Iopamidol Abatement from Waters: A Rigorous Approach to Determine Physicochemical Parameters Needed to Scale Up from Batch to Continuous Operation.

The abatement of iopamidol (IPM), an X-ray iodinated contrast agent, in aqueous solution using powdered activated carbon (PAC) as a sorbent was investigated in the present work. The material was characterized by various analytical techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. Both thermodynamic and kinetic experiments were conducted in a batch apparatus, and the effects of the initial concentration of IPM, the temperature, and the adsorbent bulk density on the adsorption kinetics were investigated. The adsorption isotherms were interpreted well using the Langmuir model. Moreover, it was demonstrated that IPM adsorption on PAC is spontaneous and exothermic (ΔH0 = -27 kJ mol-1). The adsorption kinetic data were described using a dynamic intraparticle model for fluid-solid adsorption kinetics (ADIM) allowing determination of a surface activation energy Es = 6 ± 1 kJ mol-1. Comparing the experimental results and the model predictions, a good model fit was obtained.

A Brief Review: The Use of L-Ascorbic Acid as a Green Reducing Agent of Graphene Oxide.

The reduced form of graphene oxide (r-GO) represents a versatile precursor to obtain graphene derivatives. Graphene oxide (GO) consists of a layered material based on a carbon skeleton functionalized by different oxygen-containing groups, while r-GO is obtained by the almost complete removal of these oxygen-containing functional groups. The r-GO has mechanical, electrical, and optical properties quite similar to graphene, thus, it proves to be a convenient 2D material useful for many technological applications. Nowadays, the most important aspects to consider in producing r-GO are: (i) the possibility of obtaining the highest reduction grade; (ii) the possibility of improving the dispersion stability of the resulting graphene using surfactants; (iii) the use of environmentally friendly and inexpensive reducing agents. Consequently, the availability of effective soft-chemistry approaches based on a green reducing agent for converting GO to r-GO are strongly needed. Among the green reductants, the most suitable is L-ascorbic acid (L-aa). Different studies have revealed that L-aa can achieve C/O ratio and conductivity values comparable to those obtained by hydrazine, a typical reducing agent. These aspects could promote an effective application strategy, and for this reason, this review summarizes and analyzes, in some detail, the up-to date literature on the reduction of GO by L-aa. The results are organized according to the two most important approaches, which are the reduction in liquid-phase, and the reduction in gel-phase. Reaction mechanisms and different experimental parameters affecting the processes were also compared.

Thermoresistive Properties of Graphite Platelet Films Supported by Different Substrates.

Large-area graphitic films, produced by an advantageous technique based on spraying a graphite lacquer on glass and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) substrates were studied for their thermoresistive applications. The spray technique uniformly covered the surface of the substrate by graphite platelet (GP) unities, which have a tendency to align parallel to the interfacial plane. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the deposited films were composed of overlapped graphite platelets of different thickness, ranging from a few tens to hundreds of graphene layers, and Raman measurements provided evidence for a good graphitic quality of the material. The GP films deposited on glass and LDPE substrates exhibited different thermoresistive properties during cooling-heating cycles in the -40 to +40 °C range. Indeed, negative values of the temperature coefficient of resistance, ranging from -4 × 10-4 to -7 × 10-4 °C-1 have been observed on glass substrates, while positive values varying between 4 × 10-3 and 8 × 10-3 °C-1 were measured when the films were supported by LDPE. These behaviors were attributed to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the substrates. The appreciable thermoresistive properties of the graphite platelet films on LDPE could be useful for plastic electronic applications.

Anomalous molecular infiltration in graphene laminates.

Graphene laminated (GL) coatings formed by stacked few layer graphene (FLG) nanocrystals were deposited on low-density polyethylene (PE) films by the mechanical rubbing technique. Molecular transport through the bilayer membrane was studied by the gas phase permeation technique by monitoring the CO2, N2 and 2H2 transport fluxes in transient conditions. The results evidenced that the transport exhibited anomalous character. The experimental data could be reproduced assuming that the penetrant concentration in the GL coating, cint(t), reached a saturation value cs following compressed exponential kinetics cint(t) = cs[1 - e-(λrelt)ß]. The relaxation time τrel = 1/λrel showed thermally activated behavior, and its value increased with the kinetic diameter of the penetrant molecules. The critical exponent ß = 1.5 ± 0.1 for CO2 and N2 and ß = 2.0 ± 0.1 for 2H2 did not change with temperature. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) analysis indicated that the average cross-section (hg) of the cavities in the GL coating exhibited comparable size to the kinetic diameter (σk) of the penetrant molecules. The results could be explained by assuming that the molecular infiltration in the GL structure occurred in nano-channels having distributed path lengths where the penetrant transport obeyed a configurational diffusion mechanism.

Synthesis and Characterization of Highly Intercalated Graphite Bisulfate.

Different chemical formulations for the synthesis of highly intercalated graphite bisulfate have been tested. In particular, nitric acid, potassium nitrate, potassium dichromate, potassium permanganate, sodium periodate, sodium chlorate, and hydrogen peroxide have been used in this synthesis scheme as the auxiliary reagent (oxidizing agent). In order to evaluate the presence of delamination, and pre-expansion phenomena, and the achieved intercalation degree in the prepared samples, the obtained graphite intercalation compounds have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-RS), and thermal analysis (TGA). Delamination and pre-expansion phenomena were observed only for nitric acid, sodium chlorate, and hydrogen peroxide, while the presence of strong oxidizers (KMnO4, K2Cr2O7) led to stable graphite intercalation compounds. The largest content of intercalated bisulfate is achieved in the intercalated compounds obtained from NaIO4 and NaClO3.

Graphene-polymer coating for the realization of strain sensors.

In this work we present a novel route to produce a graphene-based film on a polymer substrate. A transparent graphite colloidal suspension was applied to a slat of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The good adhesion to the PMMA surface, combined with the shear stress, allows a uniform and continuous spreading of the graphite nanocrystals, resulting in a very uniform graphene multilayer coating on the substrate surface. The fabrication process is simple and yields thin coatings characterized by high optical transparency and large electrical piezoresitivity. Such properties envisage potential applications of this polymer-supported coating for use in strain sensing. The electrical and mechanical properties of these PMMA/graphene coatings were characterized by bending tests. The electrical transport was investigated as a function of the applied stress. The structural and strain properties of the polymer composite material were studied under stress by infrared thermography and micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Structural Characterizations of Palladium Clusters Prepared by Polyol Reduction of [PdCl 4 ] (2-) Ions.

Palladium nanoparticles are of great interest in many industrial fields, ranging from catalysis and hydrogen technology to microelectronics, thanks to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this work, palladium clusters have been prepared by reduction of [PdCl4](2-) ions with ethylene glycol, in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) as stabilizer. The stabilizer performs the important role of nucleating agent for the Pd atoms with a fast phase separation, since palladium atoms coordinated to the polymer side-groups are forced at short distances during nucleation. Quasispherical palladium clusters with a diameter of ca. 2.6 nm were obtained by reaction in air at 90°C for 2 hours. An extensive materials characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other characterizations (TGA, SEM, EDS-SEM, and UV-Vis) has been performed in order to evaluate the structure and oxidation state of nanopalladium.

Structural and Photoconductivity Properties of Tellurium/PMMA Films.

Owing to the very brittle nature of tellurium powder, nanoscopic grains with an average size of 4.8 ± 0.8 nm were produced by dry vibration milling technique using a mixer/mill apparatus. A novel material was obtained by binding the nanosized tellurium grains with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer. The morphology, elemental composition, and structural and optical properties of Te/PMMA films were investigated. The prepared material was composed of hexagonal tellurium and α-phase of tellurium oxide. The electrical properties of the films were studied, for different electrode contact configurations, in dark condition and under white light illumination varying the optical power density from 2 to 170 mW/cm(2) and turning the light on and off cyclically. Data analysis shows that the photoconductivity of the film with sandwich contact configuration is a linear function of the light power density and increases more than 2 orders of magnitude as compared to the photoresponse of the film with coplanar contact configuration.

Imidazole-stabilized gold nanoparticles induce neuronal apoptosis: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Gold nanoparticles are increasingly being employed in innovative biological applications thanks to their advantages of material- and size-dependent physics and chemical interactions with the cellular systems. On the other hand, growing concern has emerged on the toxicity which would render gold-based nanoparticles harmful to cell cultures, animals, and humans. Emerging attention is focused on the interaction of gold nanoparticles with nervous system, especially regarding the ability to overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which represents the major impediment to the delivery of therapeutics into the brain. We synthesized highly stable 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole-stabilized gold-nanoparticles (AuNPs)-mmi to investigate their entry, accumulation, and toxicity in vitro (SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells) and in vivo (brain of C57BL/6 mice) through optical and electron microscopy. After incubation in the cell culture medium at the lowest dose of 0.1 mg/mL the (AuNPs)-mmi nanoparticles were found compacted and recruited into endosome/lysosomes (1 h) before their fusion (2 h) and the onset of neuronal death by apoptosis (4 h) as proved by terminal-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay and caspase-3 immunoreactivity. The ability of (AuNPs)-mmi to cross the BBB was assessed by injection in the caudal vein of C57BL/6 mice. Among different brain regions, the nanoparticles were found in the CaudatoPutamen area, mainly in the striatal neurons 4 h after injection. These neurons showed the typical hallmarks of apoptosis. Our findings provide, for the first time, the dynamic of 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole nanogold uptake. The molecular mechanism which underlies the nanogold-driven apoptotic event is analyzed and discussed in order to take into account when designing nanomaterials to interface with biological structures.

Synthesis and characterization of electrically conductive polyethylene-supported graphene films.

We describe a simple mechanical approach for low-density polyethylene film coating by multilayer graphene. The technique is based on the exfoliation of nanocrystalline graphite (few-layer graphene) by application of shear stress and allows to obtain thin graphene layers on the plastic substrate. We report on the temperature dependence of electrical resistance behaviors in films of different thickness. The experimental results suggest that the semiconducting behavior observed at low temperature can be described in the framework of the Efros-Shklovskii variable-range-hopping model. The obtained films exhibit good electrical conductivity and transparency in the visible spectral region. PACS: 72.80.Vp; 78.67.Wj; 78.66.Qn; 85.40.Hp.

A simple mechanical technique to obtain carbon nanoscrolls from graphite nanoplatelets.

A simple approach for the bulk production of carbon nanoscrolls (CNSs) is described. This method is based on the application of shear-friction forces to convert graphite nanoplatelets into carbon nanoscrolls using a bi-axially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) surface. The combined action of shear and friction forces causes the exfoliation of graphite nanoplatelets and the simultaneous roll-up of graphite layers. Evidence of the CNS formation is given by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. These investigations reveal that the CNSs have a long tube-like and fusiform structure with a hollow core surrounded by few layers of graphene. Micro-Raman spectroscopy shows that the produced structures are not defect free, and optical spectroscopy reveals distinctive features due to the presence of two weak absorption bands at 224 and 324 nm.

Graphite nanoplatelet chemical cross-linking by elemental sulfur.

Graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) react with elemental sulfur to provide a mechanically stable, spongy material characterized by good electrical conductivity and high surface development; such unique property combination makes these novel nanostructured materials very useful for applications in different technological fields. The carbon-sulfur reaction can be accurately investigated by thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy combined with scanning electron microscopy. The thermal treatment required for the formation of electrically conductive monosulfur connections among the GNP unities has been investigated. PACS: 81.05.Ue, 81.05.Rm, 81.16.Be.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel high luminescent gold-2-mercapto-1-methyl-imidazole complex.

Synthesis and characterization of a new gold-2-mercapto-1-methyl imidazole are reported. This new organic material shows an extraordinary fluorescence activity (superfluorescence) up to 220°C with an unusual quantum yield of 0.2. Both fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy were applied to understand the behavior of the gold-2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole complex. Results suggest that the superfluorescence activity can be attributed to the shrinking of the HOMO-LUMO band gap energy following complexation of the organic imidazole system with gold.