Effects of chemical modification on the structure and mechanical properties of starch-based biofilms

Abstract  

In this work, chemically modified corn starch and plasticized corn starch biofilms were obtained and characterized in four steps: (1) preparation of corn starch microparticles, (2) preparation of malic acid-modified corn starch microparticles (MA–SM), (3) preparation of corn starch biofilms and MA–SM-plasticized corn starch biofilms, and (4) characterization of the biofilms. The effects of MA–SM concentration (4, 8, and 12% based on the amount of corn starch) on the structural characteristics and mechanical properties of the biofilms were investigated. Changes in the starch granules after chemical modification were studied by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of ester carbonyl group stretching vibration at 1,720 cm⁻¹ in FT-IR spectra was evidence of reaction of the starch microparticles with malic acid. The tensile yield strength and Young’s modulus of the films increased with increasing MA–SM content. Water uptake decreased from 69.8% for biofilm without MA–SM to 52.7% for biofilm with MA–SM. The improvement of these properties in the plasticized product could be attributed to the good interaction between the MA–SM filler and the corn starch.     

Preparation and characterization of corn starch/soy protein biocomposite film reinforced with graphene and graphene oxide nanoplatelets

Corn starch (CS) and soy protein isolate (SPI), as inexpensive, abundant, and biodegradable materials, can chemically interact well with each other to produce biofilms. However, to overcome some of their physical and mechanical limitations, it is preferred to use their composite form, employing reinforcing materials. In this study, initially, graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized by a green method. Then, to enhance the polymer blend final properties, the effects of adding G and GO in the range of 0.5 to 2 wt% on physical and mechanical properties of starch/protein blend were investigated. The results showed that the presence of 0.5‐wt% G and 2‐wt% GO significantly increased the modulus of starch/protein film from 252 to 578 and 449 MPa, respectively. In addition, the thermal stability of CS/SPI/GO (2 wt%) composite film was 50°C to 60°C more than that of the pure starch/protein film. On the other hand, G‐reinforced composite films tended to decline water diffusion compared with the pure polymer film. In addition, the composite film with 2‐wt% GO content had the lowest oxygen permeation rate (3.48 cm³ μm/m²d kpa) among the other composite films.     

Preparation and characterization of edible films composed of Dioscorea opposita Thunb. mucilage and starch

With the goals of reducing negative environmental impacts and improving the novel food packaging industry, edible films composed of Chinese yam mucilage (DOM) and starch were prepared via a casting method. The films were characterized by analysing the physical, morphological, mechanical and barrier properties, performing a thermal analysis, and finally performing an acute toxicity analysis in rats that ingested the film-forming solutions. Four film samples (F1, F2, F3 and F4) were prepared to evaluate the effects of ultrasound and the addition of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on DOM. DOM films presented a compact and uniform structure without toxicological responses, and the optimal DOM film-forming solution contained 20.0% mucilage, 10.0% starch, 1.0% glycerol, and 2.0% CMC after a 1 h ultrasound treatment. The solubility, swelling degree and water vapour permeability (WVP) of DOM film were 41.11%, 95.03% and 55.30 g mm/m²·d·kPa, respectively. The functional groups analysed by FT-IR and thermal degradation were not affected by the different formulations. Therefore, the non-toxic and bio-degradable films prepared using DOM have the great potential to be used in applications in food packaging.     

Micro-solid oxide fuel cells: status, challenges, and chances

Abstract  

Micro-solid oxide fuel cells (micro-SOFC) are predicted to be of high energy density and are potential power sources for portable electronic devices. A micro-SOFC system consists of a fuel cell comprising a positive electrode-electrolyte-negative electrode (i.e. PEN) element, a gas-processing unit, and a thermal system where processing is based on micro-electro-mechanical-systems fabrication techniques. A possible system approach is presented. The critical properties of the thin film materials used in the PEN membrane are discussed, and the unsolved subtasks related to micro-SOFC membrane development are pointed out. Such a micro-SOFC system approach seems feasible and offers a promising alternative to state-of-the-art batteries in portable electronics.     

Orthophosphate binding at the dimer interface of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium callunae</Emphasis> starch phosphorylase: mutational analysis of its role for activity and stability of the enzyme

Background  

Orthophosphate recognition at allosteric binding sites is a key feature for the regulation of enzyme activity in mammalian glycogen phosphorylases. Protein residues co-ordinating orthophosphate in three binding sites distributed across the dimer interface of a non-regulated bacterial starch phosphorylase (from Corynebacterium callunae) were individually replaced by Ala to interrogate their unknown function for activity and stability of this enzyme.     

Fabrication of starch blend films with different matrices and their mechanical properties

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of molecular sizes of amylose (AM) and starch granules on the mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS) blend films. Leached amylose solution from cassava (CS_ AM) and mung bean (MB_AM), and two forms of amylopectin (AP) (granular; g and non-granular; ng) of waxy cassava (WxCS) starch were used. Four types of film matrices were fabricated and all TPS blend films contained same amount of AM and glycerol. Results displayed that molecular weight profiles of starch films and presence of granule remnants significantly controlled the film matrix formation, types of crystal formation, and percent of relative crystallinity (%RC) (p < 0.05). Tensile property of TPS films was controlled by %RC and presence of granule remnants. Percent elongation at break (%E_b) of TPS films increased when the films had a large range of molecular weight distribution (from 5.5 × 10⁷ g/mol to 0.4 × 10⁵ g/mol) and contained a high weight fraction (~58%) of starch molecules with M_w~0.4 × 10⁵ g/mol.     

Interactions between co-expressed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> sucrose transporters in the split-ubiquitin system

Background  

The Arabidopsis genome contains nine sucrose transporter paralogs falling into three clades: SUT1-like, SUT2 and SUT4. The carriers differ in their kinetic properties. Many transport proteins are known to exist as oligomers. The yeast-based split ubiquitin system can be used to analyze the ability of membrane proteins to interact.     

Modification of mechanical and thermal property of chitosan–starch blend films

Chitosan–starch blend films (thickness 0.2 mm) of different composition were prepared by casting and their mechanical properties were studied. To improve the properties of chitosan–starch films, glycerol and mustard oil of different composition were used. Chitosan–starch films, incorporated with glycerol and mustard oil, were further modified with monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using gamma radiation. The modified films showed improvement in both tensile strength and elongation at break than the pure chitosan–starch films. Water uptake of the films reduced significantly than the pure chitosan–starch film. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the modified films experience less thermal degradation than the pure films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR were used to investigate the morphology and molecular interaction of the blend film, respectively.     

Effect of dry heat modification and the addition of Chinese quince seed gum on the physicochemical properties and structure of tigernut tuber starch

To expand industrial utilization of tigernut starch and meet the demand for industrial starch, the influence of dry heat treatment (130 °C for 2 h and 4 h, 7% moisture) on the functional properties and structure of tigernut starch alone and mixed with Chinese quince seed gum (1% w/w) was investigated. Modifying the starch significantly (p < 0.05) increased peak, trough and final viscosity, and reduced the swelling power and gelatinization enthalpy. In addition, the freeze–thaw stability and pseudoplastic flow were enhanced by this modification process. Microscopic and crystalline structure results indicate that dry heat treatment without gum destroys the surface and the internal crystals of the starch granules, but when gum was present, the granule becomes more resistant to dry-heating. Overall, the treatment with dry heat and the addition of Chinese quince seed gum improved the physicochemical properties of tigernut starch, in particular by increasing freeze–thaw stability and viscosity to expand the application of the starch in food industry.     

大米淀粉膜的制备及其性能

大米淀粉颗粒粒径较小且均匀,在水中有较好的分散性,具有良好的成膜性并且可以在自然中降解,在食品包装、医用敷料及化妆品行业中有着广泛的应用。以大米淀粉为原料,NaOH为糊化剂,甘油为增塑剂,柠檬酸为交联剂和pH调节剂,采用流延法制备了淀粉膜。通过对淀粉颗粒的形貌观察及糊化温度、淀粉溶液的表观粘度及pH值测定、淀粉膜的力学性能、透光率及承载甘草酸二钾释放性能等的测定,研究了大米淀粉的糊化条件,柠檬酸、淀粉和甘油质量分数对淀粉膜性质的影响以及承载物质的释放情况。结果表明,大米淀粉呈光滑的多边形颗粒,直径为5~8 μm,在偏光显微镜下呈现马耳他十字结构,糊化温度范围为82.5~100.8 ℃。柠檬酸在淀粉成膜过程中会与淀粉分子相互作用,同时能够调节溶液的pH值以适应人体皮肤。淀粉质量分数越高,淀粉膜断裂伸长率越低,拉伸强度越高;甘油质量分数越高,淀粉膜断裂伸长率越高,拉伸强度越低。在甘油质量分数为3.0%时淀粉膜透光率最佳,结晶度最低。制备的淀粉膜能够承载且能高效释放抗炎物质甘草酸二钾,在护肤领域具有广泛的应用前景。     

Fabrication and mechanical characterization of biodegradable and synthetic polymeric films: Effect of gamma radiation

Chitosan (1 wt%, in 2% aqueous acetic acid solution) and starch (1 wt%, in deionised water) were dissolved and mixed in different proportions (20–80 wt% chitosan) then films were prepared by casting. Tensile strength and elongation at break of the 50% chitosan containing starch-based films were found to be 47 MPa and 16%, respectively. It was revealed that with the increase of chitosan in starch, the values of TS improved significantly. Monomer, 2-butane diol-diacrylate (BDDA) was added into the film forming solutions (50% starch-based), then casted films. The BDDA containing films were irradiated under gamma radiation (5–25 kGy) and it was found that strength of the films improved significantly. On the other hand, synthetic petroleum-based polymeric films (polycaprolactone, polyethylene and polypropylene) were prepared by compression moulding. Mechanical and barrier properties of the films were evaluated. The gamma irradiated (25 kGy) films showed higher strength and better barrier properties.     

Effect of Bee Pollen on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Starch Films

The use of casein, starch and bee pollen as biodegradable materials has been promise. The objective of this work was the development and characterization of films containing casein, pollen and starch. The films were obtained by casting process and the solvent evaporation was performed at 40 °C/24 h. The films characterization was carried out by microscopy, thermal analysis, opacity test, mechanical properties and barrier methods. The starch films presented heterogeneous on microscopy analysis. The thermal behaviors of pollen films were similar. The formulation containing only pollen 3% was unable to form film. The introduction of pollen in starch film formulation improved the mechanical characteristic and thermal stability of films.     

MyD88-dependent and independent pathways of Toll-Like Receptors are engaged in biological activity of Triptolide in ligand-stimulated macrophages

Background  

Triptolide is a diterpene triepoxide from the Chinese medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., with known anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive and anti-cancer properties.     

六水合硝酸镁增塑改性淀粉-聚乙烯醇复合膜的合成与性能

以六水合硝酸镁[Mg(NO₃)₂·6H₂O]为增塑剂, 采用流延法制备了增塑改性的淀粉-聚乙烯醇(PVA)复合膜, 并研究了改性后淀粉-PVA复合膜的性能. 研究结果表明, Mg(NO₃)₂·6H₂O与淀粉和PVA发生一定的相互作用, 破坏了淀粉和PVA中的结晶结构. 因此, Mg(NO₃)₂·6H₂O的加入可提高淀粉与PVA间的相容性, 改变了淀粉-PVA复合膜的力学性能, 使其拉伸强度下降, 断裂伸长率提高.     

Surface-controlled spatially heterogeneous physical properties of a supramolecular gel with homogeneous chemical composition

Controlling supramolecular self-assembly across multiple length scales to prepare gels with localised properties is challenging. Most strategies concentrate on fabricating gels with heterogeneous components, where localised properties are generated by the stimuli-responsive component. Here, as an alternative approach, we use a spiropyran-modified surface that can be patterned with light. We show that light-induced differences in surface chemistry can direct the bulk assembly of a low molecular weight gelator, 2-NapAV, meaning that mechanical gel properties can be controlled by the surface on which the gel is grown. Using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering, we demonstrate that the origin of the different gel properties relates to differences in the architectures of the gels. This provides a new method to prepare a single domain (i.e., chemically homogeneous) hydrogel with locally controlled (i.e., mechanically heterogeneous) properties.

A mechanical pattern is created in a hydrogel film by pre-patterning the underlying surface chemistry. This allows spatial variation of the viscous component of the gel, controlling dissipative forces in the gel film without altering gel chemistry.     

Effect of alpha-tocopherol on pulmonary antioxidant defence system and lipid peroxidation in cigarette smoke inhaling mice

Background  

Free radicals generated in biological systems by cigarette smoke (CS) inhalation can cause oxidative stress in tissues, resulting in lipid peroxidation (LPO). In view of the antioxidant properties of α-tocopherol (AT), in the present study, effects of AT on antioxidant defence system and LPO were investigated in mice inhaling CS for different time intervals.     

Study of polyaniline conducting/electroactive polymer as sensor for some agricultural phosphorus pesticides

Abstract  

Due to their wide applications as insecticides, pesticides, chemical warfare agents, etc., detection of organophosphorus compounds is of great importance. This paper deals with application of polyaniline conducting polymer (PANi) as a sensor material for detection of some agricultural organophosphorus compounds that are commonly used as insecticides and pesticides. The compounds employed in this investigation are dichlorvos, trichlorophon, and chlorpyrifos. The effects of some important parameters such as concentration, thickness of the polymer film, etc., on electrical conductivity and conductivity stability for these compounds have also been investigated. In situ electrical conductivity measurements were performed using a standard direct-current (DC) four-point probe technique. It was found that adsorption and desorption of these compounds on PANi film cause measurable change in the resistance of conducting polymers.     

Transparent montmorillonite/cellulose nanofibril nanocomposite films: the influence of exfoliation degree and interfacial interaction

To obtain high performance of nanocomposite films made of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and montmorillonites (MMTs), highly ordered nanostructures and abundant interfacial interactions are of extreme importance, especially for CNF film with high MMT content. Here, we tend to unveil the influence of exfoliation degree of MMTs and their interfacial interactions with CNFs on the properties of ensuing nanocomposite films. Monolayer MMTs (ML-MMTs) prefer to form highly ordered nanostructure during water evaporation induced self-assembly. The obtained nanocomposite film with 30 wt% ML-MMTs exhibits a tensile strength of 132 MPa, a total light transmittance of 90.2% (550 nm), and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 41.5 g mm/m² day, better than the film made of original MMTs (O-MMTs) and CNFs (30 MPa strength, 60% transparency, and 78.7 g mm/m² day WVTR). Moreover, the physical properties (153 MPa strength and 20.9 g mm/m² day WVTR) of nanocomposite film can be further enhanced by constructing ionic interactions between the ML-MMT and CNF using 0.5 wt% cationic polyethylenimine (PEI). However, as the amount of PEI continues to increase, its performance will be deteriorated dramatically because of the disordered orientation of ML-MMTs. This work could provide an insight into the fabrication of high performance MMT/CNF nanocomposite film for advanced applications.

Graphical abstract

     

Starch based Active Packaging Film Reinforced with Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Cellulose Nanofiber

Biopolymer active packaging is known to have low mechanical strength and highly brittle. Regardless to its disadvantage, polymers from natural sources have attracted serious attention since the non-renewable sources for example petroleum, the major precursor of plastic manufacturing become depleted. Starch-Chitosan for instance is a hybrid film that entirely green as it produced from a renewable material and totally degradable. The addition of chitosan in film packaging able to kill pathogen hence increases the food shelf life. Through nanotechnology advance, nanomaterial can be used for material reinforcement. Nowadays, greener approach could be applied by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber that rich of cellulose contents could be treated chemically to purify the cellulose in the fiber. Cellulose fiber obtained was cut to a nano-size using acid hydrolysis. Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) obtained shown the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100 nm in diameter. Nanocomposite film formulation, was constructed by varying the cellulose nanofiber incorporation between 2-10% per weight of starch. The strength of the films was measured as well as antimicrobial properties. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix exhibits high tensile strength with 5.25 Mpa compared to starch-chitosan hybrid film with 3.96 Mpa. However, no significant improvement in tensile strength was distinguished beyond that ratio. Antimicrobial analysis shows that the addition of cellulose nanofiber could increase the inhibition effect towards gram-positive bacteria but not towards gram-negative bacteria. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber increased the inhibition diameter towards gram positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis up to 33%. However, inhibition towards Bacillus subtilis decreased with the incorporation of more cellulose nanofiber. In gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, the addition of cellulose nanofiber does not give significant effect to bacterial. In General, the addition of the unique structure of cellulose nanofiber in the starch based polymer system could enhance the mechanical strength of the film and increase the inhibition of the gram positive bacteria.     

A computational study of oxygen-termination of a (6,0) boron nitride nanotube

Abstract  

We performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the properties of electronic structures of representative armchair and zigzag silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs). The model structures were optimized and the NMR parameters were calculated at the sites of silicon-29 and carbon-13 atoms in these structures. Our results indicated that different electronic environments could be detected by using the atoms of nanotubes in which the atoms of tips, especially for zigzag SiCNT, exhibit distinctive properties among other atoms.