GEL POLIMERICI DA LIQUIDI IONICI: MATERIALI ECOSOSTENIBILI PER LA DESOLFORAZIONE DEI CARBURANTI

Fluorescent naphthalimide-imidazolium hydrogels for biomedical applications

Bioimaging and in vivo imaging are cornerstone technologies in support of biomedical diagnosis. However, in some cases imaging methods have increased cancer risks for patients. Moreover, the most widely used diagnostic medical imaging technique, X-ray imaging, is the largest man-made source of radiation exposure to the general population. Thus, the research of new efficient and less invasive materials for imaging is quite urgent. Supramolecular hydrogels have recently proved to be promising biological carriers to load versatile bioimaging agents for in vitro or in vivo bioimaging, thanks to the ability to undergo reversible swelling and gel–sol transition in response to various physiologica…

Biochar Particles Obtained from Agricultural Carob Waste as a Suitable Filler for Sustainable Biocomposite Formulations

In the context of sustainable and circular economy, the recovery of biowaste for sustainable biocomposites formulation is a challenging issue. The aim of this work is to give a new life to agricultural carob waste after glucose extraction carried out by a local factory for carob candy production. A pyrolysis process was carried out on bio-waste to produce biofuel and, later, the solid residual fraction of pyrolysis process was used as interesting filler for biocomposites production. In this work, biochar particles (BC) as a pyrolysis product, after fuels recovery of organic biowaste, specifically, pyrolyzed carobs after glucose extraction, were added on poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalat…

Liquidi ionici biocompatibili come leganti per sistemi termocromici

Studio dell’interazione Im-Eu-X: nuovi leganti ecocompatibili per l’Europio

Organic Salts as Tectons for Self-assembly Processes in Solution

The literature, covering the last decade, about the self-assembly processes of organic salts in conventional solvents was analyzed. In particular, data reported about imidazolium and ammonium salts have been considered. The analysis shows that these processes are highly determined by structural features of the salts. Indeed, besides the nature of the cationic head, features of the alkyl chain borne on the cation structure and its possible functionalization, as well as the nature of the anion play a pivotal role. These factors determine not only the nature of the solvent in which the process occurs but also the nature of the self-assembly mechanism. Consequently, the structure tunability of …

IONOGEL IBRIDI: SISTEMI ADSORBENTI PER LA RIMOZIONE DI COMPOSTI FARMACEUTICI DALLE ACQUE INQUINATE

The Role Played by Ionic Liquids in Carbohydrates Conversion into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural: A Recent Overview

Obtaining industrially relevant products from abundant, cheap, renewable, and low-impacting sources such as lignocellulosic biomass, is a key step in reducing consumption of raw fossil materials and, consequently, the environmental footprint of such processes. In this regard, a molecule that is similar to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) plays a pivotal role, since it can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass and gives synthetic access to a broad range of industrially important products and polymers. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as suitable solvents for the conversion of biomass and carbohydrates into 5-HMF. Herein, we provide a bird’s-eye view on recent achievements about t…

How Ionic Liquid Gels Work on the Removal of Bisphenol A from Wastewater

The occurrence of emerging pollutants in water bodies is a pressing issue of modern society and identifying materials to remove them is the main target of current research. In this work, we prepared and characterized supramolecular gels of 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-d-sorbitol (DBS) in ionic liquids differing for the anion and the aliphatic or aromatic nature of the cation. We characterized our gels for their thermal stability and mechanical properties. We also found that all gels self-heal in 24 h after being cut by a razor blade. We then used our gels as sorbents to remove bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor compound, from aqueous solutions. All gels adsorb BPA with high removal efficiencies, …