Main features and applications of organogels in cosmetics

Cosmetic treatments aim at improving skin appearance through vehicles of good sensory properties. Those vehicles are mainly emulsions and gels designed to deliver safe and effective compounds to skin. Creams and serums are widely used to achieve these goals, but recently a new type of formulation known as organogels triggered scientific attention, particularly in the design of both topical and cosmetic formulations. It has been established that the lipophilic nature of organogels makes it an excellent candidate for the delivery of cosmetic molecules through skin. In this review, we discuss the properties and characteristics of organogels and present the advantages of the application of these systems in cosmetics.     

二氧化钛/还原氧化石墨烯复合材料的制备及其光催化降解脱色性能

为比较二氧化钛/ 还原氧化石墨烯(TiO2 / rGO)复合材料和TiO2 的光催化降解脱色性能,以钛酸丁酯为前驱体,采用水热法制备了不同晶型的TiO2 和TiO2 / rGO 复合材料,借助紫外漫反射吸收光谱仪、傅里叶红外光谱仪、拉曼光谱仪、X 射线衍射仪和扫描电子显微镜等对TiO2 及其复合材料进行表征。分析混晶TiO2 和混晶TiO2 / rGO复合材料对活性红3BS 染料废水的降解脱色效果。结果表明：在150 ℃水热12 h,再经过650 ℃煅烧4 h 后,可制得锐钛矿型和金红石型同时存在的混晶TiO2 体系;在碱性条件下,于140 ℃水热72 h,不经过煅烧可制得较为纯净的板钛矿型TiO2;锐钛矿型和金红石型混晶结构TiO2 体系对染料有一定的降解脱色效果,混晶TiO2 / rGO 复合材料降解染料120 min 后,降解脱色率高达99%。     

SiO2/TiO2/聚酰亚胺复合杂化环氧树脂基碳纤维浆料的制备与表征

 采用溶胶－凝胶技术,在合成的聚酰胺酸（PAA）中对纳米SiO2/TiO2前驱体进行原位改性,添加硅烷偶联剂（WD-50）和适当的表面活性剂,利用超声空化及复配技术制备了碳纤维用环氧树脂基-SiO2•TiO2复合杂化聚酰亚胺增强浆料。采用FTIR、DSC、粒径分析仪、力学测试、STM等手段对制备的PAA-SiO2-TiO2复合改性增强浆料的性能及其在碳纤维上浆膜铺展的显微形貌进行了分析。结果表明,SiO2•TiO2以纳米粒度分布于浆膜中,上浆后碳纤维轴向表面有一层纳米级粒状突起,表面较为粗糙,碳纤维的界面性能得到了改善。力学实验表明,杂化浆料处理后碳纤维的抗拉强度及层间剪切强度显著提高。     

Preparation of spent brewer's yeast β-glucans for potential applications in the food industry

A preparation of β‐glucan, obtained from spent brewer's yeast, was evaluated for potential food applications. This material was autolysed and the cell walls that were obtained were homogenized, extracted firstly with alkali, then with acid, and then spray dried. Effects of the homogenization on the chemical composition, rheological properties and functional properties of β‐glucan were investigated. Homogenized cell walls exhibited higher β‐glucan content and apparent viscosity than those which had not been homogenized because of fragmentation of the cell walls. When compared with commercial β‐glucan from baker's yeast, it was found that the β‐glucan obtained from this study had higher apparent viscosity, water‐holding capacity and emulsion stabilizing capacity, but very similar oil‐binding capacity. These findings suggest that β‐glucan obtained from brewer's yeast can be used in food products as a thickening, water‐holding, or oil‐binding agent and emulsifying stabilizer.     

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on basalt/polysiloxane composites: mechanical and thermal characterization

In the present investigation, a novel technique has been developed to fabricate composite materials containing TiO₂ nanoparticles, polysiloxane resin, and basalt fabric. A high-intensity ultrasonic probe was used to obtain a homogenous molecular mixture of TiO₂ nanoparticles and polysiloxane resin, thus the nanoparticles were infused into the resin through sonic cavitation. The loading effect of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the thermal and mechanical properties of basalt fabric reinforced polysiloxane composite materials has been investigated. Composite samples were prepared, each using two layers of basalt fabric with TiO₂ nanoparticles loading from 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3% by weight. Size distribution of nanoparticles was observed by particle size analyzer and the prepared fabric nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Tensile testing was performed as per American standard for testing of materials (ASTM) standards. The dependence of dynamic mechanical parameters E′, E′′, tan (delta), T _g, and heat distortion temperature (HDT) are associated with the filler content and can be controlled by the curing conditions. Tensile results show that 1.5 wt.% loading of TiO₂ nanoparticles in the nanocomposites resulted in highest improvement in tensile modulus compared to the neat system. DMA studies also revealed that 1.5 wt.% doped system exhibits highest storage modulus as compared to the neat and other loading percentages. DSC and TGA studies show that T _g and HDT of the composite increases with the increase in wt.% of nanofillers in the composite. Based on these results, it is clear that miscibility of nanoparticles in the resin is of prime importance with regard to performance.     

Preparation of Chitosan‐Alginate Nanoparticles for Trans‐cinnamaldehyde Entrapment

Trans‐cinnamaldehyde incorporated chitosan‐alginate nanoparticles were synthesized using the ionic gelation and polyelectrolyte complexation technique. Alginate, chitosan, calcium chloride, and trans‐cinnamaldehyde at predetermined concentrations were complexed electrostatically to optimize particle size and loading efficiency. A final methodology using optimized processing parameters (for example, stirring time, homogenization time, equilibration time, and droplet size) was developed. The best working alginate to chitosan mass ratio was determined to be 1.5:1 at a pH dispersion of 4.7. Particle size (166.26 nm) and encapsulation efficiency (73.24%) were further optimized at this mass ratio using an alginate:calcium chloride mass ratio of 4.8:1, alginate:trans‐cinnamaldehyde mass ratio of 37.5:1, a 18 gauge syringe needle, stirring times of 90 min, 15 min of homogenization at 21000 rpm, and equilibration time of 24 h. Optimized nanoparticles showed increased stability (6 wk) and translucency in solution. The final radical scavenging effect of loaded particles in apple juice was 62% and trans‐cinnamaldehyde was just as available to react in free form as it was in inclusion complexes. The final nanoparticle system with modified and optimized processing parameters reduced the size by 43.6% and increased entrapment efficiency by 17.2%. Nanoparticles resembled a spherical shell and core type arrangement (that is, spherical, distinct, and regular) and were in the size range of 10 to 100 nm.     

Determination of Iriflophenone 3‐C‐β‐d‐Glucoside From Aquilaria spp. by an Indirect Competitive Enzyme‐linked Immunosorbent Assay Using a Specific Polyclonal Antibody

Polyclonal antibody against iriflophenone 3‐C‐β‐d ‐glucoside (IP3G), a major compound from the leaves of Aquilaria spp., was produced for the development of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that the antibodies were specific for IP3G. The produced antibody has low cross reactivity with iriflophenone 3,5‐C‐β‐d ‐diglucopyranoside (13%), genkwanin 5‐O‐β‐primeveroside (3.55%) and no cross reactivity found in other compounds. The range of ELISA assay extends from 100 to 1560 ng/mL with coefficient of variation (CV) 1.19% to 2.07% for intra‐assay and 3.76% to 7.15% for inter‐assay precision levels. The recovery rates of IP3G in the leaves of Aquilaria spp. were in the range of 96.0% to 99.0% with CV 4.50% to 5.32%. A correlation between ELISA and high‐performance liquid chromatography methods was obtained when analysis of IP3G in the plant samples (R² = 0.9321). These results suggest that the developed ELISA method can be applied to determine IP3G content with high specificity, rapidity, and simplicity. The developed immunosorbent assay in this study provides a useful tool for the analysis of IP3G in plant samples and products.     

海藻酸钠/TiO2纳米复合材料的制备与表征

用纳米TiO2为原料,以海藻酸钠(SA)为基体,采用共混法制备SA/TiO2纳米复合物。通过傅立叶红外光谱(FTIR)、热重分析(TG)、透射电镜(TEM)等手段对该体系进行了表征。结果表明：由于纳米TiO2粒子的引入,SA分子FTIR的某些特征峰的波数发生明显变化;纳米TiO2在复合物中的分散性较好;复合材料的热稳定性高于纯SA薄膜;此外,复合材料的力学性能有所提高。     

TiO2/SiO2的制备与光催化降解甲基橙

为了探讨Ti02晶粒形貌对光催化过程的作用规律,研究吸附法和浸渍法制备的TiO2光催化剂降解甲基橙的过程,并考察制备反应条件对催化剂形貌和活性的影响.通过剖析反应的基本过程后得出,扩散过程与表面反应过程耦合,催化剂活性与甲基橙浓度的相对高低决定反应过程的控制步骤,从而对表观级数产生影响.在催化剂活性的考评中发现,低Ti含量以及小粒径情况下影响光催化的关键因素是晶型,其次为含量、粒径.吸附法制备的光催化剂Ti含量高,粒径小,可控性好,具有比浸渍法制备的材料更好的催化性能.随着水量的增加,吸附相反应技术的优势越来越显著.     

Evaluating potential applications of indigenous yeasts and their β‐glucosidases

The potential applications of wild yeast strains with β‐glucosidase activity were investigated by assaying their enzymatic production under simulated oenological conditions, coupled with the exploration of the potential applications of the β‐glucosidases by studying the enzymatic activity and stability under similar oenological conditions. The assay of enzymatic locations revealed that the β‐glucosidase activities from these wild strains occurred in the extracellular fraction, and in whole and permeabilized cells. The effects of different oenological factors on β‐glucosidase production indicated that the F6 Trichosporon asahii strain had higher β‐glucosidase production than the other strains under low pH conditions. However, the F35 Hanseniaspora uvarum strain and the F30 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain showed higher β‐glucosidase production under high‐sugar conditions. Furthermore, the influence of oenological factors on the activity and stability of the β‐glucosidases revealed that the enzyme from the F6 T. asahii strain had a stronger low‐pH‐value resistance than the other yeast β‐glucosidases. These results suggest that the F35 H. uvarum, F30 S. cerevisiae and the F6 T. asahii β‐glucosidases may have some potentially applicable values in the fermentation industry. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling