2 research outputs found
Antifouling Cellulose Hybrid Biomembrane for Effective Oil/Water Separation
Oil/water
separation has been of great interest worldwide because of the increasingly
serious environmental pollution caused by the abundant discharge of
industrial wastewater, oil spill accidents, and odors. Here, we describe
simple and economical superhydrophobic hybrid membranes for effective
oil/water separation. Eco-friendly, antifouling membranes were fabricated
for oil/water separation, waste particle filtration, the blocking
of thiol-based odor materials, etc., by using a cellulose membrane
(CM) filter. The CM was modified from its original superhydrophilic
nature into a superhydrophobic surface via a reversible addition–fragmentation
chain transfer technique. The block copolymer polyÂ{[3-(trimethoxysilyl)Âpropyl
acrylate]-<i>block</i>-myrcene} was synthesized using a
“grafting-from” approach on the CM. The surface contact
angle that we obtained was >160°, and absorption tests of
several organic contaminants (oils and solvents) exhibited superior
levels of extractive activity and excellent reusability. These properties
rendered this membrane a promising surface for oil/water separation.
Interestingly, myrcene blocks thiol (through “-ene-”
chemistry) contaminants, thereby bestowing a pleasant odor to polluted
water by acting as an antifouling material. We exploited the structural
properties of cellulose networks and simple chemical manipulations
to fabricate an original material that proved to be effective in separating
water from organic and nano/microparticulate contaminants. These characteristics
allowed our material to effectively separate water from oily/particulate
phases as well as embed antifouling materials for water purification,
thus making it an appropriate absorber for chemical processes and
environmental protection
Developing Hybrid Polymer Scaffolds Using Peptide Modified Biopolymers for Cell Implantation
Polymeric
scaffolds containing biomimics offer exciting therapies
with broad potential impact for cellular therapies and thereby potentially
improve success rates. Here we report the designing and fabrication
of a hybrid scaffold that can prevent a foreign body reaction and
maintain cell viability. A biodegradable acrylic based cross-linkable
polycaprolactone based polymer was developed and using a multihead
electrospinning station to fabricate hybrid scaffolds. This consists
of cell growth factor mimics and factors to prevent a foreign body
reaction. Transplantation studies were performed subcutaneously and
in epididymal fat pad of immuno-competent Balb/c mice and immuno-suppressed
B6 Rag1 mice and we demonstrated extensive neo-vascularization and
maintenance of islet cell viability in subcutaneously implanted neonatal
porcine islet cells for up to 20 weeks of post-transplant. This novel
approach for cell transplantation can improve the revascularization
and allow the integration of bioactive molecules such as cell adhesion
molecules, growth factors, etc