Search results for "Actant"
showing 10 items of 473 documents
Exploiting the Colloidal Stability and Solubilization Ability of Clay Nanotubes/Ionic Surfactant Hybrid Nanomaterials
2012
Halloysite clay nanotubes are functionalized by exploiting the different charges between the inner positive and the outer negative surfaces; accordingly, a selective adsorption is pursued by employing anionic and cationic surfactants. The obtained hybrid materials dispersed in aqueous phase are studied from the physicochemical viewpoint to investigate the colloidal stability that is a crucial parameter for applications. It is demonstrated that the adsorption of anionic surfactant into the HNTs lumen increases the net negative charge of the nanotubes enhancing the electrostatic repulsions and consequently the dispersion stability. The solubilization capability of these functionalized nanotub…
Donor–Acceptor Interfaces by Engineered Nanoparticles Assemblies for Enhanced Efficiency in Plastic Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells
2016
Precisely positioning functionalized gold nanoparticles assemblies at planar donor-acceptor interfaces results in 14-fold enhancement of power conversion efficiency in P3HT/PCBM organic solar cells on plastic (ITO/PET) substrates. This result has been achieved by employing naphthalenethiol-capped gold nanoparticles (NT-Au-NPs) produced by laser ablation in liquid and size varied in the 10-30 nm range. Upon surface functionalization with the aromatic thiol, these particles self-assemble in submicrometer aggregates, which give increased light scattering. When these aggregates are deposited in the planar heterojunction between the donor and the acceptor systems, the localized scattering leads …
From Gold Nanoseeds to Nanorods: The Microscopic Origin of the Anisotropic Growth
2016
Directly manipulating and controlling the size and shape of metal nanoparticles is a key step for their tailored applications. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations were applied to understand the microscopic origin of the asymmetric growth mechanism in gold nanorods. Different factors influencing the growth were selectively included in the models to unravel the role of the surfactants and ions. In the early stage of the growth, when the seed is only a few nanometers large, a dramatic symmetry breaking occurs as the surfactant layer preferentially covers the (100) and (110) facets, leaving the (111) facets unprotected. This anisotropic surfactant layer in turn promotes anisotropic gro…
E-beam irradiation and UV photocrosslinking of microemulsion-laden poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) hydrogels for ‘‘in situ’’ encapsulation of volatile hy…
2011
Gelled microemulsions are the subject of considerable scientific and commercial interest. Many efforts are currently devoted to improving their toxicological profile and functioning as biocompatible diffusion barrier for the controlled delivery of hydrophobic compounds. In the present investigation, a non-ionic polymeric surfactant was chosen to generate an oil-in-water microemulsion of a model fragrance in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP). The microemulsion was then subjected to either electron-beam or UV-irradiation to induce free-radical crosslinking of PVP at low temperature and in the absence of crosslinking agents, catalysts and initiators. Irradiation conditions with…
Direct formation of Sub-Micron and Nanoparticles of a bioinspired coordination polymer based on Copper with Adenine
2017
We report on the use of different reaction conditions, e.g., temperature, time, and/or concentration of reactants, to gain control over the particle formation of a bioinspired coordination polymer based on copper(II) and adenine, allowing homogeneous particle production from microto submicro-, and up to nano-size. Additionally, studies on this reaction carried out in the presence of different surfactants gives rise to the control of the particle size due to the modulation of the electrostatic interactions. Stability of the water suspensions obtained within the time and pH has been evaluated. We have also studied that there is no significant effect of the size reduction in the magnetic prope…
The rate of polymerization in two loci reaction systems: VDF-HFP precipitation copolymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide
2011
When the copolymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) and hexafluoropropylene (HFP) is carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2) under heterogeneous conditions, the reaction occurs both in the continuous CO 2-rich phase and in the dispersed polymer-rich phase. The two phases being characterized by different values of reactant concentrations and kinetic parameters, one would expect that the reaction kinetics is affected by the polymer phase holdup in the reactor. However, the reaction rate is almost insensitive to the amount of produced polymer, at least at specific reaction conditions. This apparent contradiction is discussed and clarified in this paper by a series of comparativ…
Evaluation of polyalkylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles as a potential drug carrier: preparation, morphological characterization and loading capacity.
1993
Some physicochemical behaviours were investigated of polyethyl- (PECA) and polyisobutylcyanoacrylate (PICA), which, in recent years, have been proposed as nanoparticle colloidal systems for drug carrying. We observed the influence of preparation conditions, such as pH value and surfactant concentration, on parameters such as particle size and polymer molecular weight. Lower operating pH values (0-2) resulted in smaller nanoparticles than those prepared at pH 5.5. The polymer molecular weight was also a function of pH: low molecular weight at low pH and vice-versa. The surfactant concentration positively influenced main particle size and polymer molecular weight. These trends were independen…
Anti-Arrhenian behaviour of conductivity in octanoic acid–bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine systems: a physico-chemical study
2015
Pure surfactant liquids and their binary mixtures, owing to the amphiphilic nature of the molecules involved, can exhibit nano-segregation and peculiar transport properties. The structural and dynamic properties of octanoic acid (OA)–bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine (BEEA) liquid mixtures at various compositions have been studied by Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), 1H-NMR and broadband dielectric spectroscopy as a function of temperature. It was found that the self-assembly occurs via proton exchange between the OA COOH group and the BEEA NH one; such self-assembled local structures are affected anisotropically by a temperature increase so that the thermal dilatation is more marked in a direction …
High-resolution investigation of nanoparticle interaction with a model pulmonary surfactant monolayer.
2012
The pulmonary surfactant film spanning the inner alveolar surface prevents alveolar collapse during the end-exhalation and reduces the work of breathing. Nanoparticles (NPs) present in the atmosphere or nanocarriers targeted through the pulmonary route for medical purposes challenge this biological barrier. During interaction with or passage of NPs through the alveolar surfactant, the biophysical functioning of the film may be altered. However, experimental evidence showing detailed biophysical interaction of NPs with the pulmonary surfactant film are scant. In this study, we have investigated the impact of a hydrophobic polyorganosiloxane (AmOrSil20) NPs on the integrity as well as on the …
Structure of Hybrid Materials Based on Halloysite Nanotubes Filled with Anionic Surfactants
2016
The structures of pristine halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and ones functionalized by anionic surfactants (sodium dodecanoate and sodium dodecyl sulfate) were investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). These experiments evidenced the structural organization of the surfactants adsorbed onto the HNT cavity and the importance of the surfactant headgroup. Contrast matching experiments were employed in order to mask the dominant scattering effect of the clay hollow nanotubes and to focus on the surfactant organization within the lumen. Further investigation on the mesoscopic structure of the investigated materials was carried out by electric birefringence (EBR), which allowed study of th…