A sustainable and green approach towards the utilization of biopolymers for effective wound dressing applications:A detailed review

Millions of people worldwide are suffering and struggling to obtain the most effective wound care/treatment. In previous years, a steep rise in metabolic disorders such as diabetic wound ulcers has been noticed. The primary function of an effective wound dressing is to protect the wound bed from contamination and provide an accelerated healing environment. Biopolymers, a natural boon, can be used for distinct applications from food packaging, biomedicine, and biomedical applications. Natural and synthetic biopolymers have distinct advantages, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and environmental friendliness. Cellulose, chitosan, alginates, hyaluronic acid, collagen, etc., are natural biopolymers primarily used to develop wound dressings. Most common synthetic biopolymers such as PVA, PCL, and PLA are examples of how an individual biopolymer or its blends can be used to develop an effective wound dressing. Biopolymer properties for wound dressing applications can be improved by applying the concepts of nanotechnology, bioengineering, and drug delivery. These improvements may help meet the current and future wound care demands for tissue repair and restoration. The current review focuses on using natural and synthetic functionalized biopolymers for effective wound-dressing applications and exhibiting their antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.</p

Titania/reduced graphene oxide composite nanofibers for the direct extraction of photosynthetic electrons from microalgae for biophotovoltaic cell applications

Titanium oxide (TiO2)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite nanofibers were synthesized via an electrospinning technique and its potential electrochemical activity constructed its realization as an efficient anode catalyst in biophotovoltaic cells (BPV) with Chlorella vulgaris. The uniform adherence of GO sheets over the hydrolyzed Ti4+ ions, followed by its simultaneous reduction and crystallization, yielded the TiO2/rGO composite nanofibers. The strong interconnection among the nanofibers and the intimate contact between rGO and TiO2 in TiO2/rGO composite improved the efficient electron transportation paths, facilitating the higher oxidation and continuous and stable currents as substantiated, respectively, from the cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry studies. By coupling the continuous electron conduction paths, proficient cell interaction, and elevated structural and chemical stabilities, TiO2/rGO demonstrated the BPV power density of 34.66 ± 1.3 mW m−2 with excellent durability, outperforming the BPV performances of previous reports. Thus the fundamental understanding achieved on the influences of nanocatalytic system in green energy generation opens up the new horizon of anticipation towards the development of sustainable and high-performance BPVs

Enhanced Extracellular Polysaccharide Production and Self-Sustainable Electricity Generation for PAMFCs by <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp. SB1

In this study, a freshwater microalga, <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp. SB1, was isolated, purified, and identified by its internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2). Media optimization through the Plackett–Burman Design and response surface methodology (RSM) showed a maximum exopolysaccharide (EPS) production of 48 mg/L (1.8-fold higher than that for unoptimized media). Characterization using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis reveals that the EPS is a sulfated pectin polysaccharide with a crystallinity index of 15.2% and prompt thermal stability. Furthermore, the photoelectrogenic activity of <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp. SB1 inoculated in BG-11 and RSM-optimized BG-11 (ROBG-11) media was tested by cyclic voltammogram studies, revealing the potential of the inoculated strain in ROBG-11 toward photosynthetic algal microbial fuel cells over normal BG-11. To the best of our knowledge, functional group characterization, physical and thermal property and media optimization for EPS production by RSM and electrogenic activity studies are reported for the first time in <i>Scenedesmus</i> sp. SB1