Preparation and characterization of Aloe vera acetate and electrospinning fibers as promising antibacterial properties materials.

In this work, the anti-bacterial effect of Aloe vera derivate fibers produced by the electrospinning method was reported. Aloe vera Polyvinylpyrrolidone (Av/PVP) and Aloe vera acetate-Polyvinylpyrrolidone (AvAc/PVP) electrospun fibers were prepared with different concentrations and their microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Various methods such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), water contact angle (CA) tests, Fourier-Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (FT-NMR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), CHNSO and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to characterize prepared samples. (Av/PVP) electrospun fibers were prepared with different concentrations (6-10 wt%) of PVP and 0.2 wt% Av blended and tested in medicinal herb for wound healing, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. For further study, the effect of AvAc film on the properties of composite film was studied. AvAc increased the thermal stability and crystallite size percentage of samples. Antibacterial and antiviral test studies on the scaffold displayed no bacterial and viral growth. These results suggest that AvAc/PVP scaffolds could be promising candidates for wound healing applications.

Preparation of nylon 6-organoclay nanocomposites via in-situ polymerization and investigation of the crystalline and thermal properties.

In this study, organoclay nanocomposites based on two types of organoclay: montmorillonite intercalated with dimethyle, dehydrogenated tallow quaternary ammonium cation (Cloisite 20A) and dimethyl, 2-ethyl hexyl hydrogenated tallow alkyl ammonium cation (Cloisite 30B) with nylon 6 were prepared through in-situ polymerization. In this experiment, no solvents were used during the synthesis, a method which is employed in green chemistry approach. The organoclay was dispersed in molten monomer (caprolactam) and polymerization took place. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Ultra Violet (UV) absorbance techniques were used to characterize the two types of nanocomposites. The full exfoliation morphology of the two nanocomposites was shown by XRD. DSC analysis showed that crystalline structures of PA 6 were predominantly alpha form, with traces of the gamma and beta forms. While the addition of Cloisite 20A increased the amount of gamma and beta forms, Cloisite 30B eliminated crystalline beta form and increased the gamma form, so that gamma form became predominant crystalline form. FT-IR spectroscopy indicated some of the PA chains grafted on to montmorillonite surface modified by ammonium cations bearing hydroxyl groups.