Search results for "Films"

Ag5 nanoclusters with dual catalytic antiradical activities

2022

Silver nanoclusters of five atoms (Ag5) display outstanding catalytic activities for the deactivation of radicals. Using 2,2-diphenyl-1‑picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as a model system, we observed a fast radical reduction to DPPH anions using only [Ag5] 3 to 4 orders of magnitude less than [DPPH]. Moreover, nanoclusters remain stable at the end of the reaction, and can deactivate again DPPH radicals at the same rate, indicating that they act as anti-radical catalysts. The radical scavenger catalytic activity of Ag5 proceeds selectively through the oxidation of methanol (used to dissolve the radical) to formaldehyde, which is supported by DFT calculations. The obtained catalytic rate constan…

Bacterial metal nanoparticles to develop new weapons against bacterial biofilms and infections

2021

The widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in the outbreak and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Bacterial antibiotic resistance may develop at cellular and community levels. In the latter case, it is based on tolerance which implicates the shift from a free-living form of life (i.e., planktonic) to a sessile multi-stratified community (i.e., biofilm). Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have been shown to be promising candidates as antimicrobial agents. MNPs are able to interact with and penetrate bacterial biofilms, thus, resulting effective antibiofilm compounds. Another interesting aspect is the possibility of using plants, fungi, yeasts, and bacteria to obtain biogenic MNPs (BMNP). …

Synthetic small molecules as anti-biofilm agents in the struggle against antibiotic resistance

2018

Abstract Biofilm formation significantly contributes to microbial survival in hostile environments and it is currently considered a key virulence factor for pathogens responsible for serious chronic infections. In the last decade many efforts have been made to identify new agents able to modulate bacterial biofilm life cycle, and many compounds have shown interesting activities in inhibiting biofilm formation or in dispersing pre-formed biofilms. However, only a few of these compounds were tested using in vivo models for their clinical significance. Contrary to conventional antibiotics, most of the anti-biofilm compounds act as anti-virulence agents as they do not affect bacterial growth. I…

Candida biofilms on implanted biomaterials: a clinically significant problem.

2006

In recent years there has been an increasing appreciation that microbial biofilms are ubiquitous, which has resulted in a number of studies on infectious diseases from a biofilm perspective. Biofilms are defined as structured microbial communities that are attached to a surface and encased in a matrix of exopolymeric material. A wide range of biomaterials used in clinical practice have been shown to support colonization and biofilm formation by Candida spp., and the increase in Candida infections in the last decades has almost paralleled the increase and widespread use of a broad range of medical implant devices, mainly in populations with impaired host defenses. Formation of Candida biofil…

Sustained release of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde from polymeric films to control the monospecies and dual-species biofilm development by E. coli and…

2014

The influence of Sb doping on the local structure and disorder in thermoelectric ZnO:Sb thin films

2023

The experiment at HASYLAB/DESY was performed within the project I-20200161 EC. The research leading to this result has been supported by the project CALIPSOplus under the Grant Agreement 730872 from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01–2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2. This work was carried out in part through the use of the INL Advanced Electron Microscopy, Imaging and Spectroscopy Facility. This work (proposal ID 2018–020-022469) was car…

Spectroelectrochemistry of cytochrome c and azurin immobilized in nanoporous antimony-doped tin oxide

2011

Stable immobilization of two redox proteins, cytochrome c and azurin, in a thin film of highly mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide is demonstrated via UV-vis spectroscopic and electrochemical investigation.

Ionic liquid gels and antioxidant carbon nanotubes: Hybrid soft materials with improved radical scavenging activity

2019

Hypothesis: Performances of materials are frequently affected by the action of radicals that can induce their degradation. To overcome the above issue, natural antioxidants (AOs) can be added during manufacturing. Considering the high instability of AOs, they have been adsorbed on carbon nanomaterials surface. However, the inclusion of functionalized carbon nanomaterials into gel matrix could enhance the antioxidant efficiency and represent an easy way to disperse and handle the active species.Experiments: Carboxypropyl functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNT), pure or with physically adsorbed alpha-tocopherol (f-CNT-VE) and quercetin (f-CNT-Q), were incorporated in some ionic liquid gels (I…

Effect of ferulic acid and α-tocopherol antioxidants on properties of sodium caseinate edible films

2011

Edible films, based on sodium caseinate containing three different concentrations of ferulic acid or alpha-tocopherol (20, 40 and 60 mg/g sodium caseinate), were obtained in order to evaluate the effect of these compounds on properties of the caseinate matrices. Special emphasis was placed on their effect on the films' oxygen barrier properties, which are decisive in the prevention of the oxidation of foods containing lipids. Films were characterized as to their tensile, optical and surface properties as well as their barrier properties to water vapor, oxygen and aroma compounds (n-hexanal and n-hexanol). Ferulic acid was more efficient at reducing oxygen and n-hexanal permeability than alp…

First total synthesis of antiostatin A1, a potent carbazole-based naturally occurring antioxidant.

2009

The first total synthesis of the potent antioxidant antiostatin A1 is reported, where its key features rely on a chemo- and regioselective rhodium-catalysed crossed alkyne cyclotrimerisation reaction applying functionalised ynamides and a palladium-catalysed arylamidation reaction.