Preparation and characterization of polycarbonate/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites

• Claudio Larosa,
• Niranjan Patra,
• Marco Salerno,
• Lara Mikac,
• Remo Merijs Meri and
• Mile Ivanda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2026–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.203

• of MWCNTs on the structure and properties of the composites. The nanocomposites were characterized by DSC, DTA, TGA, UV–vis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy to evaluate the changes induced by the filler in the polymer matrix. UV–vis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy measurements confirmed the presence of the

• dispersed phase in the composite films, while TGA and DSC analysis of the nanocomposites revealed enhanced thermal stability and decreased crystallinity, respectively, as compared to the neat polymer. The proposed composites can find application in a number of everyday products where polycarbonate is the

• base polymer. Keywords: multiwalled carbon nanotubes; nanocomposites; polycarbonate; thermal analysis; vibrational spectroscopy; Introduction Polycarbonate (PC) is a polymer with remarkable mechanical and optical properties, broadly used for water bottles, monitor screens and aircraft interiors but

Functional materials for environmental sensors and energy systems

• Michele Penza,
• Anita Lloyd Spetz,
• Albert Romano-Rodriguez and
• Meyya Meyyappan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2015–2016, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.201

• scientific community, policy makers and social networks. The topics of this Thematic Series, based on 23 peer-reviewed articles, includes works on advanced gas sensing semiconducting materials, hybrid materials and nanocomposites for chemical sensing, catalytic sensing materials, metal oxides for chemical

Freestanding graphene/MnO₂ cathodes for Li-ion batteries

• Şeyma Özcan,
• Aslıhan Güler,
• Tugrul Cetinkaya,
• Mehmet O. Guler and
• Hatem Akbulut

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1932–1938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.193

• microwave hydrothermal synthesis, and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were prepared by oxidation of graphite using a modified Hummers’ method. Freestanding graphene/MnO2 cathodes were manufactured through a vacuum filtration process. The structure of the graphene/MnO2 nanocomposites was characterized using X

• diameter with very thin nanoneedles. The structure of graphene/MnO2 nanocomposites was also investigated. It can be seen from Figure 1d,e that α-MnO2 nanowires and β-MnO2 nanorods were homogeneously distributed on the surface and between the layers of graphene. Moreover, it also indicates that the urchin

Enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of continuous-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites with stacked graphene

• Naum Naveh,
• Olga Shepelev and
• Samuel Kenig

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1909–1918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.191

• , thus contributing to the mechanical properties and percolation threshold reduction of conductive polymer/graphite nanocomposites [11][12]. Graphite intercalation compounds (GIC) may provide a plausible high-yield source for polymer nanocomposites [8]. However, most of the methods described in the

Fabrication of carbon nanospheres by the pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile–poly(methyl methacrylate) core–shell composite nanoparticles

• Dafu Wei,
• Youwei Zhang and
• Jinping Fu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1897–1908, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.190

• –shell nanoparticles; emulsion polymerization; polyacrylonitrile; Introduction Due to their high specific surface area, chemical inertness, good mechanical stability and unique electrical properties, carbon nanospheres have numerous potential applications in nanocomposites [1], gas storage [2], lithium

• nanomaterials, such as rattle-type magnetic carbon nanospheres (45.15 mg/g) [49], magnetic oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube- κ-carrageenan-Fe3O4 nanocomposites (46.36 mg/g) [51], graphene (185.00 mg/g) [52], γ-Fe2O3 nanocrystal-anchored macro/mesoporous graphene (216.3 mg/g) [53], Fe3O4-graphene@mesoporous

Two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic energy generation and environmental remediation applications

• Suneel Kumar,
• Ashish Kumar,
• Ashish Bahuguna,
• Vipul Sharma and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1571–1600, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.159

• way by using two of the most abundant natural resources, namely sunlight and water. Over the past few years, carbon-based nanocomposites, particularly graphene and graphitic carbon nitride, have attracted much attention as interesting materials in this field. Due to their unique chemical and physical

• properties, carbon-based nanocomposites have made a substantial contribution towards the generation of clean, renewable and viable forms of energy from light-based water splitting and pollutant removal. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the recent research progress in the field of

• energy generation and environmental remediation using two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites. It begins with a brief introduction to the field, basic principles of photocatalytic water splitting for energy generation and environmental remediation, followed by the properties of carbon-based

Low-temperature CO oxidation over Cu/Pt co-doped ZrO₂ nanoparticles synthesized by solution combustion

• Amit Singhania and
• Shipra Mital Gupta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1546–1552, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.156

• reported a high activity of Cu-containing ZrO2-based nanocomposites (T50 = 70 °C) for CO oxidation. So, the combination of Cu, Pt and ZrO2 appears to be very interesting and promising. In literature, different methods have been used for the synthesis of doped ZrO2 nanoparticles. These include sol–gel, ball

A biofunctionalizable ink platform composed of catechol-modified chitosan and reduced graphene oxide/platinum nanocomposite

• Peter Sobolewski,
• Agata Goszczyńska,
• Małgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Karolina Urbaś,
• Joanna Derkowska,
• Agnieszka Bartoszewska,
• Jacek Podolski,
• Ewa Mijowska and
• Mirosława El Fray

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1508–1514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.151

• polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products and low non-specific binding. Our results demonstrate that catechol-modified chitosan/rGO–Pt nanocomposites can be used as inks for piezoelectric printing and facilitate the attachment of biorecognition elements for biosensor applications. Keywords: biosensing

• be incorporated into polymer–graphene nanocomposites [4], gaining the additional properties of the polymer matrix, in addition to easing handling and reducing cost. Equally important have been advances in bioprinting [5], such as micro-contact printing, laser direct writing, and inkjet printing

• aqueous polymer solution and can be printed by using a commercial non-contact piezoelectric microplotter. While the application of chitosan/graphene nanocomposites for biosensing is established [4], to our knowledge, this is the first time that such a nanocomposite has been formulated as ink. Importantly

Miniemulsion copolymerization of (meth)acrylates in the presence of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes for reinforced coating applications

• Bertha T. Pérez-Martínez,
• Lorena Farías-Cepeda,
• Víctor M. Ovando-Medina,
• José M. Asua,
• Lucero Rosales-Marines and
• Radmila Tomovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1328–1337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.134

• synthesized. The interaction between the polymer and the CNTs is crucial to principally determine the distribution of CNTs within the polymer matrix and to obtain the best performance from the nanocomposites [1][2]. One way to improve this interaction is to functionalize the surface of CNTs, either by

• the MWCNTs was reported. The resulting nanocomposites were foamed with supercritical CO2. The foams showed a decreased pore size, an increased cell density and higher volume expansion when the MWCNT concentration increased. Capek and Kocsisova [35] studied the effect of the type and concentration of

Synthesis of [Fe(L_eq)(L_ax)]_n coordination polymer nanoparticles using blockcopolymer micelles

• Christoph Göbel,
• Ottokar Klimm,
• Florian Puchtler,
• Sabine Rosenfeldt,
• Stephan Förster and
• Birgit Weber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1318–1327, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.133

• (bpea)]n@BCP while pronounced differences are observed in the case of [FeLeq(bpey)]n@BCP nanoparticles. Keywords: block copolymer; composite; nanoparticles; self-assembly; spin crossover; Introduction Nanomaterials and especially nanocomposites of coordination polymers (CPs) and (porous) coordination

• of the reaction time and temperature. Having a high crystallinity of the core, the SCO properties were closer to those of the bulk material (thermal hysteresis loop). We herein report the synthesis of three further coordination polymer block copolymer nanocomposites (CP–BCP) using the same synthesis

• micelle, in agreement with previous observations for [FeLeq(bipy)]n@BCP[13][58]. In the case of [FeLeq(bpea)]n@BCP a different behaviour is observed that is indicative for differences in the sample composition. Characterisation of the nanocomposite Particle sizes of the nanocomposites were determined by

Characterization of ferrite nanoparticles for preparation of biocomposites

• Urszula Klekotka,
• Magdalena Rogowska,
• Dariusz Satuła and
• Beata Kalska-Szostko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1257–1265, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.127

• , optical, magnetic and structural characteristics of specific nanoparticles in one hierarchical structure [9]. In such systems, nanoparticles can be functionalized with various biomolecules through different linkage chemistry [10][11][12]. Nanocomposites based on magnetic nanoparticles have a huge

High photocatalytic activity of Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites prepared by photodeposition for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

• Shu Chin Lee,
• Hendrik O. Lintang and
• Leny Yuliati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 915–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.93

• -dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under UV light irradiation was examined. The Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by impregnation showed lower activity than the unmodified TiO2, mainly due to lower specific surface area caused by heat treatment. On the other hand, the Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by

• the present study, Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by a similar approach but using iron(III) acetylacetonate as the precursor to facilitate a complete photodeposition process. The properties and activity results were compared with those prepared by the commonly used impregnation approach

• study, both impregnation and photodeposition methods were used to modify TiO2 nanoparticles with Fe2O3 in order to investigate the effect of preparation method on the properties and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites with respect to the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D

Selective detection of Mg²⁺ ions via enhanced fluorescence emission using Au–DNA nanocomposites

• Tanushree Basu,
• Khyati Rana,
• Niranjan Das and
• Bonamali Pal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 762–771, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.79

• nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted a great deal of research interest for various applications in biosensing. AuNPs have strong binding capability to the phosphate and sugar groups in DNA, rendering unique physicochemical properties for detection of metal ions. The formation of Au–DNA nanocomposites is evident

• to the size and shape dependent plasmonic interactions of AuNPs (33–78 nm) with DNA, the resultant Au–DNA nanocomposites (NCs) exhibit superior fluorescence emission due to chemical binding with Ca2+, Fe2+ and Mg2+ ions. A significant increase in fluorescence emission (λex = 260 nm) of Au–DNA NCs was

• observed after selectively binding with Mg2+ ions (20–800 ppm) in an aqueous solution where a minimum of 100 ppm Mg2+ ions was detected based on the linearity of concentration versus fluorescence intensity curve (λem = 400 nm). The effectiveness of Au–DNA nanocomposites was further verified by comparing

The longstanding challenge of the nanocrystallization of 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)

• Florent Pessina and
• Denis Spitzer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 452–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.49

• reduction. Energetic nanocomposites are also promising materials improved by a more intimate mixing. Liu et al. [8] showed that detonation velocities of PBX composition from their milled n-RDX and n-HMX materials are slightly better while being significantly safer. The burning rate of nitrocellulose was

• also improved by Zhang and Weeks [9] due to the formation of sub-micrometer spheres. Recently, Comet et al. [10] proved that energetic nanocomposites can easily replace the hazardous primary explosives to initiate a secondary explosive: 500 nm diameter n-RDX from SFE was mixed with a nanoscale thermite

• nanocomposites using a technique similar to sol–gel [30]. The matrix is the NC itself solidified by micrometer-sized AP crystals and cross-linked with toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL), whereas RDX is dissolved in acetone inside that template. The gel and the crystallization of RDX is

Methods for preparing polymer-decorated single exchange-biased magnetic nanoparticles for application in flexible polymer-based films

• Laurence Ourry,
• Delphine Toulemon,
• Souad Ammar and
• Fayna Mammeri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 408–417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.43

• ENPs. There is still intensive research to be done on the control of the magnetic properties of magnetic films, either comprised of nanocomposites or not [37], via the spatial ENP orientation [28][38] to be combined with polymer processing [39][40]. As a preliminary result, focusing on these PMMA

Functionalized TiO₂ nanoparticles by single-step hydrothermal synthesis: the role of the silane coupling agents

• Antoine R. M. Dalod,
• Lars Henriksen,
• Tor Grande and
• Mari-Ann Einarsrud

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 304–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.33

• –shell structures or grafted nanoparticles [8], has resulted in new applications such as nanofiller for polymer nanocomposites [9][10], coatings [11], and biosensors [3][12]. Classical synthesis routes for surface-functionalized particles are following two steps: particles synthesis followed by a post

• polymer nanocomposites, hydrophobicity is a parameter of utmost importance [10][27]. Heat treatment of the in situ surface-functionalized nanoparticles at 700 °C revealed neither crystallite growth nor phase transition of TiO2 because of the formation of an amorphous SiO2 layer, originating from the

Photocatalysis applications of some hybrid polymeric composites incorporating TiO₂ nanoparticles and their combinations with SiO₂/Fe₂O₃

• Andreea Laura Chibac,
• Tinca Buruiana,
• Violeta Melinte and
• Emil C. Buruiana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 272–286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.30

• Andreea Laura Chibac Tinca Buruiana Violeta Melinte Emil C. Buruiana Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41 A Gr. Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania 10.3762/bjnano.8.30 Abstract Polymer nanocomposites containing titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) combined with other

• ) of all hybrid nanocomposites containing TiO2 NPs and also to investigate the spatial distribution of the elements through the X-ray elemental mapping images. In the EDX patterns (Figure 3), the Ti, Si and Fe signals confirmed the existence of inorganic nanoparticles, while the organic matrix is

• inorganic components within the polymer matrix. The hybrid polymeric nanocomposites with TiO2 were also characterized by X-ray diffraction. The collected patterns are plotted in Figure 4. Although the presence of the amorphous organic matrix weakens the diffraction peaks, the appearance of anatase TiO2

Photo-ignition process of multiwall carbon nanotubes and ferrocene by continuous wave Xe lamp illumination

• Paolo Visconti,
• Patrizio Primiceri,
• Daniele Longo,
• Luciano Strafella,
• Paolo Carlucci,
• Mauro Lomascolo,
• Arianna Cretì and
• Giuseppe Mele

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 134–144, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.14

• promote an electron transfer by means of a photo-excitation process. The chemical physical feature of the multiwalled carbon nanotube/ferrocene nanocomposites (MWCNT/FeCp2) responsible for starting the ignition process could be ascribed to the charge-separated state, MWCNT .−–FeCp2 .+, as expected by

• process (b). Chemical reactions relative to photo-induced electron and energy transfer in MWNTs–FeCp2 nanocomposites occurring during the photo-induced ignition process. Solvent type and amount of ferrocene used in this work.

Nanocrystalline TiO₂/SnO₂ heterostructures for gas sensing

• Barbara Lyson-Sypien,
• Anna Kusior,
• Mieczylaw Rekas,
• Jan Zukrowski,
• Marta Gajewska,
• Katarzyna Michalow-Mauke,
• Thomas Graule,
• Marta Radecka and
• Katarzyna Zakrzewska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 108–122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.12

• differences in the positions of the conduction and valence band edges of both oxides (Figure 1). A similar effect was reported in our previous work for 2 mol % TiO2/98 mol % SnO2 nanocomposites working as H2 sensors [4]. In this work, for the first time, based on Figure 5e, we can conclude that the addition

Graphene–polymer coating for the realization of strain sensors

• Carmela Bonavolontà,
• Carla Aramo,
• Massimo Valentino,
• Giampiero Pepe,
• Sergio De Nicola,
• Gianfranco Carotenuto,
• Angela Longo,
• Mariano Palomba,
• Simone Boccardi and
• Carosena Meola

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 21–27, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.3

• the IRT measurements performed on the various composite polymer-based systems. A sketch of the setup for the thermographic measurements is shown in Figure 3. The composites under test include: glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), nanocomposites, and PMMA. The nanocomposite sample is made using an epoxy

• the IRT technique is shown. The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used as a filler in the polymer composite system to obtain ultralight structural materials (nanocomposites) with enhanced electrical, thermal and optical characteristics. Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) is used for the realization of the

A novel electrochemical nanobiosensor for the ultrasensitive and specific detection of femtomolar-level gastric cancer biomarker miRNA-106a

• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Kobra Omidfar and
• Hossein Ghanbarian

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2023–2036, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.193

• massively the particle size, which is a common undesirable result from using most other polymers [36][37][38]. In Figure 2A(d), the presence of gold NPs is obvious through the high contrast against other particles and background. The mean diameter of the final nanocomposites has reasonably increased after

• formation of desired gold@TMC@Fe3O4 NPs. In order to verify the successful assembly of TMC-coated Fe3O4 NPs and final gold–magnetic nanocomposites, the TMC polymer, Fe3O4, TMC@Fe3O4, and gold@TMC@Fe3O4 NPs were subjected to FTIR analysis. As Figure S1 (Supporting Information File 1) shows, the FTIR spectrum

Intercalation and structural aspects of macroRAFT agents into MgAl layered double hydroxides

• Dessislava Kostadinova,
• Ana Cenacchi Pereira,
• Muriel Lansalot,
• Franck D’Agosto,
• Elodie Bourgeat-Lami,
• Fabrice Leroux,
• Christine Taviot-Guého,
• Sylvian Cadars and
• Vanessa Prevot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2000–2012, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.191

• fabricating polymer nanocomposites [20][21][22][23]. To favor the dispersion of LDH platelets into polymers, hybrid surfactant (usually dodecyl sulphate)-intercalated LDH were prepared and incorporated into polymer matrices such as polyethylene [24], polypropylene [25], poly(methyl methacrylate) [26

Organoclay hybrid materials as precursors of porous ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures for photocatalytic applications

• Marwa Akkari,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Abdessalem Ben Haj Amara and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1971–1982, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.188

• methodology in which it was possible to reach the delamination of layered silicates previously exchanged with long-chain alkylammonium cations (organoclays) [13]. In this way, organo-smectites and organo-vermiculites have been used to prepare a new type of nanocomposites consisting of delaminated layered

• environmental applications. Results and Discussion ZnO/silica-montmorillonite heterostructures The synthesis of ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures was developed following in part the procedure already reported for the preparation of silica-clay nanocomposites [11][12]. The aim is to produce first silica-clay

• samples containing SiO2 the shoulder shifts to higher wavenumbers and even a second shoulder is observable in the 1180–1200 cm−1 range, as the bands ascribed to vibration modes of the silica network overlap those of the clay substrate, as it was also observed in other SiO2-clay nanocomposites [11]. FE-SEM

Effect of nanostructured carbon coatings on the electrochemical performance of Li_1.4Ni_0.5Mn_0.5O_2+x-based cathode materials

• Konstantin A. Kurilenko,
• Oleg A. Shlyakhtin,
• Oleg A. Brylev,
• Dmitry I. Petukhov and
• Alexey V. Garshev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1960–1970, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.187

• .7.187 Abstract Nanocomposites of Li1.4Ni0.5Mn0.5O2+x and amorphous carbon were obtained by the pyrolysis of linear and cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in presence of Li1.4Ni0.5Mn0.5O2+x. In the case of linear PVA, the formation of nanostructured carbon coatings on Li1.4Ni0.5Mn0.5O2+x particles is

• materials; Li-ion batteries; nanocomposites; nanostructures; Introduction LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2-based electrode materials [1] were proposed as a less expensive alternative to LiCoO2 for high energy density Li-ion batteries containing less toxic elements than cobalt. The reasonable combination of their

• nanocomposites were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CVA) to estimate the influence of carbon coatings on the lithium intercalation–deintercalation in Li1.4Ni0.5Mn0.5O2+x (Figure 4). Concerning the LNM/C composites, the cathodic peaks are substantially narrower than the ones for pure Li1.4Ni0.5Mn0.5O2+x. In the

Controlled supramolecular structure of guanosine monophosphate in the interlayer space of layered double hydroxide

• Gyeong-Hyeon Gwak,
• Istvan Kocsis,
• Yves-Marie Legrand,
• Mihail Barboiu and
• Jae-Min Oh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1928–1935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.184

• nanocomposites [5]. Post-synthetic thermal treatment resulted in polymerization of amino acids in LDH. It was also reported that amino acids such as arginine and glutamate were polymerized via peptidic condensation both on the surface and in the interlayer space of clay [6]. In that literature, peptidic