Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots-Ionogels: Preparation, Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Activity
Hybrid diimidazolium-based ionogels were obtained by dispersing nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCNDs) in ionic liquid (IL) solutions and by using dicationic organic salts as gelators. The properties of the NCND-ionogels were studied in terms of thermal stability, mechanical strength, morphology, rheological, and microscopic analyses. Insights into the formation of the hybrid soft material were attained from kinetics of sol-gel phase transition and from estimating the size of the aggregates, obtained from opacity and resonance light-scattering measurements. We demonstrate that, on one hand, NCNDs were able to favor the gel formation both in the presence of gelating and nongelating ILs. On t…
Selective functionalization of halloysite cavity by click reaction: structured filler for enhancing mechanical properties of bionanocomposite films
Selective modification of the inner surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by the cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (click reaction) was successfully achieved. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry confirmed that the modification involved only the HNT cavity. Morphological investigations evidenced that the functionalized nanotubes formed microfibers and clusters in the micrometer range. By means of the casting method, these nanomaterials were dispersed into biopolymeric matrixes (chitosan and hydroxypropyl cellulose) with the aim of obtaining nanocomposite films with tunable properties from the physicochemical viewpoint. For comparison purposes, we also characterize…