Microwave drying of granules containing a moisture-sensitive drug: a promising alternative to fluid bed and hot air oven drying

The impact of microwave drying and binders (copolyvidone and povidone) on the degradation of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and physical properties of granules were compared with conventional drying methods. Moist granules containing ASA were prepared using a high shear granulator and dried with hot air oven, fluid bed or microwave (static or dynamic bed) dryers. Percent ASA degradation, size and size distribution, friability and flow properties of the granules were determined. Granules dried with the dynamic bed microwave dryer showed the least amount of ASA degradation, followed by fluid bed dryer, static bed microwave oven and hot air oven. The use of microwave drying with a static granular bed adversely affected ASA degradation and drying capability. Dynamic bed microwave dryer had the highest drying capability followed by fluid bed, static bed microwave dryer and conventional hot air oven. The intensity of microwave did not affect ASA degradation, size distribution, friability and flow properties of the granules. Mixing/agitating of granules during drying affected the granular physical properties studied. Copolyvidone resulted in lower amount of granular residual moisture content and ASA degradation on storage than povidone, especially for static bed microwave drying. In conclusion, microwave drying technology has been shown to be a promising alternative for drying granules containing a moisture-sensitive drug.     

Waste cooking oil as a promising source for bio lubricants- A review

The development of renewable and sustainable products to replace fossil fuels is a key topic in this decade from an industrial, environmental, and scientific perspective. There is an inescapable flow of mineral-based lubricants into the environment due to the increasing use of numerous lubricant types, most of which are mineral-based. Waste cooking oil is another problem, and the disposal of this oil pollutes the environment. Making bio-based lubricant from used cooking oil can solve both of these problems. Lubricating oils that can be created from waste cooking oil are the subject of this article. Bio-lubricants are an attractive alternative to conventional petro-based lubricants because of a number of physical properties, including as biodegradability, high lubricity, and high flash points. Despite this, they are expected to displace petroleum-based lubricants in a range of applications because to their inefficient chemical structure. This allows waste oil to be used as a lubricant while still keeping its tribological and environmental properties through chemical modification. Biodegradable lubricants may benefit from lower prices for waste natural oils, which may help them compete on the market. This article provides a brief introduction of waste cooking oil and its possible use as a bio-based lubricant, as well as the many elements and trends within it.     

A comprehensive review of battery technology for E-mobility

Electric vehicles are proven to be a potential alternative to traditional transport technologies and contribute largely to reducing fossil fuel consumption. In this review, various battery technologies used in electric vehicles are discussed in detail with their research advancements. In the market, various types of electric vehicles along with hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles demand batteries with high energy density, easy charging and discharging with good cycle life and low cost. Hence this article mainly focuses on the types of battery with these parameters in detail. Many battery technologies are currently employed in electric vehicles but the most frequently used batteries are Lithium-ion batteries. Thus, a greater focus is given to Li-ion batteries and their development by detailing the material-specific advancements in their electrode and electrolyte system.     

A review of furfural derivatives as promising octane boosters

Prospects for using furfural derivatives as octane boosters for gasoline are discussed on the basis of analysis of their physicochemical and operation properties. Knock resistance data, toxicity parameters, and results of motor bench tests are considered for furan compounds, furfural ethers, furfurylamine, and other furfural derivatives.     

Novel pyridine and pyrimidine derivatives as promising anticancer agents: A review

Pyridines and pyrimidines are the class of heterocyclic nitrogenous compounds having plethora of applications in anticancer drug development. These synthetic sources serve as the potent class of compounds in treatment of breast cancer, myeloid leukemia, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer and idiopathic respiratory fibrosis etc. The present review enumerates the results of studies published during past three years (2019–2021) on pyridine and pyrimidine analogues with their respective anticancer properties characterized in vitro or through in silico studies and illustrates their potential in development of anticancer agents. Recent advances on pyridine and pyrimidine analogues mentioned in this review add to the appealing opportunities for cancer therapy.     

Nanoporous carbons as promising novel methane adsorbents for natural gas technology

Nanoporous carbons were synthesized using furfuryl alcohol and sucrose as precursors and MCM-41 and mordenite as nanoporous templates.The produced nanoporous carbons were used as adsorbent for methane storage.The average pore diameter of the samples varied from 3.9 nm to 5.9 nm and the BET surface area varied from 320m2/g to 824m2/g.The volumetric adsorption experiments revealed that MCM-41 and sucrose had better performance compared with mordenite and furfuryl alcohol,correspondingly.Also,the effect of precursor to template ratio on the structure of nanoporous carbons and their adsorption capacities was investigated.The nanoporous carbon produced from MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve partially filled by sucrose shows the best methane adsorption capacity among the tested samples.     

Hydrothermally etched titanium: a review on a promising mechano-bactericidal surface for implant applications

The growing demand for titanium-based implants and the subsequent rise in implant-associated infections necessitate novel developments in anti-infective technologies. Recent research has drawn inspiration from nature to solve this problem. The nanoscale topography observed on cicada and dragonfly wings serves as a blueprint for synthetic analogs which seek to kill bacteria on contact through mechanical forces. This type of interaction has been dubbed the mechano-bactericidal effect. Various techniques have been utilized to mimic and improve upon these natural bactericidal surfaces. Alkaline hydrothermal etching is a simple and cost-effective technique to fabricate nanoscale protrusions on titanium and its alloys. This review aims to consolidate the current knowledge surrounding how fabrication parameters lead to varying surface topographies on titanium substrates, and subsequently, how surface topography and bacterial characteristics affect bactericidal activity. The bactericidal mechanism of hydrothermally etched titanium is inferred from comparisons with similar mechano-bactericidal biomaterials. The hostility of hydrothermally etched titanium toward bacteria is discussed in contrast to the observed host cell compatibility. Last, suggestions are made for the standardization of terminology in this emerging field.     

Advances in Biginelli reaction: A comprehensive review

The Biginelli reaction, a conventional three-component reaction provides 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones via one-pot acid catalyzed cyclocondensation of an aldehyde, a β-keto ester, and urea or thiourea. Dihydropyrimidones are well-known scaffolds having a wide range of pharmacological activities. So far classical Biginelli reaction has witnessed several modification and studies are still continuing in this field to develop greener and efficient methodologies. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in Biginelli reaction covering literature from 2020 to 2023.     

Quantum dots as a promising agent to combat COVID-19

Approximately every 100 years, as witnessed in the last two centuries, we are facing an influenza pandemic, necessitating the need to combat a novel virus strain. As a result of the new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 [SARS-CoV-2] outbreak in January 2020, many clinical studies are being carried out with the aim of combating or eradicating the disease altogether. However, so far, developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) detection kits or vaccines has remained elusive. In this regard, the development of antiviral nanomaterials by surface engineering with enhanced specificity might prove valuable to combat this novel virus. Quantum dots (QDs) are multifaceted agents with the ability to fight against/inhibit the activity of COVID-19 virus. This article exclusively discusses the potential role of QDs as biosensors and antiviral agents for attenuation of viral infection.     

Hydrazones as analytical reagents: a review

Applications of hydrazones in inorganic analysis since 1950 are reviewed.     

Recent progress in methane dehydroaromatization: From laboratory curiosities to promising technology

Direct conversion of methane to benzene or other valuable chemicals is a very promising process for the efficient application of natural gas. Compared with conversion processes that require oxidants, non-oxidative direct conversion is more attractive due to high selectivity to the target product. In this paper, an alternative route for methane dehydrogenation and selective conversion to benzene and hydrogen without the participation of oxygen is discussed. A brief review of the catalysts used in methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) is first given, followed by our current understanding of the location and the active phase of Mo species, the reaction mechanism, the mechanism of carbonaceous deposit and the deactivation of Mo/zeolite catalysts are systematically discussed. Ways to improve the catalytic activity and stability are described in detail based on catalyst and reaction as well as reactor design. Future prospects for methane dehydroaromatization process are also presented.     

Nanofluids thermal performance in the horizontal annular passages: a recent comprehensive review

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids are prepared to enrich thermo-physical and convective heat transfer properties by suspending nanometer particles in a base fluid. For...     

DC insulator dielectrophoretic applications in microdevice technology: a review

Dielectrophoresis is a noninvasive, nondestructive, inexpensive, and fast technique for the manipulation of bioparticles. Recent advances in the field of dielectrophoresis (DEP) have resulted in new approaches for characterizing the behavior of particles and cells using direct current (DC) electric fields. In such approaches, spatial nonuniformities are created in the channel by embedding insulating obstacles in the channel or flow field in order to perform separation or trapping. This emerging field of dielectrophoresis is commonly termed DC insulator dielectrophoresis (DC-iDEP), insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP), or electrodeless dielectrophoresis (eDEP). In many microdevices, this form of dielectrophoresis has advantages over traditional AC-DEP, including single material microfabrication, remotely positioned electrodes, and reduced fouling of the test region. DC-iDEP applications have included disease detection, separation of cancerous cells from normal cells, and separation of live from dead bacteria. However, there is a need for a critical report to integrate these important research findings. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current state-of-art technology in the field of DC-iDEP for the separation and trapping of inert particles and cells. In this article, a review of the concepts and theory leading to the manipulation of particles via DC-iDEP is given, and insulating obstacle geometry designs and the characterization of device performance are discussed. This review compiles and compares the significant findings obtained by researchers in handling and manipulating particles.     

Proteomics on a chip: promising developments

The field of proteomics is expanding rapidly due to the completion of the human genome and the realization that genomic information is often insufficient to comprehend cellular mechanisms. This considerable expansion of proteomics towards high-throughput platforms is stressing its current technical capabilities. In recent years, technologies in microfluidic and array technologies have appeared for proteomics. These novel approaches might help solve current technical challenges in proteomics. This review presents a general survey of the recent development in microfluidic and array technologies from a proteomics perspective.     

Casbane diterpene as a promising natural antimicrobial agent against biofilm-associated infections

Croton nepetaefolius is a native plant from northeastern Brazil that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The biological action of this plant has been extensively explored, being the secondary metabolites responsible for its properties alkaloids, diterpenes, and triterpenes. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of casbane diterpene (CD), isolated from the ethanolic extract of C. nepetaefolius, to inhibit microbial growth and biofilm formation of several clinical relevant species (bacteria and yeasts). It was found that CD possessed biocidal and biostatic activity against the majority of the species screened, with minimal active concentrations ranging between 125 and 500 μg/mL. In addition, it was observed that biofilm formation was inhibited even when the planktonic growth was not significantly affected. In conclusion, CD showed potential to be a natural tool for the treatment of diseases caused by different infectious microorganisms.     

Molecular modeling as a promising tool to study dendrimer prodrugs delivery

Molecular modeling methodologies were applied to perform preliminary studies concerning the release of active agents from potentially antichagasic and antileishmanial dendrimer prodrugs. The dendrimer was designed having myo-inositol as a core, l-malic acid as a spacer group, and hydroxymethylnitrofurazone (NFOH), 3-hydroxyflavone or quercetin, as active compounds. Each dendrimer presented a particular behavior concerning to the following investigated properties: spatial hindrance, map of electrostatic potential (MEP), and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy (E_LUMO). Additionally, the findings suggested that the carbonyl group next to the active agent seems to be the most promising ester breaking point.     

Cyclometalated ruthenium complex as a promising sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells

Ruthenocycle bis(4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyridine)(2-phenylpyridine-²C,N)ruthenium(II) hexafluorophosphate was used as a sensitizer in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) based on nanocrystalline TiO₂, which was applied onto a conducting substrate. Its electrochemical and spectral characteristics were studied. It was found that, when the DSSC was illuminated with visible light of power 35 mW/cm², the short-circuit current density was 11.6 mA cm^?2 and the open-circuit voltage was 0.49 V. The efficiency (η) of DSSC at a fill factor of 45% was 7.1%. Using the method of modulation spectroscopy of photocurrents and photopotentials, the life time and transit time of electrons were found to be 7 and 5 ms, respectively, and the diffusion coefficient of electrons was found to be 10^?5 cm² s^?1. Comparing the life and transit times of electron, it was concluded that the photogenerated electrons had time to reach the conducting substrate during their life time.     

Attapulgite: a promising natural mineral as carrier material for fatty acids phase change material

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The pristine attapulgite (Atta) was pretreated by thermal and acid activation process in order to improve the loading capacity of phase change material...