Thermal evaluation of cashew nutshell liquid as new bioadditives for poly(methyl methacrylate)

In this study, the thermal-oxidative stability of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, 1 % additivated with replenishable phenolic lipids is evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) analyses and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Since technical cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a byproduct from the cashew industry, is composed basically of two phenolic lipids, cardanol and cardol, the utilization of this industrial waste and its main components as a new source of bioadditives for use as antioxidants is evaluated. The TG analyses revealed that addition of the phenolic constituent of CNSL increased the thermal stability of PMMA films considerably. The results obtained were also confirmed by DSC analyses.     

Evaluation of antioxidants on the thermo-oxidative stability of soybean biodiesel

This work shows the evaluation of three antioxidants (2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT)—synthetic antioxidant, hydrogenated cardanol (HC), and alkyl hydrogenated cardanol (AHC)—both derived from cashew nut shell liquid) on the thermo-oxidative stability of the soybean biodiesel. The antioxidants were added at concentrations of 200, 300, and 400 ppm, and the oxidative stability of the biofuel with and without antioxidants were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTG and IPDT) and Metrohm 743 Rancimat per the EN 14112 method. The results showed that all antioxidants contributed for the thermo-oxidative stability of the soybean biodiesel as follows: soybean biodiesel < soybean biodiesel + BHT < soybean biodiesel + HC < soybean biodiesel + AHC. In the Rancimat method, the results showed that the antioxidants influenced the biodiesel stability with an increase of at least 71 %.     

Enhanced ethanol sensing properties of WO3 modified TiO2 nanorods

Pristine and WO₃ decorated TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) were synthesised to investigate n-n-type heterojunction gas sensing properties. TiO₂ NRs were fabricated via hydrothermal method on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass (FTO) substrates. Then, tungsten was sputtered on the TiO₂ NRs and thermally oxidised to obtain WO₃ nanoparticles. The heterostructure was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Fabricated sensor devices were exposed to VOCs such as toluene, xylene, acetone and ethanol, and humidity at different operation temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that the heterostructure has better sensor response toward ethanol at 200 °C. Enhanced sensing properties are attributed to the heterojunction formation by decorating TiO₂ NRs with WO₃.     

Phenolic compounds,essential oil composition,and antioxidant activity of Angelica purpurascens (Avé-Lall.) Gill

In this study, methanol extracts (MEs) and essential oil (EO) of Angelica purpurascens (Avé-Lall.) Gill obtained from different parts (root, stem, leaf, and seed) were evaluated in terms of antioxidant activity, total phenolics, compositions of phenolic compound, and essential oil with the methods of 2,2-azino-bis(3ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•⁺), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH•) radical scavenging activities, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), the Folin–Ciocalteu, liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC−MS), respectively. The root extract of A. purpurascens exhibited the highest ABTS•⁺, DPPH•, and FRAP activities (IC₅₀: 0.05 ± 0.0001 mg/mL, IC₅₀: 0.06 ± 0.002 mg/mL, 821.04 ± 15.96 µM TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), respectively). Moreover, EO of A. purpurascens root displayed DPPH• scavenging activity (IC₅₀: 2.95 ± 0.084 mg/mL). The root extract had the highest total phenolic content (438.75 ± 16.39 GAE (gallic acid equivalent), µg/mL)). Twenty compounds were identified by LC−MS/MS. The most abundant phenolics were ferulic acid (244.39 ± 15.64 μg/g extract), benzoic acid (138.18 ± 8.84 μg/g extract), oleuropein (78.04 ± 4.99 μg/g extract), and rutin (31.21 ± 2.00 μg/g extract) in seed, stem, root, and leaf extracts, respectively. According to the GC−MS analysis, the major components were determined as α-bisabolol (22.93%), cubebol (14.39%), α-pinene (11.63%), and α-limonene (9.41%) among 29 compounds. Consequently, the MEs and EO of A. purpurascens can be used as a natural antioxidant source.     

Thermo-oxidative evaluation of new cardol derivatives as antioxidants for mineral oils

In this study, the thermo-oxidative stability of two new phosphorylated derivatives of cardol, a compound from the cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) industry waste CNSL (cashew nutshell liquid), were evaluated. The antioxidant capacity of these new molecules upon two mineral oils, NH10 and NH20 were also studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG), observing the onset and offset temperatures variation. The results showed that both MP and DP Cardol increased considerably the onset and offset temperatures of NH10 and NH20 oils.     

Synthesis,characterization and monitoring of trans-[Ru{P(OMe)3}4Cl2] by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and 31P-n.m.r.

P(OMe₃)₃ reacts with RuCl₃ · 3H₂O to produce the complex trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄Cl₂] from which the complexes trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄S₂]²⁺ and cis-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₂S₄]²⁺ (S = Solvent) can be prepared by solvation in neutral and acidic solution, respectively. The aquation takes place with a specific rate of 1.0 × 10^–2 min^–1 (pH = 3.0) and 5.4 × 10^–3 min^–1 (pH 7.0) The trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄Cl₂] complex has been characterized by elemental analysis; electronic spectra [_max = 408 nm] ( = 1.7 × 10² M^–1 cm^–1), _max = 250 nm ( = 3.5 × 10³ M^–1 cm^–1) and a shoulder at = 280 nm ( 8.3 × 10² M^–1 cm^–1)]; cyclic voltametry ( = 0.75 V versus s.c.e.); HPLC (t _R = 5.7 min); and ³¹P-n.m.r. ( = 131 p.p.m.). In acidic solutions the ³¹P-n.m.r. variations point to a reaction intermediate, characterized as the complex ion trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄S₂]²⁺ ( = 136 p.p.m.) followed by the formation of the proposed product, cis-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₂S₄]²⁺ ( = 145 p.p.m.). For this same complex, at pH = 7.0, the results show the formation of the trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄S₂]²⁺ ( = 136 p.p.m.). The HPLC results for the trans-[Ru{P(OMe)₃}₄Cl₂] complex show that the different species are present at different pH values. In acidic media a less polar species (t _R = 4.3 min) compared with the starting material (t _R = 5.7 min) was formed. At neutral pH (t _R = 4.6 min) the species generated were not modified, however they exhibited different properties from the species obtained at a lower pH.     

Microwave‐assisted solvent‐free synthesis of novel benzoxazines: A faster and environmentally friendly route to the development of bio‐based thermosetting resins

Microwave‐assisted organic synthesis (MAOS) is a well‐established technique that has been used in the enhancement of chemical reactions. Here, the versatility of MAOS is explored describing an environmentally friendly one‐pot route to novel bio‐based benzoxazines under solvent‐free conditions. The lignin derivative, guaiacol, along with paraformaldehyde and different conjugated and nonconjugated amines are successfully fused into guaiacol‐derived 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐1,3‐benzoxazines. The reactions conducted under microwave irradiation are completed much faster than those under traditional heating, reducing the reaction time from hours to only 6 min, with good yields. The chemical structures of novel benzoxazines are confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, FTIR, and HR‐MS. The thermal behavior of the resins are evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), showing that these polymers have good thermal stability and wide processing‐window, with onset temperature of polymerization above 230 °C. These results indicate dramatic improvement over the traditional methodologies for the production of this class of resins, which are usually obtained by time‐consuming procedures and in the presence of toxic solvents. Therefore, MAOS can be considered a green and efficient strategy for the synthesis of eco‐friendly benzoxazines. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3534–3544     

Magnetic nanoparticles for a new drug delivery system to control quercetin releasing for cancer chemotherapy

Quercetin belongs to the chemical class of flavonoids and can be found in many common foods, such as apples, nuts, berries, etc. It has been demonstrated that quercetin has a wide array of biological effects that are considered beneficial to health treatment, mainly as anticancer. However, therapeutic applications of quercetin have been restricted to oral administration due to its sparing solubility in water and instability in physiological medium. A drug delivery methodology was proposed in this work to study a new quercetin release system in the form of magnetite?Cquercetin?Ccopolymer (MQC). These materials were characterized through XRD, TEM, IR, and Thermal analysis. In addition, the magnetization curves and quercetin releasing experiments were performed. It was observed a nanoparticle average diameter of 11.5 and 32.5?nm at Fe₃O₄ and MQC, respectively. The presence of magnetic nanoparticles in this system offers the promise of targeting specific organs within the body. These results indicate the great potential for future applications of the MQC to be used as a new quercetin release system.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOSTRUCTURES:TOOLS AND CHALLENGES

Apart from long-known and applied nanostructures like carbon black for tyres or pigments for coatings nanotechnology has created highly sophisticated structures used for nano/molecular electronics,diagnostics,drug delivery, UV-absorbers etc.Often the main question to be solved analytically is the local determination of tiny amounts of chemicals resulting in an ever increasing need for highly sensitive as well as locally resolved techniques.Applications of techniques like mass spectroscopy,transmission el...