Applications of Layered Double Hydroxide Materials: Recent Advances and Perspective

Injectable Thermogelling Nanostructured Ink as Simultaneous Optical and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent for Image-Guided Surgery

The development of efficient and biocompatible contrast agents is particularly urgent for modern clinical surgery. Nanostructured materials raised great interest as contrast agents for different imaging techniques, for which essential features are high contrasts, and in the case of precise clinical surgery, minimization of the signal spatial dispersion when embedded in biological tissues. This study deals with the development of a multimodal contrast agent based on an injectable hydrogel nanocomposite containing a lanthanide-activated layered double hydroxide coupled to a biocompatible dye (indocyanine green), emitting in the first biological window. This novel nanostructured thermogelling hydrogel behaves as an efficient tissue marker for optical and magnetic resonance imaging because the particular formulation strongly limits its spatial diffusion in biological tissue by exploiting a simple injection. The synergistic combination of these properties permits to employ the hydrogel ink simultaneously for both optical and magnetic resonance imaging, easy monitoring of the biological target, and, at the same time, increasing the spatial resolution during a clinical surgery. The biocompatibility and excellent performance as contrast agents are very promising for possible use in image-guided surgery, which is currently one of the most challenging topics in clinical research.

Layered double hydroxides for corrosion-related applications—Main developments from 20 years of research at CICECO

This work describes the main advances carried out in the field of corrosion protection using layered double hydroxides (LDH), both as additive/pigment-based systems in organic coatings and as conversion films/pre-treatments. In the context of the research topic “Celebrating 20 years of CICECO”, the main works reported herein are based on SECOP’s group (CICECO) main advances over the years. More specifically, this review describes structure and properties of LDH, delving into the corrosion field with description of pioneering works, use of LDH as additives to organic coatings, conversion layers, application in reinforced concrete and corrosion detection, and environmental impact of these materials. Moreover, the use of computational tools for the design of LDH materials and understanding of ion-exchange reactions is also presented. The review ends with a critical analysis of the field and future perspectives on the use of LDH for corrosion protection. From the work carried out LDH seem very tenable, versatile, and advantageous for corrosion protection applications, although several obstacles will have to be overcome before their use become commonplace.

Layered Double Hydroxides-Based Mixed Metal Oxides: Development of Novel Structured Sorbents for CO2 Capture Applications

Layered double hydroxide (LDHs)-based mixed metal oxides (MMOs) are widely studied as the medium to high temperature (200-400 °C) CO₂ capture sorbents. However, most of the studies are carried out using the powdered samples. To upgrade these sorbents for industrial-scale CO₂ capture, it is important to move away from the powdered form and develop structured sorbents. Moreover, the CO₂ capture properties of these sorbents need to be improved in terms of capture capacity and cycling stability. Here we are utilizing a modified amide hydrolysis method to improve the CO₂ capture capacities of LDHs-based MMOs. Subsequently, aqueous exfoliation coupled with the freeze-drying technique was utilized to develop LDHs-based novel MMOs. Exfoliated LDH nano sheets were pelletized (2 mm) to circumvent the challenges associated with powder samples when used in industrial-scale applications. The obtained pellets have an average crushing load of 11.1 N and 4.3 MPa of compressive strength, which indicate their good mechanical stability. The MMOs pellets showed a narrow distribution of pores (8-10 nm) with very good surface area (264 m²/g) and pore volume (1.27 cm³/g). They also had much improved CO₂ capture capacities at ambient pressure and both low (2.17 mmol/g, 30 °C) and medium temperature (1.43 mmol/g, 200 °C), as compared to previously reported pristine MMOs powder samples. The pelletized structured sorbents also outperformed commercial LDH-based pellets by several fold.

Hydrothermal synthesis of a novel nanolayered tin phosphate for removing Cr(iii)

In this work, an outstanding nanolayered tin phosphate with 15.0 Å interlayer spacing, Sn (HPO₄)₂·3H₂O (SnP–H⁺), has been synthesized by conventional hydrothermal method and first used in the adsorptive removal of Cr(iii) from aqueous solution. A number of factors such as contact time, initial concentration of Cr(iii), temperature, pH, and ionic strength on adsorption were investigated by batch tests. Moreover, the isothermal adsorption characteristics and kinetic model of Cr(iii) onto SnP–H⁺ were studied. The results showed that the adsorption of Cr(iii) by SnP–H⁺ was in accordance with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption capacity of Cr(iii) onto SnP–H⁺ at temperature 40.0 °C and pH 3.0 could reach 81.1 mg g⁻¹. And the distribution coefficient K_d was 23.0 g L⁻¹. Overall, experiments certified that SnP–H⁺ was an excellent adsorbent that can effectively remove Cr(iii) from aqueous solution.

In this work, an outstanding nanolayered tin phosphate with 15.0 Å interlayer spacing, Sn (HPO₄)₂·3H₂O (SnP–H⁺), has been synthesized by conventional hydrothermal method and first used in the adsorptive removal of Cr(iii) from aqueous solution.

In-tube stir bar sorptive extraction based on 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane surface-modified Ce-doped ZnAl layered double hydroxide thin film for determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples

A thin-film based on 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane surface-modified Ce-doped zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxide was synthesized on the inner surface of an aluminum tube. It has been applied to in-tube stir bar sorptive extraction of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and elemental mapping. The extraction parameters including sample pH (4.2), extraction time (10 min), stirring speed (800 rpm), type of eluent (acidified tetrahydrofuran), eluent volume (100 μL), and desorption time (6 min) were thoroughly optimized. Under the optimum conditions, limits of detection were found to be less than 5.0 ng mL^-1. Calibration plots were linear within the range 10-1000 ng mL^-1 (R² > 0.9982). Absolute recoveries were calculated in the range 63.5 to 72.4%. The repeatability (intra- and inter-day precision) and reproducibility (tube-to-tube precision) at concentrations of 50, 250, and 500 ng mL^-1 were less than 7.6% and 9.4%, respectively. The method accuracy based on the relative error was calculated at these concentrations and ranged from - 4.9 to - 9.3% for intra-day relative error (%) and - 6.8 to - 11% for inter-day relative error (%). Finally, the method applicability was examined for the determination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in saliva samples, and good relative recoveries were obtained within the range 86.5 to 95.2%. As a result, the introduced method can be applied as a suitable alternative to measuring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in biological fluids. Graphical abstract A surface-modified Ce-doped ZnAl LDH thin film was synthesized on the inner surface of an Al tube and applied for in-tube stir bar sorptive extraction of NSAIDs in saliva.