Guangyong Zhu’s research while affiliated with Shanghai Institute of Technology and other places

Thanaka powder is a natural and safe biomass material that can be used in the preparation of Pickering emulsions. It contains lots of hydrophilic phenolic hydroxyl groups, making it highly hydrophilic and leading to emulsion instability, which further limits its application in the cosmetics industry. In this paper, Thanaka powder was modified to improve its stability. The modified Thanaka powder was characterized and was used to prepare Pickering emulsions. The results showed that the stability of the Pickering emulsion increased with the increase of the solid particle concentration; the suitable oil-water ratio helped to obtain the Pickering emulsion with good stability; the different aqueous phase environments had little effect on the particle size variation of the emulsified particles; the emulsions exhibited shear thinning behavior. This study offers valuable insights into the research, development, and commercialization of Thanaka-based skincare products, thereby expanding the applications of Thanaka powder.

Isoeugenol is a fragrance material and possesses extensive pharmacological activities. However, its application is restricted because of poor water solubility, low bioavailability, instability, irritation, and volatility. Although encapsulation of isoeugenol in the cavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is a way to solve these similar problems, the formation mechanism and the interaction of isoeugenol and β-CD remain unclear. In this work, isoeugenol was encapsulated in β-CD to produce isoeugenol-β-cyclodextrin (IE-β-CD) inclusion complex. The product was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Molecular simulation was used to investigate the interaction between isoeugenol and β-CD and to reveal the formation mechanism. The results showed that IE-β-CD was successfully prepared. The molar ratio of isoeugenol to β-CD in the product is about 1:1. The negative chemical potentials indicate that the formation process of IE-β-CD is spontaneous. Isoeugenol lasted long, and its stability was improved. The isoeugenol release reaction order, activation energy, and pre-exponential factor were obtained as 0.5, 121.4 kJ/mol, and 5.3 × 10¹¹, respectively. The structure of IE-β-CD was optimized. The binding energies were − 119.0 and − 114.2 kJ/mol for orientations A and B, respectively. The binding energy and energy gap indicate that IE-β-CD formed by orientation A is relatively more stable than that formed by orientation B. Deformation and charge-transfer interaction occurring in the complexation process were driving factors to form stable IE-β-CD. Isoeugenol donates electrons to β-CD and as a whole carries positive charges. The energy gaps indicate that IE-β-CD has a relatively high activity compared with the free isoeugenol and β-CD.

The phase behaviors of mixed systems comprising the amino acid surfactant potassium cocoyl glycinate (PCG) and soap‐based surfactants, including potassium laurate (PL), potassium myristate (PM), potassium palmitate (PP), and potassium stearate (PS), were systematically investigated. The concentrations of the transition from spherical to rod‐like micelles of the mixed system were determined using conductivity. The phase transition temperatures were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The liquid crystal phases formed in the region of high surfactant concentration were initially investigated using polarized optical microscopy (POM), and the types of liquid crystal phases were further characterized using small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). Finally, the rheological behavior of different phase states was studied by varying the concentration and temperature. The results show that the mixed systems of PCG and soaps exhibit rich phase behavior, and the liquid crystal phases exhibit hexagonal and lamellar phase liquid crystals. The type of soap and the compounding ratio both affect phase behavior, specifically in terms of the extent of the phase region. Furthermore, the rheological properties of the sample are associated with the self‐assembled structure of the surfactant. This study provides a reference for the application of the mixtures of amino acid surfactants and soaps in detergents and cosmetics.

Betel nut possesses a distinctive flavour that appeals to specific consumers, despite the well‐documented risks of oral diseases associated with its use. Understanding the characteristic aroma of betel nut is essential for developing appealing substitutes. In this study, supercritical CO 2 fluid extraction was employed to obtain extracts from green and black betel nuts, and the volatile compounds were analysed using headspace solid‐phase microextraction. A total of 30 volatile compounds were identified in green betel nuts and 37 in black betel nuts. Through the odour activity value (OAV) method, 14 key aroma compounds were identified in black betel nuts (FD ≥ 16, OAV ≥ 1). These findings were further validated by aroma reconstitution and omission tests. The aroma synergy of these compounds was also examined using the S‐curve and σ‐τ methods, revealing that smoky compounds significantly masked the perception and intensity of other aroma components. This study provides valuable flavour data for the development of betel nut substitutes, which could contribute to reducing the health risks associated with betel nut consumption.

The change of spontaneous curvature of nonionic surfactants is related to temperature. The phase inversion of the emulsion system is induced by temperature change, which is called phase inversion temperature method. Experiments were carried out in which Ceteareth-12 (Alkyl polyglycol ether C16-18) and Ceteareth-20 (Alkyl polyglycol ether C16-18) were used as hydrophilic emulsifiers and fatty alcohol as lipophilic emulsifiers. It was found that the increase of HLB value of hydrophilic emulsifier, the decrease of fatty alcohol content or the increase of carbon atom number of fatty alcohol led to the increase of phase inversion temperature of the system. The experimental results also showed that when the hydrophilicity of emulsifier system was enhanced, the second phase inversion would be more obvious. The phase inversion temperature of ester oils is generally higher than that of alkane oils.

Quercetin (QC) has various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. However, due to its poor solubility and stability, the application of QC in clinical practice is limited. Nanosponge (NS), as a new drug carrier, can significantly improve the solubility of low-soluble drug components, and significantly improve the efficacy and bioavailability of drugs. In this paper, cyclodextrin nanosponges (CDNS) were synthesized by cross-linking β-cyclodextrin with diphenyl carbonate (DPC) in a green and safe synthetic pathway. As wall material, CDNS were further used to encapsulate quercetin and quercetin-cyclodextrin nanosponges (QCNS) were formed. The resultant CDNS and QCNS were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that CDNS and QCNS were successful prepared. The solubilizing impact of CDNS on quercetin was investigated. The results showed that its solubility in water was 176 times higher than that of pure QC. The cumulative release of quercetin and QCNS over 48 h and the cumulative transdermal penetration over 12 h were measured. The antioxidant and antibacterial properties of QCNS were determined. QCNS exhibited superior stability, permeability, and sustained-release properties compared to pure quercetin, and had notable bacteriostatic and antioxidant capabilities.

As a green and safe amino acid surfactant, sodium lauryl glutamate (SLG) has been favored by researchers. However, SLG has low solubility and its single system is not conducive to its application. Zwitterionic surfactants can increase its solubility by forming mixed micelles and possibly new phase states. In this paper, SLG was combined with lauramide propyl hydroxysulfobetaine (LHSB), and its different states were characterized. The type of phase states were determined and the pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were drawn. It was found that when the concentration of SLG was low and the proportion of SLG was not high, there were a large number of globular micelles in the solution, and rod-like micelles would appear as the concentration increased. As the concentration further increased, the SLG/LHSB system exhibited the characteristic of worm like micelles. With the further increase of concentration, the liquid crystal structures of hexagonal and layered phases were observed.