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Supercritical Processing and Applications in Materials

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Supercritical fluid (SCF)-based techniques are attracting growing interest among researchers and industry as a green alternative to traditional processes, thanks to the properties of SCFs such as liquid-like densities and gas-like transport properties that can be tuned in varying process operative conditions (i.e., pressure and temperature). In particular, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most frequently used supercritical fluid thanks to its mild critical temperature (31.1 °C), low critical pressure (73.8 bar), and inertness. Depending on the role played by supercritical CO₂, different processes have been successfully used for the production of various porous materials (like aerogels, membranes, and foams), micro- and nanoparticles, co-precipitates, liposomes, and so on.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect research and review papers on different supercritical CO₂ applications in the production of advanced materials at enhanced properties, to be used in the pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, and energy fields.

Dr. Lucia Baldino
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

supercritical CO₂
micro- and nanoparticles
aerogels
membranes
foams
liposomes
scaffolds
drug delivery
supercapacitors
modelling

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Salicylic Acid Co-Precipitation with Alginate via Supercritical Atomization for Cosmetic Applications

by Lucia Baldino and Ernesto Reverchon

Materials 2022, 15(21), 7634; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217634 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1574

Abstract

Alginate-based microparticles were produced via supercritical assisted atomization (SAA) with the aim of obtaining a biocompatible and low-cost carrier for the delivery of active compounds in cosmetic applications. Salicylic acid was selected as an active model compound, and it was co-precipitated with alginate via SAA, operating at 82 bar and 80 °C. In particular, the drug-to-polymer weight ratio was fixed at 1/4, whereas polymer concentration was varied from 5 to 20 mg/mL in the starting aqueous solution. Operating in this way, alginate-salicylic acid microparticles were characterized by a mean diameter of 0.72 ± 0.25 µm, and the active compound became amorphous after processing. A salicylic acid encapsulation efficiency close to 100% was reached, and the drug release time from the biopolymeric microparticles was prolonged up to nine times with respect to untreated salicylic acid powder. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Supercritical Processing and Applications in Materials)

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Review

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19 pages, 2054 KiB

Open AccessReview

Polysaccharide-Based Aerogel Production for Biomedical Applications: A Comparative Review

by Mariangela Guastaferro, Ernesto Reverchon and Lucia Baldino

Materials 2021, 14(7), 1631; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14071631 - 26 Mar 2021

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4927

Abstract

A comparative analysis concerning bio-based gels production, to be used for tissue regeneration, has been performed in this review. These gels are generally applied as scaffolds in the biomedical field, thanks to their morphology, low cytotoxicity, and high biocompatibility. Focusing on the time interval 2015–2020, the production of 3D scaffolds of alginate, chitosan and agarose, for skin and bone regeneration, has mainly been investigated. Traditional techniques are critically reviewed to understand their limitations and how supercritical CO₂-assisted processes could overcome these drawbacks. In particular, even if freeze-drying represents the most widespread drying technique used to produce polysaccharide-based cryogels, supercritical CO₂-assisted drying effectively allows preservation of the nanoporous aerogel structure and removes the organic solvent used for gel preparation. These characteristics are essential for cell adhesion and proliferation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Supercritical Processing and Applications in Materials)

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