Sustainable infrared-driven deposition of palladium nanoparticles on viscose for multi-functional textile engineering Sahar A. El-Kholy, Maher H. Helal, Hossam E. Emam BMC Chemistry, 2026 Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and microbial contamination correlated to the environmental pollution and ozone layer depletion caused serious health concerns. Nanotechnology offers promising solutions in functional textiles, particularly through nanoparticles with high surface energy, ionization capacity, and surface area. Herein, for the first time the exploitation of infra-red irradiation for controllable nucleation of PdNPs was investigated. This study is considered with the enhancement of UV protection and antimicrobial properties of viscose fabrics via infrared (IR)-assisted/in-situ self-clustering of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs). PdNPs were synthesized within viscose matrix under varying conditions: two concentrations of PdCl₂ (100 and 200 mM), two pH levels (2.0 and 12.0), and before/after cationization using DADMAC. SEM and EDX analyses confirmed the deposition and elemental composition of nanoparticles. Particle size before cationization ranged from 7.8 ± 2.5 to 11.1 ± 2.5 nm, and 5.5 ± 1.7 to 2.4 ± 0.7 nm. Acidic media and DADMAC treatment is favored for smaller, spherical particles and better dispersion. After PdNPs modification, viscose showed very good – excellent UV-protection (UPF = 35.2–88.0). Excellent antimicrobial activity (microbial reduction = 90.5–94.3%) was obtained for modified viscose against different microbial pathogens. Multi-functional of viscose was prepared with good durability. The data demonstrate that, IR-assisted PdNPs functionalization is an effective and sustainable method for durable multi-performance viscose textiles.
SYNTHESIS AND ANTIPROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITIES OF NOVEL 4H-CHROMENE-5-ONE DERIVATIVES SYNTHESIZED FROM CYCLOHEXANE-1,3-DIONE Rafat Milad Mohareb, Maher H. E. Helal, Menna Alla Mohamed Abd Elaleem Elshamy, Amira Elsayed Mahmoud Abdallah Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia, 2026 This study presents the novel synthesis of approximately 54 derivatives of 4H-chromene-5-one and evaluates their anticancer activity. The key intermediates, 7,8-dihydro-2,4-diphenyl-4H-chromen-5(6H)-one derivatives (5a–i), were synthesized via multicomponent reactions to yield the target compounds. Structural characterization of all synthesized derivatives was confirmed using various spectroscopic techniques. The antiproliferative activity of these heterocyclic compounds was assessed against six human cancer cell lines: A549, HT-29, MKN-45, U87MG, SMMC-7721, and H460. A significant number of the tested compounds exhibited strong cytotoxic effects across all cell lines. Notably, many compounds demonstrated superior cytotoxicity compared to the reference drug Foretinib.KEY WORDS: Multi-component reactions, Thiophene derivative, Anticancer activity, 7,8-Dihydro-2,4-diphenyl-4H-chromen-5(6H)-oneBull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2026, 40(4), 861-877. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v40i4.10
In-situ hydrothermally immobilization of nano palladium for cutting-edge of multi-finishing viscose textile with enhancing the durability Sahar A. El-Kholy, Maher H. Helal, Saad Zaghloul, Hossam Emam Journal of Industrial Textiles, 2025 The in-situ embedding of nano-palladium (PdNPs) within the viscose textile was hydrothermally carried out in different media (acid & alkaline) in order to gain multi-finishing properties. Cationization of viscose (Q-viscose) was performed using diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, to improve the fabric’s functionality. The size of PdNPs in the supernatants was quite small (6.9 & 10.3 nm), while aggregated particles of Pd was seen over the fabrics. Alkaline condition was shown to enhance the accessibility of viscose textile and consequently denser Pd masses were detected. Due to the in-situ embedding of PdNPs, color of viscose turned to yellow-brownish, while deeper color obtained for Q-viscose. UV protection factor (UPF) declare that; Q-viscose had very good to excellent UV-blocking (UPF = 38.9 – 49.7). UV-blocking was stand until 10 washing cycles and good to very good blocking (UPF = 20.3 – 33.6) was recorded. The modified Q-viscose exhibited very good microbial protection (against bacteria & fungi) and 85.4–87.8% from the microbes was dead. Partial durability for microbial reduction was obtained, while the microbial mortality reached 58.9–61.2% after 10 repetitive washings. Hence, long-lasting UV-blocking viscose textiles with antimicrobial character were successfully prepared via in-situ embedded of PdNPs.
Synthesis and characterization of some new Schiff base azo disperse dyes based on chromene moiety for simultaneous dyeing and antimicrobial finishing Hagar Fathy, M. H. Helal, Dina Abbas, Fatma A. Mohamed Scientific Reports, 2024 New azo Schiff base disperse dyes based on a chromene moiety were synthesized by reacting (2-amino-7-hydroxy-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4 H-chromene-3 carbonitrile) and(2-amino-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-hydroxy-4 H-chromene-3-carbonitrile), with vanillin and ninhydrin, producing new chromene Schiff base derivatives, which in turn were coupled with 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline diazonium salt to give new 4 azo disperse dyes (1–4). The structures of the prepared dyes were confirmed using elemental analysis, 1HNMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and IR. The synthesized dyes were applied to polyester and nylon fabrics using different dyeing techniques: high temperature- high pressure, and ultrasonic dyeing methods. The highest K/S values for all investigated dyes were achieved usinga high temperature-high pressure dyeing technique. Also, the color reflectance of all synthesized dyes with different dyeing shades (1%, 2%, and 3%) was obtained. The fastness properties of the dyed samples using the investigated dyes showed good color fastness toward light, washing, rubbing, and perspiration fastness. The presence of a chromene moiety and Schiff base in the investigated dyes promotes a higher antimicrobial activity on nylon and polyester fabrics against all tested bacteria (E. coli gram-negative and Staphylococcus aureus gram-positive) and two fungi, Aspergillus Niger and Candida albicans.
Synthesis and in silico studies of certain benzo[f]quinoline-based heterocycles as antitumor agents Eman A. E. El-Helw, Mahmoud Asran, Mohammad E. Azab, Maher H. Helal, Abdullah Y. A. Alzahrani, et al. Scientific Reports, 2024 A series of benzoquinoline-employing heterocycles was synthesized by treating 3-chlorobenzo[f]quinoline-2-carbaldehyde with N-phenyl-3-methylpyrazolone, 4-aminoacetophenone, 1,2-diaminoethane, and 2-cyanoethanohydrazide. Also, pyridine, chromene, α,β-unsaturated nitrile, thiosemicarbazone, and 1,2-bis-aryl hydrazine derivatives were prepared from the cyanoethanohydrazone obtained. The DFT calculations and experiment outcomes were consistent. In vitro screening of their antiproliferative efficacy was examined against HCT116 and MCF7 cancer cell lines. The pyrazolone 2 and cyanoethanohydrazone 5 derivatives exhibited the most potency, which was demonstrated by their molecular docking towards the CDK-5 enzyme. The binding energies of compounds 2 and 5 were − 6.6320 kcal/mol (with RMSD of 0.9477 Å) and − 6.5696 kcal/mol (with RMSD of 1.4889 Å), respectively, which were near to that of co-crystallized ligand (EFP). This implies a notably strong binding affinity towards the CDK-5 enzyme. Thus, pyrazolone derivative 2 would be considered a promising candidate for further optimization to develop new chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) analyses displayed its desirable drug-likeness and oral bioavailability properties.
Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity of Some Benzoquinoline-Based Heterocycles Derived from 2-((3-Chlorobenzo[f]quinolin-2-yl)methylene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide Mahmoud Asran, Eman A. E. El-Helw, Mohammad E. Azab, Sayed K. Ramadan, Maher H. Helal Journal of the Iranian Chemical Society, 2023 A new series of benzoquinoline-based heterocycles was synthesized utilizing the building block synthon, 2-((3-chlorobenzo[f]quinolin-2-yl)methylene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide via the condensation of 3-chlorobenzo[f]quinoline-2-carbaldehyde with thiosemicarbazide. The titled thiosemicarbazone scaffold was conducted with some carbon-centered electrophilic reagents such as acetic anhydride, chloroacetyl chloride, chloroacetic acid, 2-bromo-1-(3-nitrophenyl)ethan-1-one, 2-chloro-N-phenylacetamide, and dimethyl but-2-ynedioate to achieve triazolethione, imidazolone, thiazolidinone, and thiazole derivatives. In turn, the hydrazinolysis of this substrate did not proceed as expected but it afforded the azine derivative. The antioxidant activity screening of the produced compounds revealed that thiazole and triazolethione derivatives were the most potent.
