Emulsion electrospinning is a method of modifying a fibers’ surface and functional properties by encapsulation of the bioactive molecules. In our studies, bovine serum albumin (BSA) played the role of the modifier, and to protect the protein during the electrospinning process, the W/O (water-in-oil) emulsions were prepared, consisting of polymer and micelles formed from BSA and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate–S) or nonionic (Tween 80–T) surfactant. It was found that the micelle size distribution was strongly dependent on the nature and the amount of the surfactant, indicating that a higher concentration of the surfactant results in a higher tendency to form smaller micelles (4–9 µm for S and 8–13 µm for T). The appearance of anionic surfactant micelles reduced the diameter of the fiber (100–700 nm) and the wettability of the nonwoven surface (up to 77°) compared to un-modified PCL polymer fibers (100–900 nm and 130°). The use of a non-ionic surfactant resulted in better loading efficiency of micelles with albumin (about 90%), lower wettability of the nonwoven fabric (about 25°) and the formation of larger fibers (100–1100 nm). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to detect the presence of the protein, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry was used to determine the loading efficiency and the nature of the release. The results showed that the location of the micelles influenced the release profiles of the protein, and the materials modified with micelles with the nonionic surfactant showed no burst release. The release kinetics was characteristic of the zero-order release model compared to anionic surfactants. The selected surfactant concentrations did not adversely affect the biological properties of fibrous substrates, such as high viability and low cytotoxicity of RAW macrophages 264.7.

The recent developments in the area of using starch in ceramics cover such fields like ceramic powders synthesis, where starch can be a polymerizing agent in sol–gel method or substrate for carbon spheres in hydrothermal synthesis, traditional ceramics manufacturing in which starch and its derivatives are being used as binders, rheological modifiers or even strengthening agents, as well as porous ceramics and bioceramics where starch plays mostly a role of pore forming agent. Due to the low dimensional changes occurring during the consolidation process, starch can help to control porosity of the bioceramics, which leads to better mechanical properties of the final product. Because of the gelation at low temperatures, it can be used as eco-friendly cross-linking agent for the synthesis of bioceramics, which shortens the process, as well. The goal of this work was to demonstrate the reader a broad range of starch applications in bioceramics. Because of its eco-friendly properties, ability to transformation into different compounds or being a good source of carbon etc., starch and its derivatives found a lot interest in the area of bioceramics manufacturing. In this study, due to the amount of available materials, attention was paid to the works written after 2005.

Due to their unique properties, hydrogels can be used in many areas of life and science. The main purpose of this work was to present the possibility of using hydrogels as a kind of fire retardant material itself and as a medium in fire retardant materials used, among others, as the extinguishing agents for fires and the suppression agents for the self-ignition of coal in mines (where their low viscosity and high ability to penetration of the protected material is used), protective layers in fabrics and the so-called robot skin (most often applied in the layer-by-layer system), filling in the fire retardant window panels (mostly hybrid hydrogels or hydrogel copolymers are used) and protective emulsions of the wooden elements used in construction and furniture joinery (mainly in combination with silicate and phosphate derivatives). In the presented applications, hydrogels can be used alone, e.g. due to the large water capacity and at the same time the possibility of dilution, or in combination with fire retardants, what very often allows for the multiplication of the extinguishing or fire retardant effect. Due to the multitude of available studies and the speed of scientific development, this review is focused mainly on publications written after 2015.