Kevin Ka Leung Cheuk

Aggregation-Induced Emission in a Hyperbranched Poly(silylenevinylene) and Superamplification in Its Emission Quenching by Explosives.

A silicon-containing hyperbranched polymer (hb-P1/2) with σ*-π* conjugation was prepared in a good yield and high molecular weight by rhodium-catalyzed alkyne polyhydrosilylation of 1,2-bis(4-ethynylphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene (1) with tris(4-dimethylsilylphenyl)amine (2). The polymer was thermally stable, losing merely 5% of its weight when heated to ≈445u2009°C. Whereas hb-P1/2 was weakly luminescent when molecularly dissolved, it became highly emissive when supramolecularly aggregated, showing an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) phenomenon. A superamplification effect was observed when the AIE nanoaggregates were used as fluorescent chemosensor for explosive detection: the quenching efficiency was greatly increased in a nonlinear fashion with increasing quencher concentration.

Chitosan microcapsules loaded with either miconazole nitrate or clotrimazole, prepared via emulsion technique.

In this paper, a simple and versatile coacervation technique has been developed by using an ultrasound-assisted oil/water emulsion method for the preparation of antifungal agent-loaded microcapsules. Two types of chitosan microcapsules are successfully prepared. The mean particle size of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules is 2.6 μm and that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules is 4.1 μm. The encapsulation efficiency of the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules (77.58-96.81%) is relatively higher than that of the chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules (56.66-93.82%). The in vitro drug release performance of the microcapsules shows that the chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules release about 49.5% of the drug while chitosan/clotrimazole microcapsules release more than 66.1% of the drug after 12h under a pressure of 5 kg at pH 5.5, which is similar to the pH of human skin. The prepared drug-loaded microcapsules could be applied onto bandages or socks, and will continuously release antifungal drugs in a controlled manner under pressure.

Systematic Characterization of Cosmetic Textiles

In this study, the commercially available cosmetic textile agent containing aloe vera for skin caring benefits was used for the development of cosmetic textiles. The empirical characterization model comprising three major categories, namely (1) material characterization and ingredient identification, (2) fabric performance testing, and (3) biological safety and biological response to human skin, was established to characterize the cosmetic textile agent and the developed cosmetic textiles. This systematic characterization model is expected to provide a guideline for commercial sectors and researchers to identify and evaluate the performance of cosmetic textile agents and cosmetic textiles in a safety and objective manner.

Development of miconazole nitrate containing chitosan microcapsules and their anti-Aspergillus niger activity

In this article, we report the development of chitosan/miconazole nitrate microcapsules. Four miconazole nitrate ratios including 12.5, 25, 50 and 100u2009mg were performed in the chitosan-based microencapsulation system. Chitosan microcapsules with the drug input of 25u2009mg showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (52.47%) and acceptable mean particle size (5.65u2009µm) when compared with those of 12.5, 50 and 100u2009mg. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic spectrum proved the entrapment of miconazole nitrate into chitosan microcapsules. The antifungal result demonstrated that microcapsules containing 75u2009µg miconazole nitrate possessed comparable anti-Aspergillus niger activity as the commercial ointment. The growth inhibition of miconazole nitrate containing chitosan microcapsules towards human skin keratinocytes was found to be dose dependent. A total of 75u2009µg of miconazole nitrate containing microcapsules revealed about 25% of growth inhibition while that of 150u2009µg showed approximately 70% of growth inhibition. Special monitoring should be taken if a higher dose of miconazole nitrate was used to develop the microcapsules.

Correction: Bio-inspired colouration on various textile materials using a novel catechol colorant

Correction for ‘Bio-inspired colouration on various textile materials using a novel catechol colorant’ by Vicky Lai Lai So et al., RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 41081–41086.

Bio-Inspired Coloration for Wool Fabrics at Room Temperature

Inspired by the remarkable adhesive property of marine mussels, a novel method was developed for wool coloration at room temperature. In this method, dopamine was utilized as a biomimetic precursor for wool coloration due to its structure similar to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, an important component responsible for mussel adhesive. By using dopamine, wool coloration could be easily achieved at room temperature through a simple dip-coating process. Moreover, the obtained color appearance of wool fabrics could be tuned in a controllable way by the addition of other chemical components to the coloration bath. The dyed wool fabrics showed good color fastness properties.