In this work we present a novel, low temperature and green method for atom-efficient solvothermal synthesis of crystalline, micelle templated cerium IV oxide (ceria) from a type IV deep eutectic solvent (DES) comprising a hydrated cerium containing metal salt, cerium(iii) nitrate hexahydrate (Ce(NO3)3·6H2O), and a hydrogen bond donor, urea, in a molar ratio of 1 : 3.5. Self-assembled nanostructure

The replacement of plastic microbeads with biodegradable alternatives is essential due to the environmental persistence of plastics and their accumulation within the human food chain. Hypothesis: Cellulose microbeads could be such alternative, but their production is hindered by the high viscosity of cellulose solutions. It is expected that this viscosity can be harnessed to induce filament thinni

The production of sub-10 µm cellulose microbeads via membrane emulsification using isoporous membranes is reported here for the first time. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) membranes, with defined interpore distances, pore diameters and straight-through pores were fabricated via photolithography. A dispersed phase of 8 wt% cellulose solution was extruded through the membrane pores, forming, due to she

The extensive use of antibiotics over the last decades is responsible for the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms that are challenging health care systems worldwide. The use of alternative antimicrobial materials could mitigate the selection of new MDR strains by reducing antibiotic overuse. This paper describes the design of enzyme-based antimicrobial cellulose beads contai

Our recently developed ensilication approach can physically stabilize proteins in silica without use of a pre-formed particle matrix. Stabilisation is done by tailor fitting individual proteins with a silica coat using a modified sol-gel process. Biopharmaceuticals, e.g. liquid-formulated vaccines with adjuvants, frequently have poor thermal stability; heating and/or freezing impairs their potency

In this work, we investigated the effect of adding surfactant mixtures on the rheological properties of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (OCNF) saline dispersions. Three surfactant mixtures were studied: cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB)/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which forms wormlike micelles (WLMs); cocamidopropylamine oxide (CAPOx)/SDS, which forms long rods; and CAPB/sodium lauroyl sarcosina

Surface hydrophobization of cellulose nanomaterials has been used in the development of nanofiller-reinforced polymer composites and formulations based on Pickering emulsions. Despite the well-known effect of hydrophobic domains on self-assembly or association of water-soluble polymer amphiphiles, very few studies have addressed the behavior of hydrophobized cellulose nanomaterials in aqueous medi

Over recent years, there has been a rapid development of membrane-mimetic systems to encapsulate and stabilize planar segments of phospholipid bilayers in solution. One such system has been the use of amphipathic copolymers to solubilize lipid bilayers into nanodiscs. The attractiveness of this system, in part, stems from the capability of these polymers to solubilize membrane proteins directly fr

The effect of the filler size on the structural and mechanical properties of an attractive fibrillated network composed of oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF) in water was investigated. Silica nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 5 nm (SiNp5) and and ca. 158 nm (SiNp158) were chosen as non-interacting fillers of the OCNF network. These filler sizes were chosen, respectively, to have a particle s

Activated carbons are promising sorbents that have been heavily investigated for the physisorptive storage of hydrogen. The industrial process for production of activated carbons is finely tuned and requires a reliable and uniform feedstock. While the natural biopolymer lignin, a byproduct of several industries, has received increasing interest as a potentially sustainable and inexpensive activate

Rheological properties of hydrogels composed of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF)-starch in the presence of cationic surfactants were investigated. The cationic surfactants dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used to trigger gelation of OCNF at around 5 mM surfactant. As OCNF and DTAB/CTAB are oppositely charged, an electrostatic attract

Bacteriophage material (M13, wild-type) deposited as a film onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate (6 μm thick with a 20 μm diameter laser-drilled microhole) has been investigated for ion conductivity and ionic current rectification effects for potential applications in membranes. The M13 aggregate membrane forms under acidic conditions (in aqueous 10 mM acids) and behaves like a micr

Interfacial gels, obtained by the interaction of water-dispersible oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF) and oil-soluble oleylamine (OA), were produced across water/oil (W/O) interfaces. Surface rheology experiments showed that the complexation relies on the charge coupling between the negatively-charged OCNF and OA. Complexation across the W/O interface was found to be dependent on the ζ-potentia

Lignin, a natural biopolymer and abundant by-product, is a particularly promising feedstock for carbon-based materials and a potentially sustainable alternative to phenolic resins, which are typically derived from crude oil. The source and method used to isolate lignin have a large impact on the thermal properties of the polymer, and can affect resultant materials prepared from lignin. Previous in

This chapter reviews the evolving understanding of structuring in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with a focus on choline chloride-based systems as the most popularly studied DES. Recent literature is critically evaluated to attempt to identify common aspects of the structure and interactions in different DESs to improve our fundamental understanding of these solvents.

Using molecular simulation to aid in the analysis of neutron reflectometry measurements is commonplace. However, reflectometry is a tool to probe large-scale structures, and therefore the use of all-atom simulation may be irrelevant. This work presents the first direct comparison between the reflectometry profiles obtained from different all-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations.

The E. coli membrane protein ZipA, binds to the tubulin homologue FtsZ, in the early stage of cell division. We isolated ZipA in a Styrene Maleic Acid lipid particle (SMALP) preserving its position and integrity with native E. coli membrane lipids. Direct binding of ZipA to FtsZ is demonstrated, including FtsZ fibre bundles decorated with ZipA. Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy, small-angle X-ray

Real-time Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) has been used to investigate the homogeneity of a series of molecular iridium complexes during water oxidation catalysis in aqueous NaIO4 solution through a continuous flow cell. The results obtained for the unstable [Cp*Ir(OH2)3]2+ precursor forming amorphous IrOx nanoparticles (NPs) in-situ validate and complement previous Dynamic Light Scattering (D

Wide-angle neutron scattering experiments combined with Empirical Potential Structural Refinement modelling have been used to study the detailed structure of decyltrimethylammonium bromide (C10TAB) micelles at two different temperatures; 25°C and 50°C and two concentrations; 0.4 and 0.8 M in water. At higher temperature, the micelles become smaller, and fewer counterions bind to the micelle surfac

Research on lipid/drug interactions at the nanoscale underpins the emergence of synergistic mechanisms for topical drug administration. The structural understanding of bio-mimetic systems employing 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) as a lung surfactant model mixed with antibiotics, as well as their biophysical properties, is of critical importance to modulate the effectiveness of