Two types of mesoporous materials, MCM-41 and MCM-48, were functionalized by the soft-template method using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as a modifying agent. The obtained mesoporous silica materials were loaded with trans-ferulic acid (FA). In order to establish the morphology and structure of mesoporous materials, a series of specific techniques were used such as: X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We monitored the in vitro release of the loaded FA at two different pH values, by using simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). Additionally, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of FA loaded mesoporous silica materials. In conclusion such functionalized mesoporous materials can be employed as controlled release systems for polyphenols extracted from natural sources.

This review covers recent compositions of bioactive glass, with a specific emphasis on both inorganic and organic materials commonly utilized as matrices for injectable materials. The major objective is to highlight the predominant bioactive glass formulations and their clinical applications in the biomedical field. Previous studies have highlighted the growing interest among researchers in bioactive glasses, acknowledging their potential to yield promising outcomes in this field. As a result of this increased interest, investigations into bioactive glass have prompted the creation of composite materials and, notably, the development of injectable composites as a minimally invasive method for administering the material within the human body. Injectable materials have emerged as a promising avenue to mitigate various challenges. They offer several advantages, including minimizing invasive surgical procedures, reducing patient discomfort, lowering the risk of postoperative infection and decreasing treatment expenses. Additionally, injectable materials facilitate uniform distribution, allowing for the filling of defects of any shape.

Melissa officinalis is an important medicinal plant that is used and studied intensively due to its numerous pharmacological effects. This plant has numerous active compounds with biomedical potential; some are volatile, while others are sensitive to heat or oxygen. Therefore, to increase stability and prolong biological activities, the natural extract can be loaded into various nanostructured systems. In this study, different loading systems were obtained from mesoporous silica, like Mobile Composition of Matter family (MCM) with a hexagonal (MCM-41) or cubic (MCM-48) pore structure, simple or functionalized with amino groups (using 3-aminopropyl) such as triethoxysilane (APTES). Thus, the four materials were characterized from morphological and structural points of view by scanning electron microscopy, a BET analysis with adsorption–desorption isotherms, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and a thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry. Natural extract from Melissa officinalis was concentrated and analyzed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography to identify the polyphenolic compounds. The obtained materials were tested against Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts and against both reference strains and clinical strains belonging to Gram-positive bacteria that were previously isolated from intra-hospital infections. The highest antimicrobial efficiency was found against Gram-positive and fungal strains. Good activity was also recorded against methicillin-resistant S. aureus, the Melissa officinalis extract inhibiting the production of various virulence factors.

This study proposed an approach for the enhancement of coarse wool from a Romanian sheep breed—Țurcana—for its utilization as a sustainable and efficient thermal insulation material. The process involved washing with a non-polar solvent, to eliminate lanoline and impurities from the raw sheep wool, followed by an impregnation with a binder, dolomite, and copper nanoparticles. The structural and elemental changes were analyzed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The antimicrobial effects of copper nanoparticles were analyzed on two bacterial strains. The proposed enhancement process creates a barrier against harmful biodeterioration activities by bacteria.

The current work deals with specific investigations on the ceramic fragment samples from the archaeological site of Topolița (Eastern Romania), which is essentially unexplored to date. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has shown that the ceramics contain quartz, berlinite, mica (muscovite), calcite, and opaque minerals, such as hematite. All evidence indicates the use of raw materials with a low limestone content (poor Ca clays) for the manufacture of these ceramics (Ca < 3.6%). The wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) measurements indicated the presence of Al, Si, Fe, Ca, Zn, P, and K. All these data are well correlated with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), which is used as an additional technique of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Through thermogravimetry and porosimetry, some information have been obtained, with the results being correlated with the chromatic parameters that characterize the samples after burning: Various shades of color (red color with sparkles and partially or totally black interior), differently colored engobes, white pigment encrusted with white color from calcite, gypsum, clays, and quartz, as well as carbon deposits in the pores of the pottery, all specific to the Chalcolithic ceramics from this region. The recorded FTIR spectra of these samples led to the identification of calcite, quartz, gypsum, and aluminum phosphate, present as berlinite in all the pottery specific to this area. In addition, the presence/absence and the amount of specific chemical elements in the white pigments (e.g., calcium, aluminum, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur) could be used as indicative for the identified mineral compounds (XRD and FTIR). Calcite and silica-rich sediments as the primary decoration pigments, have been identified in this case.

In recent years, algae have emerged as a promising feedstock for biofuel production, due to their eco-friendly, sustainable, and renewable nature. Various methods, including chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical processes, are used to convert algal biomass into biofuels. Pyrolysis, a widely recognized thermochemical technique, involves high temperature and pressure to generate biochar and bio-oil from diverse algal sources. Various pyrolytic processes transform algal biomass into biochar and bio-oil, including low pyrolysis, fast pyrolysis, catalytic pyrolysis, microwave-assisted pyrolysis, and hydropyrolysis. These methods are utilized to convert a range of microalgae and cyanobacteria into biochar and bio-oil. In this publication, we will discuss catalytic pyrolysis using mesoporous materials, such as SBA-15. Mesoporous catalysts have earned significant attention for catalytic reactions, due to their high surface area, facilitating the better distribution of impregnated metal. Pyrolysis conducted in the presence of a mesoporous catalyst is viewed more as efficient, compared to reactions occurring within the smaller microporous cavities of traditional zeolites. SBA-15 supports with incorporated Zr and/or Ce were synthesized using the direct hydrothermal synthesis method. The catalyst was characterized using structural and morphological technical analysis and utilized for the pyrolysis reaction of the algal biomass.