Search Results (33)

A quaternized and phenyl-functionalized hyperbranched PEI-based sponge (S_HPEI-QP) was successfully prepared, and its adsorption performance was investigated to evaluate its potential for removing the anionic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ibuprofen (IBU)). We reported that the synthesis of polyethyleneimine-based sponges was achieved through cryo-polymerization using 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) as the crosslinking agent. Subsequent functionalization with resorcinol diglycidyl ether (RDGE) and trimethylamine introduced quaternary ammonium cations, imparting strong basicity and hydrophilicity, as well as phenyl groups, conferring hydrophobic characteristics, respectively. The aforementioned sponge material, S_HPE-QPI, primarily facilitates the efficient adsorption of IBU in aqueous solutions through the anion exchange properties of quaternary ammonium groups and the π-π interactions associated with oxygen-activated benzene rings. Various characterizations, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and specific surface area determination method (BET), confirmed the successful synthesis of the bifunctionalized S_HPEI-QP adsorbent. This adsorbent features a porous structure (specific surface area of 77.2 m² g⁻¹ and pore size distribution of 25–100 nm) and an isoelectric point (pH_pzc) of 9.38. The adsorption kinetics of the adsorbent for IBU were extremely rapid and conformed to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Langmuir isotherm model. Noteworthily, S_HPEI-QP demonstrated an exceptionally high adsorption capacity for IBU, achieving a maximum uptake of 905.73 mg g⁻¹ at pH 7.0, which surpassed that of most of the previous reported adsorbents. Moreover, the sponge material can be chemically regenerated. After eight cycles of use, the adsorption efficiency decreased by only 4%. These findings suggest that the synthesized dendritic anion exchange adsorbent represents a promising candidate for the removal of IBU from contaminated water sources. Full article

In response to the urgent need for sustainable antibacterial solutions against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, this study presents a facile dendritic polymer-assisted approach for synthesizing highly active ZnO/mesoporous silica nanocomposites (SBA-15, SBA-16, KIT-6, MSU-X). Two hyperbranched polymers—polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carboxy-methylated polyethyleneimine (Trilon-P, TrP)—were employed as templating and metal-trapping agents. The influence of pore geometry, polymer functionality, and polymer-loading method (wet or dry impregnation) on ZnO nanoparticle (NP) formation was systematically examined. All nanocomposites exhibited high structural homogeneity, incorporating ultrasmall or amorphous ZnO NPs (1–10 nm) even at 8 wt.% Zn loading. Zn uptake was strongly dependent on polymer end groups, while the spatial distribution of ZnO NPs was dictated by the silica host structure. Antibacterial assays against Staphylococcus aureus revealed remarkable activity, particularly for ZnO/SBA-15_PEI, ZnO/SBA-16_PEI, and ZnO/MSU-X_TrP nanocomposites, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1–2.5 μg mL⁻¹ Zn and over 90% mammalian cell viability. Life Cycle Assessment identified energy use as the main environmental factor, with ZnO/SBA-15_PEI_WI displaying the lowest impact. Overall, the interplay between silica pore architecture, polymer type, and impregnation method governs ZnO accessibility and bioactivity, establishing a versatile strategy for designing next-generation ZnO/SiO₂ nanocomposites with tunable antibacterial efficacy and minimal cytotoxic and environmental footprint. Full article

Background/Objectives: Copper levels are significantly elevated in both the sera and tumor tissues of various cancers, including prostate cancer. It has therefore been suggested that targeting the elevated copper levels with copper chelators could lead to selective cancer treatment. Thus, several classes of low molecular weight copper-coordinating lipophilic compounds, as well as the newly developed copper complexes of appropriately functionalized polymers, are being investigated as promising novel anticancer therapeutics. Particularly, metal-containing polymers, or metallopolymers, are systematically investigated as anticancer agents or as drug delivery systems. This study aims to utilize the strong copper-chelating properties of hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) to develop PEI:Cu metallopolymers and evaluate their selectivity and anticancer properties against several prostate cancer cell lines. Methods: A series of PEI:Cu complexes at PEI/Cu ratios that ensure that no free copper ions are present in the solution are prepared and investigated against a human non-cancerous cell line and three prostate cancer cell lines of increasing metastatic potential. Results: PEI:Cu derivatives are cytotoxic against the human prostate carcinoma metastatic PC3 and DU145 cell lines, even at the lowest tested concentrations of 5 μg/mL, while against the non-cancerous HEK293 cells, all metallopolymer derivatives exhibit insignificant cytotoxicity up concentrations of 50 μg/mL. Their cytotoxic effect is associated with mitochondria membrane potential loss and ROS production increase. Conclusions: Hyperbranched polyethyleneimine–coordinated copper(II) metallopolymers, at low concentrations, selectively induce cytotoxicity in metastatic prostate cancer cell lines without compromising the viability of non-cancerous embryonic kidney cells. Full article

Polymeric antibacterial agents are attracting attention due to their increased bactericidal efficiency and low probability of causing drug resistance. Their activity, usually attributed to electrostatic interactions and subsequent disruption of cell membranes, is attributed to the number and chemical structure of their functional groups. In this study, hyperbranched polyethyleneimines (PEIs) of two different molecular weights were functionalized with amphiphilic alkyltriphenylphosphonium groups, which are known to induce membrane penetration, especially in cells with high membrane potential. The obtained nanoparticles were chemically and physicochemically characterized, and their inhibition potential against Gram (−) E. coli and Gram (+) S. aureus bacteria was determined. The effects of polymer molecular weight, alkyl chain length, and the number of triphenylphosphonium groups on their antimicrobial efficacy were studied. All compounds exhibited antibacterial properties, especially against S. aureus (MIC < 50 μg/mL). Low-molecular-weight polymeric derivatives and longer alkyl chains proved more efficient against both E. coli (MIC = 20 μg/mL) and S. aureus (MIC = 0.25 μg/mL). SEM images depicted changes in cell morphology, bacterial membrane disruption, and leakage of intracellular contents, signifying loss of cell viability. Minimal cytotoxicity against three mammalian cell lines at relevant antibacterial concentrations demonstrated the potential of a structure–property relationship approach for novel potent antibacterial polymers. Full article

Wool textiles with multifunctional properties such as self-cleaning, antibacterial, electrical conductivity, UV blocking etc. have recently attracted interest. Among the materials employed towards their development, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely investigated due to their unique chemical, mechanical and electrical properties, exhibiting also notable UV-blocking properties. However, their limited dispersibility in solvents, particularly in water, has hindered their extensive industrial application and diminished their significant potential. In this work, two guanidinylated derivatives of hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (GPEI5k and PEI 25K) functionalized oxCNTs (oxCNTs@GPEI5K and oxCNTs@GPEI5K), with exceptional aqueous compatibility and colloidal stability, developed in our recent publication, were evaluated as to their antibacterial activity on Gram (-) Escherichia coli and Gram (+) Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and their cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, and the most promising, i.e., oxCNTs@GPEI5K, was subsequently used as finishing agent of wool fabric. The resulting wool textiles were evaluated for color, wash fastness, antibacterial properties, and UV-blocking performance. The GPEI-functionalized oxCNTs derivative, exhibited uniform distribution and good adhesion onto the wool fabrics yielding multifunctional wool fabrics with sustained antibacterial properties even after multiple washing cycles. Additionally, the modified textiles exhibited improved ultraviolet protection, highlighting their potential for multifunctional applications in antibacterial and UV-shielding textiles. Full article

The anion-complexation mechanism and anion-adsorption capacity of a hybrid material based on hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (HBPEI) covalently bonded onto an activated carbon (AC) is presented. The anion-scavenger behavior of this hybrid material toward CrO₄²⁻, PO₄³⁻, AsO₄³⁻ and HgCl₄²⁻ was explored by direct potentiometric and adsorption measurements, which revealed a novel approach to predict the interactions between the supported polymeric complexing units and the different anions. The results were analyzed by considering the reactivity data of the HBPEI/anion (HBPEI free in solution) and AC-HBPEI/anion systems. The results corroborated that the AC-HBPEI hybrid material is an excellent anion-complexing material, whose anion adsorption ability is defined by the complexing properties of the HBPEI molecules toward the anions. This assessment provides a straightforward tool to determine the type and strength of the interactions involved in supported polymer-based/anion systems, which can provide valuable information for predicting and designing efficient energy and scavenger materials. Full article

The most promising material for uranium extraction from saltwater is generally acknowledged to be fibrous adsorbents. An irradiation-modified anti-biofouling ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE-g-PGAO) fibrous adsorbent with a hyperbranched structure was synthesized. It exhibited adsorption capacities of 314.8 mg-U/g-Ads in aqueous solution and 4.04 mg-U/g-Ads in simulated seawater over a 28-day period. The ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber was functionalized by covalently linking hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (h-PEI) to facilitate the migration of uranyl ions within the fibers. Additionally, amidoxime and quaternary ammonium groups were immobilized on the fiber surface to enhance uranium affinity and provide defense against marine organisms. This three-dimensional design of amidoxime and h-PEI-modified UHMWPE fiber retained more than 91.0% of its maximum adsorption capacity after undergoing five adsorption-desorption cycles. The UHMWPE-g-PGAO adsorbent exhibits significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, achieving an inactivation efficiency of over 99.9%. It is proved to be an innovative fiber adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater for its biofouling resistance, robustness, and reusability. Full article

Temperature detection is particularly important in the medical and scientific fields. Although there are various temperature detection methods, most of them focus on broad temperature detection, and basic research in specific fields, especially the detection of subtle temperature changes (32–34 °C) during wound infection, is still insufficient. For this purpose, a novel colorimetric temperature sensing probe is designed in this paper, which can quickly and intuitively respond to small temperature changes within a specific range through color changes. In this paper, hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (HPEI) was modified by isobutyrylation to prepare hyperbranched temperature-sensitive polymer (HPEI-IBAm). And it was combined with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) prepared by a sodium citrate reduction method to construct an HPEI-IBAm-AuNP colorimetric probe. The probe exhibits excellent stability, even at salt concentrations of up to 12 g/L, thanks to the abundant amino functional groups and the large steric hindrance effect unique to HPEI-IBAm. In particular, the temperature detection range of the probe is precisely locked within 32–34 °C, enabling it to respond quickly and accurately to small temperature changes of only 2 °C. This feature is perfectly suited to the practical needs of temperature detection in infected wounds. The linear fitting coefficient of the temperature response is as high as 0.9929, ensuring the accuracy of the test results. The detection performance of the probe remained highly consistent over 10 cycles, fully proving its excellent reusability and durability. In addition, a flexible colorimetric sensor was prepared by combining the probe with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film. This sensor is capable of rapidly detecting human skin temperature in real time, achieving an accuracy of 99.07% to 100.61%. It can provide a possible solution to the challenges of delayed and difficult temperature detection caused by different body parts and uneven surfaces, among others. This demonstrates its extensive practical value and potential, and it is expected to be further applied in the monitoring of wound infections. Full article

Non-toxic carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials based on carbon nanodisks were synthesized and assessed as novel antibacterial agents. Specifically, acid-treated carbon nanodisks (oxCNDs), as a safe alternative material to graphene oxide, interacted through covalent and non-covalent bonding with guanidinylated hyperbranched polyethyleneimine derivatives (GPEI5K and GPEI25K), affording the oxCNDs@GPEI5K and oxCNDs@GPEI25K hybrids. Their physico-chemical characterization confirmed the successful and homogenous attachment of GPEIs on the surface of oxCNDs, which, due to the presence of guanidinium groups, offered them improved aqueous stability. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of oxCNDs@GPEIs was evaluated against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria. It was found that both hybrids exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity, with oxCNDs@GPEI5K being more active than oxCNDs@GPEI25K. Their MIC and MBC values were found to be much lower than those of oxCNDs, revealing that the GPEI attachment endowed the hybrids with enhanced antibacterial properties. These improved properties were attributed to the polycationic character of the oxCNDs@GPEIs, which enables effective interaction with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and cell walls, leading to cell envelope damage, and eventually cell lysis. Finally, oxCNDs@GPEIs showed minimal cytotoxicity on mammalian cells, indicating that these hybrid nanomaterials have great potential to be used as safe and efficient antibacterial agents. Full article

Biocidal coatings are known to minimize or terminate development of bacterial and fungicidal infections. In this paper, biocidal activity of seven cationic (co)polymers with amino groups—polyethyleneimine, polyallylamine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride/polyhexamethylene guanidine copolymer, diallyldimethylammonium chloride/SO₂ copolymer, linear and hyperbranched epichlorohydrin/dimethylamine copolymers, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride—were tested toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative cells. The polymers showed a significant biocidal effect in both aqueous solution and after formation of polymer films on the hydrophilic glass plates. Polymer films were almost completely removed by water during 10 wash-off cycles, that finally resulted in the ultrathin monolayers with a thickness of several nanometers. A polyethyleneimine film showed the most resistance to water with a 50% loss after three wash-off cycles and 75% loss after six wash-off cycles. Binding and subsequent deactivation of pathogenic microorganisms occurs on the outer surface of cationic polymer films. It is expected that a gradual polymer wash-off will allow renewal of the outer film surface and thereby restore the biocidal properties of the polycationic coatings, including those with a nanoscale thickness. Full article

Silicon has gained considerable attention as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the significant volume changes that occur during lithiation/delithiation processes often result in poor cycling stability of silicon anodes. In this study, a hybrid ionically covalently cross-linked network binder carboxymethylcellulose-hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (CMC-HBPEI) is successfully constructed by “switching” ionic bonds and partially “converting” them to covalent bonds to buffer the volume variation of silicon anodes. In this hybrid cross-linked network, the covalently cross-linked network is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of the anode, while the ionically cross-linked network utilizes the bonding reversibility to sustainably dissipative the mechanical stress and self-heal the structural breakages generated from the lithiation expansion of silicon. By changing the drying temperature of the anode, the ratio of covalent and ionic bonds in the hybrid cross-linked network can be adjusted to balance the mechanical stability and bonding reversibility of the CMC-HBPEI binder. Even after 300 cycles of charging/discharging under a current density of 500 mAg⁻¹, the specific capacity of the optimized Si/CMC-HBPEI anode remains at 1545 mAhg⁻¹. Full article

Silicon is considered as one of the ideal anode materials for the new generation of lithium-ion batteries due to its extremely high theoretical specific capacity. Nevertheless, in the actual charging and discharging process, the Si electrode will lose its electrochemical performance due to the huge volume change of Si nanoparticles resulting in detachment from the surface of the fluid collector. The polymer binder can bond the Si nanoparticles together in a three-dimensional cross-linking network, which can thus effectively prevent the Si nanoparticles from falling off the surface of the fluid collector due to the drastic change of volume during the charging and discharging process. Therefore, this study developed a new polymer binder based on electrostatic interaction with hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) as the main body and water-soluble carboxylated polyethylene glycol (CPEG) as the cross-linker, where the degree of cross-linking can be easily optimized by adjusting the pH value. The results demonstrate that, when the density of positive and negative charges in the binder is relatively balanced at pH 7, the stability of the battery’s charge–discharge cycle is significantly improved. After 200 cycles of constant current charge–discharge test, the specific capacity retention rate is 63.3%. Full article

This work successfully created a polypyrrole-polyethyleneimine (PPy-PEI) nano adsorbent for the elimination of the lead ion Pb²⁺ from an aqueous solution. An efficient conducting polymer-based adsorbent called as was created using ammonium persulfate (NH4)₂S₂O₈ as an oxidant (PPy-PEI). The PEI hyper-branched polymer with terminal amino groups was added to the PPy adsorbent to offer heavy metals more effective chelating sites. Pb²⁺ removal from aqueous solution using polyethyleneimine micro adsorbent was successfully accomplished using a batch equilibrium technique (PPy-PEI). The generated water-insoluble polymer nanoadsorbent had enough nitrogen atoms; therefore, an effort was made to link PEI, a water-soluble PPy, with PPy, a conjugated polymer, for lead ion adsorption from an aqueous solution. The generated PPy-PEI nanoadsorbents were discovered to have average particle sizes of 18–34 nm and a Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface area of 17 m²/g, respectively. The thermal behavior of the composites was investigated using thermo gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric methods. The lead ion adsorption efficacy of pure polypyrrole was found to be 38%; however, a batch equilibrium technique employing nanoadsorbent revealed with the maximum adsorption capacity of 75.60 mg g⁻¹. At pH 10 and 30 min of contact time at 50 °C, 0.2 g of adsorption was shown to be the ideal dosage. X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared ray spectrum support the lead ion adsorption by PPy-PEI nanoadsorbents. The cauli-like structure was visible using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Studying the thermodynamic showed that the adsorption was endothermic as illustrated from the positive value of value of ΔH° is 1.439 kJ/mol which indicates that the uptake of Pb²⁺ onto nanoadsorbent PPy-PEI could be attributed to a physical adsorption process. According to the values of ΔG°, the adsorption process was spontaneous at all selected temperatures. The positive value of ΔS° value (43.52 j/mol) suggested an increase in the randomness at the solid/solution interface during the adsorption process. The adsorption data meet the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and suited the Langumuir isothermal model effectively. Full article

Polymer-surfactant interaction decides the performance of corresponding complexes, making its rapid and intuitionistic visualization important for enhancing the performance of products and/or processing in related fields. In this study, the fluorescence visualization of the interaction between cationic hyperbranched polyethyleneimine and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfonate surfactant was realized by dual-emissive gold nanocluster labeling. The sensing mechanism was due to the interaction-induced polymer conformation change, which regulated the molecular structure and subsequent photoradiation process of the gold nanoclusters. All three inflection points of the interactions between the polymers and the surfactants were obtained by the change in fluorescence emission ratio of the designed dual-emissive gold nanoclusters. Moreover, these inflection points are verified by the hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential measurements. Full article

In this work, a polypyrrole-polyethyleneimine (PPy-PEI) nano-adsorbent was successfully synthesized for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution. Synthetic dyes are among the most prevalent environmental contaminants. A new conducting polymer-based adsorbent called (PPy-PEI) was successfully produced using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. The PEI hyper-branched polymer with terminal amino groups was added to the PPy adsorbent to provide more effective chelating sites for dyes. An efficient dye removal from an aqueous solution was demonstrated using a batch equilibrium technique that included a polyethyleneimine nano-adsorbent (PPy-PEI). The best adsorption parameters were measured at a 0.35 g dosage of adsorbent at a pH of 6.2 and a contact period of 40 min at room temperature. The produced PPy-PEI nano-adsorbent has an average particle size of 25–60 nm and a BET surface area of 17 m²/g. The results revealed that PPy-PEI nano-composite was synthesized, and adsorption was accomplished in the minimum amount of time. The maximum monolayer power, qmax, for MB was calculated using the isothermal adsorption data, which matched the Langmuir isotherm model, and the kinetic adsorption data, which more closely fitted the Langmuir pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Langmuir model was used to calculate the maximum monolayer capacity, or qmax, for MB, which was found to be 183.3 mg g⁻¹. The as-prepared PPy-PEI nano-adsorbent totally removes the cationic dyes from the aqueous solution. Full article