Selestina GorgievaUniversity of Maribor | UM · Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Selestina Gorgieva
PhD
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57
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1,743
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Citations since 2017
Publications
Publications (57)
In this work, fully polysaccharide based membranes were presented as self-standing, solid polyelectrolytes for application in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). For this purpose, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were modified successfully with an organosilane reagent, resulting in quaternized CNFs (CNF (D)), as shown by Fourier Transform Infr...
The presented study focuses on the modification of polypropylene (PP) film with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) under heterogeneous conditions via polydopamine/polyethylene imine (PDA/PEI) chemistry using a facile dip-coating procedure to attain hydrophilic mineral-rich surfaces. Thus, the resulting PP-based films were further immersed in ion-rich...
Freeze‐casting is a solidification technique that is used for fabrication of self‐standing porous materials. Controlled manipulation with internal and external parameters, affecting the freeze‐casting procedure, including freezing agents, additives, particles shape and size, mold surface, cooling temperature, and kinetic, allows formation of the cu...
Stimuli‐responsive materials, with the ability to react or to adapt to the environmental changes, present the most rapidly evolving class of materials. Made from polysaccharides, they are able to respond to physiological changes triggered by different changes found in nature (pH, temperature, light, sound, etc.). Combining polysaccharides unique pr...
This paper presents the results of research on the preparation and properties of GO/BC nanocomposite from bacterial cellulose (BC) modified with graphene oxide (GO) using the in situ method. Two bacterial strains were used for the biosynthesis of the BC: Komagataeibacter intermedius LMG 18909 and Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans LMG 18788. A simple...
Determining the optimum layer thickness, for the anode and cathode, is of utmost importance for minimizing the costs of the alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) without lowering the electrochemical performance. In this study, the influence of layer thickness on the performance of the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and oxygen reduction reactio...
Herein, we introduced the fully polysaccharide-based membranes as self-standing, solid polyelectrolytes for anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) application. To this end, cellulose nanofibrils CNFs have been successfully modified by organosilane reagent, yielding the quaterized-CNFs (CNF (D)) as evidenced by FTIR, 13C NMR, TGA/DSC and ζ potent...
Poseben problem odpadkov v tekstilni industriji predstavljajo odpadne tehnološke vode, predvsem tiste, ki nastajajo pri plemenitenju tekstilij. Te odpadne vode so močno obremenjene, vsebujejo različne kemikalije in tekstilna pomožna sredstva, imajo ekstremne pH-vrednosti in visoke KPK in BPK vrednosti, različne tipe organskih barvil, kar povzroča o...
In this work, we present novel, sustainable filters based on bacterial cellulose (BC) functionalized with low-pressure argon plasma (LPP-Ar). The “green” production process involved BC biosynthesis by Komagataeibacter xylinus, followed by simple purification, homogenization, lyophilization, and finally LPP-Ar treatment. The obtained LPP-Ar-function...
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, textile laundering hygiene has proved to be a fundamental measure in preventing the spread of infections. The first part of our study evaluated the decontamination efficiency of various treatments (thermal, photothermal, and microwave) for bio contaminated textiles. The effects on textile decontamination...
Due to the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resultant pandemic, there has been a major surge in the demand for surgical masks, respirators, and other air filtration devices. Unfortunately, the fact that these filters are made of petrochemical-derived, non-biodegradable polymers means that the surge in production has also led to a surge...
Fuel cells are a promising technology for energy production, but their commercialization is hindered mainly due to high costs. Direct alkaline ethanol fuel cells (DAFC) are receiving increasing attention as they can utilize cheaper, non-precious metal catalysts. A vital component of a DAFC is the anion exchange membrane (AEM). Currently, the commer...
The paper reports on the processing of chitosan N-doped reduced graphene oxide (CS/N-rGO) nanocomposite membranes prepared by a facile, dispersion-casting procedure aimed as anion exchange membranes in fuel cells. Genipin (GEN) was used as a crosslinking agent to ameliorate mechanical weakens of nanocomposite membranes, while the N-rGO filler, asid...
Infectious diseases along with various cancer types are among the most significant public health problems and the leading cause of death worldwide. The situation has become even more complex with the rapid development of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. New drugs are urgently needed to curb the increasing spread of diseases in humans and livesto...
The most frequent neutralisation procedure, applied on chitosan (CS) films includes treatment with NaOH base. Such treatment endows CS films with stability in water, yet, same can significantly decrease the film performance. In the present paper, we investigate Mg(OH) 2 nanoparticles as a neutralisation agent for CS solutions followed by casting in...
The rapid growth in wearable technology has recently stimulated the development of conductive textiles for broad application purposes, i.e., wearable electronics, heat generators, sensors, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, optoelectronic and photonics. Textile material, which was always considered just as the interface between the weare...
Herein, we prepared a series of nanocomposite membranes based on chitosan (CS) and
three compositionally and structurally different N-doped graphene derivatives. Two-dimensional (2D) and quasi 1D N-doped reduced graphene oxides (N-rGO) and nanoribbons (N-rGONRs), as well as 3D porous N-doped graphitic polyenaminone particles (N-pEAO), were synthesi...
Nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (N-doped GO), prepared by a facile hydrothermal reaction of GO with melamine as nitrogen source was studied as a filler in chitosan (CS) based anion exchange membranes (AEM) used in alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells. The structures and functional properties of the N-doped synthesized fillers (N level as high...
The size and distribution of the photoluminescent pigment particles within the selected binder may affect the quality and appearance of the final print significantly. Yet, the techniques for precise evaluation of size distri¬bution of the pigment particles within a 3D fabric space are rather limited, based on their intrinsic fluorescent properties....
The use of biomass to produce value-adding materials is a core objective of the circular economy, which has attracted great research interest in recent decades. In this context, we present here a simple dispersion-casting process for consolidation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), lignosulphonate (LS)-rich bio-waste and CaCl2 in composite membranes....
Vaje »Sodobni postopki barvanja in barva« obravnavajo sistematiko in nomenklaturo barvil, fizikalno kemijo barvalnih procesov ter uporabo naprednih materialov in tehnik pri procesu barvanja. Največji del je posvečen posebnim postopkom, ki omogočajo sodoben način barvanja ob istočasnem doseganju višjega nivoja kakovosti tako v smislu ekologije, kot...
Prisotnost barvil v odpadni vodi je nesprejemljiva tako iz estetskega kot tudi iz ekološkega stališča. Problematika prvega izhaja iz dejstva, da so odpadne vode, ki vsebujejo barvila, intenzivno obarvane že pri zelo nizkih koncentracijah barvil. Bolj pereča kot estetska je okoljska problematika barvil v odpadni vodi. Objektivno tveganje, ki ga pred...
Alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AAEMFC) are attracting ever-increasing attention, as they are promising electrochemical devices for energy production, presenting a viable opponent to the more researched proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Consequently, great progress has been made in the area of designing and developing synth...
In the present study, cotton (Co) and polyester (PES) fabrics were screen-printed with a conductive poly3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) printing paste along with a commercially-available screen-printing binder (SFXC) or waterborne polyurethane resin (WPU), in order to enhance wash and wear durability, and to improve som...
The unique pool of features found in intracellular and extracellular bacterial biopolymers attracts a lot of research, with bacterial cellulose (BC) being one of the most versatile and common. BC is an exopolysaccharide consisting solely of cellulose, and the variation in the production process can vary its shape or even its composition when compou...
In order to minimize the pollution caused by the reuse of textile dyes, technologies and materials have been developed that purify waste water in an efficient and cost-effective manner before it is discharged into a water body. In this context, the presented research investigates the potential of two types of fully cellulose-based membranes as adso...
This work concerns freeze-dry processing of CNF aerogels, including aluminum hydroxide trihidrate (Alolt) particles and Sodium silicate, as active and passive flame retardants, respectively. Alkalinity of Sodium silicate promotes stability, dissociation and co-precipitation of Al(OH)3 component onto CNFs. The (auto)fluorescence-enabled confocal mic...
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is ultrafine, nanofibrillar material with an exclusive combination of properties such as high crystallinity (84%–89%) and polymerization degree, high surface area (high aspect ratio of fibers with diameter 20–100 nm), high flexibility and tensile strength (Young modulus of 15–18 GPa), high water-holding capacity (over 100 t...
The presented study focuses on photoluminescent pigments applied on cotton fabric by a screen-printed procedure using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a binder. Microscopic data depicts irregular shapes and relatively wide size distribution (3–80 µm) of pigments. Regarding composition, the Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared...
Bacterial cellulose (BC)-gelatin (GEL) membranes were processed by successive periodate oxidation and a freeze-thawing/carbodiimide crosslinking procedure, first facilitating a Schiff-base reaction among respective aldehyde and hydroxyl groups, and later GEL stabilization and microstructuring. The formation of highly microporous structures within t...
Water-stable and eco-friendly membranes were fabricated from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) acting as anionic adsorbent and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as strengthening filler by solvent- and unidirectional freeze-casting processes, both supported with simultaneous citric acid (CA) mediated cross-linking. Spectroscopic, thermogravimetric and potent...
Water hardness not only constitutes a significant hazard for the functionality of water infrastructure but is also associated with health concerns. Commonly, water hardness is tackled with synthetic ion-exchange resins or membranes that have the drawbacks of requiring the awkward disposal of saturated materials and being based on fossil resources....
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the tooth supporting structures - the alveolar bone in particular, to extent of eventual tooth loss. Among others, the guided tissue regeneration (GTR) procedure including placement of occlusive barrier membrane is very promising approach. Herein we develop chitosan (CHT) / gelatin (GEL) bil...
Beyond providing barrier function, the advanced materials in guided tissue regeneration (GTR) concept are further prompt to foster regeneration of distinct interfacing tissues. Herein we develop chitosan (CHT)/gelatin (GEL) bilayer membranes via successive solvent– and freeze–casting procedures and genipin (GEN) cross-linking chemistry. By utilizin...
Magnesium (Mg)-based alloys have been emerging as innovative orthopedic materials due to their light weight and excellent biocompatibility. However, their too rapid degradation and subsequent loss of mechanical integrity before the bone tissue regeneration limits their applications. The presented study introduces in situ cross-linked gelatine (GEL)...
Medical textiles (MedTech), as the cross-point of (bio)polymer chemistry, textile technology, and medical science, represent the most emerging technical textile area, evidencing innovations far beyond the "classical." In that frame, a state of the art is presented for implantable MedTech products as the most demanding (by functionality and safety)...
Covalent conjugation of (bis)phosphonate group-containing molecules, sodium Alendronate (Aln) and 3-AminoropylPhosphoric Acid (ApA), to Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was performed via oxidation/Shiff-base reaction. Further fluorescent labelling with Rhodamine B Iso ThioCyanate (RBITC) was performed to follow CNCs interaction and potential internali...
The effect of the coupling approach (chemical by using carbodiimide chemistry, and enzymatic by using transglutaminase) of a hydrophilic ε-poly-L-lysine (εPL) and a structurally-hydrophobic oligo-acyl-lysyl (OAK) to a gelatine (GEL) macromolecule, and their antibacterial activity against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria, a...
Cellulose-nanofibrils (CNFs) enriched gelatine (GEL) scaffolds were fabricated in-situ by the combined freeze-thawing process and carbodiimide crosslinking chemistry. The original- and variously surface anionised CNFs (carboxylated/CNF-COOH/, and phosphonated with 3-AminoPropylphosphoric Acid/CNF-COOH-ApA/) were used in order to tune the scaffolds'...
The recent developments of self- and site-specific delivery drugs place biomimetics as an emerging science field, already proved as feasible both from a design, as well as engineering/ processing standpoint. The preparation of super hydrophobic surfaces, protein- (or self-) growing carriers and layer-by-layer assembling are some of the preparative...
Correction for ‘Mechanically strong, flexible and thermally stable graphene oxide/nanocellulosic films with enhanced dielectric properties’ by Yasir Beeran P. T. et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 49138–49149.
Flexible and eco-friendly films, with enhanced dielectric properties and the potential for energy storage applications, have been fabricated from ammonia-functionalized graphene oxide (NGO) nanoplatelets and wood-based cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) vs. (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) pre-oxidized (carboxylated) CNFs (TCNF) by the solv...
The assembling (self-association vs. aggregation or agglomeration) of highly polydispersed nanocelluloses (NCs) is a well-known but difficult to identify phenomena. In this research complementary analytical tools were applied for tracking and assessing this phenomena under different conditions (base vs. buffer) using both native and dye-labelled ce...
Porous gelatin (GEL) cryogels were processed by spatiotemporal and temperature-controlled gelation and freezing-lyophilizaton process, followed by zero-length cross-linking, using different molarities of reagents (EDC and NHS) and reaction media (100% PBS or 20/80% PBS/EtOH mixture) for variable time extensions (1-24 h). In this way, tuneable cryog...
This article present new insights in complex relation between surface- and interface-related physicochemical properties and microstructuring of three-dimensional (3D) gelatin scaffolds, being fabricated by simultaneous temperature-controlled freeze-thawing cycle and in situ cross-linking using variable conditions (pH) and molarity of carbodiimide r...
Novel, polypropylene mesh (PPmesh) – gelatin scaffold (GELscaffold) composites are prepared from O2-plasma activated PPmesh, coated with GEL solution being in-situ structured in a 3D scaffold with by-preparation tuned, gradual porosity. The fabricated biomimetic-like composites demonstrate frequency-dependent rheological behaviour and high (up to 1...
Understanding biocompatibility of materials and scaffolds is one of the main challenges in the field of tissue engineering and regeneration. Complex nature of cell-biomaterial interaction requires extensive preclinical functionality testing by studying specific cell responses to different biomaterial properties, from morphology and mechanics to sur...
The crosslinking of chitosan (CHT) and gelatin (GEL) accomplished with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) was investigated and optimized in relation to hydrogels stability by varying the CHT/GEL mass ratio and the EDC/NHS molar ratio at different and constant EDC concentrations. Hydroge...
A new strategy for the functionalization of chitosan with caffeic acid (CA) or gallic acid (GA) using laccase from Trametes versicolor is presented for the first time, yielding a product with modulated antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. UV–vis spectroscopy coupled to HPLC-SEC analysis and cyclic voltammetry kinetic studies showed that laccas...
This paper investigates the enzymatic hydrolysis of three main allomorphic forms of microcrystalline cellulose using different cellulases, from Trichoderma reesei and from Aspergillus niger, respectively. It was demonstrated that both the morphological and crystalline structures are important parameters that have a great influence on the course of...
Projects
Projects (9)
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The research of naturally produced polymers for high-value applications, such as biomedical, cosmetics, nutrition, etc., is currently an attractive topic. Bacteria are the main cell factories for producing exopolysaccharides as a principal component of the biofilm matrix. The production of bacterial exopolysaccharides is based on the ability of bacteria in the conversion of a wide range of carbon sources in a large variety of biopolymers, such as cellulose, alginate, hyaluronate, levan and dextran. Exopolysaccharides produced by bacteria are receiving more attention thanks to their unique properties, such as high purity and biocompatibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications in many fields, ranging from biomedical, such as nutritional, cosmetics, regenerative medicine, to environmental and food applications. The development of bacterial exopolysaccharides and their in situ/ex situ modification strategies, including synthetic biology, are continuously evolving, allowing the formulation of new tailor-made bio-based materials for high-value products.
In this context, the aim of this Special Issue is to explore new advances and challenges in bacterial exopolysaccharide-based materials, focusing on the following topics:
Bacterial exopolysaccharides production: description of bacterial species and biological mechanisms for biopolymer production; optimization of culture conditions; formulation of alternative media;
Formulation of new bio-based materials: advances in methodologies and strategies for bacterial biopolymer modification using conventional (i.e., in situ or ex situ modification) or innovative approaches (i.e., genetic engineering);
Characterization towards specific application niche: chemical-physical, morphological and mechanical characterization, and biocompatibility.
Dr. Salvatore La China
Dr. Maria Gullo
Dr. Selestina Gorgieva
Guest Editors
https://www.mdpi.com/si/109769
The general aim of the project is to develop bioactive, nanofibrillar bacterial cellulose membranes as a new bio textile for the biomedical application while utilizing a new carbon source and an innovative in situ modification pathway.
Processing and applications of different types of nanocellulose for biomedical use present a non-exhaustible source of research ideas, encouraging many teams worldwide to work on it.
To this end, we invite the researchers to submit original research and review articles, as well as perspective articles, providing critical insights on the current state of the art in terms of their prospective development within short- and medium time projections, while covering the topics listed below:
• NCs processing and modifications
• NCs particles, membranes, hydrogels, and aerogels
• NCs/polymer- based composites with biomedical relevance
• Antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal NC composites
• NCs in regenerative medicine
• NCs toxicity and safety
Full text of this Research Topic is available on: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/17376/up-to-date-developments-of-nanocellulose-towards-materials-with-medical-benefits