Chiral resolution of (±)-flurbiprofen using molecularly imprinted hydrazidine-modified cellulose microparticles

Flurbiprofen (FP) is one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) commonly used to treat arthritic conditions. FP has two enantiomers: S-FP and R-FP. S-FP has potent anti-inflammatory effects, while R-FP has nearly no such effects. Herein, molecularly imprinted microparticles produced from hydrazidine-cellulose (CHD) biopolymer for the preferential uptake of S-FP and chiral resolution of (±)-FP were developed. First, cyanoethylcellulose (CECN) was synthesized, and the -CN units were transformed into hydrazidine groups. The developed CHD was subsequently shaped into microparticles and ionically interacted with the S-FP enantiomer. The particles were then imprinted after being cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, and then the S-FP was removed to provide the S-FP enantio-selective sorbent (S-FPCHD). After characterization, the optimal removal settings for the S- and R-FP enantiomers were determined. The results indicated a capacity of 125 mg/g under the optimum pH range of 5-7. Also, S-FPCHD displayed a noticeable affinity toward S-FP with a 12-fold increase compared to the R-FP enantiomer. The chiral resolution of the (±)-FP was successfully attempted using separation columns, and the outlet sample of the loading solution displayed an enantiomeric excess (ee) of 93 % related to the R-FP, while the eluent solution displayed an ee value of 95 % related to the S-FP.

The synthesis of multifunctional cellulose graft alternating copolymers of 3,4-dihydrocoumarin and epoxides in DBU/DMSO/CO2 solvent system

Cellulose graft copolymers having well-defined structures could incorporate the characteristics of both the cellulose skeleton and side chains, providing a new method for the preparation functionalised cellulose derivatives. Herein, a series of multifunctional cellulose grafted, alternating 3,4-dihydrocoumarin (DHC) and epoxide (EPO) copolymers (cell-g-P(DHC-alt-EPO)) were prepared in a metal-free DBU/DMSO/CO2 solvent system without adding additional catalyst. Four examples of cell-g-P(DHC-alt-EPO) with tunable thermal and optical properties were synthesized by copolymerization of DHC with styrene oxide (SO), propylene oxide (PO), cyclohexene oxide (CHO) or furfuryl glycidyl ether (FGE) onto cellulose. The nonconjugated cell-g-P(DHC-alt-EPO) showed UV absorption properties with the maximum absorption peak at 282 nm and 295 nm and photoluminescence performance. A clustering-triggered emission mechanism was confirmed and consistent with DFT theoretical calculations. In DMSO solution, the copolymer (DHCSO5) with DP of 11.64 showed ACQ behaviour as the concentration increased. In addition, DHCSO5 had good antioxidant capacity with an instantaneous radical scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) up to 65 % at a concentration of 40 mg/ ml and increased to 100 % after 30 min. Thus, the multifunctional cell-g-P(DHC-alt-EPO) materials had a variety of potential applications in the fields of fluorescent printing, bio-imaging, UV- shielding and antioxidants.

Insights into the Applications of Natural Fibers to Metal Separation from Aqueous Solutions

There is a wide range of renewable materials with attractive prospects for the development of green technologies for the removal and recovery of metals from aqueous streams. A special category among them are natural fibers of biological origin, which combine remarkable biosorption properties with the adaptability of useful forms for cleanup and recycling purposes. To support the efficient exploitation of these advantages, this article reviews the current state of research on the potential and real applications of natural cellulosic and protein fibers as biosorbents for the sequestration of metals from aqueous solutions. The discussion on the scientific literature reports is made in sections that consider the classification and characterization of natural fibers and the analysis of performances of lignocellulosic biofibers and wool, silk, and human hair waste fibers to the metal uptake from diluted aqueous solutions. Finally, future research directions are recommended. Compared to other reviews, this work debates, systematizes, and correlates the available data on the metal biosorption on plant and protein biofibers, under non-competitive and competitive conditions, from synthetic, simulated, and real solutions, providing a deep insight into the biosorbents based on both types of eco-friendly fibers.

Magnetically Recyclable Wool Keratin Modified Magnetite Powders for Efficient Removal of Cu2+ Ions from Aqueous Solutions

The treatment of wastewater containing heavy metals and the utilization of wool waste are very important for the sustainable development of textile mills. In this study, the wool keratin modified magnetite (Fe3O4) powders were fabricated by using wool waste via a co-precipitation technique for removal of Cu2+ ions from aqueous solutions. The morphology, chemical compositions, crystal structure, microstructure, magnetism properties, organic content, and specific surface area of as-fabricated powders were systematically characterized by various techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. The effects of experimental parameters such as the volume of wool keratin hydrolysate, the dosage of powder, the initial Cu2+ ion concentration, and the pH value of solution on the adsorption capacity of Cu2+ ions by the powders were examined. The experimental results indicated that the Cu2+ ion adsorption performance of the wool keratin modified Fe3O4 powders exhibited much better than that of the chitosan modified ones with a maximum Cu2+ adsorption capacity of 27.4 mg/g under favorable conditions (0.05 g powders; 50 mL of 40 mg/L CuSO4; pH 5; temperature 293 K). The high adsorption capacity towards Cu2+ ions on the wool keratin modified Fe3O4 powders was primarily because of the strong surface complexation of -COOH and -NH2 functional groups of wool keratins with Cu2+ ions. The Cu2+ ion adsorption process on the wool keratin modified Fe3O4 powders followed the Temkin adsorption isotherm model and the intraparticle diffusion and pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic models. After Cu2+ ion removal, the wool keratin modified Fe3O4 powders were easily separated using a magnet from aqueous solution and efficiently regenerated using 0.5 M ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-H2SO4 eluting. The wool keratin modified Fe3O4 powders possessed good regenerative performance after five cycles. This study provided a feasible way to utilize waste wool textiles for preparing magnetic biomass-based adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions.

Low-cost adsorbent derived and in situ nitrogen/iron co-doped carbon as efficient oxygen reduction catalyst in microbial fuel cells

A novel low-cost adsorbent derived and in situ nitrogen/iron co-doped carbon (N/Fe-C) with three-dimensional porous structure is employed as efficient oxygen reduction catalyst in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The electrochemical active area is significantly improved to 617.19m(2)g(-1) in N/Fe-C by Fe-doping. And N/Fe-C (4.21at.% N, 0.11at.% Fe) exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity with the oxygen reduction potential of -0.07V (vs. Ag/AgCl) which is comparable to commercial Pt/C. In MFCs tests, the maximum power density and output voltage with N/Fe-C are enhanced to 745mWm(-2) and 562mV (external resistance 1kΩ), which are 11% and 0.72% higher than Pt/C (0.5mgPtcm(-2)), respectively. Besides, the long-term stability of N/Fe-C retains better for more than one week. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance (Rct) values are recorded by the impedance measurements, and the low Rct of N/Fe-C is also result in better catalytic activity.

Bacterial Cellulose Supported Gold Nanoparticles with Excellent Catalytic Properties

Amidoxime surface functionalized bacterial cellulose (AOBC) has been successfully prepared by a simple two-step method without obviously changing the morphology of bacterial cellulose. AOBC has been used as the reducing agent and carrier for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that distributed homogeneously on bacterial cellulose surface. Higher content in amidoxime groups in AOBC is beneficial for the synthesis of AuNPs with smaller and more uniform size. The AuNPs/AOBC nanohybrids have excellent catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by using NaBH4. It was found that catalytic activity of AuNPs/AOBC first increases with increasing NaBH4 concentration and temperature, and then leveled off at NaBH4 concentration above 238 mM and temperature above 50 °C. Moreover, AuNPs with smaller size have higher catalytic activity. The highest apparent turnover frequency of AuNPs/AOBC is 1190 h(-1). The high catalytic activity is due to the high affinity of 4-NP with AuNPs/AOBC and the reduced product 4-aminophenol has good solubility in water in the presence of AuNPs/AOBC. The catalytic stability of the AuNPs/AOBC was estimated by filling a fluid column contained AuNPs/AOBC and used for continuously catalysis of the reduction of 4-NP by using NaBH4. The column works well without detection of 4-NP in the eluent after running for more than two months, and it is still running. This work provides an excellent catalyst based on bacterial cellulose stabilized AuNPs and has promising applications in industry.

Removal of dyes and heavy metal ions from water by magnetic hydrogel beads based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethyl starch-g-poly(vinyl imidazole)

Highly porous magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel (m-CVP) beads were prepared and used for the removal of dyes and heavy metal ions.

Dual-stimuli sensitive keratin graft PHPMA as physiological trigger responsive drug carriers

Keratin graft PHPMA copolymers were successfully synthesized and can be used as drug carriers with physiological stimuli responsive properties.