein was found to depend on the mixed solvent composition and pH. Nonstoichiometric complex nanoparticles (NPECs) were prepared by electrostatically self-assembling zein, as the polycation, and sodium alginate or chondroitin sulfate, as the polyanions, at a pH of 4. A wide range of parameters were investigated: the alcohol-water content in the zein solutions, the charge molar ratios, the solution addition order and the addition rate. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, circular dichroism and scanning electron microscopy. The smallest size for the NPECs (100 nm) was obtained when the polysaccharides acted as the titrate with an addition rate of 0.03 mL·min-1. The NPECs with the best characteristics were selected for loading with ciprofloxacin and then deposited on a cellulosic material in order to evaluate their antibacterial activity. Substantial drug encapsulation with desired drug release profiles were found together with notable antibacterial efficiency, showing the tunability of the properties for both the zein and its complexes with polysaccharides, together with their application potential in the biomedical field.

Drug Encapsulation via Peptide-Based Polyelectrolyte Complexes

Peptide-based polyelectrolyte complexes are biocompatible materials that can encapsulate molecules with different polarities due to their ability to be precisely designed. Here we use UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy to investigate the encapsulation of model drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and methylene blue (MB) using a series of rationally designed polypeptides. For both drugs, we find an overall higher encapsulation efficiency with sequences that have higher charge density, highlighting the importance of ionic interactions between the small molecules and the peptides. However, comparing molecules with the same charge density, illustrated that the most hydrophobic sequence pairs had the highest encapsulation of both DOX and MB molecules. The phase behavior and stability of DOX-containing complexes did not change compared to the complexes without drugs. However, MB encapsulation caused changes in the stabilities of the complexes. The sequence pair with the highest charge density and hydrophobicity had the most dramatic increase in stability, which coincided with a phase change from liquid to solid. This study illustrates how multiple types of molecular interactions are required for efficient encapsulation of poorly soluble drugs and provides insights into the molecular design of delivery carriers.

Polyelectrolyte and polyelectrolyte complex-incorporated adsorbents in water and wastewater remediation - A review of recent advances

In recent years, polyelectrolyte-incorporated functional materials have emerged as novel adsorbents for effective remediation of pollutants in water and wastewater. Polyelectrolytes (PEs) are a special class of polymers with long chains of repeating charged moieties. Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) are obtained by mixing aqueous solutions of oppositely charged PEs. Herewith, this review discusses recent advances with respect to water and wastewater remediation using PE- and PEC-incorporated adsorbents. The review begins by highlighting some water resources, their pollution sources and available treatment techniques. Next, an overview of PEs and PECs is discussed, highlighting the evolving progress in their processing. Consequently, application of these materials in different facets of water and wastewater remediation, including heavy metal removal, precious metal and rare earth element recovery, desalination, dye and emerging micropollutant removal, are critically reviewed. For water and wastewater remediation, PEs and PECs are mostly applied either in their original forms, as composites or as morphologically-tunable complexes. PECs are deemed superior to other materials owing to their tunability for both cationic and anionic pollutants. Generally, natural and semi-synthetic PEs have been largely applied owing to their low cost, ready availability and eco-friendliness. Except dye removal and desalination of saline water, application of synthetic PEs and PECs is scanty, and hence requires more focus in future research.

Tailoring Interactions of Random Copolymer Polyelectrolyte Complexes to Remove Nanoplastic Contaminants from Water

We investigate the usage of polyelectrolyte complex materials for water remediation purposes, specifically their ability to remove nanoplastics from water, on which there is currently little to no prior research. We demonstrate that oppositely charged random copolymers are effective at quantitatively removing nanoplastic contamination from aqueous solution. The mechanisms underlying this remediation ability are explored through computational simulations, with corroborating quartz crystal microbalance adsorption experiments. We find that hydrophobic nanostructures and interactions likely play an important role.

Biomimetically Inspired Highly Homogeneous Hydrophilization of Graphene with Poly(l-DOPA): Toward Electroconductive Coatings from Water-Processable Paints

Water-based processing of graphene-typically considered as physicochemically incompatible with water in the macroscale-emerges as the key challenge among the central postulates of green nanotechnology. These problematic concerns are derived from the complex nature of graphene in the family of sp2-carbon nanoallotropes. Indeed, nanomaterials hidden under the common "graphene" signboard are very rich in morphological and physicochemical variants. In this work, inspired by the adhesion chemistry of mussel biomaterials, we have synthesized novel, water-processable graphene-polylevodopa (PDOPA) hybrids. Graphene and PDOPA were covalently amalgamated via the "growth-from" polymerization of l-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) monomer in air, yielding homogeneously PDOPA-coated (23 wt %) (of thickness 10-20 nm) hydrophilic flakes. The hybrids formed >1 year stable and water-processable aqueous dispersions and further conveniently processable paints of viscosity 0.4 Pa·s at 20 s-1 and a low yield stress τ0 up to 0.12 Pa, hence exhibiting long shelf-life stability and lacking sagging after application. Demonstrating their applicability, we have found them as surfactant-like nanoparticles stabilizing the larger, pristine graphene agglomerates in water in the optimized graphene/graphene-PDOPA weight ratio of 9:1. These characteristics enabled the manufacture of conveniently paintable coatings of low surface resistivity of 1.9 kΩ sq-1 (0.21 Ω·m) which, in turn, emerge as potentially applicable in textronics, radar-absorbing materials, or electromagnetic interference shielding.

Fabrication of a Nanoporous Silica Hydrogel by Cross-Linking of SiO2-H3BO3-Hexadecyltrimethoxysilane for Excellent Adsorption of Azo Dyes from Wastewater

This study reports a novel cross-linking approach to fabricate the hydrothermally neutralized silica hydrogel of SiO₂-H₃BO₃-hexadecyltrimethoxysilane by grafting alkylsilane groups onto the nanoporous silica. The synthesized silica hydrogel possessed a large specific surface area of 51.3 m²g^-1 and showed excellent dye adsorption capability of cationic dyes in neutral (pH 7) and alkaline (pH 9) medium from wastewater. The colloidal electrokinetic potential analysis revealed that the outstanding adsorption efficiency of cationic dyes over anionic dyes strongly relies on the surface charge of the hydrogels. Moreover, the hydrophobic interactions between the dye molecules and the hydrogels were studied, and it was found that the dye adsorption performance can be tuned by altering the concentration of hydrophobic reagents of the hydrogel. The dye adsorption mechanism was established, and the kinetic study suggested that the adsorption is a pseudo-second-order reaction. Adsorption isotherms at various equilibrium conditions fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm. Therefore, this strongly supports the promising and practical application of the prepared silica hydrogel. The recyclability of the hydrogel was studied, and it showed 90% adsorption efficiency by the regenerated gel up to 6 cycles, which has a high potential in wastewater treatment.

Silver nanoparticle-decorated titanium dioxide nanowire systems via bioinspired poly(L-DOPA) thin film as a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform, and photocatalyst

Silver nanostructure decorated-titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposite systems with their unique characteristics provide extraordinary performance in various applications including surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and photocatalysis. Despite the recent progress, novel, simple, effective, low-cost, reducing and stabilizing agent-free, and easy-to-tune approaches are heavily demanded for the preparation of these nanocomposites. In this context, we propose the fabrication of silver nanostructure decorated TiO2 nanowires (TiO2 NWs) through a thin interphase layer of the polymer of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (PLDOPA). In the first step, TiO2 NWs were synthesized through the hydrothermal method and then a conformal thin film of PLDOPA was deposited onto the TiO2 NWs (TiO2@PLDOPA) by oxidative polymerization of l-DOPA. Having various functional groups including catechol and amine, the PLDOPA thin-film reduced the silver ions onto the TiO2 NWs and stabilized the resultant nanocomposites without the employment of any surfactant, reducing agent, and seed material. By simply tuning the amount of silver ions, we could manipulate the size, morphology, and interparticle distance of silver nanostructures decorated onto the TiO2@PLDOPA colloidal composite system (TiO2@PLDOPA@Ag NP). The TiO2@PLDOPA@Ag nanocomposite systems provided unique properties as an ideal SERS platform and photocatalyst. The optimized TiO2@PLDOPA@Ag nanosystem demonstrated a high SERS activity, reproducibility, and self-cleaning property with an enhancement factor of 5.1 × 105. As a photocatalyst, the TiO2@PLDOPA@Ag NP systems provided remarkable performance under visible light irradiation in the catalytic degradation of methylene blue.

Heterogeneous Charged Complexes of Random Copolymers for the Segregation of Organic Molecules

Nature harnesses the disorder of intrinsically disordered proteins to organize enzymes and biopolymers into membraneless organelles. The heterogeneous nature of synthetic random copolymers with charged, polar, and hydrophobic groups has been exploited to mimic intrinsically disordered proteins, forming complexes with enzymatically active proteins and delivering them into nonbiological environments. Here, the properties of polyelectrolyte complexes composed of two random copolymer polyelectrolytes are studied experimentally and via simulation with the aim of exploiting such complexes for segregating organic molecules from water. The anionic polyelectrolyte contains hydrophilic and hydrophobic side chains and forms self-assembled hydrophobic domains. The cationic polymer is a high-molecular-weight copolymer of hydrophilic and charged side groups and acts as a flocculant. We find that the polyelectrolyte complexes obtained with this anionic and cationic random copolymer system are capable of absorbing small cationic, anionic, and hydrophobic organic molecules, including perfluorooctanoic acid, a compound of great environmental and toxicologic concern. Importantly, these macroscopic complexes can be easily removed from water, thereby providing a simple approach for organic contaminant removal in aqueous media. MARTINI and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations explore how the microscale heterogeneity of these random copolymer complexes relates to their segregation functionality.

Poly(L-DOPA)-mediated bimetallic core-shell nanostructures of gold and silver and their employment in SERS, catalytic activity, and cell viability

Core-shell gold nanorod (AuNR)@silver (Ag) nanostructures with their unique properties have gained enormous interest and are widely utilized in various applications including sensor systems, catalytic reactions, diagnosis, and therapy. Despite the recent progress, simple, effective, low-cost, and easy-to-tune strategies are heavily required to fabricate these nanoparticles (NP) systems. For this, we propose the employment of the polymer of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-DOPA) as a ligand molecule. A conformal thin layer of polymer of L-DOPA (PLDOPA) with its various functional groups enabled the reduction of silver ions onto the AuNRs and stabilization of the resultant NPs without using any surfactant, reducing agent, and seed material. The shape and growth model of the AuNR@Ag nanostructures was manipulated by simply tuning the amount of silver ions. This procedure created different NP morphologies ranging from concentric to acentric/island shape core-shell nanostructures. Also, even at the highest Ag deposition, the PLDOPA layer is still conformally present onto the Au@Ag core-shell NRs. The unique properties of NP systems provided remarkable characteristics in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, catalytic activity, and cell viability tests.

Electrostatically coupled SiO2 nanoparticles/poly (L-DOPA) antifouling coating on a nanofiltration membrane

In this work, the fouling resistance of TFC (thin film composite) nanofiltration membranes have been enhanced using an electrostatically coupled SiO₂ (silica dioxide) nanoparticles/poly(L-DOPA) (3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-l-alanine) antifouling coating. SiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized in different size ranges and combined with L-DOPA; and then coated as an anti-fouling layer on the membrane surface by recirculated deposition. Membranes were coated with S-NP (silica nanoparticles) in small (19.8 nm), medium (31.6 nm) and large (110.1 nm) sizes. The zwitterionic compound L-DOPA in the form of self-polymerized poly(L-DOPA) (PDOPA) helped with the attachment of the S-NP to the membrane surface. It was confirmed by AFM (atomic force microscopy) measurement that coating of membranes led to an increase in hydrophilicity and reduction in surface roughness, which in turn led to a 60% reduction in the adhesion force of the foulant on the membrane as compared to the neat membrane. The modified membranes experienced almost no flux decline during the filtration experimental period, whereas the unmodified membrane showed a sharp flux decline. The best coating conditions of silica nanoparticles resulting in enhanced anti-fouling properties were identified. The biofouling film formation on the membranes was evaluated quantitatively using the flow cytometry method. The results indicated that the modified membranes had 50% lower microbial population growth in terms of total event count compared to the neat membrane. Overall, the experimental results have confirmed that the coating of electrostatically coupled SiO₂ nanoparticles and PDOPA (S-NP/PDOPA) on TFC-NF (nanofiltration) membrane surfaces is effective in improving the fouling resistance of the membranes. This result has positive implications for reducing membrane fouling in desalination and industrial wastewater treatment applications.

Unusual Structures of Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes: Vesicles and Perforated Vesicles

By means of computer simulation and analytical theory, we first demonstrated that the interpolyelectrolyte complexes in dilute solution can spontaneously form hollow spherical particles with thin continuous shells (vesicles) or with porous shells (perforated vesicles) if the polyions forming the complex differ in their affinity for the solvent. The solvent was considered good for the nonionic groups of one macroion and its quality was varied for the nonionic groups of the other macroion. It was found that if the electrostatic interactions are weak compared to the attraction induced by the hydrophobicity of the monomer units, the complex in poor solvent tends to form "dense core-loose shell" structures of different shapes. The strong electrostatic interactions favor the formation of the layered, the hollow, and the filled structured morphologies with the strongly segregated macroions. Vesicles with perforated walls were distinguished as the intermediate between the vesicular and the structured solid morphologies. The order parameter based on the spherical harmonics expansion was introduced to calculate the pore distribution in the perforated vesicles depending on the solvent quality. The conditions of the core-shell and hollow vesicular-like morphologies formation were determined theoretically via the calculations of their free energy. The results of the simulation and theoretical approaches are in good agreement.

Processing and modification of hydrogel and its application in emerging contaminant adsorption and in catalyst immobilization: a review

Due to the wonderful property of hydrogels, they can provide a platform for a wide range of applications. Recently, there is a growing research interest in the development of potential hydrogel adsorbents in wastewater treatment due to their adsorption ability toward aqueous pollutants. It is important to prepare such a hydrogel that possesses appropriate robustness, adsorption capacity, and adsorption efficiency to meet the need of water treatment. In order to improve the property of hydrogels, much effort has been made by researchers to modify hydrogels, among which incorporating inorganic components into the polymeric networks is the most common method, which can reduce the product cost and simplify the preparation procedure. Not only can hydrogel be applied as adsorbent, but it also can be used as matrix for catalyst immobilization. In this review, the key advancement on the preparation and modification of hydrogels is discussed, with special emphasis on the introduction of inorganic materials into polymeric networks and consequential changes in the properties of mechanical strength, swelling, and adsorption. Besides, hydrogels used as adsorbents for removal of dyes and inorganic pollutants have been widely explored, but their use for adsorbing emerging contaminants from aqueous solution has not received much attention. Thus, this review is mainly focused on hydrogels' application in removing emerging contaminants by adsorption. Furthermore, hydrogels can be also applied in immobilizing catalysts, such as enzyme and photocatalyst, to remove pollutants completely and avoid secondary pollution, so their progress as catalyst matrix is overviewed.

High and fast adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions by a waste biomass based hydrogel

A waste biomass based hydrogel soybean residue-poly(acrylic acid) (SR–PAA) was prepared through a fast one-step reaction by UV radiation technology. SR–PAA was used to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Effect of pH value, temperature, initial concentration, contact time, competitive ions in the solutions on metal ions adsorption and desorption/regeneration capacity of SR–PAA was discussed in detailed. It was found that the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 20 min, and maximum adsorption for Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions were 1.43 and 2.04 mmol g⁻¹, respectively. Besides, adsorption thermodynamic analysis indicates that the process of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions adsorption was spontaneous, feasible and exothermic in nature. And experimental data fitted the pseudo-second-order and Freundlich isotherm model well. Moreover, XPS spectra analysis proves that the metal ions were adsorbed on SR–PAA due to the interaction of carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine with these ions as ionic bond, coordination bond and electrostatic interaction.

Enhanced adsorption of Cd(II) using a composite of poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) incorporated LDH@MoS24

The Mg/Al layered double hydroxide (Mg/Al-LDH) intercalated with the [Formula: see text] (MoS₄-LDH) impregnated into poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) (PP) was synthesized as layered double hydroxides-PP (LDHS-PP), whose characterization, adsorption properties and mechanisms were investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_m) for Cd(II) was ∼2789.58 mg/g by 1% LDHS-PP, while it was ∼1893.09 mg/g by PP, which indicated that the MoS₄-LDH greatly improved the Cd(II) uptake for PP in aqueous solution. In strongly acidic conditions (∼pH 3.0), there was still a good removal efficiency of about 45.65% by the 1% LDHS-PP, while that of PP was almost zero. At pH 5.0 the removal efficiency increased to 85.17% by the 1% LDHS-PP. The sorption kinetics for the 1% LDHS-PP was described well by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and elemental distribution maps further confirmed the presence of MoS₄-LDH in the PP and most of the Cd(II) chemisorption based on the Cd-S bonding. Due to its high removal efficiency and acid resistance, LDHS-PP is a promising in-situ fixation agent for the remediation of agricultural soil polluted with Cd(II) at low pH.

Ionically crosslinked polyelectrolyte nanoparticle formation mechanisms: the significance of mixing

Mixing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and multivalent counterion solutions at low concentrations leads to the formation of colloidal ionically crosslinked polyelectrolyte particles. Due to the rapid reaction kinetics, the complexation processes and the final product could vary significantly when changing the mixing efficiency, which was often overlooked in previous studies. To investigate the effect of mixing on the polyelectrolyte-based colloid formation, we use chitosan/tripolyphosphate mixtures as a model system and compare the particle formation under flash nano-complexation (FNC, representing rapid and efficient mixing) and conventional dropwise mixing. It turns out that the non-uniform mixing and rapid complex formation during conventional mixing lead to particle formation at a low tripolyphosphate : chitosan ratio, which could be avoided by FNC. When mixing using FNC, the particle formation started at a critical tripolyphosphate : glucosamine ratio, below which only soluble complexes exist, and such a critical ratio is independent of the chitosan molecular weight and charge density. Homogeneous mixing also leads to the formation of a large amount of small primary particles without further aggregation due to the rapid consumption of free crosslinking counterions. Such a strong dependency of ionically crosslinked polyelectrolyte colloid formation on the mixing efficiency was also demonstrated using other polyelectrolytes and counterions. Thus, the mixing efficiency could have a significant impact on the interpretation of the complexation process and the mechanisms and should be carefully discussed when studying ionically crosslinked polyelectrolyte colloids.

Carbon Nanomaterial Doped Ionic Liquid Gels for the Removal of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds from Water

Due to large drug consumption, pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) can be found as water contaminants. The removal of PhACs is a significant issue, as they can easily overtake traditional purification methods. Because of their surface properties, carbon nanomaterials are among the most efficient materials able to adsorb PhACs. However, their limitation is their recovery after use and their possible leakage into the aquatic system. Consequently, new hybrid supramolecular ionic liquid gels (HILGs) have been designed for the adsorption of some antibiotic drugs (ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid) from water. The chemical–physical properties of gels, such as the temperature of the gel–sol transition, morphology, and rheology, have been studied for their use as sorbents. These properties influence the gel removal efficiency of PhAC, i.e., the best system is the gel that presents weaker colloidal forces. A fast removal (RE = 51%) is obtained in 3 h for ciprofloxacin, while a slower adsorption process is observed for nalidixic acid (RE = 88% in 24 h). HILGs can be recycled up to seven cycles and regenerated. In addition, they can be used with higher concentrations or volumes of PhAC and in a realistic apparatus like dialysis membranes. These peculiarities suggest that HILGs can be competitive with more complex sorbent systems.

Graphene hybrid colloidal crystal arrays with photo-controllable structural colors

An intelligent structural color hydrogel with photo-controllable capability was developed by adding graphene oxide (GO) into colloidal particle solutions. The high charge characteristic of GO could significantly enhance the electrostatic repulsion effect between adjacent particles and promote the ordered assembly of the colloidal particles. The resultant colloidal crystal arrays (CCAs) with a small amount of GO additive were imparted with vivid angle-dependent structural colors due to the enhanced photon absorption of the hybrid materials, whereas their structural colors became dull and angle-independent with a high GO concentration, which contributes to the isotropic short-range ordered CAA nanostructures. It was demonstrated that the GO hybrid structural color hydrogels with temperature-sensitive polymer components featured photo-responsive properties, which provided remotely controllable dynamic structural colors for different patterns. These features of the GO hybrid structural color hydrogels make them promising for the applications of anti-counterfeiting barcode and other related fields.

Polyelectrolyte-micelle coacervates: intrapolymer-dominant vs. interpolymer-dominant association, solute uptake and rheological properties

The effects of polyelectrolyte charge density, polyelectrolyte-to-surfactant ratio, and micelle species on coacervation were studied by turbidity, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements to examine the coacervation of the weak polyelectrolyte branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) and oppositely charged sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles as well as BPEI and mixed micelles composed of SDS and poly(ethylene glycol) 4-nonylphenyl 3-sulfopropyl ether potassium salt (PENS). The results of dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements are discussed in terms of pH and BPEI-to-surfactant ratio. An intrapolymer-dominant to interpolymer-dominant association model for the BPEI-micelle coacervates was proposed based on the variation of size and zeta potential of coacervate particles by their BPEI-to-surfactant ratio. The partition coefficient of solutes into BPEI-micelle coacervates was determined using UV-vis measurements as a function of pH, BPEI-to-surfactant ratio, and mixed micelle composition. Both the hydrophobicity of solutes and micelles, as well as the association mode of coacervates, impact the solute uptake efficiency. Dynamic rheological measurements on the coacervates suggest that the rheological properties of the complex coacervates are impacted by the association mode of the coacervates as well as the charge density on BPEI chains during coacervation.

Supramolecular Strategy Effects on Chitosan Bead Stability in Acidic Media: A Comparative Study

Chitosan beads attract interest in diverse applications, including drug delivery, biocatalysis and water treatment. They can be formed through several supramolecular pathways, ranging from phase inversion in alkaline solutions, to the ionic crosslinking of chitosan with multivalent anions, to polyelectrolyte or surfactant/polyelectrolyte complexation. Many chitosan bead uses require control over their stability to dissolution. To help elucidate how this stability depends on the choice of supramolecular gelation chemistry, we present a comparative study of chitosan bead stability in acidic aqueous media using three common classes of supramolecular chitosan beads: (1) alkaline solution-derived beads, prepared through simple precipitation in NaOH solution; (2) ionically-crosslinked beads, prepared using tripolyphosphate (TPP); and (3) surfactant-crosslinked beads prepared via surfactant/polyelectrolyte complexation using sodium salts of dodecyl sulfate (SDS), caprate (NaC10) and laurate (NaC12). Highly variable bead stabilities with dissimilar sensitivities to pH were achieved using these methods. At low pH levels (e.g., pH 1.2), chitosan/SDS beads were the most stable, requiring roughly 2 days to dissolve. In weakly acidic media (at pH 3.0⁻5.0), however, chitosan/TPP beads exhibited the highest stability, remaining intact throughout the entire experiment. Beads prepared using only NaOH solution (i.e., without ionic crosslinking or surfactant complexation) were the least stable, except at pH 5.0, where the NaC10 and NaC12-derived beads dissolved slightly faster. Collectively, these findings provide further guidelines for tailoring supramolecular chitosan bead stability in acidic media.

Oxidant-templating fabrication of pure polypyrrole hydrogel beads as a highly efficient dye adsorbent

Polypyrrole (PPY) is a type of dye adsorbent with good adsorbing capability. Fabrication of PPY with a porous architecture, though technically challenging, can further enhance its dye adsorbing capability due to the tremendous increase of surface area. In this manuscript, an oxidant-templating strategy was developed to fabricate pure PPY hydrogel (PHG) beads comprising nanofibrous networks, which were utilized as highly efficient dye absorbents. For instance, PPY hydrogel beads showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 236.9 mg g-1 for methyl orange (MO), which was significantly higher than that of PPY powder. The minimal effective concentration of MO for the adsorption was as low as 0.4 ppm. Besides that, the PPY hydrogel beads displayed good regeneration performance for adsorbing organic dyes. Thus, the PPY hydrogel beads with low solid contents and large surface area could be considered as a promising organic dye absorbent for wastewater treatment in various industrial fields.

Eco-friendly and biocompatible cross-linked carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels as adsorbents for the removal of organic dye pollutants for environmental applications

In this study, new eco-friendly hydrogel adsorbents were synthesized based on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC, degree of substitution [DS] = 0.7) chemically cross-linked with citric acid (CA) using a green process in aqueous solution and applied for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB). Spectroscopic analyses demonstrated the mechanism of cross-linking through the reaction of hydroxyl functional groups from CMC with CA. These CMC hydrogels showed very distinct morphological features dependent on the extension of cross-linking and their nanomechanical properties were drastically increased by approximately 300% after cross-linking with 20% CA (e.g. elastic moduli from 80 ± 15 to 270 ± 50 MPa). Moreover, they were biocompatible using an in vitro cell viability assay in contact with human osteosarcoma-derived cells (SAOS) for 24 h. These CMC-based hydrogels exhibited adsorption efficiency above 90% (24 h) and maximum removal capacity of MB from 5 to 25 mg g^-1 depending on the dye concentration (from 100 to 500 mg L^-1), which was used as the model cationic organic pollutant. The adsorption of process of MB was well-fit to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The desorption of MB by immersion in KCl solution (3 mol L^-1, 24 h) showed a typical recovery efficiency of over 60% with conceivable reuse of these CMC-based hydrogels. Conversely, CMC hydrogels repelled methyl orange dye used as model anionic pollutant, proving the mechanism of adsorption by the formation of charged polyelectrolyte/dye complexes.

Hydrogel applications for adsorption of contaminants in water and wastewater treatment

During the last decade, hydrogels have been used as potential adsorbents for removal of contaminants from aqueous solution. To improve the adsorption efficiency, there are numerous different particles that can be chosen to encapsulate into hydrogels and each particle has their respective advantages. Depending on the type of pollutants and approaching method, the particles will be used to prepare hydrogels. The hydrogels commonly applied in water/wastewater treatment was mainly classified into three classes according to their shape included hydrogel beads, hydrogel films, and hydrogel nanocomposites. In review of many recently research papers, we take a closer look at hydrogels and their applications for removal of contaminants, such as heavy metal ion, dyes, and radionuclides from water/wastewater in order to elucidate the reactions between contaminants and particles and potential for recycling and regeneration of the post-treatment hydrogels. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly Strategy for Surface Modification of Aramid Fibers to Enhance Interfacial Adhesion to Epoxy Resin

In this work, the layer-by-layer self-assembly technology was used to modify aramid fibers (AFs) to improve the interfacial adhesion to epoxy matrix. By virtue of the facile layer-by-layer self-assembly technique, poly(l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine) (l-PDOPA) was successfully coated on the surface of AFs, leading to the formation of AFs with controllable layers (nL-AF). Then, a hydroxyl functionalized silane coupling agent (KH550) was grafted on the surface of l-PDOPA coated AFs. The properties such as microstructure and surface morphology of AFs before and after modification were characterized by FTIR, XPS and FE-SEM. The results confirmed that l-PDOPA and KH550 were successfully introduced into the surface of AFs by electrostatic adsorption. The interfacial properties of AFs reinforced epoxy resin composites before and after coating were characterized by interfacial shear strength (IFSS), interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and FE-SEM, and the results show that the interfacial adhesion properties of the modified fiber/epoxy resin composites were greatly improved.

Comparative Study of Graphene Hydrogels and Aerogels Reveals the Important Role of Buried Water in Pollutant Adsorption

Water as the universal solvent has well-demonstrated its ability to dissolve many substances, but buried water inside different nanoporous materials always exhibits some unusual behaviors. Herein, 3D porous graphene hydrogel (GH) is developed as a super-adsorbent to remove different pollutants (antibiotics, dyes, and heavy ions) for water purification. Due to its highly porous structure and high content of water, GH also demonstrated its super adsorption capacity for adsorbing and removing different pollutants (antibiotics, dyes, and heavy ions) as compared to conventional graphene aerogel (GA). More fundamentally, the buried-water enhanced adsorption mechanism was proposed and demonstrated, such that buried water in GH plays the combinatorial roles as (1) supporting media, (2) transport nanochannels, and (3) hydrogen bondings in promoting pollutant adsorption. In parallel, molecular dynamics simulations further confirm that buried water in GH has the stronger interaction with pollutants via hydrogen bonds than other buried alcohols. GH integrates the merit of both graphene (e.g., fine chemical resistance and excellent mechanical property) and hydrogel (e.g., high water content, porous structure, and simple solution-based processability and scalability), giving it promising potential for environmental applications.

Bio-inspired self-healing structural color hydrogel

Biologically inspired self-healing structural color hydrogels were developed by adding a glucose oxidase (GOX)- and catalase (CAT)-filled glutaraldehyde cross-linked BSA hydrogel into methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) inverse opal scaffolds. The composite hydrogel materials with the polymerized GelMA scaffold could maintain the stability of an inverse opal structure and its resultant structural colors, whereas the protein hydrogel filler could impart self-healing capability through the reversible covalent attachment of glutaraldehyde to lysine residues of BSA and enzyme additives. A series of unprecedented structural color materials could be created by assembling and healing the elements of the composite hydrogel. In addition, as both the GelMA and the protein hydrogels were derived from organisms, the composite materials presented high biocompatibility and plasticity. These features of self-healing structural color hydrogels make them excellent functional materials for different applications.

Exploitation of mussel byssus mariculture waste as a water remediation material

The byssus is an alimentary industry waste with a unique combination of functional groups that has been successfully tested for the removal of charged aromatic dyes from water.

Cells Cultured on Core-Shell Photonic Crystal Barcodes for Drug Screening

The development of effective drug screening platforms is an important task for biomedical engineering. Here, a novel methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel-encapsulated core-shell photonic crystal (PhC) barcode particle was developed for three-dimensional cell aggregation culture and drug screening. The GelMA shells of the barcode particles enable creation of a three-dimensional extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment for cell adhesion and growth, while the PhC cores of the barcode particles provide stable diffraction peaks that can encode different cell spheroids during culture and distinguish their biological response during drug testing. The applicability of this cell spheroids-on-barcodes platform was investigated by testing the cytotoxic effect of tegafur (TF), a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), on barcode particle-loaded liver HepG2 and HCT-116 colonic tumor cell spheroids. The cytotoxicity of TF against the HCT-116 tumor cell spheroids was enhanced in systems using cocultures of HepG2 and NIH-3T3 cells, indicating the effectiveness of this multiple cell spheroids-on-barcodes platform for drug screening.

Preparation and characterization of sodium polyacrylate-grafted bentonite and its performance removing Pb2+ from aqueous solutions

A new adsorbent, sodium polyacrylate (PAANa) grafted onto the surface of bentonite (Bent), was successfully synthesized by a facile and green Ce(iv)-redox process, to remove Pb²⁺ from aqueous solutions.

Microfluidic Generation of Porous Microcarriers for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture

Inspired by the microstructure of the stem cell niche, which is generally composed of adjacent cell protection layers and an extracellular matrix (ECM), we present novel microfluidic porous microcarriers for cell culture that consist of external-internal connected scaffold structures and biopolymer matrix fillers. The biomimetic scaffold structure of the porous microcarriers not only avoids the imposition of shear forces on the encapsulated cells but also provides a confined microenvironment for cell self-assembly, whereas the biopolymers in the porous cores of the microcarriers can act as an ECM microenvironment to promote the formation of multicellular spheroid aggregates for biomedical applications.