Examining the Impact of Squaric Acid as a Crosslinking Agent on the Properties of Chitosan-Based Films

Hydrogels based on chitosan are very versatile materials which can be used for tissue engineering as well as in controlled drug delivery systems. One of the methods for obtaining a chitosan-based hydrogel is crosslinking by applying different components. The objective of the present study was to obtain a series of new crosslinked chitosan-based films by means of solvent casting method. Squaric acid—3,4-dihydroxy-3-cyclobutene-1,2-dione—was used as a safe crosslinking agent. The effect of the squaric acid on the structural, mechanical, thermal, and swelling properties of the formed films was determined. It was established that the addition of the squaric acid significantly improved Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and thermal stability of the obtained materials. Moreover, it should be stressed that the samples consisting of chitosan and squaric acid were characterized by a higher swelling than pure chitosan. The detailed characterization proved that squaric acid could be used as a new effective crosslinking agent.     

Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Defense/Stress Responses Activated by Chitosan in Sycamore Cultured Cells

Chitosan (CHT) is a non-toxic and inexpensive compound obtained by deacetylation of chitin, the main component of the exoskeleton of arthropods as well as of the cell walls of many fungi. In agriculture CHT is used to control numerous diseases on various horticultural commodities but, although different mechanisms have been proposed, the exact mode of action of CHT is still unknown. In sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) cultured cells, CHT induces a set of defense/stress responses that includes production of H₂O₂ and nitric oxide (NO). We investigated the possible signaling role of these reactive molecules in some CHT-induced responses by means of inhibitors of production and/or scavengers. The results show that both reactive nitrogen and oxygen species are not only a mere symptom of stress conditions but are involved in the responses induced by CHT in sycamore cells. In particular, NO appears to be involved in a cell death form induced by CHT that shows apoptotic features like DNA fragmentation, increase in caspase-3-like activity and release of cytochrome c from the mitochondrion. On the contrary, reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear involved in a cell death form induced by CHT that does not show these apoptotic features but presents increase in lipid peroxidation.     

Corrosion of hot-dip-galvanised steel and zinc alloy-coated steel in ammonia and ammonium chloride

There are many potential causes of corrosion in animal buildings. Animals exhale large quantities of moisture into the air creating high relative humidity in the building if the moisture is not properly vented. High humidity increases the potential for condensation. In addition, ammonia may be found in large quantities in animal buildings. Ammonia is released from manure and urine. In addition, ammonium chloride is used as a nitrogen source in fertilisers. In this study, the atmospheric corrosion of hot-dip-galvanised steel and zinc alloy-coated steel such as zinc–aluminium and zinc–aluminium–magnesium has been studied in atmospheres containing different levels of ammonia. Investigations have also been conducted at different levels of ammonium chloride. The results are discussed in view of the mechanisms of corrosion of zinc and zinc alloy-coated steel in ammonia and ammonium chloride-containing environments.     

Preparation of a Near-Infrared Ray Absorption Film from N-Phenylthiocarbamoyl Chitosan Derivative

We recently observed that the decanoylation of N-phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan (2) with a mixture of decanoic anhydride and pyridine at 60 °C for 24 h afforded N,N-(decanoyl)phenythiocarbamoyl-/2-isothiocynato chitosan decanoate (3b) rather than the expected product N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan decanoate (3a). This result suggested that some of the N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarmbamoyl groups had been converted to isothiocyanate groups during the decanoylation process. The subsequent reaction of compound 3b with aniline gave N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarbamoyl/N-phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan decanoate (4) in high yield. A solution of compound 4 in CHCl₃ was then added to a solution of copper decanoate (5) in the same solvent, and the resulting mixture was cast onto a glass plate to give a cast film. The film was annealed at 200 °C in an oven to give a greenish film, which showed good near-infrared absorption characteristic in the range of 800–2200 nm.     

Effect of chitosan on Bacillus cereus inhibition and quality of cooked rice during storage

Improper cooling of cooked rice at an inappropriate temperature or leaving cooked rice at room temperature can cause food poisoning attributed to Bacillus cereus. Natural food preservative of either squid or crab polymer chitosan solution was added to examine their antibacterial properties against Bacillus cereus in cooked rice during storage at 37 and 4 °C. Both types of chitosan could retard the growth of B. cereus and total aerobic counts in cooked rice stored at 37 °C up to 1 day. In addition, the effect of chitosans on the physical and textural properties of cooked rice during storage was studied. Both chitosans slightly increased the moisture content of cooked rice. However, chitosans had no effect on the whiteness and hardness of cooked rice during storage (P > 0.05). Therefore, both chitosans have a potential to be used as food preservative for cooked rice with no negative effects on rice quality.     

Chitosan Microspheres as Carriers for pH‐Indicating Species in Corrosion Sensing

Chitosan microspheres containing bromocresol green, cresol red, and phenolphthalein for corrosion detection, through pH change, are synthesized in order to be used in protective coatings for aluminium alloys. Microspheres containing corrosion detection species are characterized morphologically (SEM) and physico‐chemically (FTIR, TGA). Release studies (UV–vis) are performed in corrosion‐promoting conditions (pH, NaCl), and detection studies by immersion in media associated with corrosion activity while microspheres' sensing activity is evaluated visually. Electrochemical characterization of AA2024 substrates in the presence of chitosan spheres is performed to understand material performance, and a color change is observed as a result of local pH increase in cathodic areas when corrosion takes place. These findings can be correlated with the results from release studies and seem a promising approach for corrosion sensing purposes, not only because pH increase is possible to detect due to corrosion, but also because chitosan is considered an environmentally friendly material.     

新型壳聚糖/纳米二氧化硅杂化材料的制备与性能

在纳米S iO2颗粒表面引入羟丙基氯活性基团,得到功能化S iO2颗粒,再将羟丙基氯化的S iO2颗粒交联固定在壳聚糖上,制备了一种新型的壳聚糖/纳米S iO2杂化材料(简称杂化材料);通过傅里叶变换红外光谱、透射电镜、扫描电镜方法对杂化材料进行表征,采用热重(TG)分析研究杂化材料的热性能;考察了杂化材料的沉降速率和对金属离子Ca2+和M g2+的吸附能力。电镜分析结果表明,杂化材料微粒为纳米尺度的无机S iO2加强化的微粒,S iO2颗粒分散在材料中,形成均匀的表面;TG分析结果表明,杂化材料的热性能有所提高;沉降实验测得壳聚糖和杂化材料作为吸附剂的沉降时间分别为130.3,68.5s,表明杂化材料的沉降速率比壳聚糖的沉降速率快了近一倍;杂化材料对金属离子Ca2+和M g2+的吸附量分别可达到0.289 3,1.445 6mm ol/g。     

氢型丝光沸石催化剂催化α-蒎烯合成α-松油醇

在相转移助剂苄基三乙基氯化铵(BTEAC)存在下,以氢型丝光沸石(HM)为催化剂,原料α-蒎烯经开环、重排及水合反应一步法合成了α-松油醇。研究了各种因素对α-蒎烯转化率及α-松油醇收率的影响,采用5因素4水平L16(45)进行了正交实验,得出最佳的工艺条件:反应温度80℃,w(BTEAC)=15%,m(HM)∶m(α-蒎烯)=0.6,反应时间40h,m(乙酸乙酯)∶m(α-蒎烯)=0.9。在此条件下,α-蒎烯转化率为75.2%,α-松油醇收率为42.0%。用气相色谱-质谱联用仪对反应产物进行分析,共鉴定出14种化合物,主要成分为α-松油醇、α-蒎烯、柠檬烯、桉叶油素、异松油烯、龙脑等。实验得到的α-松油醇具有光学活性,旋光值[α]=+61°,同时香气纯正,可用于制作香料。     

某住宅小区边坡渗水治理及综合利用

分析了某小区边坡渗水的原因，结合实际情况，介绍了边坡渗水的治理措施，并对渗水进行了收集综合利用，消除了边坡滑坡的安全隐患，取得了较好的社会效益和经济效益。