In situ synthesis of zinc oxide/selenium composite for UV blocker application

Development of reliable ultraviolet (UV) blockers is crucial for UV radiation protection applications such as sunscreen and UV-resistant fabric. To date, zinc oxide (ZnO) has been extensively used as a physical UV blocker worldwide but has also been criticized for with its unfavored UV-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation phenomena. As an attempt to suppress the photocatalytic activity of ZnO without compromising its UV absorbance property, amorphous selenium (Se) nanoparticles (NPs) were incorporated to ZnO using a facile and cost-effective coprecipitation method. Additionally, this process also enables an economical synthesis route for harvesting amorphous Se NPs from an aqueous medium. The ZnO–Se composites were thoroughly characterized to confirm its enhanced UV absorptivity combined with high transparency in the visible light range and to understand the interaction between ZnO and Se. Besides, Se-induced photocatalytic activity suppression of ZnO was demonstrated using methylene orange as an indicator. In vitro study revealed that ZnO–Se composite had improved biocompatibility over ZnO but comparable bacteriostasis ability under full-spectrum light irradiation. These results suggest that ZnO–Se composite is a promising UV blocker with advantages of facile synthesis, UV-induced ROS generation diminishment and biocompatibility.     

Highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on zirconium oxide-decorated gold nanoflakes nanocomposite 2,4-dichlorophenol detection

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - In this study, a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor based on a zirconia oxide-decorated gold nanoflake nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon...     

Increased discharge capacity of a Li-air activated carbon cathode produced by preventing carbon surface passivation

A significant discharge capacity increase (larger than 3 times) for the gas-diffusion-electrode (GDE) used in Li-air cells was demonstrated through modification of the carbon surface with long-chain hydrophobic molecules. The capacity loss of the Li-air activated carbon cathode was found to be caused by the formation of undesired surface passivation. The mechanism of such passivation was identified as the formation of dense Li oxide films directly on the surface of the carbon during the oxygen reduction reaction. Such dense layers of Li oxide are here identified as the root cause of the undesired passivation, which blocks electrochemical reactions, increases the impedance and drops the discharge voltage rapidly. This investigation reveals that the capacity for the gas-diffusion-electrode can be substantially increased, if the activated carbon is modified by attaching long-chain hydrophobic molecules onto the surface. The carbon surface modification significantly delays the formation of the dense Li oxide layers. Therefore, the discharge capacity for the GDE is substantially increased.     

Towards the detection of human papillomavirus infection by a reagentless electrochemical peptide biosensor

In the present work, we report first results about a technology using a conjugated copolymer poly(5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone-co-5-hydroxy-2-carboxyethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) acting both as immobilizing and transducing element for reagentless immunosensor, and its application for the detection of HPV infection. It was shown that the reagentless immunosensor was able to detect the interaction between antigenic peptide L1 from HPV-16 major capsid protein, a dominant epitope involved in viral infection as well as in prophylactic vaccine, and the relevant antibody.     

Influence of some vegetable oils on the photocrosslinking of coatings based on an o-cresol novolac epoxy resin and a bis-cycloaliphatic diepoxide

The influence of cashew nut shell oil (CNO), epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), castor oil (CO), and dioctyl phtalate (DOP) on the photocrosslinking kinetics of UV curable mixtures containing an o-cresol novolac epoxy resin (CNE), a bis-cycloaliphatic diepoxide monomer (BCDE), and a triarylsulfonium salt (TAS) as a cationic photoinitiator has been studied. The formulation with a weight ratio CNE/BCDE/TAS of 60/40/5 was found to have the highest cure rate and the greatest final conversion of epoxy groups upon UV exposure. The presence of an unsaturated oil or of DOP in the UV curable formulation, at a content ranging from 0.07 to 0.79 mol/kg, was shown to increase the initial polymerization rate of the epoxy groups from 12 up to 31 mol/kg s, and the epoxy conversion after 18 s UV exposure from 80 up to 95%. It was found that the UV cured coatings containing CNO or DOP at concentrations between 0.3 and 0.6 mol/kg and ESO at concentrations between 0.12 and 0.19 mol/kg exhibit the best performance. These results were explained by a number of competitive factors, mainly the effects of the chemical structure and content of the oils and of DOP on the polarity, viscosity, compatibility, and internal filter effect of the UV curable resins, as well as by the characteristics of the tridimensional polymer networks formed upon UV exposure. The materials produced under the optimal conditions determined in this study can be used as high performance decorative and protective coatings and also as adhesives in different sectors of applications.     

Vulcanized paper for separation of alcohol aqueous solutions by pervaporation

Paper membranes made from vulcanized cellulose were used for the pervaporation (PV) of aqueous solutions containing methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol. It was noted that the vulcanized cellulose paper membranes (VCPM) could effectively separate alcohol and water from the mixture solutions. To observe the effect of the separation of alcohol aqueous mixtures, the permeation behavior of water and alcohol was examined by means of the separation factor and the permeation flux. The values of the permeation flux in the ethanol/water mixtures were found to vary from 6.2 kg/m²h to 2.1 kg/m²h, as the concentration of ethanol increased from 8 to 87 wt %, and the separation factor (α) changed from α = 2.6 to 6.6, respectively. This showed that the VCPM enhanced the separation of water and alcohol. The highest value observed for the permeation flux was 11 kg/m²h at 87 wt % of methanol concentration and the separation factor at this condition was 4.1. It was shown also that an efficient separation was obtained in the isopropanol/water mixture with a separation factor of 16.6. The contact angles of alcohol/water droplets on the VCPM were measured as well as the wettability of the membrane. There was a tendency of decrease for the contact angle, as the alcohol concentration decreased. This suggested that the solvent wettability decreased in high alcohol concentrations. It was concluded that a high permeabilitty of water through the VCPM resulted in the separation of alcohols and water in the PV process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte complex

Polyelectrolyte complex based on chitosan and acrylic acid monomer by photoinitiated free‐radical polymerization in the absence of crosslinker showed a large transition in swelling in response to changes in pH of surrounding medium. Their ability to swell arises from polyelectrolyte interactions and molecular structure of the complex. The main properties of interest that related to the molecular structure, swelling volumes, glass transition temperature, and elastic modulus of the complex were investigated. The effect of water content, the only variable in the sample component, played an important role in molecular structure of the complex and as a consequence, the extent of intermolecular linkage, especially amide bonds which in turn governed the degree of swelling of the polyelectrolyte complex in this study. The decreased degree of swelling and higher temperature shift of glass transition temperature was found with increased water content, whereas increased modulus of elasticity of dry complex was found in lower water content of synthesis component. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1025–1035, 2002     

The APOA5-rs662799 Polymorphism Is a Determinant of Dyslipidemia in Vietnamese Primary School Children

Apolipoprotein A-V encoded by apolipoprotein 5 (APOA5) gene plays an important role in lipid metabolism, especially in the regulation of plasma triglycerol levels. The study aimed to evaluate the association of the APOA5-rs662799 polymorphism with dyslipidemia in Vietnamese children and the potential modification of obesity-related traits (body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio) on this association. A case–control study was conducted with a total of 154 dyslipidemia cases and 389 controls at the age of 6 to 10 recruited at 31 primary schools in Hanoi city of Vietnam. Genotype for APOA5-rs662799 polymorphism was determined by the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The association of APOA5-rs662799 polymorphism with dyslipidemia adjusting for age, sex, residence, and obesity-related traits was analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. The results showed that in comparison with T/T and T/C carriers, the C/C carriers had a higher concentration of serum TAG in cases (p =0.049). Carriers of the C allele (C/C + T/C) had higher risk for developing dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia than subjects with T/T genotype (odds ratio, OR = 1.7, p =0.0062 and OR = 1.6, p = 0.026, respectively). The association remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, residence, and obesity status (OR = 1.75, p = 0.006 and OR = 1.53, p = 0.049, respectively) or other obesity-related traits. The study suggested that the APOA5-rs662799 polymorphism may be a determinant of dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia in Vietnamese children, independent of obesity-related traits.     

Photocatalytic degradation and heat reflectance recovery of waterborne acrylic polymer/ZnO nanocomposite coating

This work aims to clarify the photocatalytic degradation mechanism and heat reflectance recovery performance of waterborne acrylic polymer/ZnO nanocomposite coating. To fabricate the nanocomposite coating, ZnO nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) were dispersed into acrylic polymer matrix at the various concentrations from 1 to 6% (by total weight of resin solids). The photocatalytic degradation of nanocomposite coating under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation has been investigated by monitoring its weight loss and chemical/microstructural/morphological changes. As the topcoat layer, its heat reflectance recovery has been evaluated under UV/condensation exposure by using an artificial dirty mixture of 85 wt% nanoclay, 10 wt% silica particles (1–5 μm), 1 wt% carbon black, and 2 wt% engine oil. After 108-cycle UV/condensation exposure, infrared spectra and weight loss analysis indicated that the maximal degradation for nanocomposite coating is observed at 1 wt% nano-ZnO. On the other hand, after 96 hr of UV light exposure, the nanocomposite coating with1 wt% nano-ZnO could restore effectively the reflective index of solar-heat reflectance coating (from 58.45 to 80.78%). Finally, the photodegradation mechanism of this waterborne acrylic polymer coating has been proposed as the UV-induced formation of CC CO conjugated double bonds. As a result, its self-cleaning phenomenon can be achieved as the recovery of heat reflectance.