Assessment of morphology and property of graphene oxide-hydroxypropylmethylcellulose nanocomposite films.

Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by Hummer's method and characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The as synthesized GO was used to make GO/hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) nanocomposite films by the solution mixing method using different concentrations of GO. The nanocomposite films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Mechanical properties, water absorption property and water vapor transmission rate were also measured. XRD analysis showed the formation of exfoliated HPMC/GO nanocomposites films. The FESEM results revealed high interfacial adhesion between the GO and HPMC matrix. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the nanocomposite films containing the highest weight percentage of GO increased sharply. The thermal stability of HPMC/GO nanocomposites was slightly better than pure HPMC. The water absorption and water vapor transmission rate of HPMC film was reduced with the addition of up to 1 wt% GO.

Reversible association of thermoresponsive gold nanoparticles: polyelectrolyte effect on the lower critical solution temperature of poly(vinyl methyl ether).

Thermoresponsive gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been prepared by the borohydride reduction of gold salt in the presence of water-soluble polymer, poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME). The PVME-coated GNPs (PVME-GNPs) have been assembled into large aggregates in the presence of polyelectrolytes, viz., poly(sodium-4 styrene sulfonate) and sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose at low pH by raising the solution temperature from 20 to 40 degrees C. Increase of temperature triggers the interparticle association due to hydrophobic interaction of pendent methyl group of the surface adsorbed PVME. This assembly process is reversible with respect to temperature and pH of the medium and was studied by monitoring the change in surface plasmon resonance band of PVME-GNPs. Three-dimensional assemblies of various architectures, depending on the concentration of polyelectrolytes, were observed through transmission electron microscopy. A mechanistic model has been suggested for the reversible assembly formation that suits well with the experimental observations. The changes in optical properties of the PVME-GNPs due to their aggregation/disaggregation enabled us to use it as an effective tool to monitor the change in lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PVME in the presence of polyelectrolytes due to interpolymer complexation at low pH. This result agrees well with the variation of LCST of pure aqueous PVME solution in the presence of polyelectrolytes measured by conventional turbidimetric technique.

Synthesis of size-tunable gold nanoparticles by poly(vinylphenol) and electrostatic multilayer deposition of the gold-poly(vinylphenol) nanocomposites.

Water-dispersible gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were synthesized by the polymer in situ redox technique at room temperature using poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVPh) as a simultaneous template/stabilizer and reducing agent. GNPs were characterized by its surface plasmon absorption peak at 536 nm. The average particle size of the gold-poly(4-vinylphenol) (Au-PVPh) nanocomposites decreases with increase in the ratio of PVPh to gold salt. A uniform multilayer of Au-PVPh nanocomposites was fabricated on glass surface by electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly using poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDAC) as the oppositely charged polycation. UV-vis spectra of the consecutive multilayer showed that the absorbance at 549 nm corresponding to GNPs increases linearly with the number of Au-PVPh nanocomposite layers, indicating regular bilayer growth.

Synthesis of dendrimer-stabilized gold-polypyrrole core-shell nanoparticles.

Core-shell composite nanoparticles consisting of a gold core and polypyrrole shell were prepared and stabilized with the poly(amidoamine) dendrimer. An in situ redox polymerization technique was used in which pyrrole reduced Au3+ to Au and then oxidized to polypyrrole. The presence of gold nanoparticles as a core was characterized by its surface plasmon absorption peak at 534 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of polypyrrole on the nanoparticle surfaces. The average diameter of the core-shell nanoparticle is 8.7 +/- 1.8 nm with a shell thickness of approximately 1.5-2.0 nm as estimated from the transmission electron microscopy image. Dissolution of the Au core using KCN enabled the formation of hollow polymer nanospheres.