Helinando P. de Oliveira

Antibacterial behavior of polypyrrole: The influence of morphology and additives incorporation

The antibacterial behavior of polypyrrole (PPy) depends on a diversity of structural parameters such as surface area, aggregation level and additives (metal nanoparticles) incorporation. This paper summarizes the influence of different preparation procedures of PPy on action of resulting antibacterial composite against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The bactericidal action has been assigned to morphology (size of polypyrrole nanoparticles). The electrostatic interaction established between polymer nanoparticles and bacteria provokes the bacterial cell death and returns advantages in comparison with conventional composites of polypyrrole decorated with metal nanoparticles.

Optimization of photocatalytic activity of PPy/TiO2 nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polypyrrole and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are potential candidates for applications involving photocatalytic devices and humidity/gas sensors, if considering that interaction of conducting polymer/titanium dioxide promotes the surface modification of semiconductor and subsequent reduction in the bandgap. We have analyzed the influence of different synthesis routes on the physical properties of nanocomposites (with special attention to the nakedness/coverage level of TiO2 nanoparticles) and the results indicate that the doping level induced by silver nitrate and strong interaction with titanium dioxide introduce key roles in the optimization of nanocomposite applied as a photocatalyst.

Hybrid ZnO/TiO2 Loaded in Electrospun Polymeric Fibers as Photocatalyst

Hybrid ZnO/TiO2 nanoparticles were applied as potential photocatalyst agents incorporated into electrospun fibers of enteric block copolymers. The resistance of fibers avoids aggregation and contributes to prolonged action of semiconductor nanoparticles under continuous light irradiation. Such behavior is attributed to the minimal aggregation degree and elevated efficiency of photodegradation of modified nanoparticles in comparison with pristine ones. Hybrid ZnO/TiO2 in nanofibers contributes to the association of different mechanisms such as N-deethylation and cleavage of dye molecules applied in the overall process of photodegradation.

Carbon Nanotube@MnO2@Polypyrrole composites: chemical synthesis, characterization and application in supercapacitors

Core/shell structures of carbon-based materials/ metal oxide have been considered as potential candidates for electrochemical devices due to their improved pseudocapacitance/electrical double layer capacitance and high conductivity/ superior surface area. The development of multiple core-shell structures of MWCNT@MnO2@PPy was analyzed as a standard procedure for mass production of supercapacitor electrodes. The relative concentration of carbon nanotubes in the composite was varied to optimize the double layer capacitance contribution in overall response of device. Resulting structures presented capacitance in order of 272.7 Fg-1 and reasonable cycling performance.

Electrospinning of polymeric fibres: an unconventional view on the influence of surface tension on fibre diameter

The production of regular and bead-free electrospun polymeric fibres requires an adequate combination of different parameters applied in the experimental setup viz. voltage for electrodeposition, viscosity of the solution, density of the polymeric support, the distance between electrodes and the geometry of the spinneret. Determination of the physical balance of forces on the droplet during fibre production was explored and provides relevant theo retical information about the surface tension and radius of polymeric fibres. Based on these predictions, we prepared polymeric electropun fibres of poly (vinyl alcohol), poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) and Eudragit® L100 in order to analyse non-conventional physical properties of experimental systems such as droplet stiffness and their influence on the diameter of resulting fibres.

Phase Inversions in Emulsions Probed by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy

We report the electrical behavior of emulsions (water/toluene/triton X-100) characterized by double phase inversion induced by temperature. The phase inversions in the continuous media were easily detected from the measurement of slope in the real part of impedance at low frequencies (1Hz < f < 1 MHz) by the use of parameters such as double layer capacitance and charge-transfer resistance (obtained from fitting of data using modified Randles circuit) allowing the detection of an additional phase transition in the limit of low temperature (T < 20°C) since the additional processes such as diffusion can be conveniently characterized.

Protein unfolding studied by fluorescence methods and electrical impedance spectroscopy: The cases of Cratylia mollis and Concanavalin A

This work is dedicated to the investigation of the prevailing molecular interactions between Cratylia mollis (Cramoll) and Concanavalin A (Con A) lectins and ionic (sodium dodecylsulfate, SDS) and non-ionic (Triton X-100, TX-100) surfactants, where we have used electrical impedance spectroscopy to map the dielectric characteristics of mixed lectin/surfactant solutions. The disorder induced in the lectin conformation is proportional to the extent of the access of the surfactant to the fluorophore present in the protein, resulting in its progressive unfolding. The complete unfolding of the lectin is associated to the formation of micelles in the core of the protein, each one of them containing a large number of detergent molecules, and therefore the process can be accompanied by measuring the electrical response of the binary surfactant/lectin system. For instance, the change in the real part of the impedance as a function of the relative concentration of the surfactant in the binary solution exhibits a breaking in its linear behavior that can be taken as indicative of a qualitative change in the environment surrounding the protein residue. We consider these results strong evidence in favor of using impedance spectroscopy methods for the analysis of protein-surfactant associations and for the characterization of the interactions that must prevail when the protein unfolds as the relative surfactant concentration is increased in aqueous solutions of these binary systems.

STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS BIOFILM FORMATION ON POLYPYRROLE: AN ELECTRICAL OVERVIEW

The development of organic devices based on conducting polymers for biofilm detection requires the combination of superior electrical response and high surface area for biofilm incorporation. Polypyrrole is a potential candidate for application in biofilm detection and control due to its characteristic superior electrical response and strong interaction with bacteria, which enables the use of the bioelectric effect in resulting devices. In this study, chemically synthesized polypyrrole was applied as a support for biofilm growth of S. aureus. Modifications in the electrical response of the polymeric template were explored to identify general mechanisms established during the deposition of the biofilm.

Thermal effects on the electrical properties of (methyl orange)/ (polyvinyl alcohol) composites

We have used electrical impedance spectroscopy to determine the dielectric characteristics of polymeric films prepared by incorporating varying amounts of methyl orange (MO), an azobenzene dye, into solid films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), an insulating polymer. By mapping the variation of relevant parameters such as the dielectric relaxation time, we have analyzed how thermal effects would affect the charge transport and polarization processes in the MO/PVA composite samples as the frequency of an applied external field and the temperature were varied in a controlled manner. We interpret the results in terms of number and size of the dye aggregates in the polymeric matrix, by correlating thermal and polarization effects to the temperature and the relative amount of MO in the composite films. Finally, we show that the electrical characteristics of the MO/PVA samples can be modified by light incidence, a fact that confirms the possibility of using these composites in (light written)-(electrically read) soli...

Electrospun Fibers of Enteric Polymer for Controlled Drug Delivery

The production of electrospun fibers of enteric polymer for controlled delivery of drugs represents a simple and low cost procedure with promising advantages relative to the longer therapeutic window provided by cylindrical geometry in association with intrinsic properties of pH-dependent drug carriers. In this work, we have explored the incorporation of additives (block copolymers of poly(ethylene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)) into matrix of Eudragit L-100 and the effective action of hybrid composites on delivery of nifedipine, providing improvement in the overall process of controlled release of loaded drug.