Encapsulation and Biological Activity of Hesperetin Derivatives with HP-ß-CD.

The encapsulation of insoluble compounds can help improve their solubility and activity. The effects of cyclodextrin encapsulation on hesperetin's derivatives (HHSB, HIN, and HTSC) and the physicochemical properties of the formed complexes were determined using various analytical techniques. The antioxidant (DPPH•, ABTS•+ scavenging, and Fe2+-chelating ability), cytotoxic, and antibacterial activities were also investigated. The inclusion systems were prepared using mechanical and co-evaporation methods using a molar ratio compound: HP-ß-CD = 1:1. The identification of solid systems confirmed the formation of two inclusion complexes at hesperetin (CV) and HHSB (mech). The identification of systems of hesperetin and its derivatives with HP-ß-CD in solutions at pHs 3.6, 6.5, and 8.5 and at various temperatures (25, 37 and 60 °C) confirmed the effect of cyclodextrin on their solubility. In the DPPH• and ABTS•+ assay, pure compounds were characterized by higher antioxidant activity than the complexes. In the FRAP study, all hesperetin and HHSB complexes and HTSC-HP-ß-CD (mech) were characterized by higher values of antioxidant activity than pure compounds. The results obtained from cytotoxic activity tests show that for most of the systems tested, cytotoxicity increased with the concentration of the chemical, with the exception of HP-ß-CD. All systems inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Analysis of the Correctness of Mapping the Passage of a Semi-Trailer through a Road Obstacle on a Road Simulator.

Road simulators enable accelerated durability tests under similar-to-real road conditions. However, the road simulator itself generates the signals with the appropriate strength and amplitude that is adequate to the response registered by the sensors during the real run. Therefore, there is a need for verification of the validity of the representation of vehicle runs on a road simulator in terms of the shape of the generated profile and possible sources of uncertainty. The tests in this study were carried out for a multi-axle vehicle passing an obstacle of known shape. Various signals were registered while the vehicle was passing over the obstacle. The MTS (System Corporation) road simulator's response to the signal given by the obstacle was then checked. The results showed a 99% correlation between the simulation and the road test results. A numerical model of the vehicle was developed to verify the quality of representation of the real conditions by the road simulator, especially in terms of forces resulting from the road profile. Interestingly, the input signal generated by the road simulator provided a very good accuracy of the vehicle response, as tested with use of the numerical model.

Barrier Diamond-like Carbon Coatings on Polydimethylsiloxane Substrate.

The plasma modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates is one way to change their surface geometry, which enables the formation of wrinkles. However, these changes are very often accompanied by the process of restoring the hydrophobic properties of the modified material. In this work, the RF PACVD device (radio frequency plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition) was used, with which the plasma treatment of PDMS substrates was carried out in argon, nitrogen, oxygen, and methane atmospheres at variable negative biases ranging from 100 V to 500 V. The obtained results show the stability of contact angles for deionized water only in the case of surfaces modified by diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. The influence of the applied production conditions on the thickness (between 10 and 30 nm) and chemical structure (ID/IG between 0.41 and 0.8) of DLC coatings is discussed. In the case of plasma treatments with other gases introduced into the working chamber, the phenomenon of changing from hydrophilic to hydrophobic properties after the modification processes was observed. The presented results confirm the barrier nature of the DLC coatings produced on the PDMS substrate.

Change in the Torsional Stiffness of Rectangular Profiles under Bending Stress.

This article presents the results of research on the change in torsional stiffness of two rectangular profiles, arranged one on top of the other, which were permanently connected at their ends. The flat bars were expanded in the middle of their active length. The test involved determining the increase in the stiffness of a twisted test set before and after expanding. The authors present an analysis of the structure load and compare the results of tests carried out using analytical (for selected cases), numerical and experimental methods, obtaining satisfactory compliance. The analytical calculations included the influence of limited deplanation in the areas of the profile's restraint. The ANSYS package software was used for calculations with the Finite Element Method. A change in the stiffness increase index at torsion was determined. The obtained results showed that expanding the test sets in their middle causes an increase in torsional stiffness, which is strongly dependent on the design parameters such as bending deflection, torsion angle and dimensions of the cross-section of the flat bar in the package.

Tribological Characteristics of a-C:H:Si and a-C:H:SiOx Coatings Tested in Simulated Body Fluid and Protein Environment.

This paper presents the tribological properties of silicon and oxygen incorporated diamond-like carbon coatings tested in simulated body fluid and bovine serum albumin environments. The tests were performed using a ball-on-disc tribometer with an AISI316L steel counterbody. The wear tracks and wear scars were analyzed using optical microscopy and a nanoindenter. The interaction between the coating and the working environment was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas changes in the chemical structure before and after the tribological tests were compared with the use of Raman spectroscopy. Our study showed that the tribological parameters are governed by the presence of oxygen rather than the changing concentration of silicon. Both of the spectroscopy results confirm this statement, indicating that coatings with low concentrations of silicon and oxygen appear to be better candidates for biological applications in terms of wear resistance.

Optimization of Glutathione Adhesion Process to Modified Graphene Surfaces.

The presented work shows the results of the functionalization of the graphene surface obtained by the growth on the liquid bimetallic matrices method. We used glutathione (GSH) as a peptide model, which allowed us to optimize the procedure to obtain high process efficiency. To establish the amount of GSH attached to the graphene surface, the Folina-Ciocalteu method was used, which allows the assessment of the concentration of colored reaction products with peptide bonds without the disadvantages of most methods based on direct colored reaction of peptide bonds. Samples surface morphology, quality of graphene and chemical structure in the subsequent stages of surface modification were tested-for this purpose Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used.

Comparison of the Physicochemical Properties of Carboxylic and Phosphonic Acid Self-Assembled Monolayers Created on a Ti-6Al-4V Substrate.

This study compared the tribological properties in nano- and millinewton load ranges of Ti­6Al-4V surfaces that were modified using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of carboxylic and phosphonic acids. The effectiveness of the creation of SAMs with the use of the liquid phase deposition (LPD) technique was monitored by the contact angle measurement, the surface free energy (SFE) calculation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. The obtained results indicated that more stable and well-ordered layers, which were characterized by the lowest values of the coefficient of friction, adhesion, and wear rate, were obtained using phosphonic acid as a surface modifier. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the Ti-6Al-4V alloy modified by phosphonic acid would be the most advantageous for practical applications, especially in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS).

Comparison of Different Thermo-Chemical Treatments Methods of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy in Terms of Tribological and Corrosion Properties.

Titanium and its alloys are characterized by high mechanical strength, good corrosion resistance, high biocompatibility and relatively low Young's modulus. For many years, one of the most commonly used and described titanium alloys has been Ti-6Al-4V. The great interest in this two-phase titanium alloy is due to the broad possibilities of shaping its mechanical and physico-chemical properties using modern surface engineering techniques. The high coefficient of friction and tendency to galling are the most important drawbacks limiting the application of this material in many areas. In this regard, such methods as carburizing, nitriding, oxidation, and the synthesis of thin films using physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods may significantly improve the tribological properties of titanium alloys. The influence of thermo-chemical treatment (oxidation, carburizing and nitriding) on tribological properties and corrosion resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is presented in this paper. The results include metallographic studies, analysis of tribological and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance as well. They indicate significant improvements in mechanical properties manifested by a twofold increase in hardness and improved corrosion resistance for the oxidation process. The carburizing was most important for reducing the coefficient of friction and wear rate. The nitriding process had the least effect on the properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

Understanding the Role of Silver Nanostructures and Graphene Oxide Applied as Surface Modification of TiO2 in Photocatalytic Transformations of Rhodamine B under UV and Vis Irradiation.

This work is focused on photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide thin coatings modified with silver nanostructures (AgNSs) and graphene oxide (GO) sheets which were analyzed in processes of chemical transformations of rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet (UV) or visible light (Vis) irradiation, respectively. UV-Vis spectroscopy was applied to analyze the changes in the RhB spectrum during photocatalytic processes, revealing decolorization of RhB solution under UV irradiation while the same process coexisting with the transformation of RhB to rhodamine 110 was observed under Vis irradiation. The novelty of this study is the elaboration of a methodology for determining the parameters characterizing the processes occurring under the Vis irradiation, which enables the comparison of photocatalysts' activity. For the first time, the method for quantification of rhodamine B transformation into rhodamine 110 in the presence of a semiconductor under visible light irradiation was proposed. Photocatalysts with various surface architectures were designed. TiO2 thin coatings were obtained by the sol-gel method. GO sheets were deposited on their surface using the dip-coating method. AgNSs were photogenerated on TiO2 or grown spontaneously on GO flakes. For characterization of obtained photocatalysts, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) techniques were applied. The results indicate that the surface architecture of prepared coatings does not affect the main reaction path but have an influence on the reaction rates and yields of observed processes.

The Effect of Physicochemical Properties of Perfluoroalkylsilanes Solutions on Microtribological Features of Created Self-Assembled Monolayers.

The presented article shows the influence of concentration of perfluoroalkylsilanes in solutions on tribological properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) deposited on three surfaces with different silicon content in the millinewton load range. The SAMs were created using the liquid phase deposition (LPD) method with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) and (3, 3, 3-trifluoropropyl) trichlorosilane (FPTS) solutions, for which viscosity and surface tension were estimated. Deposited layers were analyzed in terms of thickness, coverage, wettability, structure and coefficient of friction. The obtained results demonstrated that SAMs created on the silicon-incorporated diamond-like carbon (Si-DLC) coatings possess the best microtribological properties. Systems composed of perfluoroalkylsilane SAM structures deposited on Si-DLC coatings are highly promising candidates as material for microelectromechanical applications.

Impact of Perfluoro and Alkylphosphonic Self-Assembled Monolayers on Tribological and Antimicrobial Properties of Ti-DLC Coatings.

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings containing 1.6%, 5.3% and 9.4 at.% of Ti deposited by the radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF PECVD) method on the silicon substrate were modified by n-decylphosphonic acid (DP) and 1H, 1H, 2H and 2H-perfluorodecylphosphonic acid (PFDP). The presence of perfluoro and alkylphosphonic self-assembled monolayers prepared by the liquid phase deposition (LPD) technique was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was shown that DP and PFDP monolayers on the surface of titanium incorporated diamond-like carbon (Ti-DLC) coatings had a huge influence on their wettability, friction properties, stability under phosphate- and tris-buffered saline solutions and on antimicrobial activity. It was also found that the dispersive component of surface free energy (SFE) had a significant influence on the value of the friction coefficient and the percentage value of the growth inhibition of bacteria. The dispersive component of SFE caused a reduction in the growth of bacteria and the friction coefficient in mili- and nano-newton load range. Additionally, both self-assembled monolayers prepared on Ti-DLC coatings strongly reduced bacterial activity by up to 95% compared to the control sample.

Surface characterization and biological evaluation of silver-incorporated DLC coatings fabricated by hybrid RF PACVD/MS method.

Since the biological response of the body towards an implanted material is mainly governed by its surface properties, biomaterials are improved by various kinds of coatings. Their role is to provide good mechanical and biological characteristics, and exclude some disadvantages like post-implantation infections. This phenomenon may be reduced by introduction of silver as an antibacterial agent. This study evaluates the Ag-DLC films synthesized by the hybrid RF PACVD/MS method according to the patent number PL401955-A1 worked out inter alia by the authors. Such tests as XPS, SEM, EDS, AFM, FTIR, Raman and ICP-TOF-MS were used to determine surface properties of the coatings. The obtained results were correlated with the biological response estimated on the basis of cells viability assay (osteoblast cells line Saos-2) and bacterial colonization test (Escherichia coli strain DH5α). Results showed that the hybrid RF PACVD/MS method allows one to get tight coating preventing the diffusion of harmful elements from the metallic substrate. Ag concentration increases with the growing power density, it occurs in metallic state, does not create chemical bonds and is evenly dispersed within the DLC matrix in the form of nanoscale silver clusters. Increasing silver content above 2at.% improves bactericidal properties, but decreases cell viability.

Physicochemical and Biological Investigation of Different Structures of Carbon Coatings Deposited onto Polyurethane

The aim of this study was to examine the thrombogenic properties of polyurethane that was surface modified with carbon coatings. Physicochemical properties of manufactured coatings were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and contact angle measurement methods. Samples were examined by the Impact-R method evaluating the level of platelets activation and adhesion of particular blood cell elements. The analysis of antimicrobial resistance against E. coli colonization and viability of endothelial cells showed that polyurethane modified with use of carbon layers constituted an interesting solution for biomedical application.