In vitro degradation and release profiles for electrospun polymeric fibers containing paracetanol

In the paper, the poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) and poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(D,L-lactide) (PELA) fibers with and without paracetanol drug loading were prepared with an electrospinning method. The morphology of the fibers was observed by scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Their glass transition temperatures (T(g)) were measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The water contact angle (CA) measurement was also performed to characterize surface properties of fibers. At 37 degrees C in a PBS buffer solution (pH 7.4), in vitro matrix degradation profiles of these fibers were characterized by measuring their weight loss, the molecular weight decrease, and their morphology change. The result showed that the effects of fiber diameter and porosities on the degradation of the electrospun scaffolds might exceed the effects of the molecular weight and the PEG contents, which was different from the polymeric microspheres degradation. In vitro paracetanol release profiles were also investigated in the same condition. The result showed that the drug burst release behaviour was mainly related with the drug-polymer compatibility and the followed sustained release phase depended on polymer degradation.     

Miniaturized electrochemical sensors and their point-of-care applications

Most of the current analytical methods depend largely on laboratory-based analytical techniques that require expensive and bullky equipment,potentially incur costly testing,and involve lengthy detection processes.With increasing requirements for point-of-care testing(POCT),more attention has been paid to miniaturized analytical devices.Miniaturized electrochemical(MEC)sensors,including different material-based MEC sensors(such as DNA-,paper-,and screen electrode-based),have been in strong demand in analytical science due to their easy operation,portability,high sensitivity,as well as their short analysis time.They have been applied for the detection of trace amounts of target through measuring changes in electrochemical signal,such as current,voltage,potential,or impedance,due to the oxidation/reduction of chemical/biological molecules with the help of electrodes and electrochemical units.MEC sensors present great potential for the detection of targets including small organic molecules,metal ions,and biomolecules.In recent years,MEC sensors have been broadly applied to POCT in various fields,including health care,food safety,and environmental monitoring,owing to the excellent advantages of electrochemical(EC)technologies.This review summarized the state-of-the-art advancements on various types of MEC sensors and their applications in POCT.Furthermore,the future perspectives,opportunities,and challenges in this field are also discussed.     

3D-printed electrochemical sensors: A new horizon for measurement of biomolecules

Electrochemical sensors are widely used to monitor biomolecules. However, limitations in sensor geometry have restricted the scope of currently used electrochemical sensors. 3D-printing has emerged as a promising manufacturing approach, to robustly make electrochemical sensors, that can stably measure in biological environments. This review highlights the recent trends in the development of 3D-printed electrodes and biosensors for measurement of biomolecules. Novel geometries of 3D-printed electrodes have provided the means to conduct ex vivo measurement in the intestinal tract and in vivo measurements in the brain. 3D-printing is providing the ability to manufacture electrochemical sensors that can measure biomolecules in diverse areas of the body.     

Review: Carbon nanotube based electrochemical sensors for biomolecules

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been incorporated in electrochemical sensors to decrease overpotential and improve sensitivity. In this review, we focus on recent literature that describes how CNT-based electrochemical sensors are being developed to detect neurotransmitters, proteins, small molecules such as glucose, and DNA. Different types of electrochemical methods are used in these sensors including direct electrochemical detection with amperometry or voltammetry, indirect detection of an oxidation product using enzyme sensors, and detection of conductivity changes using CNT-field effect transistors (FETs). Future challenges for the field include miniaturizing sensors, developing methods to use only a specific nanotube allotrope, and simplifying manufacturing.     

Synthesis and characterization of electrospun PVdF-HFP/silane-functionalized ZrO2 hybrid nanofiber electrolyte with enhanced optical and electrochemical properties

A facile method to produce a hybrid of organic-inorganic nanofiber electrolyte via electrospinning is hereby presented. The incorporation of functionalized zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanoparticles into poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) and complexed with lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF₃SO₃) provided an enhanced optical transmissivity and ionic conductivity. The dependence of the nanofiber's morphology, optical and electrochemical properties on the various ZrO₂ loading was studied. Results show that while nanofiller content was increased, the diameter of the nanofibers was reduced. The improved bulk ionic conductivity of the nanofiber electrolyte was at 1.96 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹. Owing to the enhanced dispersibility of the 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) functionalized ZrO₂, the optical transmissivity of the nanofiber electrolyte was improved significantly. This new nanofiber composite electrolyte membrane with further development has the potential to be next generation electrolyte for energy efficient windows like electrochromic devices.     

Detecting Both Physical and (Bio‐)Chemical Parameters by Means of ISFET Devices

A multi‐parameter sensor system for the detection of eight (bio‐)chemical and physical parameters (pH, potassium concentration, penicillin concentration, diffusion coefficient of H⁺‐ and OH ^–‐ions, temperature, flow velocity, flow direction and liquid level) is realized by using the same transducer principle. A Ta₂O₅‐gate ISFET (ion‐sensitive field‐effect transistor) is applied as basic transducer for all kinds of sensors. The multi‐parameter detection is achieved by means of sequentially or simultaneously scheduling of the hybride sensor modules consisting of four ISFET structures and an ion generator in different sensor arrangements and/or different operation modes. Thus, more parameters (eight) can be detected than the number of sensors (four) in the system.     

Effect of solvents on electro-spinnability of polystyrene solutions and morphological appearance of resulting electrospun polystyrene fibers

The effects of solvents and their properties on electro-spinnability of the as-prepared polystyrene (PS) solutions and the morphological appearance of the as-spun PS fibers were investigated qualitatively by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The eighteen solvents used were benzene, t-butylacetate, carbontetrachloride, chlorobenzene, chloroform, cyclohexane, decahydronaphthalene (decalin), 1,2-dichloroethane, dimethylformamide (DMF), 1,4-dioxane, ethylacetate, ethylbenzene, hexane, methylethylketone (MEK), nitrobenzene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin), and toluene. The PS solutions in 1,2-dichloroethane, DMF, ethylacetate, MEK, and THF could produce fibers with high enough productivity, while the PS solutions in benzene, cyclohexane, decalin, ethylbenzene, nitrobenzene, and tetralin were not spinnable. Qualitative observation of the results obtained suggested that the important factors determining the electro-spinnability of the as-prepared PS solutions are high enough values of both the dipole moment of the solvent and the conductivity of both the solvent and the resulting solutions, high enough boiling point of the solvent, not-so-high values of both the viscosity and the surface tension of the resulting solutions.     

Recent advances in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics and their applications

The abuse of antibiotics will cause an increase of drug-resistant strains and environmental pollution,which in turn will affect human health.Therefore,it is important to develop effective detection techniques to determine the level of antibiotics contamination in various fields.Compared with traditional detection methods,electrochemical sensors have received extensive attention due to their advantages such as high sensitivity,low detection limit,and good selectivity.In this mini review,we summarized the latest developments and new trends in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics.Here,modification methods and materials of electrode are discussed.We also pay more attention to the practical applications of antibiotics electrochemical sensors in different fields.In addition,the existing problems and the future challenges ahead have been proposed.We hope that this review can provide new ideas for the development of electrochemical sensors for antibiotics in the future.     

Effects of fluorination modification on pore size controlled electrospun activated carbon fibers for high capacity methane storage

Electrospun carbon fibers were prepared as a methane storage medium. Chemical activation was carried out using potassium carbonate to develop the pore structure, which can provide sites for the uptake of methane, and then fluorination surface modification was conducted to enhance the capacity of storage. Chemical activation provided a highly microporous structure, which is beneficial for methane storage, with a high specific surface area greater than 2500 m²/g. The pore size distribution showed that the prepared samples have pore sizes in the range of 0.7–1.6 nm. The effect of fluorination surface modification was also investigated. The functional groups, which were confirmed by XPS analysis, played an important role in guiding methane gas into the carbon silt pores via the attractive force felt by the electrons in the methane molecules due to the high electronegativity of fluorine. Eventually, the methane uptake increased up to 18.1 wt.% by the synergetic effects of the highly developed micropore structure and the guiding of methane to carbon pores by fluorine.     

Phenylboronic acid-functionalized TTFAQ: modular synthesis and electrochemical recognition for saccharides

A phenylboronic acid-functionalized π-extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTFAQ) derivative was prepared through an efficient Cu-catalyzed alkyne-azide [3+2] cycloaddition reaction (click reaction). This boronic acid-TTFAQ hybrid system shows different electrochemical redox behavior upon titration with various saccharides in DMSO/H₂O at pH 8.75, suggesting potential use in saccharide sensing and recognition.     

A review on electrospun polymeric nanofibers: Production parameters and potential applications

This review deals with electrospun nanofibers and their applications in several fields. Nanofibers have mainly been produced via electrospinning technique due to the simple, cost-effective, and versatile setup. Electrospinning is defined as a process, which produces fibers from its polymer solutions under exposure of high electric field voltage. The technique needs optimization of several parameters such solution, processing and ambient parameters to refine nanofiber morphology, diameter and porosity. The basic technique has been modified to produce composite fibers and to increase production capacity. Nanofiber characterization methods are summarized with examples. The relation between electrospinning and electrospraying is discussed. Nanofibers have the ability to form highly porous mesh with large surface to volume ratio enhancing its performance for various applications such as water filtration, tissue engineering scaffold, wounds, fiber composites, drug release and protective clothes. Single nanofibers could potentially be used as soft microrobots for drug delivery. Finally, results from modeling and simulations are illustrated.     

Electrospun palladium (IV)-doped copper oxide composite nanofibers for non-enzymatic glucose sensors

Pd (IV)-doped CuO oxide composite nanofibers (PCNFs) have been successfully fabricated via electrospinning and then employed to construct an amperometric non-enzymatic glucose sensor. The PCNFs based glucose sensors display distinctly enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose, showing significantly lower overvoltage (0.32 V) and ultrafast (1 s) and ultrasensitive current (1061.4 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²) response with a lower detection limit of 1.9 × 10⁻⁸ M (S/N = 3). Additionally, excellent selectivity, reproducibility and stability have also been obtained. These results indicate that PCNFs are promising candidates for amperometric non-enzymatic glucose detection.     

Preparation and characterization of electrospun fibers based on poly(L-lactic acid)/cellulose acetate

PLLA/CA mixtures of different compositions were successfully electrospun to obtain composite nanofibrous membranes.The microstructures of the membrances changed from homogeneous to heterogeneous with the addition of CA, which was observed by FE-ESEM.The PLLA/CA fabric membranes were characterized by mechanical testing,DSC and contact angle measurements.The tensile stress of the composite fibrous membranes increased obviously with the increase of CA content.DSC results indicated that the CA component was the main factor for the changes of enthalpies in the composite fibers.Contact angle measurements showed the hydrophilicity of the electrospun nanofiber membranes was improved with the addition of CA.     

Nanoparticles in electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring

We review the state-of-the-art application of nanoparticles (NPs) in electrochemical analysis of environmental pollutants. We summarize methods for preparing NPs and modifying electrode surfaces with NPs. We describe several examples of applications in environmental electrochemical sensors and performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity for both metal and metal-oxide NPs. We present recent trends in the beneficial use of NPs in constructing electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring and discuss future challenges.NPs have promising potential to increase competitiveness of electrochemical sensors in environmental monitoring, though research has focused mainly on development of methodology for fabricating new sensors, and the number of studies for optimizing the performance of sensors and the applicability to real samples is still limited.     

Impedance methods for electrochemical sensors using nanomaterials

This article presents an overview of electrochemical sensors that employ nanomaterials and utilize electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for analyte detection. The most widely utilized nanomaterials in impedance sensors are gold (Au) nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Au nanoparticles have been employed in impedance sensors to form electrodes from nanoparticle ensembles and to amplify impedance signals by forming nanoparticle-biomolecule conjugates in the solution phase. CNTs have been employed for impedance sensors within composite electrodes and as nanoelectrode arrays. The advantages of nanomaterials in impedance sensors include increased sensor surface area, electrical conductivity and connectivity, chemical accessibility and electrocatalysis.     

Cation and anion fluorescent and electrochemical sensors derived from 4,4′-substituted biphenyl

Five new fluorescent macrocyclic ligands derived from biphenyl are described. These new compounds can be used in cation and anion recognition and sensing. Their fluorescent and electrochemical properties are studied and the influence of the biphenyl conformation on these properties is considered. The X-ray single crystal structure of one of the described ligands has been determined.     

Development of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers immobilizing lipase highly activated by alkyl-silicate for flow-through reactors

Electrospun fibrous membranes composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers of approximately 1 μm in diameter, and immobilizing highly activated lipase entrapped in silicate cages with smaller dimensions than the fibers, were developed; and their feasibility as a component of flow-through reactors was studied. The electrospun PVA fibers were prepared from a mixture of PVA solution and a sol obtained from silicon alkoxide(s)—either tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) or dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMOS), or both, containing lipase. The fastest initial transesterification rate converting (s)-glycidol to glycidyl n-butyrate with vinyl n-butyrate in batchwise reactions was accomplished by treatment of lipase using the sol obtained from DMDMOS and TMOS together. The values were 4.5-, 21.8-, and 1.8-fold faster than those of systems using lipases that were either non-modified or modified using TMOS alone or DMDMOS alone, respectively. The higher activity of the lipase modified using both DMDMOS and TMOS and immobilized in PVA fibers resulted in a flow-through reactor having a higher degree of conversion at the same retention time compared with that using immobilized non-modified lipase. These results show the feasibility of flow-through reactors composed of electrospun PVA fibers immobilizing lipase highly activated by alkyl-silicate.     

Electrospun Pd nanoparticles loaded on Vulcan carbon/ conductive polymeric ionic liquid nanofibers for selective and sensitive determination of tramadol

In the present work a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor was fabricated based on a glassy carbon electrode which has been modified with Pd nanoparticles loaded on Vulcan carbon/conductive polymeric ionic liquid composite nanofibers. The nanostructures were characterized by UV–Vis, FT-IR, FESEM, EDX and XRD techniques. The electrochemical study of the modified electrode, as well as its efficiency for the electrooxidation of tramadol was described in 0.1 M phosphate buffered solution (PBS) (pH 7.0) using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and square wave voltammetry as diagnostic techniques. It has been found that application of the composite nanofibers result in a sensitivity enhancement and a considerable decrease in the anodic overpotential, leading to negative shifts about 200 mV in peak potential. The results exhibit a linear dynamic range from 0.05 μM to 200 μM and a detection limit of 0.015 μM for tramadol. Finally, the modified electrode was used for the determination of tramadol in pharmaceutical and biological samples.     

Fabrication and invitro evaluation of electrospun gum ghatti-polyvinyl alcohol polymeric blend green nanofibre mat (GG-PVA NFM) as a novel material for polymeric scaffolds in wound healing

The present research is mainly based on the fabrication of biodegradable nanofiber mats (NFM) through the process of electrospinning using a novel combination of Gum Ghatti (GG) and Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA). The prepared NFM was crosslinked (CL-1) using Glutaraldeyde-HCl vapours and was characterized for its tensile strength along other analytical characterizations using FTIR, TGA, DSC and XRD. The mechanical strength of the NFM was found to be sufficiently high than in comparison to noncrosslinked sample and PVA NFM. The internal architecture of the CL-1 by use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that there was very well formed crosslinks suitable for drug loading as well as cell proliferation. The wound healing properties of the CL-1 in mice animal model indicated the healing within 5 days as compared to the control wound. Moreover, the sample was also analysed for its ability as polymeric scaffold and no toxicity was found onto the locally applied tissue on histological investigations.