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31 pages, 4680 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Disclosing the Potential of Fluorinated Ionic Liquids as Interferon-Alpha 2b Delivery Systems

by Margarida L. Ferreira, Nicole S. M. Vieira, Ana L. S. Oliveira, João M. M. Araújo and Ana B. Pereiro

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(11), 1851; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12111851 - 28 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1545

Abstract

Interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-α 2b) is a therapeutic protein used for the treatment of cancer, viral infections, and auto-immune diseases. Its application is hindered by a low bioavailability and instability in the bloodstream, and the search for new strategies for a target delivery and [...] Read more.

Interferon-alpha 2b (IFN-α 2b) is a therapeutic protein used for the treatment of cancer, viral infections, and auto-immune diseases. Its application is hindered by a low bioavailability and instability in the bloodstream, and the search for new strategies for a target delivery and stabilization of IFN-α 2b to improve its therapeutic efficacy is crucial. Fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs) are promising biomaterials that: (i) can form self-assembled structures; (ii) have complete miscibility in water; and (iii) can be designed to have reduced toxicity. The influence of IFN-α 2b in the aggregation behaviour of FILs and the interactions between them were investigated through conductivity and surface tension measurements, and using electron microscopic and spectroscopy techniques to study FILs feasibility as an interferon-alpha 2b delivery system. The results show that the presence of IFN-α 2b influences the aggregation behaviour of FILs and that strong interaction between the two compounds occurs. The protein might not be fully encapsulated by FILs. However, the FIL can be tailored in the future to carry IFN-α 2b by the formation of a conjugate, which prevents the aggregation of this protein. This work constitutes a first step toward the design and development of FIL-based IFN-α 2b delivery systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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15 pages, 5846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Covalent Immobilization of Polyaniline Doped with Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺ on Carbon Nanotubes for Ethylene Chemical Sensing

by Hagai Klein, Karthik Ananth Mani, Vinay Chauhan, Noga Yaakov, Franziska Grzegorzewski, Abraham J. Domb and Guy Mechrez

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(8), 1993; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11081993 - 03 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1839

Abstract

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are promising materials for chemical gas sensing because of their high electrical and mechanical properties and significant sensitivity to changes in the local environment. However, high-content MWCNT films suffer from the low tunability of the electrical resistance, which is [...] Read more.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are promising materials for chemical gas sensing because of their high electrical and mechanical properties and significant sensitivity to changes in the local environment. However, high-content MWCNT films suffer from the low tunability of the electrical resistance, which is crucial for high chemoresistive sensing performance. This study reports the conjugation of MWCNTs and oligomers of polyaniline (PANI) doped with Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺ incorporated into a PVC/polyacrylate. MWCNTs were sonicated in n-methyl pyrrolidine (NMP), and PANI was conjugated via a 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and an N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) process. MWCNT/PANI Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺ conjugates were doped to form a coordinate bond. The doped conjugates were successfully incorporated into the PVC/polyacrylate. These MWCNT/PANI conjugates doped were exposed to different concentrations of ethylene gas to examine their feasibility for ethylene detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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17 pages, 4936 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integration of Stable Ionic Liquid-Based Nanofluids into Polymer Membranes. Part I: Membrane Synthesis and Characterization

by Carolina Hermida-Merino, Fernando Pardo, Gabriel Zarca, João M. M. Araújo, Ane Urtiaga, Manuel M. Piñeiro and Ana B. Pereiro

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 607; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11030607 - 28 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

In this work, polymeric membranes functionalized with ionic liquids (ILs) and exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) were developed and characterized. These membranes based on graphene ionanofluids (IoNFs) are promising materials for gas separation. The stability of the selected IoNFs in the polymer membranes was [...] Read more.

In this work, polymeric membranes functionalized with ionic liquids (ILs) and exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) were developed and characterized. These membranes based on graphene ionanofluids (IoNFs) are promising materials for gas separation. The stability of the selected IoNFs in the polymer membranes was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology of membranes was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and interferometric optical profilometry (WLOP). SEM results evidence that upon the small addition of xGnP into the IL-dominated environment, the interaction between IL and xGnP facilitates the migration of xGnP to the surface, while suppressing the interaction between IL and Pebax^®1657. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was also used to determine the polymer–IoNF interactions and the distribution of the IL in the polymer matrix. Finally, the thermodynamic properties and phase transitions (polymer–IoNF) of these functionalized membranes were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This analysis showed a gradual decrease in the melting point of the polyamide (PA6) blocks with a decrease in the corresponding melting enthalpy and a complete disappearance of the crystallinity of the polyether (PEO) phase with increasing IL content. This evidences the high compatibility and good mixing of the polymer and the IoNF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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16 pages, 2192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integration of Stable Ionic Liquid-Based Nanofluids into Polymer Membranes. Part II: Gas Separation Properties toward Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases

by Fernando Pardo, Sergio V. Gutiérrez-Hernández, Carolina Hermida-Merino, João M. M. Araújo, Manuel M. Piñeiro, Ana B. Pereiro, Gabriel Zarca and Ane Urtiaga

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 582; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11030582 - 26 Feb 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2151

Abstract

Membrane technology can play a very influential role in the separation of the constituents of HFC refrigerant gas mixtures, which usually exhibit azeotropic or near-azeotropic behavior, with the goal of promoting the reuse of value-added compounds in the manufacture of new low-global warming [...] Read more.

Membrane technology can play a very influential role in the separation of the constituents of HFC refrigerant gas mixtures, which usually exhibit azeotropic or near-azeotropic behavior, with the goal of promoting the reuse of value-added compounds in the manufacture of new low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant mixtures that abide by the current F-gases regulations. In this context, the selective recovery of difluorometane (R32, GWP = 677) from the commercial blend R410A (GWP = 1924), an equimass mixture of R32 and pentafluoroethane (R125, GWP = 3170), is sought. To that end, this work explores for the first time the separation performance of novel mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) functionalized with ioNanofluids (IoNFs) consisting in a stable suspension of exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) into a fluorinated ionic liquid (FIL), 1-ethyl-3-methylpyridinium perfluorobutanesulfonate ([C₂C₁py][C₄F₉SO₃]). The results show that the presence of IoNF in the MMMs significantly enhances gas permeation, yet at the expense of slightly decreasing the selectivity of the base polymer. The best results were obtained with the MMM containing 40 wt% IoNF, which led to an improved permeability of the gas of interest (P_R32 = 496 barrer) with respect to that of the neat polymer (P_R32 = 279 barrer) with a mixed-gas separation factor of 3.0 at the highest feed R410A pressure tested. Overall, the newly fabricated IoNF-MMMs allowed the separation of the near-azeotropic R410A mixture to recover the low-GWP R32 gas, which is of great interest for the circular economy of the refrigeration sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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17 pages, 8020 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanomaterial Synthesis in Ionic Liquids and Their Use on the Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Pollutants

by Raquel Corchero, Rosario Rodil, Ana Soto and Eva Rodil

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(2), 411; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11020411 - 05 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1940

Abstract

The unique properties of ionic liquids make them suitable candidates to prepare nanoscale materials. A simple method that uses exclusively a corresponding bulk material and an ionic liquid—in this case, [P_6,6,6,14]Cl—was used to prepare AgCl nanoparticles and AgCl@Fe₃O₄ [...] Read more.

The unique properties of ionic liquids make them suitable candidates to prepare nanoscale materials. A simple method that uses exclusively a corresponding bulk material and an ionic liquid—in this case, [P_6,6,6,14]Cl—was used to prepare AgCl nanoparticles and AgCl@Fe₃O₄ or TiO₂@Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanocomposites. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photodegradation of atenolol as a model pharmaceutical pollutant in wastewater was investigated under ultraviolet–visible light irradiation using the different synthesized nanocatalysts. In the presence of 0.75 g·L⁻¹ AgCl nanoparticles, a practically complete degradation of 10 ppm of atenolol was obtained after 30 min, following pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. The effect of different variables (concentrations, pH, oxidant agents, etc.) was analyzed. The recyclability of the nanocatalyst was tested and found to be successful. A degradation mechanism was also proposed. In order to improve the recovery stage of the nanocatalyst, the use of magnetic nanocomposites is proposed. Under the same experimental conditions, a slightly lower and slower degradation was achieved with an easier separation. The main conclusions of the paper are the suitability of the use of ionic liquids to prepare different nanocatalysts and the effectiveness of these at degrading an emerging pollutant in wastewater treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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15 pages, 5077 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Local Structures of Confined Imidazolium Ionic Liquids in PVdF-co-HFP Matrices by High Pressure Infrared Spectroscopy

by Teng-Hui Wang, Ming-Siou Wu and Hai-Chou Chang

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1973; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10101973 - 05 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

The nanoscale ion ordering of ionic liquids at confined interfaces under high pressures was investigated in this study. 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([HMIM][NTf₂])/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-co-HFP) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf₂])/PVdF-co-HFP were prepared and characterized by using high-pressure infrared spectroscopy. Under ambient pressure, [...] Read more.

The nanoscale ion ordering of ionic liquids at confined interfaces under high pressures was investigated in this study. 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([HMIM][NTf₂])/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-co-HFP) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf₂])/PVdF-co-HFP were prepared and characterized by using high-pressure infrared spectroscopy. Under ambient pressure, imidazolium C²–H and C^4,5–H absorptions were blue-shifted in frequency due to the presence of PVdF-co-HFP. However, the absorption of anionic ν_a SO₂ did not reveal any significant shifts in frequency upon dilution by PVdF-co-HFP. The experimental results suggest that PVdF-co-HFP disturbs the local structures of the imidazolium C–H groups instead of the anionic SO₂ groups. The frequency shifts of C^4,5–H became dramatic for the mixtures at high pressures. These results suggest that pressure-enhanced ionic liquid–polymer interactions may play an appreciable role in IL-PVdF-co-HFP systems under high pressures. The pressure-induced blue-shifts due to the PVdF-co-HFP additions were more obvious for the [HMIM][NTf₂] mixtures than for [EMIM][NTf₂] mixtures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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16 pages, 2966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tailor-Made Fluorinated Ionic Liquids for Protein Delivery

by N. S. M. Vieira, P. J. Castro, D. F. Marques, J. M. M. Araújo and A. B. Pereiro

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1594; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10081594 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2355

Abstract

Nowadays, pharmaceutical companies are facing several challenges with the development and approval of new biological products. The unique properties of several fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs), such as their high surfactant power in aqueous solutions, their chemical and biological stability, and low toxicity, favor [...] Read more.

Nowadays, pharmaceutical companies are facing several challenges with the development and approval of new biological products. The unique properties of several fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs), such as their high surfactant power in aqueous solutions, their chemical and biological stability, and low toxicity, favor their application in the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, the numerous combinations between cations and anions, in the FILs design, enlarge the possibilities to construct a successful delivery system. Several FILs also proved to not affect the activity, stability, and secondary structure of the therapeutic protein lysozyme. This work aims to study the aggregation behavior of distinct FILs in the protein suitable medium, in the presence or absence of lysozyme. Besides, different incubation conditions were tested to guarantee the optimal enzymatic activity of the protein at more stable delivery systems. Following the optimization of the incubation conditions, the quantification of the encapsulated lysozyme was performed to evaluate the encapsulation efficiency of each FIL-based system. The release of the protein was tested applying variables such as time, temperature, and ultrasound frequency. The experimental results suggest that the aggregation behavior of FILs is not significantly influenced by the protein and/or protein buffer and supports their application for the design of delivery systems with high encapsulation efficiencies, maintaining the biological activity of either encapsulated and released protein. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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Review

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17 pages, 1411 KiB

Open AccessReview

Advances Achieved by Ionic-Liquid-Based Materials as Alternative Supports and Purification Platforms for Proteins and Enzymes

by Rui M. F. Bento, Catarina A. S. Almeida, Márcia C. Neves, Ana P. M. Tavares and Mara G. Freire

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(10), 2542; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11102542 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2667

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been applied in several fields in which enzymes and proteins play a noteworthy role, for instance in biorefinery, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences, among others. Despite their use as solvents and co-solvents, their combination with materials for protein- and enzyme-based [...] Read more.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been applied in several fields in which enzymes and proteins play a noteworthy role, for instance in biorefinery, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences, among others. Despite their use as solvents and co-solvents, their combination with materials for protein- and enzyme-based applications has raised significant attention in the past few years. Among them, significant advances were brought by supported ionic liquids (SILs), in which ILs are introduced to modify the surface and properties of materials, e.g., as ligands when covalently bond or when physiosorbed. SILs have been mainly investigated as alternative supports for enzymes in biocatalysis and as new supports in preparative liquid chromatography for the purification of high-value proteins and enzymes. In this manuscript, we provide an overview on the most relevant advances by using SILs as supports for enzymes and as purification platforms for a variety of proteins and enzymes. The interaction mechanisms occurring between proteins and SILs/ILs are highlighted, allowing the design of efficient processes involving SILs. The work developed is discussed in light of the respective development phase and innovation level of the applied technologies. Advantages and disadvantages are identified, as well as the missing links to pave their use in relevant applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ionic Liquids as Task-Specific Materials)

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