The use of ultraviolet (UV) and blue
irradiation to sterilize surfaces
is well established, but commercial applications would be enhanced
if the light source is replaced with ambient light. In this paper,
it is shown that nanofibers can be explored as an alternative methodology
to UV and blue irradiation for bacterial inactivation. It is demonstrated
that this is indeed possible using spun nanofibers of poly[lactic-co-(glycolic acid)] (PLGA). This work shows that PLGA spun
scaffolds can promote photoinactivation of Staphylococcus
aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria with ambient light or with laser irradiation at 630 nm.
With the optimized scaffold composition of PLGA85:15 nanofibers, the
minimum intensity required to kill the bacteria is much lower than
in antimicrobial blue light applications. The enhanced effect introduced
by PLGA scaffolds is due to their nanofiber structures since PLGA
spun nanofibers were able to inactivate both S. aureus and E. coli bacteria, but cast films
had no effect. These findings pave the way for an entirely different
method to sterilize surfaces, which is less costly and environmentally
friendly than current procedures. In addition, the scaffolds could
also be used in cancer treatment with fewer side effects since photosensitizers
are not required.
This work reports the design of a resistive gas sensor based on 2D mats of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The sensor sensitivity was optimised using chlorine by tuning both MWCNT network morphology and MWCNT electronic properties. Raw CNT were compared with annealed CNT. Besides, with the aim to enhance the sensor sensitivity and selectivity for detection of several gases, MWCNT were functionalized with poly (phenylene)-like or vinyl polymers using a process based on the diazonium chemistry. In this paper, we will mention the preparation of such sensors and we will demonstrate that the optimized devices are operating at room temperature, for the detection of pollutants such as chlorine, hydrogen chloride and ammonia. Such sensors are able to detect down to 30 ppb of pollutant, in particular for chlorine.
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