Bacterial biofilm formation causes significant industrial economic loss and high morbidity and mortality in medical settings. Biofilms are defined as multicellular communities of bacteria encased in a matrix of protective extracellular polymers. Because biofilms have a high tolerance for treatment with antimicrobials, protect bacteria from immune defense, and resist clearance with standard sanitation protocols, it is critical to develop new approaches to prevent biofilm formation. Here, a novel benzimidazole molecule, named antibiofilm compound 1 (ABC-1), identified in a small-molecule screen, was found to prevent bacterial biofilm formation in multiple Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, on a variety of different surface types. Importantly, ABC-1 itself does not inhibit the growth of bacteria, and it is effective at nanomolar concentrations. Also, coating a polystyrene surface with ABC-1 reduces biofilm formation. These data suggest ABC-1 is a new chemical scaffold for the development of antibiofilm compounds.

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2,18‐Bis(diphenylphosphino)porphyrins undergo peripheral cyclometalation with group 10 transition‐metal salts to afford the corresponding porphyrin‐based PCP pincer complexes. The porphyrinic plane and the PCP‐pincer unit are apparently coplanar, with small strain. The catalytic activities of the porphyrin‐based pincer complexes at the periphery were investigated in the allylation of benzaldehyde with allylstannane and in the 1,4‐reduction of chalcone to discover the electronic interplay between the inner metal and the outer metal in catalysis.

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The fabrication of barrier packaging films has gained significant momentum in recent years. Besides its dominance in the food industry as a means to extend the shelf-life of perishable goods and facilitate ease of handling and transportation, the use of barrier films to protect semiconductor and flexible electronics from dust, oxidation and moisture has generated considerable interest in recent years. This has ushered in new challenges for researchers to design and develop novel thin film barrier coatings that could be made available at a fraction of the cost. The emergence of the multidisciplinary field of nanotechnology has provided innovative solutions in the fields of medicine, catalysis and energy. In this review, we will be examining the integration of nanoscience driven techniques with barrier film technology with applications in both food and electronics industry. Details regarding permeation theory, some key parameters governing gas/moisture barrier properties and the market potential of nanostructured barrier films have been included. This review also explores several past and current examples of successful inclusion of functional nanostructured or colloidal materials to fabricate tailor-made barrier films. Finally a brief discussion regarding novel emerging trends for this industry has been included.

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In this study, a one‐step water‐in‐oil‐in‐water (W/O/W) emulsion process was employed to encapsulate either hydrophilic (∼10 nm) or hydrophobic (∼5 nm) iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) into poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Via the simple adjustment of emulsification temperature to high temperature (HT, 60 °C) or room temperature (RT, 25 °C), a transformation of PLA‐IONPs composite particles from hollow microparticles to solid nanospheres can be achieved. At RT, PLA nanocomposite particles (30–200 nm) encapsulating IONPs were generated regardless of the hydrophobicity of IONPs. On the other hand, at HT, our method resulted in the hollow microparticles (2–5 µm). This study presents a fast and easily adaptable process to encapsulate either hydrophobic or hydrophilic IONPs into the hydrophobic polymeric particles, with different shapes and sizes, by simply adjusting the emulsification temperature through the one‐step W/O/W emulsion. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43749.

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