BACKGROUND Chitosan, an important biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, has demonstrated wound-healing and antimicrobial properties. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of mafenide acetate-loaded nanofibrous films, prepared by the electrospinning technique, using chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). MATERIALS AND METHODS A 3(2) full factorial design was ...

Fungi native to agricultural soils that colonized commercially available biodegradable mulch (BDM) films were isolated and assessed for potential to degrade plastics. Typically, when formulations of plastics are known and a source of the feedstock is available, powdered plastic can be suspended in agar-based media and degradation determined by visualization of clearing zones. However, this appr...

Mulching is used to improve the condition of agricultural soils by covering the soil with different materials, mainly black polyethylene (PE). However, problems derived from its use are how to remove it from the field and, in the case of it remaining in the soil, the possible effects on it. One possible solution is to use biodegradable plastic (BD) or paper (PP), as mulch, which could present a...

We report on enzymatically degradable nanothin coatings obtained by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of silk fibroin with poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. We found that both silk β-sheet content, controlled through dipping and spin-assisted LbL, and PVCL molecular weight regulate film thickness, microstructure, pH-stability, and biodegradability wi...

This report investigates the comparative in vitro controlled release and transfection efficiencies of pDNA-lipofectamine complex (lipoplex) and pDNA-poly(ethylene imine) complex (polyplex), from a biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) film. The effect of molecular weight of gelatin used as a porogen on in vitro release and transfection efficiency was also studied. A sustained release profile was...

The current examples of natural-fiber based polymer composites, because of their biobased and biodegradable properties, offer an alternative as a ‘green’ material available for automotive and other engineering applications. However such composites suffer from low strength and fatigue properties compared to the carbonor glass-fiber based polymer composites. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), a new typ...

Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) coatings on implant materials are widely used in controlled drug delivery applications. Typically, such coatings are made with non-porous films. Here, we have synthesized a thin PLGA film coating with a highly ordered microporous structure using a simple and inexpensive water templating "breath figure" technique. A single stage process combining spin coatin...

Biodegradable films are a valuable and sustainable alternative to plastic for mulching soils since they avoid the environmental economic problems related removal disposal. Nevertheless, fast degradation of such materials could make them unsuitable mid- long-term use. In field experiment, agronomic performance biodegradable film (MB) was compared that conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE)...

introduction : one of the most important problems of synthetic packaging of materials had been the time consuming process of their decomposition. therefore, they have the potential to contaminate the environment. during the recent years, the above-mentioned problem has paved the way for developing biodegradable biopolymers. one group of these polymers is films and edible coatings. soy protein i...