Seznam abstraktů 2021: WORKSHOP

The project named “Tree Gum Polymers and their Modified Bioplastics for Food Packaging Application“ aims to develop biocompatible, biodegradable, thermally and mechanically stable bioplastic films/fibers from eco-friendly polysaccharides tree gums. The films were fabricated via solution casting and electrospinning from tree gum exudates (Arabic, Karaya, and Kondagogu) and their chemically modified forms (Dodecenylsuccinic anhydride-(DDSA)-gum derivatives) or its polymeric blends with natural/synthetic polymers of biodegradables in nature. Furthermore, the incorporation of various nano-fillers such clay, graphene oxide or “green“ plasticizers into the films/fibers enhances physicochemical properties of these bioplastic applications (as food packaging materials, and disposable stuffs) for sustainable development under the umbrella of green chemistry and technology. Antioxidant activity, oxygen permeability, food contact migration and antibacterial efficiency were applied for development as food packaging, disposable bags or containers applications by the quantification of the environmental benefits of the new developed materials using the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology. The project was investigated in close cooperation with University of Bayreuth. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the Czech Republic under the “Inter Excellence - Action programme“ within the framework of project ‘‘Tree Gum Polymers and their Modified Bioplastics for Food Packaging Application“ (registration number LTAB19007).

Green and sustainable chemistry involves the strategy, progress, and execution of chemical products and processes to diminish and eradicate the use and generation of substances hazardous to human health and the environment. In this context, biopolymers or polysaccharides accomplish these conditions as a renewable source of materials possessing exclusive combinations of functionalities with proven potential usefulness to fabricating bio-based products for many potential applications. Carbohydrate gum is sourced from Trees such as Karaya (Sterculia urens), Kondagogu (Cochlosperm gossypium), and Arabic gum (A. senegal and Acacia seyal) are important food additives and cradles potential non-food commercial products. The research exemplified their prospective commercial produces such as sponges, fibers, and films via various fabrication techniques such as self-assembly freezing drying methods, electrospinning, and solution casting. Furthermore, this talk has comprehensively deliberated by exploiting the gum-based sustainable bioplastics for environmental remediation, shopping carrier bags, food packaging films, and rewritable noting pads. The improvement of the gum-based materials' physicochemical, mechanical, and barrier properties with other inorganic, organic, or nanoparticles as additives have also been discussed.
A comparison of an assortment of films was prepared based on pristine gum, DDSA (dodecenyl succinic anhydride)-modified gum, and clay-coated gum. Their physicochemical, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties were assessed. Finally, the recyclability, regeneration, and biodegradability of the developed gum-based films have also been demonstrated. The research aimed to develop economic, biodegradable, and recyclable gum-based ‘green’ products for a sustainable way to help our society.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the Czech Republic under the “Inter Excellence - Action programme“ within the framework of project ‘‘Tree Gum Polymers and their Modified Bioplastics for Food Packaging Application“ (registration number LTAB19007).

Polymers of natural origin, which are environmentally friendly materials, are an appealing resource for the production of packaging films. These materials offer sustainability and biodegradability ideal for single use packaging. Tree gum polysaccharides are a class of renewable, odorless, low-cost materials extracted from the exudates of trees that are secreted in response to any mechanical damage or microbial attack. These abundantly available carbohydrate polymers have not been explored thoroughly in film fabrication for food packaging. Films obtained from pristine tree gums are often brittle, hygroscopic, and from poor barrier and mechanical properties. The present research highlights the development of biobased, biodegradable, mechanically robust films with remarkable barrier properties for food packaging industries. This is achieved by various physical and chemical modifications of tree gums and their films. The modification brought about a reduction in the hygroscopic nature and mechanical and barrier characteristics while retaining their biodegradability rendering them a prospective packaging material. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the Czech Republic under the “Inter Excellence - Action programme“ within the framework of project ‘‘Tree Gum Polymers and their Modified Bioplastics for Food Packaging Application“ (registration number LTAB19007).

Introduction of the Project NanoEnviCz

Chemical modifications of polymer nanofiber membranes prepared by electrospinning can be performed in several ways. The simplest is the "one pot synthesis" technology, i. e. to add the necessary additives directly to the spinning solutions. This method is the most economically advantageous but not always applicable. Subsequent chemical modification of nanofiber textiles complicates the technology, but provides more options for grafting the necessary additives to the surfaces of prepared nanofiber membranes, eg by a combination of plasma treatment and subsequent deposition of the additive from solutions. A key role in these technologies is the appropriate choice of polymer / additive combination, which determines the stability of the composition and functionality of the composite membranes. In this respect, an important part of the preparation is the computer design of nanomaterials, i. E. modeling of polymer-additive interactions and simulation of processes taking place, for example, in the sorption of gases in membranes. Past and current projects of our team at UJEP are aimed at biomedical applications and, last but not least, at filtration and separation technologies. The development strategy combines basic and applied research to understand the technology-structure-properties relationships.
The design and optimization of technologies and tests of membrane functionality will be illustrated in the conference presentation on two examples of practical applications: (1) development of antimicrobial filter media and (2) development of a nanofiber membrane for CO2 capture. At the same time, the issue of chemical modifications of membranes and in terms of the functionality of modifiers will be discussed in detail. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance providede by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2018124.

Research in the field of heterogeneous catalysis carried out within the NanoEnviCz infrastructure addresses the serious questions and problems of society that can be answered by new or more efficient catalytic processes. Typically, this concerns the issue of catalysts for reducing environmental pollution (reducing emissions from automobile traffic, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing emissions from industry) and developing catalytic processes for sustainable and more efficient chemical production. The research is focused on the development of fundamental understanding of the structure and catalytic properties of nanostructured catalysts. The acquired results of the fundamental research are exploited in the development of large scale production of catalysts and catalytic processes. The lecture presents examples of successfully implemented research from the design of basic theories to applied research and development of production processes of nanostructured catalysts. In the area of reducing emissions, the successful development will be demonstrated on catalysts for the elimination of nitrogen oxide emissions from industrial sources. The successful implementation of the development of nanostructured catalysts for environmentally friendly chemical processes will be shown on the development of isomerization catalysts for the production of automotive fuels. For elucidating the relationship between the structural properties and the catalytic activity, we analysed the structure and properties using synthesis controlled at the molecular level, the spectroscopic, diffraction, and microscopic methods, and complex kinetic analysis. An integral part of the research was the development of technological processes for the production of catalysts developed in laboratories in the cooperation with catalysts producers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructures NanoEnviCz (Project No. LM2018124) supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the project Pro-NanoEnviCz (Reg. No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001821) supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the European Union - European Structural and Investments Funds in the frame of Operational Programme Research Development and Education.

Cerium oxide is a material with many applications, it is important heterogeneous catalysts [1]. CeO2 nanoparticles can be prepared by various procedures. Modern green chemistry favours low-temperature one-pot syntheses, especially for potential industrial production. Several processes for the preparation of active forms of cerium oxide have been developed at our workplaces. Some of these forms have the ability to decompose highly toxic compounds such as organophosphorus pesticides [2] or even structurally similar neural paralytic chemical warfare agents such as sarine, soman or VX [3].
Synthesis at low temperature was used in this work [4]. Samples have been characterized by physico-chemical methods such as XRD, XPS, DTA, BET, HRTEM and its degradation activity against parathionmethyl was measured by HPLC-DAD. This contribution is focused on interactions of nanoceria with environmentally important pollutant that can be decomposed or at least sorbed on its surface. These substances are usually used as pesticides or medicines. A significant motivation is to help to look for ways to reduce the total amount of hazardous substances in the environment.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructures NanoEnviCz (Project No. LM2018124) supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the project Pro-NanoEnviCz (Reg. No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001821) supported by the Ministry of Education , Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the European Union - European Structural and Investments Funds in the frame of Operational Programme Research Development and Education.
REFERENCES: [1] M.J. Manto, P. Xie, C. Wang, ACS Catal. 7 (2017) 1931-1938.; [2] P. Janos, P. Kuran, M. Kormunda, V. Stengl, T.M. Grygar, M. Dosek, M. Stastny, J. Ederer, V. Pilarova, L. Vrtoch, J. Rare Earths. 32 (2014) 360-370.; [3] J. Henych, V. Štengl, A. Mattsson, J. Tolasz, L. Österlund, J. Hazard. Mater. 359 (2018) 482-490.; [4] J. Tolasz, J. Henych, M. Šťastný, Z. Němečková, M.Š. Slušná, T. Opletal, P. Janoš, RSC Adv. 10 (2020) 14441-14450.

Genomics is, in a broader sense, a study of genes, their structure, function, expression, and gene expression regulation. Toxicogenomics applies genomic approaches and technologies (e.g. new generation sequencing) in toxicological studies to identify gene expression patterns and signatures as a response to exposure to toxic agents. Genome-wide gene expression profiling provides deeper understanding of how biological pathways respond to toxic substances. Nanomaterials (NMs) represent an extremely diverse group of chemicals with potentially specific mechanisms of interactions with biological systems. Toxicogenomic data can provide an insight into mechanisms of NM toxic effects, as well as into a required biological activity of nanomedicines. Toxicogenomics offers an efficient screening tool in searching for specific combinations of NM physicochemical properties with desirable biological behavior and favorable toxic profiles. Furthermore, similarities in gene expression profiles can be used to categorize NM sharing the same mechanisms of toxic action. Changes in the gene expression could also potentially assist to identify biomarkers of NM toxicity. Gene expression is modulated by a number of mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a type of small RNA that regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA. An ongoing study on miRNA analyses of M1 (pro-inflammatory, defensive) and M2 (anti-inflammatory, tissue healing) polarized murine macrophage exposed to cellulose nanofibres and multiwalled carbon nanotubes will be presented as an example of international collaboration within the NanoEnviCz infrastructure.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2018124.

Driven by the extent of tools provided by nanotechnology, humankind is changing the way for approaching current and future obstacles. Within this new vision, nanomaterials of all kinds are starting to be produced massively. Thus, to avoid a paradoxical scenario where we drown in the waste derived from the nanomaterials that were initially intended to help us, it is mandatory to cut-off the waste associated with their creation, usage, and disposal. In response to such a need, our team at the technical university of Liberec is devoted to developing three appealing laser-mediated synthesis pathways that promise to bring high-quality nanomaterials while avoiding the creation of chemical waste. Laser synthesis of colloids, laser surface modification of materials, and laser-mediated photoreduction of metal salts in solution. In brief, these methodologies are based on the irradiation of precursor elements like solids in bulk and structured or even molecular compounds. These „targets“ can be irradiated in controlled environments like liquid or gaseous mediums, and to date, the out-of-equilibrium conditions promoted by the laser-matter interactions occurring in these techniques have enabled us to produce various complex nanostructures. The most outstanding results derived from exploring them, and that will be discussed in the meeting, encompass the creation of Fe ultra-small nanoparticles for their use as nanofillers in smart fluids,1 the junction of photosensitive semiconductors to fabricate robust photocatalysts,2 the alloying of immiscible elements to generate non-conventional nanoalloys,3 and the superficial modification of polymeric membranes for improving their capacity to recover pure water from oily polluted sources.4
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2018124.
REFERENCES: [1] Cvek, M., et al. (2020). Laser-induced fragmentation of carbonyl iron as a clean method to enhance magnetorheological effect. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, 120182.; [2] Torres-Mendieta, R. O., et al. (2020). Toward Expanding the Optical Response of Ag2CrO4 and Bi2O3 by Their Laser-Mediated Heterojunction. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 124(48), 26404-26414.; [3] Torres-Mendieta, R., et al. (2019). Laser-assisted synthesis of Fe-Cu oxide nanocrystals. Applied Surface Science, 469, 1007-1015.; [4] Ettel, D., et al. (2021). Laser-synthesized Ag/TiO nanoparticles to integrate catalytic pollutant degradation and antifouling enhancement in nanofibrous membranes for oil-water separation. Applied Surface Science, 564, 150471.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which is also known as electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), represents one of the most widely used methods of electron spectroscopy. It is a well-established, surface-sensitive method for the chemical analysis of solid materials. By a detailed analysis of the peaks, energies, intensities and fine structures of the XPS spectrum, the chemical composition of the material can be described in detail. This contribution will in brief cover the basic principles of XPS, its possibilities and introduce its power in nanomaterial research through some examples of use.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by the Research Infrastructure NanoEnviCz, supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Project No. LM2018124.