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Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Supercapacitors may be able to store more energy while maintaining fast charging times; however, they need low-cost and sophisticated electrode materials. Developing... (Review)
Review
Supercapacitors may be able to store more energy while maintaining fast charging times; however, they need low-cost and sophisticated electrode materials. Developing innovative and effective carbon-based electrode materials from naturally occurring chemical components is thus critical for supercapacitor development. In this context, biopolymer-derived porous carbon electrode materials for energy storage applications have gained considerable momentum due to their wide accessibility, high porosity, cost-effectiveness, low weight, biodegradability, and environmental friendliness. Moreover, the carbon structures derived from biopolymeric materials possess unique compositional, morphological, and electrochemical properties. This review aims to emphasize (i) the comprehensive concepts of biopolymers and supercapacitors to approach smart carbon-based materials for supercapacitors, (ii) synthesis strategies for biopolymer derived nanostructured carbons, (iii) recent advancements in biopolymer derived nanostructured carbons for supercapacitors, and (iv) challenges and future prospects from the viewpoint of green chemistry-based energy storage. This study is likely to be useful to the scientific community interested in the design of low-cost, efficient, and green electrode materials for supercapacitors as well as various types of electrocatalysis for energy production.
Topics: Biopolymers; Carbon; Electric Capacitance; Electrodes; Porosity
PubMed: 36235093
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196556 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Dec 2022Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are appealing nanomaterials for (bio)medical applications and their potential is threefold. One can gain advantage of the structure of... (Review)
Review
Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are appealing nanomaterials for (bio)medical applications and their potential is threefold. One can gain advantage of the structure of LDH frame (i.e., layered morphology), anion exchanging property towards drugs with acidic character and tendency for facile surface modification with biopolymers. This review focuses on the third aspect, as it is necessary to evaluate the advantages of polymer adsorption on LDH surfaces. Beside the short discussion on fundamental and structural features of LDHs, LDH-biopolymer interactions will be classified in terms of the effect on the colloidal stability of the dispersions. Thereafter, an overview on the biocompatibility and biomedical applications of LDH-biopolymer composite materials will be given. Finally, the advances made in the field will be summarized and future research directions will be suggested.
Topics: Humans; Hydroxides; Nanoparticles; Adsorption; Biopolymers
PubMed: 36341860
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114590 -
Journal of Industrial Microbiology &... Jan 2022Bacterial cellulose is a glucose biopolymer produced by microorganisms and widely used as a natural renewable and sustainable resource in the world. However, few... (Review)
Review
Bacterial cellulose is a glucose biopolymer produced by microorganisms and widely used as a natural renewable and sustainable resource in the world. However, few bacterial cellulose-producing strains and low yield of cellulose greatly limited the development of bacterial cellulose. In this review, we summarized the 30 cellulose-producing bacteria reported so far, including the physiological functions and the metabolic synthesis mechanism of bacterial cellulose, and the involved three kinds of cellulose synthases (type I, type II, and type III), which are expected to provide a reference for the exploration of new cellulose-producing microbes.
Topics: Bacteria; Biopolymers; Cellulose
PubMed: 34549273
DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuab071 -
Biological Chemistry Oct 2021Controlled wound healing requires a temporal and spatial coordination of cellular activities within the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Disruption of cell-cell... (Review)
Review
Controlled wound healing requires a temporal and spatial coordination of cellular activities within the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Disruption of cell-cell and cell-matrix communication results in defective repair, like chronic or fibrotic wounds. Activities of macrophages and fibroblasts crucially contribute to the fate of closing wounds. To investigate the influence of the ECM as an active part controlling cellular behavior, coculture models based on fibrillar 3D biopolymers such as collagen have already been successfully used. With well-defined biochemical and biophysical properties such 3D scaffolds enable studies on cellular processes including infiltration and differentiation in an like microenvironment. Further, paracrine and autocrine signaling as well as modulation of soluble mediator transport inside the ECM can be modeled using fibrillar 3D scaffolds. Herein, we review the usage of these scaffolds in coculture models allowing in-depth studies on the crosstalk between macrophages and fibroblasts during different stages of cutaneous wound healing. A more accurate mimicry of the various processes of cellular crosstalk at the different stages of wound healing will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of biochemical and biophysical environmental parameters and help to develop further strategies against diseases such as fibrosis.
Topics: Biopolymers; Extracellular Matrix; Fibrillar Collagens; Humans; Macrophages; Wound Healing
PubMed: 34392640
DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0164 -
The New Phytologist Apr 2012Fast-growing, short-rotation forest trees, such as Populus and Eucalyptus, produce large amounts of cellulose-rich biomass that could be utilized for bioenergy and... (Review)
Review
Fast-growing, short-rotation forest trees, such as Populus and Eucalyptus, produce large amounts of cellulose-rich biomass that could be utilized for bioenergy and biopolymer production. Major obstacles need to be overcome before the deployment of these genera as energy crops, including the effective removal of lignin and the subsequent liberation of carbohydrate constituents from wood cell walls. However, significant opportunities exist to both select for and engineer the structure and interaction of cell wall biopolymers, which could afford a means to improve processing and product development. The molecular underpinnings and regulation of cell wall carbohydrate biosynthesis are rapidly being elucidated, and are providing tools to strategically develop and guide the targeted modification required to adapt forest trees for the emerging bioeconomy. Much insight has already been gained from the perturbation of individual genes and pathways, but it is not known to what extent the natural variation in the sequence and expression of these same genes underlies the inherent variation in wood properties of field-grown trees. The integration of data from next-generation genomic technologies applied in natural and experimental populations will enable a systems genetics approach to study cell wall carbohydrate production in trees, and should advance the development of future woody bioenergy and biopolymer crops.
Topics: Biofuels; Cellulose; Plant Proteins; Trees
PubMed: 22474687
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03971.x -
Biomolecules Feb 2023Hydrogels are being investigated for their application in inducing the regeneration of various tissues, and suitable conditions for each tissue are becoming more... (Review)
Review
Hydrogels are being investigated for their application in inducing the regeneration of various tissues, and suitable conditions for each tissue are becoming more apparent. Conditions such as the mechanical properties, degradation period, degradation mechanism, and cell affinity can be tailored by changing the molecular structure, especially in the case of polymers. Furthermore, many high-functional hydrogels with drug delivery systems (DDSs), in which drugs or bioactive substances are contained in controlled hydrogels, have been reported. This review focuses on the molecular design and function of biopolymer-based hydrogels and introduces recent developments in functional hydrogels for clinical applications.
Topics: Tissue Engineering; Biocompatible Materials; Hydrogels; Biopolymers; Drug Delivery Systems
PubMed: 36830649
DOI: 10.3390/biom13020280 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022FucoPol is an acylated polysaccharide with demonstrated valuable functional properties that include a shear thinning fluid behaviour, a film-forming capacity, and an...
FucoPol is an acylated polysaccharide with demonstrated valuable functional properties that include a shear thinning fluid behaviour, a film-forming capacity, and an emulsion forming and stabilizing capacity. In this study, the different conditions (concentration, temperature, and time) for alkaline treatment were investigated to deacylate FucoPol. Complete deacetylation and desuccinylation was achieved with 0.02 M NaOH, at 60 °C for 15 min, with no significant impact on the biopolymer's sugar composition, pyruvate content, and molecular mass distribution. FucoPol depyruvylation by acid hydrolysis was attempted, but it resulted in a very low polymer recovery. The effect of the ionic strength, pH, and temperature on the deacetylated/desuccinylated polysaccharide, d-FucoPol, was evaluated, as well as its emulsion and film-forming capacity. d-FucoPol aqueous solutions maintained the shear thinning behaviour characteristic of FucoPol, but the apparent viscosity decreased significantly. Moreover, contrary to FucoPol, whose solutions were not affected by the media's ionic strength, the d-FucoPol solutions had a significantly higher apparent viscosity for a higher ionic strength. On the other hand, the d-FucoPol solutions were not affected by the pH in the range of 3.6-11.5, while FucoPol had a decreased viscosity for acidic pH values and for a pH above 10.5. Although d-FucoPol displayed an emulsification activity for olive oil similar to that of FucoPol (98 ± 0%) for an oil-to-water ratio of 2:3, the emulsions were less viscous. The d-FucoPol films were flexible, with a higher Young's modulus (798 ± 152 MPa), a stress at the break (22.5 ± 2.5 MPa), and an elongation at the break (9.3 ± 0.7%) than FucoPol (458 ± 32 MPa, 15.5 ± 0.3 MPa and 8.1 ± 1.0%, respectively). Given these findings, d-FucoPol arises as a promising novel biopolymer, with distinctive properties that may render it useful for utilization as a suspending or emulsifier agent, and as a barrier in coatings and packaging films.
Topics: Fucose; Emulsions; Polysaccharides; Viscosity; Biopolymers; Rheology
PubMed: 36363992
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217165 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2022Biopolymer-based soil treatments have shown effectiveness in soil improvement, with successful field-scale implementation. In this study, we explored the effect of...
Biopolymer-based soil treatments have shown effectiveness in soil improvement, with successful field-scale implementation. In this study, we explored the effect of cyclic wetting-drying (W-D) and freezing-thawing (F-T) on the strength durability of biopolymer-treated soils. The results indicate that cyclic W-D and F-T gradually degrade soil strength owing to water adsorption and local biopolymer dilution. Poorly graded sand was highly vulnerable to these weathering effects; however, this problem was mitigated when the soil contained a fines content of 15-25%. These biopolymer-treated soils effectively resisted numerous cycles of both W-D and F-T, indicating that biopolymer-treated soils are suitable for earthen slope reinforcement.
Topics: Soil; Soil Pollutants; Polysaccharides, Bacterial; Biopolymers
PubMed: 36376480
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23823-4 -
Biomedica : Revista Del Instituto... May 2022Iatrogenic allogenosis is a disease caused by the injection of biopolymers with esthetic purposes. Clinical manifestations can occur between six hours and 30 years after... (Review)
Review
Iatrogenic allogenosis is a disease caused by the injection of biopolymers with esthetic purposes. Clinical manifestations can occur between six hours and 30 years after the procedure with local and/or systemic symptoms. The pathological findings are characterized by the presence of foreign body granulomas with a sarcoid-like reaction. Its interpretation is difficult given its association with sarcoidosis. We report the clinical case of a female patient with granulomatous lesions in reaction to a foreign body secondary to the multiple application of unknown substances on the face and buttocks.
Topics: Biopolymers; Female; Granuloma, Foreign-Body; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Sarcoidosis
PubMed: 35866725
DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.6059 -
Chemical Reviews Nov 2021This review considers the most recent developments in supramolecular and supraparticle structures obtained from natural, renewable biopolymers as well as their... (Review)
Review
This review considers the most recent developments in supramolecular and supraparticle structures obtained from natural, renewable biopolymers as well as their disassembly and reassembly into engineered materials. We introduce the main interactions that control bottom-up synthesis and top-down design at different length scales, highlighting the promise of natural biopolymers and associated building blocks. The latter have become main actors in the recent surge of the scientific and patent literature related to the subject. Such developments make prominent use of multicomponent and hierarchical polymeric assemblies and structures that contain polysaccharides (cellulose, chitin, and others), polyphenols (lignins, tannins), and proteins (soy, whey, silk, and other proteins). We offer a comprehensive discussion about the interactions that exist in their native architectures (including multicomponent and composite forms), the chemical modification of polysaccharides and their deconstruction into high axial aspect nanofibers and nanorods. We reflect on the availability and suitability of the latter types of building blocks to enable superstructures and colloidal associations. As far as processing, we describe the most relevant transitions, from the solution to the gel state and the routes that can be used to arrive to consolidated materials with prescribed properties. We highlight the implementation of supramolecular and superstructures in different technological fields that exploit the synergies exhibited by renewable polymers and biocolloids integrated in structured materials.
Topics: Biopolymers; Cellulose; Nanofibers; Polymers; Silk
PubMed: 34415732
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01333