Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation
Published on: June 17, 2014
Contribution of the cashew gum (Anacardium occidentale L.) for development of layer-by-layer films with potential
I M S Araújo1, M F Zampa2, J B Moura3
1Departamento de Química, Centro de Ciências da Natureza, CCN, Universidade Federal do Piauí, UFPI, Teresina, PI, 64049-550, Brazil; Núcleo de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia, BIOTEC, Campus Parnaíba, CMRV, Universidade Federal do Piauí, UFPI, Parnaíba, PI, 64202-020, Brazil.
Abstract:
The search for bioactive molecules to be employed as recognition elements in biosensors has stimulated researchers to pore over the rich Brazilian biodiversity. In this sense, we introduce the use of natural cashew gum (Anacardium occidentale L.) as an active biomaterial to be used in the form of layer-by-layer films, in conjunction with phthalocyanines, which were tested as electrochemical sensors for dopamine detection. We investigated the effects of chemical composition of cashew gum from two different regions of Brazil (Piauí and Ceará states) on the physico-chemical characteristics of these nanostructures. The morphology of the nanostructures containing cashew gum was studied by atomic force microscopy which indicates that smooth films punctuated by globular features were formed that showed low roughness values. The results indicate that, independent of the origin, cashew gum stands out as an excellent film forming material with potential application in nanobiomedical devices as electrochemical sensors.
