Efficient and selective upcycling of waste polylactic acid into acetate using nickel selenide

The conversion of waste polylactic acid(PLA)plastics into high-value-added chemicals through electrochemical methods is a promising and sustainable approach.However,developing efficient and highly selective catalysts for lactic acid oxidation reaction(LAOR)and understanding the reaction process are challenging.Here,we report the electrooxidation of waste PLA to acetate at a high current density of 100 mA cm-2 with high Faraday efficiency(~95%)and excellent stability(>100 h)over a nickel selenide nanosheet catalyst.In addition,a total Faraday efficiency of up to 190%was achieved for carboxylic acids,including acetic acid and formic acid,by coupling with the cathodic CO_(2) reduction reaction.In situ experimental results and theoretical simulations revealed that the catalytic activity center of LAOR was dynamically formed NiOOH species,and the surface-adsorbed SeO_(x) species accelerated the formation of Ni~(3+)species,thus promoting catalytic activity.The mechanism of lactic acid electrooxidation was further elucidated.Lactic acid was dehydrogenated to produce pyruvate first and then formed CH_3CO due to preferential C-C bond cleavage,resulting in the presence of acetate.This work demonstrated a sustainable method for recycling waste PLA and CO_(2) into high-value-added products.

Synergism of Zinc Oxide/Organoclay-Loaded Poly(lactic acid) Hybrid Nanocomposite Plasticized by Triacetin for Sustainable Active Food Packaging

The synergistic effect of organoclay(OC)and zinc oxide(ZnO)nanoparticles on the crucial properties of poly(lactic acid)(PLA)nanocompositefilms was systematically investigated herein.After their incorporation into PLA via the solvent casting technique,the water vapor barrier property of the PLA/OC/ZnOfilm improved by a maximum of 86%compared to the neat PLAfilm without the deterioration of Young’s modulus or the tensile strength.Moreover,thefilm’s self-antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens,including gram-negative(Escherichia coli,E.coli)and gram-positive(Staphylococcus aureus,S.aureus)bacteria,was enhanced by a max-imum of approximately 98–99%compared to the neat PLAfilm.Furthermore,SEM images revealed the homo-geneous dispersion of both nano-fillers in the PLA matrix.However,the thermal stability of thefilm decreased slightly after the addition of the OC and ZnO.Thefilm exhibited notable light barrier properties in the UV-Vis range.Moreover,the incorporation of a suitable biodegradable plasticizer significantly decreased the Tg and notably enhanced theflexibility of the nanocompositefilm by increasing the elongation at break approxi-mately 1.5-fold compared to that of the neat PLAfilm.This contributes to its feasibility as an active food packa-ging material.

Preparation of lactic acid bacteria compound starter cultures based on pasting properties and its improvement of glutinous rice flour and dough

The effects of 5 lactic acid bacteria(LAB)fermentation on the pasting properties of glutinous rice flour were compared,and suitable fermentation strains were selected based on the changes of viscosity,setback value,and breakdown value to prepare LAB compound starter cultures.The results revealed that Latilactobacillus sakei HSD004 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HSD005 had apparent advantages in increasing the viscosity and reducing the setback and breakdown values of glutinous rice flour.In particular,the compound starter created using the two abovementioned LAB in the ratio of 3:1 had better performance than that using a single LAB in improving the pasting properties and increasing the water and oil absorption capacity of glutinous rice flour.Moreover,the gelatinization enthalpy of the fermented samples increased significantly.For frozen glutinous rice dough stored for 28 days,the viscoelasticity of frozen dough prepared by compound starter was better than that of control dough,and the freezable water content was lower than that of control dough.These results indicate that compound LAB fermentation is a promising technology in the glutinous rice-based food processing industry,which has significance for its application.

Preparation and properties of short natural fiber reinforced poly(lactic acid) composites

The natural fiber/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were prepared with ramie and jute short fiber as reinforcement and PLA as matrix. The mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The results show that the properties of the composites are better than those of plain PLA. When the content of the fiber is 30%, the composites can get the best mechanical properties. The dynamic mechanical analysis results show that the storage moduli of the PLA/ramie and PLA/jute composites increase with respect to the plain PLA. The Vicat softening temperature of the composites is greatly higher than that of PLA. The results of thermogravimetric analysis show that adding fiber to the PLA matrix can improve the degradation temperature of PLA.

Preparation and phase change performance of Na_2HPO_4·12H_2O@poly(lactic acid) capsules for thermal energy storage

Micro-encapsulated phase-change materials(micro PCMs) with Na_2 HPO_4·12 H_2 O encapsulated in poly(lactic acid)(PLA) shell were prepared by a solvent evaporation–precipitation method that involves the use of a coaxial needle. The effects of PLA concentration, stirring speed, injection rate of core and shell solutions, and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) concentration on phase change properties were investigated. The thermal properties of microP CMs were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). The capsules prepared under the optimal conditions are about 2 mm in diameter and show a latent heat of up to 122.2 J·g^(-1).

Synthesis of the Biomimetic Polymer: Aliphatic Diamine and RGDS Modified Poly(d,l-lactic acid)

A novel poly（d, /-lactic acid） （PDLLA） based biomimetic polymer was synthesized by grafting maleic anhydride, butanediamine and arg-gly-asp-ser （RGDS） peptides onto the backbone of PDLLA, aiming to overcome the acidity and auto-accelerating degradation of PDLLA during degradation and to improve its biospecificity and biocompatibility. The synthetic copolymer was characterized by FTIR, ^13C NMR and amino acid analyzer （AAA）.

Synergistic effect of MXene on the flame retardancy and thermal degradation of intumescent flame retardant biodegradable poly(lactic acid)composites

The effect of Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets on the intumescent flame retardant(IFR)poly(lactic acid)(PLA)composites was investigated among a series of PLA/IFR/MXene,which were prepared by melt blending 0-2.0 wt%MXene,10.0 wt%-12.0 wt%IFR and PLA together.The results of limiting oxygen index(LOI)and vertical burning(UL-94)discover that the combination of 0.5 wt%MXene and 11.5 wt%IFR synergistically improves the fire safety of PLA to reach UL-94 V-0 rating with LOI value of 33.0%.The PLA/IFR/MXene composites perform an obvious reduction in peak of heat release rate(HRR)in cone calorimeter tests(CCTs).Furthermore,the carbon residues after CCTs were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM),laser Raman spectroscopy(LRS),X-ray diffraction(XRD)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).It is demonstrated that both the titanium composition of the MXene structure and the characteristics of the two-dimensional material enhance the PLA/IFR/MXene composite materials’ability to produce a dense barrier layer to resist burnout during thermal degradation.

Lactic Acid Inhibits NF-kB Activation by Lipopolysaccharide in Rat Intestinal Mucosa Microvascular Endothelial Cells

To investigate whether lactic acid could inhibit the LPS-activation of NF-κB p65 in rat intestinal mucosa microvascular endothelial cells （RIMMVECs）, RIMMVECs, cultured in vitro, were pretreated with different concentrations of lactic acid and then exposed to lipopolysaccharide （LPS）. Cells and cell culture media were then collected at different time intervals. Production of tumor necrosis factor-a （TNF-a） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） was examined at the protein level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The influence of lactic acid on the LPS-activation of NF-κB was examined at mRNA and protein levels by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. TNF-a and IL-6 protein levels were significantly decreased after pretreatment with lactic acid compared with cells exposed to LPS only. After pretreatment with 7.5, 5.0, and 2.5 μL mL-1 lactic acid, NF-κB mRNA levels were increased by 1.51-, 2.62- and 3.00-fold, respectively, compared with levels in control cells without LPS treatment. Western blot analysis indicated that the level of NF-κB p65 in the lactic acid-pretreated group was significantly lower than that in the group treated with LPS only （positive control） and was unchanged compared with the group without LPS treatment （blank control）. These results suggest that lactic acid may inhibit LPS-activation of NF-κB, leading to the down-regulation of TNF-a and IL-6.

Blends of Poly(lactic acid) with Thermoplastic Acetylated Starch

Blends of poly（lactic acid）（PLA） and thermoplastic acetylated starch（ATPS） were prepared by means of the melt mixing method. The results show that PLA and ATPS were partially miscible, which was confirmed with the measurement of Tg by dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA） and differrential scanning calorimetry（DSC）. The mechanical and thermal properties of the blends were improved. With increasing the ATPS content, the elongation at break and impact strength were increased. The elongation at break increased from 5% of neat PLA to 25% of the blend PLA/ATPS40. It was found that the cold crystallization behavior of PLA changed evidently by addition of ATPS. The cold crystallization temperature（Tcc） of each of PLA/ATPS blends was found to shift to a lower temperature and the width of exothermic peak became narrow compared with that of neat PLA. The thermogravimetry analysis（TGA） results showed that the peak of derivative weight for ATPS moved to higher temperature with increasing PLA content in PLA/ATPS blends. It can be concluded that PLA could increase the thermal stability of ATPS. The rheological measurement reveals the melt elasticity and viscosity of the blends decreased with the increased concentration of ATPS, which was favorable to the processing properties of PLA.

Morphological, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Poly(lactic acid)(PLA)/Cellulose Nanofibrils(CNF) Composites Nanofiber for Tissue Engineering

Composite nanofiber membranes based on biodegradable poly(lactic acid)(PLA) and cellulose nanofibrils(CNF) were produced via electrospinning. The influence of CNF content on the morphology, thermal properties, and mechanical properties of PLA/CNF composite nanofiber membranes were characterized by field scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), and dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA), respectively. The results show that the PLA/CNF composite nanofibers with smooth, free-bead surface can be successfully fabricated with various CNF contents. The introduction of CNF is an effective approach to improve the crystalline ability, thermal stability and mechanical properties for PLA/CNF composite fibers. The Young's moduli and tensile strength of the PLA/CNF composite nanofiber reach 106.6 MPa and 2.7 MPa when the CNF content is 3%, respectively, which are one times higher and 1.5 times than those of pure PLA nanofiber. Additionally, the water contact angle of PLA/CNF composite nanofiber membranes decreases with the increase of the CNF loading, resulting in the enhancement of their hydrophilicity.

A novel artificial nerve graft for repairing longdistance sciatic nerve defects:a self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold-containing poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) conduit

In this study, we developed a novel artificial nerve graft termed self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold （SAPNS）-containing poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） conduit （SPC） and used it to bridge a 10-mm-long sciatic nerve defect in the rat. Retrograde tracing, behavioral testing and histomorphometric analyses showed that compared with the empty PLGA conduit implantation group, the SPC implantation group had a larger number of growing and extending axons, a markedly increased diameter of regenerated axons and a greater thickness of the myelin sheath in the conduit. Furthermore, there was an increase in the size of the neuromuscular junction and myofiber diameter in the target muscle. These findings suggest that the novel artificial SPC nerve graft can promote axonal regeneration and remyelination in the transected peripheral nerve and can be used for repairing peripheral nerve injury.

Comparison of morphological and functional outcomes of mouse sciatic nerve repair with three biodegradable polymer conduits containing poly (lactic acid)

Poly（lactic acid）（PLA）-containing nerve guidance conduits（NGCs） are currently being investigated for nerve repair as an alternative to autograft, which leads to permanent functional impairment in the territory innervated by the removed nerve. Combination of polymers modifies the physical properties of the conduits, altering their nerve-guidance properties. Conduits made from PLA-only or combined with other polymers have been used successfully for nerve repair, but their efficiency has not been compared. We compared the morphological and functional outcomes of peripheral nerve repair by using NGCs made of poly（lactic acid） and combined or not with polycaprolactone（PLA/PCL） or polyvinylpyrrolidone（PLA/PVP）. To assess the functional recovery, we employed a mechanical hyperalgesia analysis, sciatic functional index（SFI）, and electroneuromyography. The mechanical hyperalgesia analysis showed that the PLA group improved more rapidly than the PLA/PVP and PLA/PCL groups; similarly, in the electroneuromyography assay, the PLA group exhibited higher amplitude than the PLA/PCL and PLA/PVP groups. However, the SFI improvement rates did not differ among the groups. Morphologically, the PLA group showed more vascularization, while the nerve fiber regeneration did not differ among the groups. In conclusion, the PLA-only conduits were superior to the other NGCs tested for nerve repair.

Melt Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(L-lactic Acid) Chain Linked by Multifunctional Epoxy Compound

High molecular weight（Mw） poly（L-lactic acid）s（PLLAs） were synthesized using multifunctional epoxy compound（Joncryl-ADR4370） as chain extender. The products were characterized by gel permeation chromatography（GPC） and spectroscopy（1HNMR and FTIR）. The results indicated that the Mw of PLLA increased with the increasing of the ratio of epoxy compound and the extending of reaction time. The highest Mw of PLLA reached 360 000 g/mol when the ratio of epoxy compound was 1.5 wt%. However, the reactants turned to cross-linking when the ratio of epoxy compound was over 1.5 wt%. Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） measurements demonstrated that the glass transition（Tg） and melting temperatures（Tm） of products increased slightly as the increase of the molecular weight. Analysis of the hydrolytic degradation in vitro showed that the branched PLLA possessed the quicker degradability than that of the linear PLLA.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Biomaterial: Maleic Anhydride-modified Poly(dl-lactic acid)

A novel modified poly(dl-lactic acid) (PDLLA) was obtained by covalently grafting of maleic anhydride onto the backbone of PDLLA, attempting to improve PDLLA’s hydrophilicity and cell affinity and to provide reactive groups for further chemical modification. FTIR, 13C NMR and DSC were used to characterize the maleic anhydride-modified PDLLA.

Dorsal root ganglion-derived Schwann cells combined with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/chitosan conduits for the repair of sciatic nerve defects in rats

Schwann cells, nerve regeneration promoters in peripheral nerve tissue engineering, can be used to repair both the peripheral and central nervous systems. However, isolation and puriifcation of Schwann cells are complicated by contamination with ifbroblasts. Current reported measures are mainly limited by either high cost or complicated procedures with low cell yields or purity. In this study, we collected dorsal root ganglia from neonatal rats from which we obtained highly puriifed Schwann cells using serum-free melanocyte culture medium. The purity of Schwann cells （〉95%） using our method was higher than that using standard medium containing fetal bovine serum. The obtained Schwann cells were implanted into poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid）/chi-tosan conduits to repair 10-mm sciatic nerve defects in rats. Results showed that axonal diameter and area were signiifcantly increased and motor functions were obviously improved in the rat sciatic nerve tissue. Experimental ifndings suggest that serum-free melanocyte culture medium is conducive to purify Schwann cells and poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid）/chitosan nerve conduits combined with Schwann cells contribute to restore sciatic nerve defects.

Synthesis and Characterization of Chitosan-g-poly- (D, L-lactic acid) Copolymer

Biodegradable chitosan-g-poly (D, L-lactic acid) copolymers were prepared via two methods. (1) The lactide was grafted onto hydroxyl groups of chitosan by using macromolecular initiator sodium of trimethylsilyl-chitosan, (2) poly (D,L-lactic acid)(PLA) with low molecular weight can be linked to the amino group by coupling activated PLA to trimethylsilyl-chitosan. Two graft copolymers had hydrophilic-hydrophobic character and can be applied as carriers for drug delivery.

Transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced cells in a poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold for the treatment of spinal cord injury

Inhibition of neurite growth, which is in large part mediated by the Nogo-66 receptor, affects neural regeneration following bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation. The tissue engineering scaffold poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） has good histocompatibility and can promote the growth of regenerating nerve fibers. The present study used small interfering RNA to silence Nogo-66 receptor gene expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells, which were subsequently transplanted with poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） into the spinal cord lesion regions in rats. Simultaneously, rats treated with scaffold only were taken as the control group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry revealed that at 4 weeks after transplantation, rats had good motor function of the hind limb after treatment with Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced ceils prus the poly（O,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） scaffold compared with rats treated with scaffold only, and the number of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and neuron-like cells was also increased. At 8 weeks after transplantation, horseradish peroxidase tracing and transmission electron microscopy showed a large number of unmyelinated and myelinated nerve fibers, as well as intact regenerating axonal myelin sheath following spinal cord hemisection injury. These experimental findings indicate that transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells plus a poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） scaffold can significantly enhance axonal regeneration of spinal cord neurons and improve motor function of the extremities in rats following spinal cord injury.

Effect of a Novel Nucleating Agent on Isothermal Crystallization of Poly（L-lactic acid）

The effect of a novel active nucleating agent(TBC8-eb) on the isothermal crystallization of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) . The analysis on kinetics demonstrates that TBC8-eb can not only accelerate the crystallization rate but also transform most of the original spherulite crystals of PLLA into sheaf-like crystals. Furthermore,the free energy of folding(σe) of PLLA and PLLA with TBC8-eb is 0.15 and 0.06 J·m-2,respectively,which suggests that the addition of TBC8-eb favors the regular folding of molecule chains in the crystallization of PLLA,improv-ing its crystallization rate. The FTIR results show that TBC8-eb can accelerate the conformational ordering of PLLA in the isothermal crystallization. The conformational ordering of PLLA nucleated with TBC8-eb begins with the interchain interaction of CH3,and then a short helix emerges where a couple of CH3 groups interact.

Preparation and Characterization of Poly Lactic Acid/Graphene Oxide/Nerve Growth Factor Scaffold with Electrical Stimulation for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in vitro

A novel conductive drug-loading system was prepared by using an improved emulsion electrostatic spinning method which contained polylactic acid (PLA),graphene oxide (GO),and nerve growth factor (NGF) coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles.Firstly,the structure,mechanical properties,morphology and electrical conductivity of PLA/GO electro spun fiber membranes with different GO ratios were characterized.PLA/GO scaffolds can exhibit superior porosity,hydrophilic and biomechanical properties when the GO incorporation rate is 0.5%.The addition of GO in the PLA/GO electro spun fiber membranes can also create appropriate pH environment for the repair of injured nerve when the GO incorporation rate is above 0.5%.Secondly,PLA/GO/BSA/Genipin/NGF particles (with a ratio of BSA/NGF=3:1) prepared by modified emulsion electro spinning method will release more NGF than PLA/GO/NGF particles.In addition,PLA/0.5%GO/NGF scaffold can maintain its structure stability for at least 8 weeks observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM).Moreover,the degradation of PLA/0.5%GO/NGF scaffold is consistent with its weight loss.Finally,in vitro assay confirmes that PLA/GO composite scaffold exhibits low cytotoxicity to RSC96 cells.Cellular results have demonstrated that PLA/0.5%GO/NGF sustained-release drug sustained-release system with appropriate electrical stimulation (ES) can promote PC12 cell proliferation,and it can maintain its differentiation capability for at least 3 weeks.In conclusion,PLA/0.5%GO/NGF sustained-release drug sustained-release system can maintain its biological activity for at least 3 weeks and promote cell proliferation with appropriate ES.

Design,synthesis and characterization of novel biodegradable macrodiols based on poly(DL-lactic acid) and poly(p-dioxanone)

Integrating poly（lactic acid） （PLA）, glycolic acid （GA） and ethylene glycol （EG） will hopefully result in a novel copolymer that combines such advantages as fastened and controllable release rate and improved flexibility together with good biocompatibility. In this study, p-dioxanone （PDO） was employed to copolymerize with DL-lactide （LA） via ring-opening melt polymerization using Sn（Oct）2 as an initiator and ethylene glycol as a co-initiator. The obtained degradable macrodiols （HO-P（LA-co-PDO）-OH） were just such a copolymer consisting of PLA, GA and EG. 1HNMR was employed to characterize the copolymers, and the effect of PDO/LA molar ratios in the feedstock on the molecular weights of HO-P（LA-co-PDO）-OH was investigated by means of endhydroxyl analysis, 1H NMR or GPC-MALLs. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of HO-P（LA-co-PDO）-OH and revealed that one end-hydroxyl of the micarodiols was donated by LA or PDO and the other one by the co-initiator EG. In addition, the molecular weights of HO-P（LA-co-PDO）-OH increased with decreasing PDO/LA ratios.