Characterizations on a GRAS Electrospun Lipid-Polymer Composite Loaded with Tetrahydrocurcumin

Electrospun/sprayed fiber films and nanoparticles were broadly studied as encapsulation techniques for bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, many of them involved using non-volatile toxic solvents or non-biodegradable polymers that were not suitable for oral consumption, thus rather limiting their application. In this research, a novel electrospun lipid-polymer composite (ELPC) was fabricated with whole generally recognized as safe (GRAS) materials including gelatin, medium chain triglyceride (MCT) and lecithin. A water-insoluble bioactive compound, tetrahydrocurcumin (TC), was encapsulated in the ELPC to enhance its delivery. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was utilized to examine the morphology of this ELPC and found that it was in a status between electrospun fibers and electrosprayed particles. It was able to form self-assembled emulsions (droplets visualized by CLSM) to deliver active compounds. In addition, this gelatin-based ELPC self-assembled emulsion was able to form a special emulsion gel. CLSM observation of this gel displayed that the lipophilic contents of the ELPC were encapsulated within the cluster of the hydrophilic gelatin gel network. The FTIR spectrum of the TC-loaded ELPC did not show the fingerprint pattern of crystalline TC, while it displayed the aliphatic hydrocarbon stretches from MCT and lecithin. The dissolution experiment demonstrated a relatively linear release profile of TC from the ELPC. The lipid digestion assay displayed a rapid digestion of triglycerides in the first 3-6 min, with a high extent of lipolysis. A Caco-2 intestinal monolayer transport study was performed. The ELPC delivered more TC in the upward direction than downwards. MTT study results did not report cytotoxicity for both pure TC and the ELPC-encapsulated TC under 15 μg/mL. Caco-2 cellular uptake was visualized by CLSM and semi-quantified to estimate the accumulation rate of TC in the cells over time.

Thermally Remendable Polyurethane Network Cross-Linked via Reversible Diels-Alder Reaction

We prepared a series of thermally remendable and recyclable polyurethanes crosslinked via reversible furan-maleimide Diels-Alder reaction based on TDI end-caped branched Voranol 3138 terminated with difurfurylamine and 4,4'-bis(maleimido)diphenylmethane (BMI). We showed that Young modulus strongly depends on BMI content (from 8 to 250 MPa) that allows us to obtain materials of different elasticity as simple as varying BMI content. The ability of DA and retro-DA reactions between furan and maleimide to reversibly bind material components was investigated by NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and recycle testing. All polymers obtained demonstrated high strengths and could be recovering without significant loss in mechanical properties for at least five reprocessing cycles.

Fabrication of a Self-Healing, 3D Printable, and Reprocessable Biobased Elastomer

A novel self-healable, fully reprocessable, and inkjet three-dimensional (3D) printable partially biobased elastomer is reported in this work. A long-chain unsaturated diacrylate monomer was first synthesized from canola oil and then cross-linked with a partially oxidized silicon-based copolymer containing free thiol groups and disulfide bonds. The elastomer is fabricated through inkjet 3D printing utilizing the photoinitiated thiol-ene click chemistry and reprocessed by compression molding exploiting the dynamic nature of disulfide bond. Self-healing is enabled by phosphine-catalyzed disulfide metathesis. The elastomer displayed a tensile strength of ∼52 kPa, a breaking strain of ∼24, and ∼86% healing efficiency at 80 °C temperature after 8 h. Moreover, the elastomer showed excellent thermal stability, and the highest thermal degradation temperature was recorded to be ∼524 °C. After reprocessing through compression molding, the elastomer fully recovered its mechanical and thermal properties. These properties of the elastomer yield an ecofriendly alternative of fossil fuel-based elastomers that can find broad applications in soft robotics, flexible wearable devices, strain sensors, health care, and next-generation energy-harvesting and -storage devices.

Remarkably Efficient Microwave-Assisted Cross-Metathesis of Lipids under Solvent-Free Conditions

Catalytic transformation of renewable feedstocks into fine chemicals is in high demands and olefin metathesis is a sophisticated tool for biomass conversion. Nevertheless, the large-scale viability of such processes depends on the conversion efficiency, energy efficiency, catalytic activity, selective conversion into desired products, and environmental footprint of the process. Therefore, conversions of renewables by using simple, swift, and efficient methods are desirable. A microwave-assisted ethenolysis and alkenolysis (using 1,5-hexadiene) of canola oil and methyl esters derived from canola oil (COME) and waste/recycled cooking oil (WOME) was carried out by using ruthenium-based catalytic systems. A systematic study using 1st and 2nd generation Grubbs and Hoveyda-Grubbs catalysts was carried out. Among all ruthenium catalysts, 2nd generation Hoveyda-Grubbs catalyst was found to be highly active in the range of 0.002-0.1 mol % loading. The conversions proved to be rapid providing unprecedented turnover frequencies (TOFs). High TOFs were achieved for ethenolysis of COME (21 450 min^-1 ), direct ethenolysis of canola oil (19 110 min^-1 ), for WOME (15 840 min^-1 ) and for cross-metathesis of 1,5-hexadiene with COME (10 920 min^-1 ). The ethenolysis of commercial methyl oleate was also performed with a TOF of 8000 min^-1 under microwave conditions.

Microwave-Assisted Catalytic Synthesis of Bio-Based Copolymers from Waste Cooking Oil

Solvent-free copolymerization of epoxides derived from fatty esters of waste cooking oil with phthalic anhydride using (salen)Cr^IIICl as catalyst and n-Bu₄NCl/DMAP (tetrabutylammonium chloride/4-(dimethylamino)pyridine) as co-catalysts was carried out for the first time under microwave irradiation, where reaction time was reduced from a number of hours to minutes. The polyesters were obtained with molecular weight (Mw = 3100–6750 g/mol) and dispersity values (D = 1.18–1.92) when (salen)Cr^IIICl/n-Bu₄NCl was used as catalysts. Moreover, in the case of DMAP as a co-catalyst, polyesters with improved molecular weight (Mw = 5500–6950 g/mol) and narrow dispersity values (D = 1.07–1.28) were obtained even at reduced concentrations of (salen)Cr^IIICl and DMAP. The obtained products were characterized and evaluated by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) Techniques.

Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of a polyether from a plant oil derived monomer and its optimization by Box–Behnken design

In this study, a new strategy for making biopolyethers from plant oil derived monomer (α-olefin) was developed using microwave irradiation, conditions were optimized and compared with a conventional method.

SPIONs/DOX loaded polymer nanoparticles for MRI detection and efficient cell targeting drug delivery

Reducible polydopamine coated magnetic nanoparticles (SPIONs@PDA) for both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detection and cell targeting drug delivery.

Drug encapsulation and release behavior of telechelic nanoparticles

The encapsulation and release of hydrophobic drug, carbamazepine (CBZ) was investigated using three previously synthesized amphiphilic Lipid-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (Lipid-PEG) conjugates. Their micellization, drug encapsulation, and release behavior was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The highest capacity of drug entrapment was observed for the CPE-PEG-a telechelic with the shorter PEG block and the size of the nanoparticles decreased evidently after the drug was loaded, while a slight decrease in size was also observed for the CPE-PEG-b telechelic with longer PEG block and the three-armed CPE-GE conjugate. TEM images showed that all three types of the drug-loaded micelles had spherical or near-spherical morphology. In the study of the in vitro drug release, slower drug-release patterns were observed for CPE-PEG-a and CPE-GE micelles. Almost all the drug entrapped inside the three types of micelles could be released within 50 h.

Structure-fluorescence relationship: interplay of non-covalent interactions in homologous 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazolines

A series of new homologous 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazolines have been synthesized to understand the interplay of non-covalent interactions in the context of a structure-fluorescence relationship.

Robustness of a thioamide {⋯H–N–CS}2 synthon: synthesis and the effect of substituents on the formation of layered to cage-like supramolecular networks in coumarin–thiosemicarbazone hybrids

The study has been carried out to highlight the potential of thiosemicarbazones in crystal engineering.

Development of a vegetable oil based plasticizer for preparing flame retardant poly(vinyl chloride) materials

A novel method was developed to prepare a castor oil based flame retardant plasticizer containing phosphaphenanthrene groups (PCOPE) for the preparation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC).

Homologous 1,3,5-triarylpyrazolines: synthesis, CH⋯π interactions guided self-assembly and effect of alkyloxy chain length on DNA binding properties

The synthesis, CH⋯π interactions-driven self-assembled structure and DNA binding properties (10⁵–10⁶M⁻¹binding constants) of new homologous 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazolines are reported.