Sodium hydroxide (naoh)

Sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) was purchased from EMD Millipore Corporation (Germany). Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (USA). 50 mM Na₂SO₄, HCl with varied concentrations (0.1 mM, 1 mM, 10 mM, 100 mM and 1 M) and NaOH with varied concentrations (0.1 mM, 1 mM, 10 mM, 100 mM and 1 M) were prepared using ≥ 18 MΩ Milli-Q water produced from a Millipore system (Millipore Co., USA). PBS (Gibco™, 1×, pH 7.2) was purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA). Luria-Bertani (LB) Broth, Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB), Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) Broth and Nutrient Broth (NB) were purchased from Becton, Dickinson and Company (USA). Nuclease free water for PCR was purchased from Promega Corporation (USA).

Gadolinium chloride hexahydrate ([GdCl₃, 6H₂O], 99.999%), sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 99.99%), tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OC₂H₅)₄, TEOS, 98%), aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (H₂N(CH₂)₃-Si(OC₂H₅)₃, APTES, 99%), triethylamine (TEA, 99.5%), 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES, 99.5%), sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 99.99%), sodium chloride (NaCl, 99.8%), calcium chloride (CaCl₂, 99%), the bovine serum albumin and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, 99.5%) were purchased from Aldrich Chemicals (France). Diethylene glycol (DEG, 99%) was purchased from SDS Carlo Erba (France). Acetone (reagent grade) was purchased from Sodipro (France) and was used in the same conditions as received. 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1-glutaric anhydride-4,7,10-triacetic acid (DOTAGA) was furnished by CheMatech (Dijon, France). Gadolinium oxide cores were furnished by Nano-H S.A.S (Saint-Quentin Fallavier, France). Only milli-Q water was used for the preparation of aqueous solutions of nanoparticles.

The following reagents were used to obtain the hydrogels: Acrylamide, –98.0% (Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA); N,N,N′,N′–tetramethylenediamine—TEMED, –99.0% (Aldrich), as reaction accelerator; potassium persulfate—K₂S₂O₈–KPS –99.0% (Aldrich) as initiator; crosslinker N,N′–methylenebisAcrylamide—MBA –99.0% (Aldrich); sodium hydroxide—NaOH −97.0% (Aldrich); potassium bicarbonate—KHCO₃ –99.5% (Aldrich); potassium hydrogen phosphate—K₂HPO₄ –99.0% (Exodus);methanol—CH₃OH –99.8% (Dynamic); ascorbic acid, 99.0% (Aldrich); acetone, 99.5% (Dynamic); ethanol, 99.8% (Dynamic); cashew gum isolated and deionized water were used without previous purification.

The following instruments and reagents were used in this study: the laboratory homogenizer was purchased from Beyotime (Shanghai, China). The analytical balance was purchased from AsOne (Osaka, Japan). The KDN–1 automatic Kjeldahl apparatus was from INESA Scientific Instrument Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). The amino acids analyzer was from Scion in Techcomp (Shanghai, China). Hydrochloric acid (GR), phenol, sodium citrate (GR), sodium hydroxide (GR), copper sulfate (AR), potassium sulfate (AR), sulfuric acid (AR), boric acid (AR), methyl red (AR), methylene blue (AR), sodium hydroxide (AR), and ethanol (95%) were purchased from Sigma–Aldrich (Madrid, Spain). Nitrogen was purchased from Aladdin (Shanghai, China). The standard solution of mixed amino acids and a standard solution of 17 amino acids were from Wako (Osaka, Japan).

PLA was obtained in pellet form from Zhejiang Zhongfu Industrial Limited in Zhejiang, China, with the following specifications: the ratio of L-lactide to D-lactide ranged from 24:1 to 32:1, with a 3.5-mm pellet diameter and a molecular weight of 2.41 × 105 g/mol. It was labeled as (4032D). PLA has a specific gravity of 1.24, semi-crystalline, and has a melting point between 155–170 °C. The date palm wood was collected from the UAE University farm in Al Foah. It contained wood waste of palm trees, obtained from different parts of the tree such as leaf, branches, and base. NaOH and KOH used in this research were in pellet form and supplied by Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Sodium Hydroxide was supplied by Sigma Aldrich, CAS: 1310-73-2, product of Czech Republic. Potassium Hydroxide was purchased from Sigma Aldrich, CAS Number: 1310-58-3, Product of Czech Republic.

Agmatine sulfate (500 mg, 2.2 mmol, Sigma-Aldrich, > 97%) was dissolved in 2.5 ml deionized water. Sodium hydroxide (175 mg, 4.4 mmol, Sigma-Aldrich, 98.6%) was dissolved separately in 2.5 ml deionized water and allowed to cool back to room temperature (ca. 20°C). Half of the aqueous Sodium hydroxide was added to the Agmatine sulfate solution followed by powered cinnamoyl chloride (366 mg, 2.2 mmol, Sigma-Aldrich, 98%) and stirred with a magnetic ‘flea’. The pH was maintained at around 9 to 10 by further dropwise addition of aqueous Sodium hydroxide and when no further change in pH occurred, indicating complete reaction, the mixture was left stirring for an hour. The product was isolated by reverse phase vacuum column chromatography as described above and eluted in the 20% aqueous methanol fraction. This yielded 44 mg of E-cinnamoylagmatine (8% yield). Unchanged agmatine was recovered from a 2% aqueous methanol fraction, dried down and re-cycled through the synthesis. An aliquot (20 mg = 0.077 mmol) of the E-isomer was dissolved in 2 ml aqueous methanol and exposed to UV light (254 nm) for 72 h. The resulting mixture contained Z and E-isomers in the proportion 1:2 which were separated using HPLC as described above. Both the E and Z synthetic isomers were found to be identical with the compounds isolated from the dried plant by HR-ESI-MS and NMR.

Copper nitrate hydrate (99.999% Cu(NO₃)₂), sodium hydroxide (10.0 N standardized solution, NaOH), sodium hydroxide (pearl, 97% NaOH), and Cu foil (thickness: 0.025 mm, 99.999%) were purchased from Sigma Aldrich, Saint Louis, MO, USA. Hydrazine solution (35 wt% in H₂O, N₂H₄) was purchased from Alfa Aesar, Heverville, MA, USA. These materials were used for the Cu-NW synthesis. Iron (Fe) nanoparticles (99.5+%, 30 nm, Fe₂O₃ alpha) were used as a catalyst for the CNT growth, and were purchased from RND Korea, Ltd, Gwangmyeong, Korea. A silver nanowire (Ag-NW) solution was purchased from Duksan Hi-Metal (Ulsan, Korea), and graphene oxide (GO) was purchased from Grapheneall, Ltd, Siheung, Korea. Nafion-117 and 20 wt% Nafion solution were purchased from the DuPont Company (Midland, MI, US), and were used as the ionic polymer membrane of the IPMC and the interface material with the Cu-NW, respectively. The cation used for the actuation of the IPMC in the Nafion was 1-Ethyl-3 methylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate (EMIM-Otf, ionic liquid), and this was purchased from Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany). Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane filter paper (pore size: 0.20 μm, diameter: ϕ47 mm) was purchased from Hyundai Micro., Ltd, Seongnam, Korea, and was used for Cu-NW synthesis and fabrication of the GO/Ag-NW paper electrode.