Electrospinning for healthcare: recent advancements

Electrospinning is a simple route to generate polymer-based fibres with diameters on the nano- to micron-scale. It has been very widely explored in biomedical science for applications including drug delivery systems, diagnostic imaging, theranostics, and tissue engineering. This extensive literature reveals that a diverse range of functional components including small molecule drugs, biologics, and nanoparticles can be incorporated into electrospun fibres, and it is possible to prepare materials with complex compartmentalised architectures. This perspective article briefly introduces the electrospinning technique before considering its potential applications in biomedicine. Particular attention is paid to the translation of electrospinning to the clinic, including the need to produce materials at large scale and the requirement to do so under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions. We finish with a summary of the key current challenges and future perspectives

In Situ Compatibilization of Biopolymer Ternary Blends by Reactive Extrusion with Low-Functionality Epoxy-Based Styrene Acrylic Oligomer

[EN] The present study reports on the use of low-functionality epoxy-based styrene¿acrylic oligomer (ESAO) to compatibilize immiscible ternary blends made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), polylactide (PLA), and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The addition during melt processing of low-functionality ESAO at two parts per hundred resin (phr) of biopolymer successfully changed the soften inclusion phase in the blend system to a thinner morphology, yielding biopolymer ternary blends with higher mechanical ductility and also improved oxygen barrier performance. The compatibilization achieved was ascribed to the in situ formation of a newly block terpolymer, i.e. PHBVb- PLA-b-PBAT, which was produced at the blend interface by the reaction of the multiple epoxy groups present in ESAO with the functional terminal groups of the biopolymers. This chemical reaction was mainly linear due to the inherently low functionality of ESAO and the more favorable reactivity of the epoxy groups with the carboxyl groups of the biopolymers, which avoided the formation of highly branched and/or cross-linked structures and thus facilitated the films processability. Therefore, the reactive blending of biopolymers at different mixing ratios with low-functionality ESAO represents a straightforward methodology to prepare sustainable plastics at industrial scale with different physical properties that can be of interest in, for instance, food packaging applications.This research was funded by the EU H2020 project YPACK (Reference number 773872) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICIU) with project numbers MAT2017-84909-C2-2-R and AGL2015-63855-C2-1-R. L. Quiles-Carrillo wants to thank the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (MECD) for financial support through his FPU Grant Number FPU15/03812. Torres-Giner also acknowledges the MICIU for his Juan de la Cierva contract (IJCI-2016-29675).Quiles-Carrillo, L.; Montanes, N.; Lagaron, J.; Balart, R.; Torres-Giner, S. (2019). In Situ Compatibilization of Biopolymer Ternary Blends by Reactive Extrusion with Low-Functionality Epoxy-Based Styrene Acrylic Oligomer. 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Encapsulation of hydrophilic and lipophilized catechin into nanoparticles through emulsion electrospraying

In this work, we investigated the potential of emulsion electrospraying that contained bacterial cellulose and proteins for the encapsulation of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Specifically, two different catechins, hydrophilic (H-EGCG) or lipophilized (L-EGCG), were encapsulated either on the aqueous or the oily phase of the emulsions in order to compare the antioxidants’ stability. Emulsion properties in terms of stability, droplet size, bulk and interfacial viscosity were studied combined with the evaluation of the properties of the produced particles, namely the morphology and size of the particles, the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of catechin and the stability of the EGCG within the particles under different storage conditions: humidity, pH and temperature. Low emulsion viscosity combined with low oil droplet size and high stability yielded particles with the smallest diameters. Ultrasound homogenization combined with L-EGCG proved to be the most adequate combination, reaching EE up to 97%. The use of low RH (26–53%) and neutral or alkaline pH (6–9) are necessary for protecting EGCG in the particles. All in all, emulsion electrospraying can be used as a promising technology for encapsulation in the food industry

Influence of clay exfoliation on the properties of EVOH/Clay flexible films

This work aims to incorporate the BofWhite Clay, from Boa Vista, State, Brazil, as natural nanofiller in Ehylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) and flexible films. Nanocomposite was obtained using a twin-screw extruder, and film formed using a blow extruder machine. The flexible film nanocomposite was chracterized, by tensile tests, XRD, DSC and the EVOH resulting in a increase of properties of films nanocomposites as compared to films neat polyme