A facile one-pot synthesis of polyaniline/magnetite nanocomposites by micelles-assisted method

New Inverse Emulsion-Polymerized Iron/Polyaniline Composites for Permanent, Highly Magnetic Iron Compounds via Calcination

The hydrophilic initiator potassium persulfate (KPS) was converted into a hydrophobic molecule by complexing with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at both ends of the molecule (CTAPSu). Inverse emulsion polymerization thus proceeded inside micelles dispersed in the affluent toluene with CTAPSu as the initiator. Polyaniline (PANI) formed inside the micelles and entangled with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles already esterified with oleic acid (OA). Iron composites consisted of OA-esterified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles covered with PANI after de-emulsification. After calcination at 950 °C in an argon atmosphere, the resultant iron compound was a mixture of α-Fe (ferrite) and Fe₃C (cementite), as determined by X-ray diffraction. Eventually, the calcined iron compounds (mixtures) demonstrated superparamagnetic properties with a high saturation magnetization (Ms) of 197 emu/g, which decayed to 160 emu/g after exposure to the atmosphere for four months.

Superparamagnetic, High Magnetic α-Fe & α″-Fe16N2 Mixture Prepared from Inverse Suspension-Polymerized Fe3O4@polyaniline Composite

Oleic acid (OA)-modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were successfully covered with polyanilines (PANIs) via inverse suspension polymerization in accordance with SEM and TEM micrographs. The obtained nanoparticles were able to develop into a ferrite (α-Fe) and α″-Fe₁₆N₂ mixture with a superparamagnetic property and high saturated magnetization (SM) of 245 emu g⁻¹ at 950 °C calcination under the protection of carbonization materials (calcined PANI) and other iron-compounds (α″-Fe₁₆N₂). The SM of the calcined iron-composites slightly decreases to 232 emu g⁻¹ after staying in the open air for 3 months. The calcined mixture composite can be ground into homogeneous powders without the segregation of the iron and carbon phases in the mortar without significantly losing magnetic activities.

Vitamin C assisted synthesis of rGO-Ag/PANI nanocomposites for improved photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical wastes

A highly efficient visible light active polyaniline (PANI)/Ag composites grafted reduced graphene oxide (rGO-Ag/PANI) was prepared for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol. The structural, morphological, and light absorption properties of the as-synthesized rGO-Ag/PANI were characterized by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Paracetamol was taken as a model water pollutant to investigate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the rGO-PANI/Ag nanocomposites under visible light radiation. The result shows the degradation of paracetamol to be 99.6% in the acidic medium (pH 5) and 75.76% in the basic medium (pH 9), respectively. The enhanced degradation efficiency is attributed to the synergetic effect of rGO, PANI, and Ag NPs in the nanocomposites. This synergy of the rGO-Ag/PANI is explained by the strong adsorption efficiency, charge separation, and light absorption in the visible region.

Ultra-small methionine-capped Au0/Au+ nanoparticles as efficient drug against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In this study we examined the influence of ultra-small gold and magnetite‑gold nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized with d,l-methionine, Fe₃O₄@Au@Met, on their antibacterial efficacy against three of twelve the worst bacterial family members included in the World Health Organization (WHO) list. In particular, gram-negative Acinetobacter baumannii, Salmonella enterica and gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus were tested. Apart from the synthesis, gold species reduction and NP stabilization, an excess of methionine has been used herein to detach ultra-small gold NPs from the Fe₃O₄@Au@Met surface, collect them and investigate. The antimicrobial efficiency of the ultra-small (Ø ~ 1.8 nm) Au@Met NPs and Fe₃O₄@Au@Met NPs was evaluated through the quantitative analysis by comparing with that of naked magnetite NPs, d,l-Met and BSA. It has been determined that compared with the control sample, 70 mg L^-1 probe of Au@Met NPs exhibited the killing efficiency of 84.4-58.5% against gram-negative bacteria and 89.1-75.7% against gram-positive bacteria. The composition, structure, and morphology of the synthesized and tested herein NPs were investigated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, magnetic measurements, FTIR, XRD, XPS, AFM and HRTEM.

Removal of elevated level of chromium in groundwater by the fabricated PANI/Fe3O4 nanocomposites

In this work, we report the reduction of chromium concentration in the polluted groundwater samples from Madurai Kamaraj University area, India, where the dissolved salts in groundwater are reported as serious health hazards for its inhabitants. The water samples have intolerable amounts of total dissolved solids (TDS) and chromium is a prominent pollutant among them. Chromium reduction was achieved by treating the polluted groundwater with PANI/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites synthesized by in situ polymerization method. Further experimentation showed that the nanocomposites exhibit better chromium removal characteristics upon increasing the aniline concentration during the synthesis. We were able to reduce chromium concentration in the samples from 0.295 mg L^-1 to a tolerable amount of 0.144 mg L^-1. This work is expected to open doors for chromium-free groundwater in various regions of India, when improved to an industrial scale.

Synthesis and sensing applications of polyaniline nanocomposites: a review

A comprehensive review on the synthesis of PANI nanocomposites and their applications as gas sensors and biosensors has been presented.