Objectives: To quantify quercetin, gallic acid, rutin, naringin, and caffeic acid in the rhizome of Zingiber officinale different extracts in seven different solvents (methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, water, dichloromethane, chloroform, and n-hexane), for the first time, using HPLC/UV. Also, to study the anticancer activity of Zingiber officinale different extracts by evaluating its in vitro toxicity on HT-29 colorectal cancer cell line. Methods: The fresh and dried rhizomes were extracted using Soxhlet (SOX) and maceration (MAC) methods. Separation of compounds was conducted using HPLC. The cell line used for MTT cell proliferation assay antiproliferative; is HT-29 (HTB-38) colorectal adenocarcinoma. Results: The MTT test indicated that powder ginger extracted by MAC or SOX showed high cytotoxicity activity (IC₅₀<50) against HT-29 cells, except water using SOX, which showed mild cytotoxicity activity. The fresh ginger extracted by MAC using dichloromethane and those extracted by SOX using ethyl acetate showed strong cytotoxicity activity (IC₅₀ <50). Conclusion: The phenolic and flavonoid contents of ginger can vary depending on the different extracts from ginger plant. Also, HPLC results revealed that quercetin was the highest in all extracts.

Although chitosan (CS) is used in many industries because of its low cost, biodegradability, nontoxic, antibacterial, and antioxidant qualities, it lacks sufficient mechanical and barrier properties. Biodegradable polymers based on CS, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and starch (S) were prepared at various ratios (1/3/6 and 1/5/4) via a blending polymerization process in the presence of water as the solvent and glacial acetic acid as the catalyst. The obtained biodegradable polymers were characterized via FTIR, TGA, SEM, and mechanical tests. The biodegradable polymers were mixed with rice straw and carbon black to study the effects of rice straw and carbon black on the physicomechanical properties of the biodegradable polymer films, including viscosity, tensile strength, elongation, and contact angle. The incorporation of rice straw and carbon black into a polymer blend significantly enhanced the physical and mechanical properties while also boosting their biodegradability by 36% and 15%, respectively, due to their biological activity. Notably, the CS/PVA/S blend with a ratio of 1/5/4, combined with rice straw, emerged as the standout performer. It exhibited superior mechanical strength and the shortest degradation time, outperforming the CS/PVA/S blended with a ratio of 1/3/6 mixed with carbon black. According to these findings, the biodegradable polymers became more soluble as the temperature increased from 30 to 45 °C.

Despite its broad application due to its affordability, biodegradability, and natural antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, chitosan (CS) still exhibits limitations in mechanical strength and barrier effectiveness. Owing to its unique chemical characteristics, itaconic acid (IT) presents potential as a compatibilizing agent in polymeric blend formulations. Biodegradable polymers composed of chitosan (CS), itaconic acid (IT), and starch (S) were synthesized using two polymerization methods. The first method involved grafting IT onto CS at varying ratios of IT (4%, 6%, and 8% wt.), using 1% v/v acetic acid/water as the solvent and potassium persulfate as the initiator. In the second approach, starch (S) was blended with the copolymer P(CS-g-IT) at concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 5%, utilizing water as the solvent and glacial acetic acid as a catalyst. The resulting biodegradable films underwent characterization through FTIR, TGA, SEM, and mechanical property analysis. To further explore the effects of combining IT, starch, and carbon black, the blends, referred to as P[(CS-g-IT)-b-S], were also loaded with carbon black. This allowed for the evaluation of the materials’ physicomechanical properties, such as viscosity, tensile strength, elongation, and contact angle. The findings demonstrated that the presence of IT, starch, and carbon black collectively improved the films’ mechanical performance, physical traits, and biodegradability. Among the samples, the blended copolymer with 1% starch exhibited the highest mechanical properties, followed by the grafted copolymer with 8% IT and the blended copolymer mixed with carbon black at 7%. In contrast, the blended copolymer with 5% starch showed the highest hydrophilicity and the shortest degradation time compared to the grafted copolymer with 8% IT and the blended copolymer mixed with 7% carbon black.

The physical and mechanical properties of mortar containing synthetic cosurfactants as air entraining agent are investigated. The cosurfactants consist of a combination of 2% dodecyl benzene sodium sulfonate (DBSS) and either 1.5% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or 1.5% polyoxyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (POE). Also these cosurfactants were used to prepare copolymers latex: styrene/butyl methacrylate (St/BuMA), styrene/methyl methacrylate (St/MMA), and styrene/glycidyl methacrylate (St/GMA), in order to study their effects on the properties of mortar. The properties of mortar examined included flow table, W/C ratio, setting time, water absorption, compressive strength, and combined water. The results indicate that the latex causes improvement in mortar properties compared with cosurfactants. Also polymer latex containing DBSS/POE is more effective than that containing DBSS/PVA.

Corrosion-resistant coatings are essential for prolonging the lifespan of metal structures, yet conventional formulations often lack sufficient mechanical strength and chemical durability. This study focuses on the development of polyurethane/epoxy hybrid coatings (PUAE) with varying epoxy resin content (5%, 10%, and 15% by weight) to enhance performance. The hybrid films demonstrated improved mechanical properties with increasing epoxy content, including a rise in tensile strength from 39.1 MPa (PUA) to 86.3 MPa (PUAE15) and adhesion from 2.5 MPa to 8.3 MPa. Hardness also increased from 69 Shore A to 98 Shore A, while elongation at break decreased from 158% to 95%, indicating a shift toward a stiffer material. The thermal stability, assessed by TGA, showed higher degradation temperatures, with PUAE15 reaching a maximum decomposition temperature of 390 °C, compared to 320 °C for pure polyurethane. Viscosity at 5 rpm increased from 12.300 mPa·s to 18.563 mPa·s, and the contact angle improved from 105° to 149°, highlighting enhanced hydrophobicity. PUAE15 also displayed superior resistance to solvents and acidic environments. These results affirm that epoxy content significantly influences the structural, mechanical, and corrosion-resistant properties of polyurethane-based coatings, making PUAE15 a promising candidate for advanced anticorrosive applications.

Copolymer emulsion lattices based on styrene (St) with methacrylate monomers, were synthesized with composition ratio (5/5) in the presence of a co-surfactants that consists of dodecyl benzene sodium sulfonate with polyvinyl alcohol (DBSS/PVA) and DBBS with polyoxyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DBBS/POE). The obtained latices were characterized by ¹H NMR, rheological and morphological techniques. The effect of latices on the physicomechanical properties of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) pastes was investigated. The results showed that the addition of water mixed to the cement with copolymer improves most of the specific characteristics of OPC.