Curcumin is a natural active principle with antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory prop... more Curcumin is a natural active principle with antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Its use is limited by a low water solubility and fast degradation rate, which hinder its bioavailability. To overcome this problem, curcumin can be delivered through a carrier, which protects the drug molecule and enhances its pharmacological effects. The present work proposes a simple one-pot sol–gel synthesis to obtain a hybrid carrier for curcumin delivery. The hybrid consists of a mesostructured matrix of amorphous silica, which stabilizes the carrier, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (CTA), a surfactant where curcumin is dissolved to increase its water solubility. The carrier was characterized in terms of morphology (FESEM), physicochemical properties (XRD, FTIR, UV spectroscopy) and release capability in pseudo-physiological solutions. Results show that curcumin molecules were entrapped, for the first time, in a silica-surfactant mesostructured hybrid carrier. The hybrid carr...
Fatty acid esterification with alcohols is a crucial step in biodiesel synthesis. Biodiesel consi... more Fatty acid esterification with alcohols is a crucial step in biodiesel synthesis. Biodiesel consists of long-chain alkyl esters that derive from the transesterification or hydro-esterification of the triglycerides that are contained in vegetable oils. In the first route, the esterification of the free fatty acids is an important pretreatment of the feed; in the second, it is the main reaction of the industrial process. Knowledge of appropriate kinetic models for the catalytic esterification of fatty acids with alcohols is critical in the design of biodiesel synthesis processes. In this work, the kinetic behavior of the reversible esterification of lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acid, which are the most common saturated fatty acids that are contained in triglyceride feedstocks for biodiesel, with methanol at different temperatures (70–150 °C) and molar ratios of the reactants (1:1–1:2–1:5) was investigated in a batch laboratory basket reactor both in the presence and absence ...
The physico–chemical and biological properties of nanostructured ZnO are combined with the non-to... more The physico–chemical and biological properties of nanostructured ZnO are combined with the non-toxic and eco-friendly features of the scCO2-mediated drug loading technique to develop a multifunctional antimicrobial drug delivery system for potential applications in wound healing. Two nanostructured ZnO (NsZnO) with different morphologies were prepared through wet organic-solvent-free processes and characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the two samples against different microbial strains was investigated together with the in vitro Zn2+ release. The results indicated that the two ZnO nanostructures exhibited the following activity: S. aureus > C. albicans > K. pneumoniae. A correlation between the antimicrobial activity, the physico–chemical properties (specific surface area and crystal size) and the Zn2+ ion release was found. Ibuprofen was, for the ...
The solubilities of colour index (C.I.) disperse orange 3, red 324, blue 79 and quinizarin were m... more The solubilities of colour index (C.I.) disperse orange 3, red 324, blue 79 and quinizarin were measured at the temperatures of 353.2, 373.2, 393.2 K between 18 and 30 MPa with a ‘flow method’ conceived for determination of high solubilities in order to avoid the flow instability problems connected with dye precipitation. The comparison of results with the literature underlines
ABSTRACT Supercritical dyeing can be an interesting alternative to traditional dyeing due to the ... more ABSTRACT Supercritical dyeing can be an interesting alternative to traditional dyeing due to the unquestionable advantage of the use of a clean solvent that can be easily recovered and separated from the excess dye at the end of the process. The experience achieved by our research group during a research project supported by the Italian government is reported in this work. The aim of the project was to set up a pilot plant where supercritical dyeing could be performed with yarn bobbins. In particular, this work shows the results obtained for polyester textiles.
Curcumin is a natural active principle with antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory prop... more Curcumin is a natural active principle with antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Its use is limited by a low water solubility and fast degradation rate, which hinder its bioavailability. To overcome this problem, curcumin can be delivered through a carrier, which protects the drug molecule and enhances its pharmacological effects. The present work proposes a simple one-pot sol–gel synthesis to obtain a hybrid carrier for curcumin delivery. The hybrid consists of a mesostructured matrix of amorphous silica, which stabilizes the carrier, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (CTA), a surfactant where curcumin is dissolved to increase its water solubility. The carrier was characterized in terms of morphology (FESEM), physicochemical properties (XRD, FTIR, UV spectroscopy) and release capability in pseudo-physiological solutions. Results show that curcumin molecules were entrapped, for the first time, in a silica-surfactant mesostructured hybrid carrier. The hybrid carr...
Fatty acid esterification with alcohols is a crucial step in biodiesel synthesis. Biodiesel consi... more Fatty acid esterification with alcohols is a crucial step in biodiesel synthesis. Biodiesel consists of long-chain alkyl esters that derive from the transesterification or hydro-esterification of the triglycerides that are contained in vegetable oils. In the first route, the esterification of the free fatty acids is an important pretreatment of the feed; in the second, it is the main reaction of the industrial process. Knowledge of appropriate kinetic models for the catalytic esterification of fatty acids with alcohols is critical in the design of biodiesel synthesis processes. In this work, the kinetic behavior of the reversible esterification of lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acid, which are the most common saturated fatty acids that are contained in triglyceride feedstocks for biodiesel, with methanol at different temperatures (70–150 °C) and molar ratios of the reactants (1:1–1:2–1:5) was investigated in a batch laboratory basket reactor both in the presence and absence ...
The physico–chemical and biological properties of nanostructured ZnO are combined with the non-to... more The physico–chemical and biological properties of nanostructured ZnO are combined with the non-toxic and eco-friendly features of the scCO2-mediated drug loading technique to develop a multifunctional antimicrobial drug delivery system for potential applications in wound healing. Two nanostructured ZnO (NsZnO) with different morphologies were prepared through wet organic-solvent-free processes and characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the two samples against different microbial strains was investigated together with the in vitro Zn2+ release. The results indicated that the two ZnO nanostructures exhibited the following activity: S. aureus > C. albicans > K. pneumoniae. A correlation between the antimicrobial activity, the physico–chemical properties (specific surface area and crystal size) and the Zn2+ ion release was found. Ibuprofen was, for the ...
The solubilities of colour index (C.I.) disperse orange 3, red 324, blue 79 and quinizarin were m... more The solubilities of colour index (C.I.) disperse orange 3, red 324, blue 79 and quinizarin were measured at the temperatures of 353.2, 373.2, 393.2 K between 18 and 30 MPa with a ‘flow method’ conceived for determination of high solubilities in order to avoid the flow instability problems connected with dye precipitation. The comparison of results with the literature underlines
ABSTRACT Supercritical dyeing can be an interesting alternative to traditional dyeing due to the ... more ABSTRACT Supercritical dyeing can be an interesting alternative to traditional dyeing due to the unquestionable advantage of the use of a clean solvent that can be easily recovered and separated from the excess dye at the end of the process. The experience achieved by our research group during a research project supported by the Italian government is reported in this work. The aim of the project was to set up a pilot plant where supercritical dyeing could be performed with yarn bobbins. In particular, this work shows the results obtained for polyester textiles.
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Papers by Mauro Banchero