Chitin and its derivatives have been of interest to researchers for many years. However, due to its poor solubility, it is challenging to use chitin in various applications, and therefore, the search continues for ways to obtain soluble chitin derivatives. This study aimed to synthesise chitin esters, which could later be used to produce antibacterial materials. The esterification of chitin was carried out using butyric anhydride, succinic anhydride and methanesulfonic acid as catalysts. The products were analysed using FTIR ATR, 1 H NMR and TGA techniques. The different ratios of the butyric and succinic acid groups enable the control of the surface properties of the copolymer-made films.

The wound dressing market is now filled with various products designed to treat different types of wounds. Choosing the proper dressing alone is crucial to the wound healing process. However, with so many options available, identifying and selecting the most appropriate dressing can be challenging for healthcare professionals - doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medical staff - as well as non-professional users and pharmacy customers. This study aims to provide an overview of the properties and characteristics of the most commonly used dressings available on the market. Specifically, dressings were tested for their vapour transmission rate, free swelling absorption capacity and mechanical properties.

This study examined the possibility of using various types of waste paper—used newsprint (NP), used lightweight coated paper (LWC), used office paper (OP), and used corrugated cardboard (CC)—for the removal of anionic dyes, Acid Red 18 (AR18) and Acid Yellow 23 (AY23), and cationic dyes, Basic Violet 10 (BV10) and Basic Red 46 (BR46), from aqueous solutions. The scope of this research included the characterization of sorbents (FTIR, SEM, BET surface area, porosity, pHPZC, effectiveness of water coloration), determination of pH effect on the effectiveness of dye sorption, sorption kinetics (pseudo-first-order model, second-order model, intraparticular diffusion model), and the maximum sorption capacity (Langmuir models and Freundlich model) of the tested sorbents. The use of waste paper materials as sorbents was found to not pose any severe risk of aquatic environment contamination. AR18, AY23, and BV10 sorption intensities were the highest at pH 2, and that of RB46 at pH 6. The waste paper sorbents proved particularly effective in removing cationic dyes, like in the case of, e.g., NP, which had a sorption capacity that reached 38.87 mg/g and 90.82 mg/g towards BV10 and BR46, respectively, and were comparable with that of selected activated carbons (literature data).

In this work, carbon-epoxy composites obtained by an autoclave process were subjected to accelerated ageing in controlled conditions of temperature, water and UV radiation. Each composite was exposed to salt water at 60(degrees)C or UV radiation at 60(degrees)C over a period of 6 months. Changes within the composites were evaluated by mass and density variation, mechanical testing and also in terms of camouflage. Results did not show significant changes in mass loss or density, and it was found that mechanical properties had decreased slightly. The biggest change is in camouflage. It was observed that during accelerated ageing, the composites' reemission coefficient becomes too high and composites lose camouflage properties.

The article presents the continuation of the research on modification of fibrous carriers based on poly(lactic acid) using the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method by the two types of biocompatible polymers—sodium hyaluronate and sodium alginate. Such modified nonwovens, differing in the structural parameters due to different manufacturing methods, could be potentially used in different biomedical applications. The results of the analysis indicate that the EPD process significantly changes the structural characteristics of the carrier in terms of thickness and porosity, which not always can be beneficial in terms of the final application. The varying structure of both carriers significantly influences the mode of deposition of the layer, the efficiency of the deposition process as well as the structural characteristics of the carrier after deposition. Microtomographic and SEM studies were employed to analyze the structure of deposits, and FTIR analysis allowed for confirmation of the occurrence of the polymer layers and its chemical structure.

This paper presents a method for the synthesis of ammonium alginate by interphase gas-solid reaction. It was confirmed by FTIR ATR spectroscopy analysis that a full substitution of acid groups by ammonium groups on the surface of powdered alginic acid was performed. Comparative studies on the properties of ammonium alginate solutions obtained by interphase reaction with those prepared by the classical method of dissolving alginic acid in an ammonia solution showed that the rheological properties of the solutions from these two derivatives do not differ significantly. Moreover, it was shown that aqueous solutions of ammonium alginate are more stable over time than solutions of sodium alginate. It was confirmed that ammonium alginate and sodium alginate are typical polyelectrolytes, as the addition of a low molecular weight electrolyte to their solutions resulted in a decrease in viscosity.

New scaffold materials composed of biodegradable components are of great interest in regenerative medicine. These materials should be: stable, nontoxic, and biodegrade slowly and steadily, allowing the stable release of biodegradable and biologically active substances. We analyzed peptide-polysaccharide conjugates derived from peptides containing RGD motif (H-RGDS-OH (1), H-GRGDS-NH2 (2), and cyclo(RGDfC) (3)) and polysaccharides as scaffolds to select the most appropriate biomaterials for application in regenerative medicine. Based on the results of MTT and Ki-67 assays, we can state that the conjugates containing calcium alginate and the ternary nonwoven material were the most supportive of muscle tissue regeneration. Scanning electron microscopy imaging and light microscopy studies with hematoxylin–eosin staining showed that C2C12 cells were able to interact with the tested peptide–polysaccharide conjugates. The release factor (Q) varied depending on both the peptide and the structure of the polysaccharide matrix. LDH, Alamarblue®, Ki-67, and cell cycle assays indicated that peptides 1 and 2 were characterized by the best biological properties. Conjugates containing chitosan and the ternary polysaccharide nonwoven with peptide 1 exhibited very high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Overall, the results of the study suggested that polysaccharide conjugates with peptides 1 and 2 can be potentially used in regenerative medicine.

One of the biggest economic and environmental sustainability problems is the over-reliance on petroleum chemicals in polymer production. This paper presents an overview of the current state of knowledge on biopolymers combined with biosensors in terms of properties, compounding methods and applications, with a focus on medical and environmental aspects. Therefore, this article is devoted to environmentally friendly polymer materials. The paper presents an overview of the current state of knowledge on biopolymers combined with biosensors in terms of properties, compounding methods and applications, with a special focus on medical and environmental aspects. The paper presents the current state of knowledge, as well as prospects. The article shows that biopolymers made from renewable raw materials are of great interest in various fields of science and industry. These materials not only replace existing polymers in many applications, but also provide new combinations of properties for new applications. Composite materials based on biopolymers are considered superior to traditional non-biodegradable materials due to their ability to degrade when exposed to environmental factors. The paper highlights the combination of polymers with nanomaterials which allows the preparation of chemical sensors, thus enabling their use in environmental or medical applications due to their biocompatibility and sensitivity. This review focuses on analyzing the state of research in the field of biopolymer-sensor composites.

The growth of population and increase in diseases that cause an enormous demand for biomedical material consumption is a pointer to the pressing need to develop new sustainable biomaterials. Electrospun materials derived from green polymers have gained popularity in recent years for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, wound dressings, and drug delivery. Among the various bioengineering materials used in the synthesis of a biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has received the most attention from researchers. Hypericum perforatum oil (HPO) has antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the development of an antibacterial sustainable material based on PLA by incorporating HPO via a simple, low-cost electrospinning method. Chemical, morphological, thermal, thickness and, air permeability properties, and in vitro antibacterial activity of the electrospun nonwoven fabric were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the morphology of the electrospun nonwoven fabric, which had bead-free morphology ultrafine fibers. Antibacterial tests revealed that the Hypericum perforatum oil-loaded poly(lactic acid) nonwoven fabrics obtained had high antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, indicating a strong potential for use in biomedical applications.

Hyaluronate and alginate are non-toxic and biocompatible polymers, which can be used for surface modification and functionalization of many kinds of materials. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has several advantages, including its versatility, simplicity, and ability to coat substrates with complex shapes, and is used for the creation of antimicrobial or hydrophobic coatings on metallic biomaterials, among other applications. However, its utilization for applying biopolymer layers on textiles is very limited due to the more complex structure and spatial characteristics of fibrous materials. The aim of this research was to analyze the effects of selected EPD process parameters and the structural characteristics of fibrous carriers on the kinetics of the process and the microscopic characteristics of the deposited layers. The influence of solution characteristics, process parameters, and carrier structures obtained using two different techniques (melt blown and spun-bonded) were analyzed. The morphology and structure of the created deposits were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and computed tomography, and molecular structure analysis was performed with Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. The surface mass and thickness of fibrous poly (lactic acid)-based carriers were analyzed in accordance with the respective standards. This study serves as a basis for discussion and further development of this method with regard to fibrous materials for medical applications.