Sonochemical Synthesis of Magnetite/Poly(lactic acid) Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and magnetite nanoparticles (MNP-Fe3O4) show promise for applications in biomedical treatments. One key challenge is to improve the stabilization and dispersion of MNP-Fe3O4. To address this, we synthesized MNP-Fe3O4/PLA nanocomposites using ultrasound mediation and a single iron(II) precursor, eliminating the need for surfactants or organic solvents, and conducted the process under ambient conditions. The resulting materials, containing 18 and 33 wt.% Fe3O4, exhibited unique thermal behavior characterized by two mass losses: one at a lower degradation temperature (Td) and another at a higher Td compared to pure PLA. This suggests that the interaction between PLA and MNP-Fe3O4 occurs through hydrogen bonds, enhancing the thermal stability of a portion of the polymer. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis supported this finding, revealing shifts in bands related to the terminal -OH groups of the polymer and the Fe-O bonds, thereby confirming the interaction between the groups. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the PLA serves as a protective layer against the oxidation of MNP-Fe3O4 in the 18% MNP-Fe3O4/PLA nanocomposite when exposed to a high-power laser (90 mW). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses confirmed that the synthetic procedure yields materials with dispersed nanoparticles within the PLA matrix without the need for additional reactants.

Electrospun stereocomplex polylactide porous fibers toward highly efficient oil/water separation

The urgent needs for water protection are not only developing the highly efficient wastewater treatment technologies but also designing the eco-friendly materials. In this work, the eco-friendly composite fibers composed of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA), poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) and maghemite nanoparticles γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were fabricated through electrospinning technology. Through regulating the processing parameters and introducing additional annealing treatment, nanoscale porous structure and the stereocomplex crystallites (SCs) are simultaneously constructed in the composite electrospun fibers. Physicochemical performances measurements exhibited that the fiber membranes had excellent lipophilicity, good mechanical performances, and high hydrolysis resistance, and all of which endowed the fiber membranes with high oil adsorption capacities, and the maximum oil adsorption capacities achieved 148.9 g/g at 23 °C and 114.8 g/g at 60 °C. Further results showed that the fiber membranes had good oil/water separation ability. The gravity-driven oil flux was 6824.4 L/m²h², and the water rejection ratio was nearly 100% during separating oil/water mixture. Specifically, the fiber membranes showed good stability during the cycling measurements. It is evidently confirmed that the composite PLLA-based fiber membranes with porous structure and SCs can be used in wastewater treatment, especially in some rigorous circumstances.

One-step fabrication of functionalized poly(l-lactide) porous fibers by electrospinning and the adsorption/separation abilities

In this work, novel functionalized poly(l-lactide) (F-PLLA) porous fibers were fabricated through electrospinning using the PLLA/methylene chloride (CH₂Cl₂)/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing diethylenetriamine (DETA) and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550). The effects of PLLA, DETA and KH-550 contents on the morphologies of the electrospun fibers were systematically investigated, and the results showed that at PLLA, DETA and KH-550 contents of 20% w/v, 2 wt% and 3 wt%, respectively, the electrospun F-PLLA fibers exhibited the homogeneous distribution of fiber diameters and the homogeneous porous structure on the fiber surface. Nitrogen-containing groups were successfully introduced to the electrospun fibers, which induced the great improvement of the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface. Adsorption measurements showed that the electrospun F-PLLA membrane had good adsorption ability toward Congo red (CR), and the adsorption capacity at room temperature was enhanced in 16 times compared with the common PLLA fiber membrane, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 135.7 mg g^-1. Furthermore, the adsorption behavior could be well described by the pseudo second-order model. Oil/water separating measurements showed that the electrospun F-PLLA membrane exhibited high separation efficiency and the maximum water fluxes were 2018 and 1861 L m^-2  h^-1 in separating non-emulsified and emulsified oil/water system under atmospheric pressure, respectively.

Polymer Nanocomposites via Click Chemistry Reactions

The emerging areas of polymer nanocomposites, as some are already in use in industrial applications and daily commodities, have the potential of offering new technologies with all manner of prominent capabilities. The incorporation of nanomaterials into polymeric matrix provides significant improvements, such as higher mechanical, thermal or electrical properties. In these materials, interface/interphase of components play a crucial role bringing additional features on the resulting nanocomposites. Among the various preparation strategies of such materials, an appealing strategy relies on the use of click chemistry concept as a multi-purpose toolbox for both fabrication and modulation of the material characteristics. This review aims to deliver new insights to the researchers of the field by noticing effective click chemistry-based methodologies on the preparation of polymer nanocomposites and their key applications such as optic, biomedical, coatings and sensor.

Investigations on Green Blends Comprising Biodegradable Polymer and Ionic Liquid

The green blends of an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-propylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide {[EPrI][TFSI]}, and a biodegradable polymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), were investigated in this study. The influence of an ionic liquid on the crystallization behaviors of a biodegradable polymer was explored. In the blends, the presence of [EPrI][TFSI] decreased the Tg and Tm of PHB. Incorporating [EPrI][TFSI] in the blends reduced the degree of crystallinity of PHB, inferring that the [EPrI][TFSI] weakened the crystallization of PHB. It further showed retarded isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization for PHB with the presence of [EPrI][TFSI]. The smaller K and 1/t0.5 estimated by the Avrami equation for the blends indicated that [EPrI][TFSI] weakened the isothermal crystallization of PHB with exhibiting the slower crystallization rate. The present study also discussed non-isothermal crystallization of the blends. We found that the Mo model, which is generally used to discuss the non-isothermal crystallization, adequately described the non-isothermal behaviors of the [EPrI][TFSI]/PHB blends. By increasing the [EPrI][TFSI] content, the rate-related parameter F(T) systematically increased, inferring a decreased crystallization rate of PHB with the addition of [EPrI][TFSI] in the blends. The FTIR results suggested an ion⁻dipole interaction between [EPrI][TFSI] and PHB. This proposes the occurrence of possible complexation between [EPrI][TFSI] and PHB.

Extremely high efficient nanoreactor with Au@ZnO catalyst for photocatalysis

We fabricated a photocatalytic Au@ZnO@PC (polycarbonate) nanoreactor composed of monolayered Au nanoparticles chemisorbed on conformal ZnO nanochannel arrays within the PC membrane. A commercial PC membrane was used as the template for deposition of a ZnO shell into the pores by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Thioctic acid (TA) with sufficient steric stabilization was used as a molecular linker for functionalization of Au nanoparticles in a diameter of 10 nm. High coverage of Au nanoparticles anchored on the inner wall of ZnO nanochannels greatly improved the photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B. The membrane nanoreactor achieved 63% degradation of Rhodamine B within only 26.88 ms of effective reaction time owing to its superior mass transfer efficiency based on Damköhler number analysis. Mass transfer limitation can be eliminated in the present study due to extremely large surface-to-volume ratio of the membrane nanoreactor.

Fabrication of conductive polymer nanofibers through SWNT supramolecular functionalization and aqueous solution processing

Polymeric thin films and nanostructured composites with excellent electrical properties are required for the development of advanced optoelectronic devices, flexible electronics, wearable sensors, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Because most polymers available for fabrication are insulating, one of the biggest challenges remains the preparation of inexpensive polymer composites with good electrical conductivity. Among the nanomaterials used to enhance composite performance, single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are ideal due to their unique physical and electrical properties. Yet, a barrier to their widespread application is that they do not readily disperse in solvents traditionally used for polymer processing. In this study, we employed supramolecular functionalization of SWNTs with a conjugated polyelectrolyte as a simple approach to produce stable aqueous nanotube suspensions, that could be effortlessly blended with the polymer poly(ethyleneoxide) (PEO). The homogeneous SWNT:PEO mixtures were used to fabricate conductive thin films and nanofibers with improved conductivities through drop casting and electrospinning. The physical characterization of electrospun nanofibers through Raman spectroscopy and SEM revealed that the SWNTs were uniformly incorporated throughout the composites. The electrical characterization of SWNT:PEO thin films allowed us to assess their conductivity and establish a percolation threshold of 0.1 wt% SWNT. Similarly, measurement of the nanofiber conductivity showed that the electrospinning process improved the contact between nanotube complexes, resulting in conductivities in the S m(-1) range with much lower weight loading of SWNTs than their thin film counterparts. The methods reported for the fabrication of conductive nanofibers are simple, inexpensive, and enable SWNT processing in aqueous solutions, and offer great potential for nanofiber use in applications involving flexible electronics, sensing devices, and tissue engineering scaffolds.

High density unaggregated Au nanoparticles on ZnO nanorod arrays function as efficient and recyclable photocatalysts for environmental purification

Photodegradation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution is a promising method for environmental purification. Photocatalysts capable of promoting this reaction are often composed of noble metal nanoparticles deposited on a semiconductor. Unfortunately, the separation of these semiconductor-metal nanopowders from the treated water is very difficult and energy consumptive, so their usefulness in practical applications is limited. Here, a precisely controlled synthesis of a large-scale and highly efficient photocatalyst composed of monolayered Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) chemically bound to vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNA) through a bifunctional surface molecular linker is demonstrated. Thioctic acid with sufficient steric stabilization is used as a molecular linker. High density unaggregated AuNPs bonding on entire surfaces of ZNA are successfully prepared on a conductive film/substrate, allowing easy recovery and reuse of the photocatalysts. Surprisingly, the ZNA-AuNPs heterostructures exhibit a photodegradation rate 8.1 times higher than that recorded for the bare ZNA under UV irradiation. High density AuNPs, dispersed perfectly on the ZNA surfaces, significantly improve the separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, enlarge the reaction space, and consequently enhance the photocatalytic property for degradation of chemical pollutants. Photoelectron, photoluminescence and photoconductive measurements confirm the discussion on the charge carrier separation and photocatalytic experimental data. The demonstrated higher photodegradation rates demonstrated indicate that the ZNA-AuNPs heterostructures are candidates for the next-generation photocatalysts, replacing the conventional slurry photocatalysts.