Postformable and Self-Healing Finish Foil Based on Polyurethane-Impregnated Paper

Polyurethane moisture-curable resins obtained from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) with different molecular weights (400, 1000, and 2000 g/mol) were used for impregnating décor paper. In addition to providing the same level of physicomechanical surface performance and visual appearance as the traditional melamine-formaldehyde impregnated paper, these finish foils are postformable and self-healing. The influence of the NCO/OH molar ratio and polyol molecular weight on the physical properties of the resultant polymers and composite foils was investigated in detail, namely using dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile-strain testing, and contact angle measurements. The most promising polyurethane-impregnated papers were additionally tested according to European Standard EN 438-2

Pharmaceutical Formulations Containing Graphene and 5‑Fluorouracil for Light-Emitting Diode-Based Photochemotherapy of Skin Cancer

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer worldwide, among which 80% is basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Current therapies’ low efficacy, side effects, and high recurrence highlight the need for alternative treatments. In this work, a partially reduced nanographene oxide (p-rGOn) developed in our laboratory was used. It has been achieved through a controlled reduction of nanographene oxide via UV–C irradiation that yields small nanometric particles (below 200 nm) that preserve the original water stability while acquiring high light-to-heat conversion efficiency. The latter is explained by a loss of carbon–oxygen single bonds (C–O) and the re-establishment of sp2 carbon bonds. p-rGOn was incorporated into a Carbopol hydrogel together with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to evaluate a possible combined PTT and chemotherapeutic effect. Carbopol/p-rGOn/5-FU hydrogels were considered noncytotoxic toward normal skin cells (HFF-1). However, when A-431 skin cancer cells were exposed to NIR irradiation for 30 min in the presence of Carbopol/p-rGOn/5-FU hydrogels, almost complete eradication was achieved after 72 h, with a 90% reduction in cell number and 80% cell death of the remaining cells after a single treatment. NIR irradiation was performed with a light-emitting diode (LED) system, developed in our laboratory, which allows adjustment of applied light doses to achieve a safe and selective treatment, instead of the standard laser systems that are associated with damages in the healthy tissues in the tumor surroundings. Those are the first graphene-based materials containing pharmaceutical formulations developed for BCC phototherapy