Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mouhanad Babi, Ayodele Fatona, Xiang Li, Christine Cerson, Victoria M. Jarvis, Tiffany Abitbol, Jose M. Moran-Mirabal
Summary: A versatile and efficient method based on click chemistry has been developed to fluorescently label nanocelluloses while preserving their native morphology and crystalline structure. This method allows for high degrees of labeling using minimal amounts of dye, making it cost-effective and suitable for various applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ilabahen Patel, Jeremiah Woodcock, Ryan Beams, Stephan J. Stranick, Ryan Nieuwendaal, Jeffrey W. Gilman, Marina R. Mulenos, Christie M. Sayes, Maryam Salari, Glen DeLoid, Philip Demokritou, Bryan Harper, Stacey Harper, Kimberly J. Ong, Jo Anne Shatkin, Douglas M. Fox
Summary: An optimal methodology for locating and tracking cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is crucial to evaluate the environmental health and safety properties of these nanomaterials. A new boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) reactive fluorescent probe, meso-DichlorotriazineEthyl BODIPY (mDTEB), was used to label CNFs for ingestion exposure studies. The photoluminescence properties of mDTEB-labeled CNFs include excellent stability and high quantum yield. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that CNFs and mDTEB-labeled CNFs did not exhibit cytotoxicity.
Article
Polymer Science
Lorenzo Donato Campora, Christoph Metzger, Stephan Daehnhardt-Pfeiffer, Roland Drexel, Florian Meier, Siegfried Fuertauer
Summary: Efficient chemical modification of cellulose nanocrystals often requires the use of aprotic solvents, toxic reactants, harsh reaction conditions, or catalysts, which have negative effects on the properties of the particles. However, this study presents a simple, stable, and environmentally friendly approach for grafting fluorescein isothiocyanate on aqueous cellulose nanocrystals, achieving high grafting yields and good dispersibility by combining and modifying existing methods.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Isabel Gonzalez, Mario Gonzalez-Arjona, Ana Santos-Coquillat, Javier Vaquero, Elena Vazquez-Ogando, Antonio de Molina, Hector Peinado, Manuel Desco, Beatriz Salinas
Summary: A novel chemical approach for robust attachment of commercial fluorescent dyes to exosome surface was reported, demonstrating no alteration of original physicochemical properties. Successful validation of the methodology in cell cultures and healthy mice indicates its potential for in vitro and in vivo applications. The fluorescently labeled exosomes were effectively visualized with optical imaging.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marrit M. E. Tholen, Roderick P. Tas, Yuyang Wang, Lorenzo Albertazzi
Summary: In the last decade, point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (PAINT) has become a versatile tool for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Currently, DNA-PAINT is widely used to reconstruct specific characteristics of biological or synthetic materials on a single-molecule level. However, there is a growing demand for PAINT probes that do not depend on DNA. These probes can be based on various interactions and provide complementary applications for SMLM. Researchers have been expanding the PAINT toolbox with new probes that go beyond DNA, which are discussed in this review.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Optics
Xin Zhang, Ke Kang, Yanfang Jiang, Jiaxue He, Yanfeng Qiao
Summary: This study proposes a novel double-layer focal plane microscope that doubles the throughput of DNA sequencing. By dividing the fluorescence channels and adjusting the camera, the information capacity of the microscope is effectively increased. Experimental results show that the throughput is doubled while the signal-to-noise ratio of the images is slightly reduced.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
David Budischowsky, Irina Sulaeva, Hubert Hettegger, Roland Ludwig, Thomas Rosenau, Antje Potthast
Summary: A novel method for fluorescence labeling and profiling of oxidized end groups along the molar mass distribution of cellulose has been developed. The labeling reluctance due to lactone formation was overcome by introducing amide-linked markers. The optimized labeling conditions were transferred for molar mass-related profiling of oxidized reduced ends in cellulosic pulps.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Asami, Bruna Quevedo, Arnaldo R. Santos Jr, Luciana Pastena Giorno, Daniel Komatsu, Eliana Aparecida de Rezende Duek
Summary: This investigation examines the impact of the deproteinization process on the chemical and biological dynamics of natural rubber latex. The results show that the deproteinization process can affect the swelling kinetics, cell adhesion, surface charge, and surface morphology of the latex. The study suggests that the proteins in latex serum have potential usage in biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shasha Liu, Ze-Xian Low, Zongli Xie, Huanting Wang
Summary: TOCNFs, derived from TEMPO-mediated oxidized cellulose nanofibers, possess uniform and ultrafine diameters, high aspect ratios, and are functionalized with carboxyl groups. Their fabrication process is more environmentally friendly and they have been extensively studied in fields such as environmental remediation, energy, and smart materials. TOCNFs' advantages include low environmental impact, high aspect ratio, high strength, ability to be functionalized, and renewability.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zubin Wang, Rongyu Jin, Shiying Zhang, Xiao Han, Pu Guo, Lei Jiang, Liping Heng
Summary: By bioinspired design, corncob pith/carbon nanotubes and cellulose hydrogel/carbon nanotubes evaporators were constructed based on natural corncob pith and sustainable hydroxypropyl cellulose. These evaporators exhibited excellent purification performance for seawater and sewage and showed outstanding resistance to biological fouling under light irradiation. This bionic strategy is expected to provide insights into the design of next-generation sustainable solar evaporators in the framework of the dual-carbon concept.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu-Yu Hsieh, Rafael S. Sanchez, Guillaume Raffy, Jing-Jong Shyue, Lionel Hirsch, Andre Del Guerzo, Ken-Tsung Wong, Dario M. Bassani
Summary: Acridine-based donor-acceptor chromophores with E-type delayed fluorescence were modified with bis-biuret H-bonding motifs to form hollow spheres for OLED devices. The contribution of the delayed component in solution is sensitive to disruption of aggregates.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lili Huang, Peter Kam-Keung Leung, Lawrence Cho-Cheung Lee, Guang-Xi Xu, Yun-Wah Lam, Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo
Summary: We report the development of near-infrared (NIR)-emitting cyclometallated iridium(iii) complexes containing a heteroaromatic methylsulfone moiety as sulfhydryl-specific reagents. One of the complexes was conjugated to cysteine and cysteine-containing peptides and proteins for bioimaging and photocytotoxic applications.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sebastian Raja, Ahmed E. Hamouda, Marcelo A. S. de Toledo, Chaolei Hu, Marcela P. Bernardo, Carmen Schalla, Liliane S. F. Leite, Eva Miriam Buhl, Stephan Dreschers, Andrij Pich, Martin Zenke, Luiz H. C. Mattoso, Antonio Sechi
Summary: The study demonstrates that PDI-labeled CNCs have superior photostability compared to commercially available dyes, excellent cytocompatibility towards various cell lines, and efficient labeling of different cell types.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Diana C. Novo, Kevin J. Edgar
Summary: Polysaccharides are widely used in biomedical applications, such as therapeutic agents and sensors, due to their compatibility with various tissues. Fluorescent labeling allows for sensitive monitoring of polysaccharide-based materials, improving drug-delivery system design. This review discusses fluorophore selection, methods of attaching polysaccharides, and the utility of fluorescent polysaccharides as smart materials in biomedicine, focusing on their applications as environment-sensitive biosensors, imaging tools, and molecular rulers. The advantages, disadvantages, and future prospects of these self-reporting materials are also explored.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rohanah Hussain, Tamas Javorfi, Giuliano Siligardi
Summary: Circular Dichroism imaging in the 190-650 nm spectral region is made possible by the highly collimated microbeam generated at Diamond Light Source B23 beamline. The installation of a Mueller Matrix Polarimeter helps evaluate the homogeneity of the supramolecular structures of thin chiral films.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sarah L. Nordahl, Jay P. Devkota, Jahon Amirebrahimi, Sarah Josephine Smith, Hanna M. Breunig, Chelsea Preble, Andrew J. Satchwell, Ling Jin, Nancy J. Brown, Thomas W. Kirchstetter, Corinne D. Scown
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Minliang Yang, Nawa Raj Baral, Aikaterini Anastasopoulou, Hanna M. Breunig, Corinne D. Scown
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Hang Deng, Hanna Breunig, Joshua Apte, Yue Qin
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kevin D. Orner, Sarah J. Smith, Hanna M. Breunig, Corinne D. Scown, Kara L. Nelson
Summary: The diversion of organic waste through anaerobic digestion presents an opportunity to recover valuable nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, with municipal sewage sludge being the largest potential source for recovery. The nutrient recovery rates vary for different end products, with liquid fertilizer, struvite, and compost contributing to offsetting synthetic fertilizer demand in California to different extents. In a profitable build-out scenario for anaerobic digestion facilities, recovered nutrients could offset a significant portion of the state's synthetic fertilizer demand.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Seongeun Jeong, Marc L. Fischer, Hanna Breunig, Alison R. Marklein, Francesca M. Hopkins, Sebastien C. Biraud
Summary: This study utilizes artificial intelligence and aerial imagery to estimate dairy methane emissions in California's San Joaquin Valley. The AI method provides a low-cost alternative to the labor-intensive inventory development process and accurately predicts herd size. The estimated methane emissions for the region in 2018 are between 496-763 Gg/yr, and the adoption of anaerobic digesters could potentially reduce methane emissions by 83 Gg CH4/yr for large facilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hanna Breunig, Sarah Smith, Laxmi Rao, Alastair Robinson, Jacky Kinson, Robert Thornton, Corinne D. Scown, Vi Rapp
Summary: There is a need for low-carbon and reliable building energy services, and district energy systems (DES) have the potential to meet these needs efficiently. Further research is required to understand the integration of DES with local renewable energy sources, such as biomass. The study assesses the cost and greenhouse gas implications of using bioenergy from local organic waste to power DES in California communities.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Peng Peng, Aikaterini Anastasopoulou, Kriston Brooks, Hiroyasu Furukawa, Mark E. Bowden, Jeffrey R. Long, Tom Autrey, Hanna Breunig
Summary: This study evaluates the prospects of metal-organic framework (MOF) for back-up power applications by utilizing techno-economic analysis and process modelling. The results show that with carefully designed charging-discharging patterns, MOFs can be economically comparable with existing energy-storage technologies in back-up power applications.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
C. M. van Genuchten, T. R. Etmannski, S. Jessen, H. M. Breunig
Summary: Iron-based groundwater treatment effectively removes carcinogenic arsenic, but generates toxic arsenic-rich water treatment residuals that need to be managed properly to prevent environmental contamination. A life cycle assessment compared the toxicity impacts of four common disposal strategies for arsenic-rich residuals, and found landfilling to have the lowest toxicity impacts, while other strategies performed poorly.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chirag Mevawala, Kriston Brooks, Mark E. Bowden, Hanna M. Breunig, Ba L. Tran, Oliver Y. Gutierrez, Tom Autrey, Karsten Mueller
Summary: The ethanol-ethyl acetate cycle shows promise as a hydrogen carrier due to its thermodynamic and environmental feasibility. The cycle has high reaction efficiency, low energy demand for dehydrogenation, and low greenhouse gas emissions. Further research is needed to explore its potential for hydrogen storage applications.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kevin D. Orner, Sarah Smith, Sarah Nordahl, Alicia Chakrabarti, Hanna Breunig, Corinne D. Scown, Harold Leverenz, Kara L. Nelson, Arpad Horvath
Summary: The increasingly strict nutrient discharge limits are driving water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) to consider the implementation of sidestream nutrient removal or recovery technologies. This study evaluated the life-cycle global warming potential, eutrophication potential, and economic costs and benefits of sidestream nutrient management and biosolid management strategies after digestion of sewage sludge augmented by high-strength organic waste (HSOW). The results showed that thermal stripping and ammonia stripping had lower eutrophication potential, but would require higher fertilizer prices to cover the costs. Composting all biosolids significantly reduced the global warming potential but slightly increased the eutrophication potential.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Peng Peng, Ji Su, Hanna Breunig
Summary: Ammonia is a promising energy and hydrogen carrier, but its utilization for hydrogen delivery or direct power generation is still under development. This study investigates the development status and potential cost of plasma and electrolysis-based ammonia decomposition and compares them with thermalchemical decomposition and direct ammonia-to-power solid oxide fuel cell systems. The results suggest that plasma-based decomposition needs significant improvement in energy efficiency, while electrolysis decomposition requires enhanced durability using inexpensive electrolytes, to achieve cost parity with cracking technologies.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hanna Marie Breunig, Fabian Rosner, Tae-Hwan Lim, Peng Peng
Summary: Significant expansion of carbon dioxide capture is achievable in the next few decades, but the capacity for existing storage solutions is projected to be limited. Temporary storage of CO2 in solid or liquid states could bridge this capacity gap. This article focuses on the physical and chemical aspects of CO2 storage using liquid and solid chemical carriers and sorbents and provides insights into their energy use and future development. Coupling capture with medium to high maturity multi-year storage technologies can facilitate carbon removal in the coming decades.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
C. M. van Genuchten, T. R. Etmannski, S. Jessen, H. M. Breunig
Summary: This study compared the toxicity impacts of four common arsenic disposal strategies and found that landfilling had the lowest toxicity impacts but still posed a storage toxicity problem. Other disposal strategies had significantly higher human toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts compared to landfilling. The findings highlight the urgent need for new arsenic recovery technologies to decrease toxicity and emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Carlos A. Navarro, Yijia Ma, Katelyn H. Michael, Hanna M. Breunig, Steven R. Nutt, Travis J. Williams
Summary: The presented catalytic, aerobic conditions enable depolymerization of amine-linked epoxy thermoset matrix polymers commonly found in high-performance CFRP materials. Unlike other recycling methods, this process retains the aligned and woven fibers in the same pattern as the parent material and recovers valuable materials from the thermoset matrix.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aikaterini Anastasopoulou, Hiroyasu Furukawa, Brandon R. Barnett, Henry Z. H. Jiang, Jeffrey R. Long, Hanna M. Breunig
Summary: In this study, technoeconomic modeling was used to analyze the cost, performance, and relations between components for early-stage adsorbent-based hydrogen supply chains. The results indicate that MOF-based truck fleets have higher costs for long-distance transmission, but key opportunities for cost reduction were identified, including developing new MOFs with higher capacities.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)