Tannin-modified Li2TiO3 powders (TA-Li2TiO3) were prepared by a precipitation-peptization process with titanium sulfate as the titanium source, lithium acetate as the lithium source, ammonia as the precipitator, and hydrogen peroxide as the complexing agent. The effects of the tannin addition ratio and the calcination temperature on the crystal structure and surface morphology of TA-Li2TiO3 were studied. After pickling TA-Li2TiO3 with diluted hydrochloric acid, TA-H2TiO3 was obtained. Its elution behavior and lithium adsorption performance were studied and the adsorption isotherm and kinetics were investigated. The results indicated that the crystal structure was well-defined, and a uniform mesoporous surface morphology was observed on the sample surface with a calcination temperature of 750 °C and a tannin addition ratio of 1 g:1 L. The specific surface area was increased by 15.1 m[2]/g compared with the unmodified one, and the hydrophilicity of the TA-H2TiO3 significantly improved. After elution with 0.2 mol/L hydrochloric acid for 8 h, the elution equilibrium was achieved, the lithium elution ratio reached 98.15% and the lithium adsorption capacity reached 39.13 mg/g, which were significantly higher than that of the unmodified one. The adsorption isotherm is more consistent with the Langmuir model, the adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo second order model, and the adsorption mechanism is chemical monolayer adsorption.

Tensile fracture in asphalt involves complex mechanical responses and component migration. This study employs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the COPMASS II force field to investigate water intrusion at the asphalt-aggregate interface and subsequent tensile cracking at the nanoscale. To evaluate moisture damage, a ternary interface model was constructed using a specific distribution of water molecules at a target density. Results indicate that thickness significantly enhances moisture resistance; specifically, the asphalt film in the thinnest model (AS1) was penetrated by water molecules, leading to localized interfacial failure. Further uniaxial tensile simulations at a loading rate of 0.01 Å/psreveal that as film thickness increases (AS1 to AS4), the peak stress rises from 103.2 to 113.8 MPa, and the fracture energy increases from 136 to 747 kcal/mol. Based on the density redistribution of SARA fractions, component migration is divided into three stages: structural relaxation, resin-driven de-peptization, and polar component re-aggregation. Finally, the Asphaltene Index (IA) is proposed as a predictive indicator, showing that cracks consistently initiate in regions with minimum IA values. These findings provide quantitative insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying asphalt durability.

Monoclonal antibody-based immune checkpoint inhibitors, which have brought breakthrough effects in cancer treatments, are expected to assist in the treatment of viral diseases. However, antibody therapies may cause immune-related side effects, such as inflammation and pneumonia, due to cytokine storms. Small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are an alternative to monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics. We have identified a novel small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor having a functional group (disulfide group), namely compound 2 (molecular weight: 456.6), from our library of sulfur-containing protein-protein interaction inhibitor compounds. Compound 2 selectively bound to PD-L1 over PD-1, with the dissociation rate constant (KD) of 77.60 ± 4.44 nM (obtained by affinity analysis) and showed promising T cell activation recovery. A molecular docking simulation study between 2 and PD-L1 suggested that 2 binds to PD-L1 in a binding mode different from those of other small-molecule PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitors. Notably, oral administration of 2 to mice pre-infected with influenza A virus (A/NWS/33, H1N1 subtype) caused a significant increase in the neutralizing antibody titers, as well as recovery from influenza-induced pneumonia. Overall, 2 provides insight for the development of therapeutic drugs against early viral infections, with both virus titer-reducing and antibody titer-boosting effects. Moreover, 2 is widely used as a rubber peptizing agent in the production process of tires and other rubber products. Our findings may provide useful information for investigating its influence on living organisms.

The purpose of this work was to develop and characterize an intriguing hydrogel called TiO2NPs@CMC hydrogel, which is composed of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) loaded with titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) for effective waterborne pathogen disinfection in wastewater. The TiO2NPs were synthesized through hydrolysis and peptization. Then, incorporated into CMC matrix, and subsequently cross-linked with calcium chloride (CaCl2). In this study, TiO2NPs was prepared and affirmed the particle distribution with a small size using TEM. The TiO2NPs@CMC hydrogel exhibited significant antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against various pathogens, such as Salmonella typhi, E. coli O157, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans, with highest inhibition zone diameters 29 mm for S. typhi. The inhibitory effect demonstrated that the hydrogel significantly decreased bacterial populations at 100 μg/mL concentrations. The hydrogel demonstrated a 2.7-log reduction in microbial counts in sewage within 120 min, achieving complete inactivation of pathogens at a concentration of 2xMIC within 180 min. The biofilm inhibition rate reached 87.6 % against B. cereus. Toxicity assessments demonstrated significant biocompatibility, with no adverse effects noted in environmental applications. The findings indicate that TiO2NPs@CMC hydrogel is a viable option for sustainable wastewater treatment, providing an efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly method for removing waterborne pathogens and preventing biofilm formation.

The preparation of highly peptizable pseudoboehmite faces challenges such as slow reaction rate, prolonged aging times leading to poor peptization performance, and difficulty in achieving continuous production. In this study, a novel approach was proposed involving a high gravity reactor to enhance carbonation reaction control for pseudoboehmite nucleation, a high gravity steam heating process, and a continuous aging process in pipelines. By coupling these three processes, the continuous whole process production of highly peptizable pseudoboehmite under high gravity conditions was achieved. First, the effect of high gravity reactor enhancement on the reaction and the resulting solid phase was investigated. Second, the impact of aging temperature and time on the solid phase formed at different reaction end points was studied using high gravity and steam heating of the liquid phase. Furthermore, the influence of synthesis conditions on the peptization performance of pseudoboehmite was extensively examined. Finally, the nucleation and growth mechanisms of pseudoboehmite under high gravity conditions were analyzed. It was found that increasing high gravity factor, CO2 gas flow rate, and CO2 content accelerated carbonation reaction rate, promoting pseudoboehmite crystal nucleation. Increasing aging temperature and time facilitated the growth of pseudoboehmite nuclei and improved peptization performance. The high gravity device altered the gas-liquid phase contact state of traditional kettle-type equipment, reducing the reaction time and heating time from minutes to seconds, thus achieving the continuous whole process production of pseudoboehmite with a peptization index of 100% from sodium aluminate solution by kiln flue gas.

Nickel aluminum layered double hydroxides (Ni-Al LDHs) and layered mesoporous titanium dioxide (LM-TiO2) were prepared via a simple precipitation process and novel precipitation-peptization method, respectively, and Ni-Al LDH-coupled LM-TiO2 (Ni-Al LDH/LM-TiO2) composites with dual adsorption and photodegradation properties were obtained via the hydrothermal approach. The adsorption and photocatalytic properties were investigated in detail with methyl orange as the target, and the coupling mechanism was systematically studied. The sample with the best performance was recovered after photocatalytic degradation, which was labeled as 11% Ni-Al LDH/LM TiO2(ST), and characterization and stability studies were carried out. The results showed that Ni-Al LDHs showed good adsorption for pollutants. Ni-Al LDH coupling enhanced the absorption of UV and visible light, and the transmission and separation of photogenerated carriers were also significantly promoted, which was conducive to improving the photocatalytic activity. After treatment in the dark for 30 min, the adsorption of methyl orange by 11% Ni-Al LDHs/LM-TiO2 reached 55.18%. Under illumination for 30 min, the decolorization rate of methyl orange solution reached 87.54%, and the composites also showed an excellent recycling performance and stability.

The study of the interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and proteins has had a pivotal role in facilitating the understanding of biological effects and safe application of NPs after exposure to the physiological environment. Herein, for the first time, the interaction between L-methionine capped silver nanoparticles (AgMet), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated in order to predict the fate of AgMet after its contact with the most abundant blood transport protein. The detailed insights into the mechanism of interaction were achieved using different physicochemical techniques. The UV/Vis, TEM, and DLS were used for the characterization of the newly formed "entity", while the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were utilized to describe the adsorption process. Additionally, the fluorescence quenching and synchronous fluorescence studies enabled the prediction of the binding affinity and gave us insight into the influence of the adsorption on the conformation state of the BSA. According to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, we show that BSA can be used as an external stabilizer agent which is able to induce the peptization of previously agglomerated AgMet. We believe that the obtained results could contribute to further improvement of AgNPs' performances as well as to the understanding of their in vivo behavior, which could contribute to their potential use in preclinical research studies.

Compared to traditional membrane materials, alumina membranes are particularly beneficial for industrial wastewater treatment. However, the development of mesoporous α-alumina membranes for ultrafiltration applications is still a challenge due to uncontrolled pore size. In this study, we optimized the sol-gel method for the fabrication of a high-performance mesoporous α-alumina membrane. The peptization conditions (pH and peptization time) and phase transformation of boehmite were investigated to achieve better properties of the α-alumina membrane. The surface properties of the membrane were observed to be improved by reducing the system pH to 3.5 and increasing the peptization time to 24 h. The effect of sintering temperature on the phase transformation behavior, microstructures and performance of the membranes was also elucidated. An α-alumina ultrafiltration membrane with an average thickness of 2 μm was obtained after sintering at 1100 °C. The molecular weight cut-off of the α-alumina membrane, as obtained by the filtration of aqueous PEG solution, was approximately 163 kDa (12.5 nm). This is the smallest pore size ever reported for pure α-alumina membranes.

The formation of sustainable concrete is directly relaed to the intensity of the processes occurring at the interface of phases. The study of the surface properties of CNPLUS carbon nanotubes in solutions of various plasticizers was carried out by measuring and calculating adsorption. The applicability of the adsorption value is for forecasting both the efficiency of dispersion and aggregative and sedimentative stability of the obtained dispersion systems. It was stated that two-dimensional pressure arising at the interface of adsorption layers in the dispersive medium with the surfactant Tensafor 2553.2 J/m[2] is sufficient to overcome adhesive strength on a small area of the localized contact of carbon nanoparticles CNPLUS, which explains the peptization and stabilization of the particles' surface. It was established that full stabilization of nanoparticles in the aqueous dispersive medium could be ensured only by means of soap-like surfactants, with the compound potassium naphthalene sulfonate (Tensafor). It ensures formation of the micelle-like structure in coagulation layers that forms a structural and mechanical barrier with the external hydrophilic surface. This leads to the increase in the ultimate tensile strength of the concrete grout specimens by 38%.

2',2'''-Dithiobisbenzanilide (DTBBA) is a high-production-volume chemical used as a peptizing agent for rubber. The disposition and metabolism of [14C]DTBBA were determined in male and female rats and mice following oral (4, 40, or 400 mg/kg) and intravenous (IV) (4 mg/kg) administration and dermal application (0.4 or 4 mg/kg). [14C]DTBBA was well absorbed following oral administration (> 60%) and dermal application (∼40-50%) in rats and mice. Following oral administration, the majority of radioactivity was excreted in urine (29 - 70%) and feces (16 - 45%). Unlike rats, mice excreted ∼1-5% of the dose as exhaled CO2. The residual radioactivity in tissues was <1% in both species and sexes. The pattern of disposition following IV administration in male rats was similar to that following oral. When [14C]DTBBA was administered via IV to rats, a significant portion of the dose was recovered in bile (∼13%) suggesting that at least a portion of the dose recovered in feces following oral administration was likely the absorbed dose. The profiles of urine from rats and mice were similar and consisted of four major metabolites and three minor metabolites. The predominant metabolite in urine was the S-glucuronide of the thiol/sulfide cleavage product N-(2-mercaptophenyl)benzamide, which accounted for more than 50% of radioactivity in the radiochromatogram.

In the present study, we have developed an anti-bacterial as well as mechanically-strengthened super protective coating material, which can be used as a marine antifouling paint. In this research, silica, titania and silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles were individually prepared via sol-gel and peptization processes. The idea behind the synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles was to utilize the mechanical strength of silica and the antimicrobial property of TiO2 together. These nanoparticles were characterized via dynamic light scattering, UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Coating formulations were developed with two types of model binders, i.e., solvent-based polyurethane and water-based poly-acrylic, containing all nanoparticles individually at various concentrations for a better comparative study. These coating formulations were applied onto mild steel for anti-bacterial testing that was performed against Escherichia coli and Bacillus. The nanoparticle concentration was varied from 1% (wt) to 6% (wt). The best anti-bacterial result was obtained with 4% (wt) of silica-titania core-shell nanoparticles prepared via the peptization process among all the nanoparticles. The scratch testing was performed successfully using an Erichsen scratch tester; the formulated PU coating passed up-to 20 N load with good adhesion, impact resistance, flexibility and has shown satisfactory anti-corrosion performance.

A periodically precipitating system wherein interband distance successively decreases is known as revert Liesegang banding. The phenomenon is rare, and the underlying mechanism is implicit. In the present paper, the Liesegang system comprising of AgNO3 and KBr as the outer and inner electrolyte pair showing revert banding in agar gel by employing a 1D experimental setup is studied under varying concentrations of participating species. Revert banding was observed under all the experimental conditions. The concentrations of inner and outer electrolytes were found to play a major role in reverting since they build the ionic strength inside Liesegang tubes. We hypothesize that the band reverting is the interplay of van der Waals and electrical double-layer interactions, and hence classical DLVO (Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek) theory can be applied to interpret reverting. We propose that revert deposition of precipitates is the outcome of flocculation and peptization of sols, which is the manifestation of balancing attractive and repulsive interactions acting on colloidal particles responsible for band formation.

We report for the first time a simple, scalable approach for the synthesis of single-phase multi-component fluorite oxide nanoparticle sols: Gd0.2La0.2Y0.2Hf0.2Zr0.2O2 (GLYHZ) and Gd0.2La0.2Ce0.2Hf0.2Zr0.2O2 (GLCHZ) using chemical co-precipitation followed by peptization in acidic medium under mild conditions (≤80 °C). High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) along with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) studies confirm fully crystalline single-phase cubic fluorite nanoparticles having a particle size of about 2-3 nm with a narrow size distribution was obtained. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement studies of samples calcined at 500 °C for 4 hours confirm a single phase solid solution and a lack of secondary phases.

A series of multifunctional silver-doped titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO₂) nanocomposites with various silver contents were synthesized by the peroxo sol-gel method using TiCl4 as a precursor and H₂O₂ as a peptizing agent. The sol was used to coat a glass substrate, thereby forming a thin film. The antiviral and antibacterial activities of the Ag/TiO₂ films and their use in the photocatalytic degradation of an aqueous solution of methylene blue were investigated. The as-prepared materials were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The antiviral and antibacterial activities of the samples were tested against Escherichia coli, the influenza A virus (H1N1), and enterovirus. It was observed that an optimum Ag:TiO₂ weight ratio of 1:100 enabled the highest activity in the photocatalytic degradation of an aqueous solution of methylene blue under irradiation with either ultraviolet or visible light. Moreover, the same composition remarkably exhibited extremely high antibacterial and virucidal effectivenesses greater than 99.99% against E. coli and infectious viruses after illumination with ultraviolet A. The presence of silver on TiO₂ significantly enhanced its photocatalytic activity. Thus, the excellent photocatalytic activities and reusability of the Ag/TiO₂ nanocomposite render it applicable as a coating material for several purposes.

Laponite XLS™, which is a synthetic clay of nanometric dimensions containing a peptizing agent, has been associated with silanized hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (Si-HPMC) to form, after crosslinking, a novel composite hydrogel. Different protocols of sample preparation were used, leading to different morphologies. A key result was that the storage modulus of Si-HPMC/XLS composite hydrogel could be increased ten times when compared to that of pure Si-HPMC hydrogel using 2 wt % of Laponite. The viscoelastic properties of the composite formulations indicated that chemical and physical network structures co-existed in the Si-HPMC/XLS composite hydrogel. Images that were obtained from confocal laser scanning microscopy using labelled Laponite XLS in the composite hydrogels show two co-continuous areas: red light area and dark area. The tracking of fluorescent microspheres motions in the composite formulations revealed that the red-light area was a dense structure, whereas the dark area was rather loose without aggregated Laponite. This novel special double-network structure facilitates the composite hydrogel to be an adapted biomaterial for specific tissue engineering. Unfortunately, cytotoxicity's assays suggested that XLS Laponites are cytotoxic at low concentration. This study validates that the hybrid interpenetrated network IPN hydrogel has a high modulus that has adapted for tissue engineering, but the cell's internalization of Laponites has to be controlled.