Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composite of polyaniline-CNT@aluminum succinate for non-enzymatic nitrite sensor

Nitrite has been linked to a variety of health issues, as well as cancer and oxygen deficiency when its allowable limit is exceeded. Nitrite monitoring and detection are required due to the negative effects on public health. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based nanomaterials/composites have recently been shown to have the potential for various biological and medical applications like sensing, imaging, and drug delivery. As a result, this research creates an efficient electrochemical sensor by incorporating MOFs into polyaniline (PANI)/carbon nanotube (CNT) cast on the GCE. In situ oxidative polymerization was used to construct an aluminum succinate MOF (Al-Succin)-incorporated CNT/PANI nanocomposite (PANI/CNT@Al-Succin) and well characterized by various characterization techniques, namely, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and four probes to measure DC electrical conductivity. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry techniques were employed to detect nitrite on the surface of PANI/CNT@Al-Succin-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). PANI/CNT@Al-Succin-modified GCE demonstrated good current response and electrocatalytic property towards nitrite compared to bare GCE. The newly synthesized electrode exhibited a high electrocatalytic activity towards nitrite oxidation and showed a linear response ranging from 5.7 to 74.1 μM for CV and 8.55-92.62 μM for LSV. The obtained LOD values for CV (1.16 μM) and LSV (0.08 μM) were significantly below the WHO-defined acceptable nitrite limit in drinking water. Results of recovery studies for real samples of apple juice, orange juice, and bottled water were 98.92%, 99.38%, and 99.90%, respectively. These values show practical usability of PANI/CNT@Al-Succin in real samples.

Effect of benzoic acid surface modified alumina nanoparticles on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene nanocomposites

The effect of benzoic acid (BA) surface modified alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) nanocomposites was studied. Characterization of the modified Al₂O₃ NPs (BA-Al₂O₃) by FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed that benzoic acid molecules chemisorb on the surface of the NPs, forming benzene groups-rich microstructures. A considerable increase in the tensile strength, flexural modulus, and toughness was observed for the nanocomposites with only 0.2 wt% BA-Al₂O₃. Enhanced interfacial adhesion with the matrix was achieved, which enabled effective reinforcement of the nanocomposites. The higher crystallization temperature along with shorter crystallization halftime indicated the higher nucleation activity of BA-Al₂O₃. Furthermore, the interchain conformational ordering of iPP was significantly accelerated in the presence of the BA-Al₂O₃ NPs. The CH-π interaction between the polymer and BA-Al₂O₃ NPs was considered to facilitate the attachment of the iPP chains and stimulate conformational ordering, crystallization, as well as mechanical properties of nanocomposites.

Polypropylene/Layered Double Hydroxide Nanocomposites: Influence of LDH Intralayer Metal Constituents on the Properties of Polypropylene

Sonication-assisted delamination of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) resulted in smaller-sized LDH nanoparticles (∼50-200 nm). Such delaminated Co-Al LDH, Zn-Al LDH, and Co-Zn-Al LDH solutions were used for the preparation of highly dispersed isotactic polypropylene (iPP) nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction results revealed that the LDH nanoparticles were well dispersed within the iPP matrix. The intention of this study is to understand the influence of the intralayer metal composition of LDH on the various properties of iPP/LDH nanocomposites. The sonicated LDH nanoparticles showed a significant increase in the crystallization rate of iPP; however, not much difference in the crystallization rate of iPP was observed in the presence of different types of LDH. The dynamic mechanical analysis results indicated that the storage modulus of iPP was increased significantly with the addition of LDH. The incorporation of different types of LDH showed no influence on the storage modulus of iPP. But considerable differences were observed in the flame retardancy and thermal stability of iPP with the type of LDH used for the preparation of nanocomposites. The thermal stability (50% weight loss temperature (T 0.5)) of the iPP nanocomposite containing three-metal LDH (Co-Zn-Al LDH) is superior to that of the nanocomposites made of two-metal LDH (Co-Al LDH and Zn-Al LDH). Preliminary studies on the flame-retardant properties of iPP/LDH nanocomposites using microscale combustion calorimetry showed that the peak heat release rate was reduced by 39% in the iPP/Co-Zn-Al LDH nanocomposite containing 6 wt % LDH, which is higher than that of the two-metal LDH containing nanocomposites, iPP/Co-Al LDH (24%) and iPP/Zn-Al LDH (31%). These results demonstrated that the nanocomposites prepared using three-metal LDH showed better thermal and flame-retardant properties compared to the nanocomposites prepared using two-metal LDH. This difference might be due to the better char formation capability of three-metal LDH compared to that of two-metal LDH.

Enhanced nucleation of polypropylene by metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on aluminium dicarboxylates: influence of structural features

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on aluminium dicarboxylates having butterfly-like structure and hydrophobic interaction offers a new platform for the enhanced nucleation of isotactic polypropylene (iPP).