3 research outputs found
Simple Approach to Superhydrophobic Nanostructured Al for Practical Antifrosting Application Based on Enhanced Self-propelled Jumping Droplets
Frost
formation can cause operational difficulty and efficiency loss for
many facilities such as aircraft, wind turbines, and outdoor heat
exchangers. Self-propelled jumping by condensate droplets on superhydrophobic
surfaces delays frost formation, so many attempts have been made to
exploit this phenomenon. However, practical application of this phenomenon
is currently unfeasible because many processes to fabricate the superhydrophobic
surfaces are inefficient and because self-propelled jumping is difficult
to be achieved in a humid and low-temperature environment because
superhydrophobicity is degraded in these conditions. Here, we achieved
significantly effective anti-icing superhydrophobic aluminum. Its
extremely low adhesive properties allow self-propelled jumping under
highly supersaturated conditions of high humidity or low surface temperature.
As a result, this surface helps retard frost formation at that condition.
The aluminum was made superhydrophobic by a simple and cost-effective
process that is adaptable to any shape. Therefore, it has promise
for use in practical and industrial applications
Biosynthesis of (−)-5-Hydroxy-equol and 5‑Hydroxy-dehydroequol from Soy Isoflavone, Genistein Using Microbial Whole Cell Bioconversion
Equols are isoflavandiols formed
by reduction of soy isoflavones such as daidzein and genistein by
gut microorganisms. These phytoestrogens are of interest for their
various biological effects. We report biosynthesis from genistein
to (−)-5-hydroxy-equol in recombinant <i>E. coli</i> expressing three reductases (daidzein reductase DZNR, dihidrodaidzein
reductase DHDR, tetrahydrodaidzein reductase THDR) and a racemase
(dihydrodaidzein racemase, DDRC) originating from the gut bacterium, <i>Slackia isoflavoniconvertens</i>. The biosynthesized 5-hydroxy-equol proved as an optically negative enantiomer, nonetheless it displayed an inverse circular dichroism spectrum to (<i>S</i>)-equol. Compartmentalized expression
of DZNR and DDRC in one <i>E. coli</i> strain and DHDR and
THDR in another increased the yield to 230 mg/L and the productivity
to 38 mg/L/h. If the last reductase was missing, the intermediate
spontaneously dehydrated to 5-hydroxy-dehydroequol in up to 99 mg/L
yield. This novel isoflavene, previously not known to be synthesized
in nature, was also detected in this biotransformation system. Although
(<i>S</i>)-equol favors binding to human estrogen receptor
(hER) β over hERα, (−)-5-hydroxy-equol showed the
opposite preference. This study provides elucidation of the biosynthetic
route of (−)-5-hydroxy-equol and measurement of its potent
antagonistic character as a phytoestrogen for the first time
Cooperative Catechol-Functionalized Polypept(o)ide Brushes and Ag Nanoparticles for Combination of Protein Resistance and Antimicrobial Activity on Metal Oxide Surfaces
Prevention of biofouling
and microbial contamination of implanted
biomedical devices is essential to maintain their functionality and
biocompatibility. For this purpose, polypeptÂ(o)Âide block copolymers
have been developed, in which a protein-resistant polysarcosine (pSar)
block is combined with a dopamine-modified polyÂ(glutamic acid) block
for surface coating and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) formation. In
the development of a novel, versatile, and biocompatible antibacterial
surface coating, block lengths pSar were varied to derive structure–property
relationships. Notably, the catechol moiety performs two important
tasks in parallel; primarily it acts as an efficient anchoring group
to metal oxide surfaces, while it furthermore induces the formation
of Ag NPs. Attributing to the dual function of catechol moieties,
antifouling pSar brush and antimicrobial Ag NPs can not only adhere
stably on metal oxide surfaces, but also display passive antifouling
and active antimicrobial activity, showing good biocompatibility simultaneously.
The developed strategy seems to provide a promising platform for functional
modification of biomaterials surface to preserve their performance
while reducing the risk of bacterial infections