Chitosan (CS) and laponite (LAP) are both biocompatible materials, and modification can enrich them with enhanced bioactivity. This paper investigates the preparation of a composite antibacterial material based on quaternized chitosan (QCS) and modified lithium montmorillonite, as well as its antibacterial performance in shampoo applications. QCS was degraded via microwave-assisted hydrogen peroxide oxidation to enhance its solubility, and LAP was organically modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to impart its Malassezia adsorption capability, resulting in positively charged organic LAP. The successfully prepared QCS and CTAB-LAP composite materials were characterized and validated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Zeta potential analysis, rotational rheometry, and scanning electron microscopy. Experimental results demonstrate d that QCS with different molecular weights exhibits good antibacterial performance in aqueous media, and the composite material of QCS and CTAB-modified LAP significantly enhances the antibacterial effect through synergistic action. By optimizing the dosage and ratio of the antibacterial agents, the study identified the optimal formulation of the composite antibacterial agent for use in both aqueous media and base shampoo. QCS of various molecular weights demonstrated excellent antimicrobial performance in aqueous media. The QCS and CTAB-LAP composite material exhibited a synergistic enhancement in antimicrobial effect. Optimal formulations for the composite antimicrobial agents in aqueous media and base shampoo were identified by varying the amount and ratio of the components. In aqueous solution, composite mixtures with mass ratios of 9∶1, 5∶5, and 1∶9 achieved 100% antimicrobial efficacy after 10-fold dilution and 5 minutes of Malassezia strain contact. When added to base shampoo at a 9∶1 ratio (total mass fraction 0.14%) and diluted 100-fold, the composite maintained significant antimicrobial efficacy, reaching up to 70% effectiveness compared to commercial chemical anti-dandruff products. This study highlights the potential of the QCS and CTAB-LAP composite for practical application in anti-dandruff shampoos and paves the way for the development of natural and eco-friendly antimicrobial materials.

Hydrogels have three-dimensional network structures that have been widely applied owing to their high water content, excellent biocompatibility, and physicochemical properties. Compared with conventional hydrogels, sprayable hydrogels exhibit excellent temporal and spatial controllability. Biomass materials offer easy accessibility, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and other physicochemical properties that are extensively used in the formation of sprayable hydrogels. In situ formed biomass-based sprayable hydrogels are realized by chemical or physical crosslinking. Rapid spray filming, in situ drug delivery, high permeability, and flexible portability enable biomass-based sprayable hydrogels to show great potential for topical drug delivery, wound healing, and other applications. This review describes in detail the status of research on the preparation and application of biomass-based sprayable hydrogels and suggests prospects for their future development.

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) are considered to be a potential substrate of energy material for energy storage devices due to the foldable, lightweight, recyclable and environmentally friendly feature. However, the energy materials tend to distribute unevenly or fall off from CNF easily, resulting in the decrease of the devices’ overall performance. Here, for the first time, we used quaternized chitosan (QCS) as stabilizer and adhesive to in situ synthesize and deposite copper sulfide nanocrystals (CuS-NCs) on CNF and further obtained the conductive paper for flexible supercapacitors. In the presence of QCS, CuS-NCs deposited in situ on CNF can be capped and stabilized by the QCS molecular chains for uniform distribution, which is conducive to the capacitive behavior and electrochemical stability of composite paper. The result shows that the specific capacitance of the composite paper was as high as 314.3 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g, a high rate capacitance of 252.6 F/g was achieved even at a high current density of 10 A/g. It reveals that the composite paper exhibited better electrochemical performance than many other CuS-based electrode materials for supercapacitor. More importantly, the composite paper performed well in various folding state without changing much electrochemical performance. Therefore, this work provides a novel strategy to in situ fabricate paper-based electrode for next- generation flexible energy-storage system.