Supramolecular Assembly of Biobased Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots Controls the Morphology of and Induces Mineralization on Poly(ε-caprolactone) Films.

Biobased 2D graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) were synthesized from waste paper via carbon nanosphere intermediates and evaluated as property-enhancing additives for poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The morphology of PCL films was controlled by supramolecular assembly of the small, 2D GOQDs in the polymer matrix. Phase behavior studies of PCL-GOQD in the solid state indicated concentration-dependent self-association of GOQD sheets, which was confirmed by SEM observations. Depending on the GOQD concentration, the formation of, e.g., spheres and stacked sheets was observed. GOQDs also induced mineralization on the surface of the films. A calcium phosphate (CaP) mineralization test revealed that the density of growing CaP crystals was controlled by the type of GOQD aggregates formed. Thus, utilization of the aggregation behavior of small GOQD sheets in polymeric matrices paves the way for tuning the morphology and properties of nanocomposites.

Release of quercetin from micellar nanoparticles with saturated and unsaturated core forming polyesters--a combined computational and experimental study.

Computational and experimental studies were combined to obtain new insight into the widely reported anomalous release mechanism of hydrophobic drug (quercetin) from polymeric micellar nanoparticles. Saturated and unsaturated amphiphilic triblock copolymers from monomethoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG), poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) and poly(cis-2-butene adipate) (PCBA) (mPEG-PBA-mPEG and mPEG-PCBA-mPEG) were utilized as model polymers to specify the contribution of polymer-micelle degradation and polymer-drug interactions on the observed differences in the release rates by applicable computational investigation and experimental evaluations. Monitoring the size of the micelles through the releasing process together with hydrolytic degradation studies of the core forming polymers proved that the contribution of polymer hydrolysis and micelle degradation on the observed differences in the release rates during the release time window was minimal. The compatibility between quercetin and the core forming polymer is another factor influencing the drug encapsulation and the relative release rate and it was therefore investigated theoretically (using density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311(++)G level of theory) and experimentally (FT-IR imaging). The drug-polymer interactions in the core were shown to be much more important than the polymer and/or micelle swelling-dissociation-degradation processes under the studied conditions.

Chemo-selective high yield microwave assisted reaction turns cellulose to green chemicals.

Exceptionally high cellulose liquefaction yields, up to 87% as calculated from the amount of solid residue, were obtained under mild conditions by utilizing the synergistic effect of microwave radiation and acid catalysis. The effect of processing conditions on degradation products was fingerprinted by rapid laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) method. The reaction was chemo-tunable, enabling production of glucose (Glc) or levulinic acid (LeA) at significantly high selectivity and yields, the relative molar yields being up to 50 and 69%, respectively. A turning point from pure depolymerization to glucose to further degradation to levulinic acid and formic acid was observed at approximately 50% liquefaction or above 140 °C. This was accompanied by the formation of small amounts of solid spherical carbonized residues. The reaction was monitored by multiple analytical techniques. The high yields were connected to the ability of the process to break the strong secondary interactions in cellulose. The developed method has great potential for future production of green platform chemicals.