Biomaterials and biomembranes play a crucial role in a variety of applications, particularly in the medical field due to their ability to mimic natural biological structures and functions. Crosslinkers play also an important role in enhancing the structural integrity and functionality of biomaterials and in the design of biomembranes. This review article explores the fundamentals of biomaterials and biomembranes, with a particular focus on the role of crosslinkers in biology, chemistry and medicine. We explore the various types of crosslinkers commonly used in biomaterials synthesis, examining their chemical structure, classification, and synthesis methods. Additionally, we analyze the biological properties of crosslinkers and their interactions, highlighting their biological impact, particularly in cellular behavior and cytotoxicity. This article further emphasizes recent advances and innovation, particularly in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing. Finally, we conclude by addressing current challenges and suggesting potential futures directions for research in this field.
Applied electrochemistry (AE) plays today an important role in a wide range of fields, including energy conversion and storage, processes, environment, (bio)analytical chemistry, and many others. Electrochemical synthesis is now proven as a promising pathway to avoid all disadvantages in terms of high energy consumption and high pollution, while electrochemical modeling becomes a powerful tool to understand complex systems and predict and optimize the electrochemical devices under various conditions, which reduce study time and cost. The vital role of electrochemistry will greatly be considered in the upcoming years, aiming to reduce carbon footprints and supporting the transition towards a green and more sustainable energy framework. This review article summarizes the recent advances in applied electrochemistry. It shows how this field has become an indispensable tool for innovation, progress, problem-solving in the modern world, and addressing societal challenges across diverse fields.
Water pollution is one of the most critical societal and environmental challenges and remains a persisting problem worldwide. The origin of this pollution is diverse, while organic matter occupies a significant portion, originating from different sources. This creates major environmental and health risks, requiring reliable and sensitive analytical tools for effective monitoring. The permanganate index stands as a conventional assessment method for organic pollution, but it demonstrates compound non-specificity toward compounds and limited sensitivity to various contaminant structures. This research introduces cyclic voltammetry as a standalone electrochemical method that provides sensitive detection and characterization of organic oxidizing compounds. Six organic compounds, including gallic acid, phenol, oxalic acid, ascorbic acid, salicylic acid and p-benzoquinone, were used as model compounds and studied in aqueous media. These compounds were analyzed individually, in single-compound mode, to characterize their redox behavior and to identify the voltammetric peaks. Subsequently, a multi-compound analysis was studied to check for the validity of the concept in a more complex matrix. Notably, a strong linear correlation was observed between the measured charge and the theoretical permanganate index, highlighting the quantitative reliability of the electrochemical method. Comparing the obtained results with the permanganate index method confirmed the superiority of cyclic voltammetry in terms of response time and detection capability. The outcomes demonstrate that cyclic voltammetry functions as a robust alternative to the classical chemical oxidation method for environmental water assessment.