Bacterial nanocellulose and fibroin: natural products to produce a structure membranes

ABSTRACT Fibroin (FB) and bacterial nanocellulose (BC) are natural products, being used in biomedicine, electronics, food industries and other areas. Both show biocompatibility, able to be used for many different purposes. The blending of fibroin and bacterial nanocellulose was design to produce a biocompatible material to be applied with a medical device. For this reason, the objective of this work was to evaluate the structure properties of the blending of BC and FB. Thus, FB was extracted from Bombyx mori and BC was produced by fermentation process utilizing Gluconacetobacter xylinus. The membranes composed of BC-FB were produced by immersion contact for 24 hours, at 25°C, in 100rpm; without crosslinking agent. After the production the membrane samples were dried and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR spectroscopy), mechanical proprieties, swelling efficiency, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and computerized microtomography (µCt). Results indicate that the hydrogen-bonded porous membranes obtained displayed anisiotropic, closed and interconnected porous morphology. The morphometric characteristics, which resemble a honeycomb and consist of a long structure with high connectivity and high total porosity, amplify the areas of BC-FB blend applications, with potential utilization with optoelectronic devices, in areas ranging from environmental to tissue engineering. Furthermore, the production by immersion contact will allow the upscale process and the development of green label material.

A preliminary investigation into the relationship between plant health and branch labelling technique at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Anecdotal evidence exists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to suggest that branches bearing plant labels are more prone to die-back than those without labels. During 2010–2011 a preliminary study was undertaken in order to assess the accuracy of this hypothesis and to investigate the possible causes and viable alternatives. The study focused on whether there were patterns of damage with respect to label material and wire, plant species or the location of plantings. The study involved a survey of the Living Collection in the four RBGE Gardens, a web-based questionnaire sent out to Botanic Gardens Conservation International member gardens and analysis of branch material and labelling wire. This report provides the information obtained when the hypothesis was investigated and makes recommendations. An extended version, along with the data gathered, is available in the Library at RBGE (Bradley, 2011).