Functionalization of Graphene with Molecules and/or Nanoparticles for Advanced Applications

Graphene is considered the material of the third millennium, due to its extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties, and due to the possibility to modulate its conductivity, flexibility, elasticity, transparency, and biocompatibility by bottom-up approach. The possibility to gather the proper- ties of graphene and graphene oxide with those of functional moieties or nanoparticles is herein reviewed. The synthetic approaches proposed, either covalent or noncovalent, are aimed to tune appropriately graphene’s properties for the realization of materials for advanced uses, such as bio- medical applications, sensors, catalysis, and energy devices. In particular, methods based on covalent l…

Ionic liquid crystals based on 1,2,4-triazolium rings

Ionic liquids crystals (ILCs) are a class of organic materials of great current interest. They show unique properties that can be exploited in many different fields, for example their use as solvents for extraction processes as well as electrolytes for batteries, fuel cells, dye-sensitised solar cells etc. [1-4] Moreover, in perfluorinated ILCs, the segregation of the perfluorocarbon chains promotes further self-organisation of the LC phases, adding to the materials further properties such as affinity for gases suitable for example in gas-storage. [5-7] A series of salts based on 5-(4-alkyloxyphenyl)-1,4-dimethyl-3-(perfluoroalkyl)-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium structures, differing in the length of …

Ionic liquid crystals based on 3-perfluoalkyl-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium salts

Liquid-crystalline ionic liquids (LC-ILs) are a class of organic materials that of great current interest: they are defined as organic salts that possess the properties of two interesting kinds of material – ionic liquids (ILs) and liquid crystals (LCs). LC-ILs combine many interesting features of ILs (e.g. low volatility and the ability to dissolve solutes with a range of polarities) as well as many attractive properties of LCs (e.g. their intrinsic order and anisotropy). This provides unique opportunities that can be exploited in many different fields, for example their use as solvents for extraction processes as well as electrolytes for batteries, fuel cells, and dye-sensitised solar cel…

Curcumin-Like Compounds as Neuroprotective Agents: Interactions with HSP60 and Amyloid Beta Peptide

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) represents a fundamental challenge for public health in the 21st century. Current AD therapies largely focus on symptomatic aspects of the clinical pathology, but they have yet to demonstrate any major impact on the disease progression [1]. The most important role of the research aimed at fighting the AD is the development of neuro-protective agents, able to interfere with the protein aggregation process whose clinical signature is represented by the plaques deposition. An important role in AD’s framework could be played by Heat shock proteins (HSPs), highly regulated proteins that mediate the proteins proper folding and promote recovery of their native conformation…

Polyfluoroalkyl viologen-based Ionic Liquid Crystals

Mesomorphic and electrooptical properties of viologens based on non-symmetric alkyl/polyfluoroalkyl functionalization and on an oxadiazolyl-extended bent core

Two different sets of ionic liquid crystals based on bistriflimide salts of non-symmetrically substituted polyfluorinated bipyridinium (viologens) and bent symmetrically substituted dialkyl-oxadiazolyl-bipyridinium have been synthesized, in order to study the effect on the mesomorphic and electrooptical properties of the non-symmetric functionalization (alkyl chain and fluoroalkyl chains of different lengths) on the two pyridinium rings and additionally the effect of a bent conjugated spacer among the two pyridinium units of the viologen. POM and DSC characterization show that the synthesized salts have a mesomorphic and, in some cases, polymesomorphic behaviour in a wide thermal range, als…

Synthesis and mesomorphism of related series of triphilic ionic liquid crystals based on 1,2,4-triazolium cations

Abstract The synthesis, liquid crystal and conductivity properties of a series of 27 salts based on the 5-(4-(alkyloxy)phenyl)-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium cation bearing a perfluoroalkyl chain with triflate, tetrafluoroborate and bistriflimide anion are reported. The cations are regarded as triphilic on account of their three distinct regions – hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon and ionic. The mesophases were characterised by a combination of polarised optical microscopy, calorimetry and small-angle scattering experiments using both X-rays and neutrons, while thermal stability was probed using thermogravimetric analysis. The liquid crystal properties are found to be dependent on the anion and the length of …

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISATION OF NEW AZOLE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR FUNCTIONAL IONIC SYSTEMS

The synthesis of a series of 27 salts based on 5-(4-(alkyloxy)phenyl)-1,4-dimethyl-3-(perfluoroalkyl)-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium structures, differing in the length of the alkyl and perfluoroalkyl chains, as well as in the counter ions is reported. Some properties of this new family of salts as perspective liquid-crystalline ionic liquids (LC-ILs) are described and the influence of the varying moieties in the modulation of the properties is discussed.

Synthesis and characterization of new azoles as building blocks for functional ionic systems

Fluorinated azole-azine systems as new Liquid-crystalline Ionic Liquids

1,2,4-Triazolium ions as flexible scaffolds for the construction of polyphilic ionic liquid crystals

A novel scaffold for the construction of self-organised ionic liquids and ionic liquid crystals bearing both perfluorocarbon and hydrocarbon moieties has been developed. The phase behaviour and physical properties of these materials can be tuned as a function of chain length and fluorine content and significant structural elaboration is possible, giving a highly flexible system.

CCDC 1848982: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Alessio Riccobono, Rachel R. Parker, Adrian C. Whitwood, John M. Slattery, Duncan W. Bruce, Ivana Pibiri, Andrea Pace|2018|Chem.Commun.|54|9965|doi:10.1039/C8CC04704A