Abstract Recently, latex (NRL) and natural rubber (NR) from Hevea brasiliensis have emerged as promising biomaterials from renewable sources for biomedical applications. Although some attempts at commercial applications have been made, there is a need to comprehensively document the state-of-the-art of these biopolymers for biomedical applications and regenerative medicine. Here we present the recent advances in the development of NRL and NR as biomedical materials with potential properties including biocompatibility and biodegradability. Due to the angiogenic properties of NRL and NR, well-defined functional materials can be used for drug delivery systems (oral/transdermal), scaffolds for skin and bone regeneration, and dressings for wound healing. The incorporation of drugs, nanoparticles, cells, and others into NRL and NR polymer chains offers a wide range of applications such as dressings with antimicrobial activity and sustained release systems. Concluding remarks on the growth of these biomaterials for biomedical applications and regenerative medicine were discussed.

Abstract Core-shell particles were produced on seeded suspension polymerization by using polystyrene (PS) as polymer core, or seed, and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as the shell forming monomer. Two synthesis routes were evaluated by varying the PS seed conversion before MMA addition. The main purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of synthesis routes on the morphology and chemical resistance of the resulting particles. 1H NMR spectroscopy showed that the use of PS seeds with lower conversion led to the formation of higher amount of poly(styrene-co-MMA). The copolymer acted as a compatibilizer, decreasing the interfacial energy between both homopolymers. As a consequence, a larger amount of reduced PMMA cluster were formed, as was revealed by TEM measurements. Samples in this system showed enhanced resistance to cyclohexane attack compared with pure PS, with a PS extraction of only 37% after 54 hours test.

This paper presents a review of different chemical compositions that are used in the production of mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes with the perovskite structure. In these dense membranes, oxygen from the air is permeated through ionic and electronic processes, and high oxygen permeation fluxes are observed at high temperatures (800-900 ºC). Various membranes were compared for their performance and properties after being synthesized by different methods.

The fabrication of mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) ceramic-based membranes for oxygen separation has extensively increased in the last three decades as a promising alternative of clean energy delivery. In recent years, the interest on supported MIEC membranes has increased due to their attractive properties such as higher mechanical strength and oxygen flux compared to self-supported membranes. This work presents a literature review on the development of supported MIEC membranes of perovskite structure. The concepts and transport mechanism of those membranes are explained and recent works on supported MIEC membranes are presented. Finally, manufacturing methods of self-supported membranes and their influence on oxygen permeation are discussed.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar formas de minimizar efeitos indesejáveis como a colmatação em leitos constituídos de argila através de sua fixação sobre a superfície de partículas poliméricas. Foram realizados ensaios preliminares aquecendo a argila Tonsil Terrana 580FF em estufas para se observar a variação da sua capacidade de adsorção de antocianinas de repolho roxo. Posteriormente, foram utilizadas 5 amostras de polietileno de alta densidade para a fixação da argila a temperaturas de 180°C-210°C durante 2 horas. As análises morfológicas das partículas obtidas foram realizadas através de microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os experimentos preliminares demonstraram um incremento máximo de 15,65% na capacidade adsortiva da argila (120°C, 30 horas) e 16,80% (170ºC, 2 horas). Estes resultados mostram que é possível obter pellets com depósito de adsorventes de fina granulometria fixados superficialmente.

The main purpose of this work was to produce a pellet to minimize undesirable effects in fixed beds, such as colmatation, through clay fixation on the surface of polymeric particles. Preliminary experiments were carried out by heating the clay, namely Tonsil Terrana 580FF, in order to observe variations on its capacity to adsorb anthocyanins derived from red cabbage. Clays was fixed on five samples of high density polyethylene (HDPE) at 180°C -210°C for two hours. The morphological analyses of the resulting particles were accomplished through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The experiments demonstrated an increase on clay's adsorptive capacity of 15.65% at 120°C for 30 hours and 16.80% at 170°C for two hours. The SEM analysis showed that the clay particles adhered on the external surface of the pellets .These results show that it is possible to obtain polymeric pellets using HDPE coated with clay.