High-efficiency antibacterial and anti-mildew properties under self-assembly: An environmentally friendly nanocomposite

Biomimetic Self-Assembled Chiral Inorganic Nanomaterials: A New Strategy for Solving Medical Problems

The rapid expansion of the study of chiral inorganic structures has led to the extension of the functional boundaries of inorganic materials. Nature-inspired self-assembled chiral inorganic structures exhibit diverse morphologies due to their high assembly efficiency and controlled assembly process, and they exhibit superior inherent properties such as mechanical properties, chiral optical activity, and chiral fluorescence. Although chiral self-assembled inorganic structures are becoming more mature in chiral catalysis and chiral optical regulation, biomedical research is still in its infancy. In this paper, various forms of chiral self-assembled inorganic structures are summarized, which provides a structural starting point for various applications of chiral self-assembly inorganic structures in biomedical fields. Based on the few existing research statuses and mechanism discussions on the chiral self-assembled materials-mediated regulation of cell behavior, molecular probes, and tumor therapy, this paper provides guidance for future chiral self-assembled structures to solve the same or similar medical problems. In the field of chiral photonics, chiral self-assembled structures exhibit a chirality-induced selection effect, while selectivity is exhibited by chiral isomers in the medical field. It is worth considering whether there is some correspondence or juxtaposition between these phenomena. Future chiral self-assembled structures in medicine will focus on the precise treatment of tumors, induction of soft and hard tissue regeneration, explanation of the biochemical mechanisms and processes of its medical effects, and improvement of related theories.

Leather for flexible multifunctional bio-based materials: a review

Nowadays, diverse leather usage conditions and increasing demands from consumers challenge the leather industry. Traditional leather manufacturing is facing long-term challenges, including low-value threshold, confined application fields, and environmental issues. Leather inherits all the biomimetic properties of natural skin such as flexibility, sanitation, cold resistance, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and other cross-domain functions, achieving unremitting attention in multi-functional bio-based materials. Series of researches have been devoted to creating and developing leather-based flexible multi-functional bio-materials, including antibacterial leather, conductive leather, flame-retardant leather, self-cleaning leather, aromatic leather, and electromagnetic shielding leather. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the commonly used leather-based functional materials. Furthermore, the possible challenges for the development of functional leathers are proposed, and expected development directions of leather-based functional materials are discussed. This review may promote and inspire the emerging preparation and applications of leather for flexible functional bio-based materials.

Graphical Abstract

Simultaneous Sonochemical Coloration and Antibacterial Functionalization of Leather with Selenium Nanoparticles (SeNPs)

The development of antibacterial coatings for footwear components is of great interest both from an industry and consumer point of view. In this work, the leather material was developed taking advantage of the intrinsic antibacterial activity and coloring ability of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). The SeNPs were synthesized and implemented into the leather surface by using ultrasonic techniques to obtain simultaneous coloring and functionalization. The formation of SeNPs in the solutions was evaluated using UV/Vis spectroscopy and the morphology of the NPs was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The treated leather material (leather/SeNPs) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The effects of SeNPs on the coloration and antibacterial properties of the leather material were evaluated. The results revealed that the NPs were mostly spherical in shape, regularly distributed, and closely anchored to the leather surface. The particle size distribution of SeNPs at concentrations of 25 mM and 50 mM was in the range of 36–77 nm and 41–149 nm, respectively. It was observed that leather/SeNPs exhibited a higher depth of shade compared to untreated ones, as well as excellent fastness properties. The results showed that leather/SeNPs can significantly enhance the antibacterial activity against model of bacteria, including Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli). Moreover, the resulting leather exhibited low cytotoxicity against HFB4 cell lines. This achievement should be quite appealing to the footwear industry as a way to prevent the spread of bacterial infection promoted by humidity, poor breathability and temperature which promote the expansion of the microflora of the skin.