Search results for "FFC"

Water dynamics in different biochar fractions.

2014

Biochar is a carbonaceous porous material deliberately applied to soil to improve its fertility. The mechanisms through which biochar acts on fertility are still poorly understood. The effect of biochar texture size on water dynamics was investigated here in order to provide information to address future research on nutrient mobility towards plant roots as biochar is applied as soil amendment. A poplar biochar has been stainless steel fractionated in three different textured fractions (1.0-2.0 mm, 0.3-1.0 mm and0.3 mm, respectively). Water-saturated fractions were analyzed by fast field cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry. Results proved that 3D exchange between bound and bulk water predominantly…

Effects of afforestation with four unmixed plant species on the soil–water interactions in a semiarid Mediterranean region (Sicily, Italy)

2012

Purpose An assessment of the effect of plant cover on the properties of four afforested soils in central Sicily was performed with the aim of discriminating among them after 60 years of afforestation. Materials and methods Chemical and biochemical soil analyses were coupled to fast field cycling (FFC) NMR relaxation investigations in order to monitor surface interactions of water in water-saturated soils. Results and discussion The traditional soil analyses revealed that the most stable soil properties such as soil texture and pH are not affected by 60 years of afforestation. Soils developed under eucalyptus trees showed larger amounts of hydrophilic organic matter as compared to the soils …

A multivariate statistical and relaxometry approach to study the provenance and traceability of dairy products

FFC-NMR Relaxometric Characterization of Nanosponges for Rationalizing their Adsorption and Release abilities

Evaluation of adsorption ability of Cyclodextrin-Calixarene Nanosponges towards Pb2+ ion in aqueous solution

2021

Abstract Different cyclodextrin-calixarene nanosponges (CyCaNSs) have been characterized by means of FFC-NMR relaxometry, and used as sorbents to remove Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions. Considering that the removal treatments may involve polluted waters with different characteristics, the adsorption experiments were performed on solutions without and with the addition of background salts, under different operational conditions. The adsorption abilities and affinities of the nanosponges towards Pb2+ ions were investigated by measuring the metal ion concentration by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (DP-ASV…

APPLICATION OF FFC-NMR TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF THE FEATURES OF NANOSPONGES

Fast-Field-Cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry is a versatile and powerful tool for studying the microscopic dynamics of molecular systems, provided that a suitable analysis of the longitudinal relaxation kinetics and the relevant NMRD (i.e. longitudinal relaxation rate R1 vs. Larmor frequency νL) dispersion curves is performed. In particular, FFC-NMR can afford valuable information on the texture properties (average pore size, specific surface and specific pore volume) of porous materials, once they have been saturated with water. Thus, it appears a technique of choice for assessing the otherwise elusive texture properties of nanosponges (NSs). These hyper-crosslinked polymers, obtained by retic…

Heuristic Algorithm for the Analysis of Fast Field Cycling (FFC) NMR Dispersion Curves

2021

Evaluation of nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) curves obtained by the fast field cycling nuclear magnetic resonance (FFC-NMR) relaxometry technique is a valuable tool for analyzing the microscopic dynamics of condensed matter systems. However, quantitative data analysis involves several conceptual and practical issues. Moving forward from previous literature approaches, we propose a new analysis method, relying on the elaboration of the inverse integral transform of the NMRD curve. Our approach results in a true heuristic method, able to unambiguously individuate the dynamic domains in the system, thereby avoiding the possible introduction of any element of discretion. The anal…

Water Dynamics at the Solid-Liquid Interface to Unveil the Textural Features of Synthetic Nanosponges.

2020

A Fast-Field-Cycling NMR investigation was carried out on a set of polyurethane cyclodextrin nanosponges, in order to gain information on their textural properties, which have been proven to be quite difficult to assess by means of ordinary porosimetric techniques. Experiments were performed on both dry and wet samples, in order to evaluate the behavior of the “non-exchangeable” C-bound 1H nuclei, as well as the one of the mobile protons belonging to the skeletal hydroxyl groups and the water molecules. The results acquired for the wet samples accounted for the molecular mobility of water molecules within the channels of the nanosponge network, leading back to the possible pore size distrib…

Dynamics of hyaluronan aqueous solutions as assessed by fast field cycling NMR relaxometry.

2010

Fast field cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry has been used to study the conformational properties of aqueous solutions of hyaluronan (HYA) at three concentrations in the range 10 to 25 mg mL(-1). Results revealed that, irrespective of the solution concentration, three different hydration layers surround hyaluronan. The inner layer consists of water molecules strongly retained in the proximity of the HYA surface. Because of their strong interactions with HYA, water molecules in this inner hydration layer are subject to very slow dynamics and have the largest correlation times. The other two hydration layers are made of water molecules which are located progressively further from the HYA surface.…

Dynamics of pistachio oils by proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxtion dispersion

2011

A number of pistachio oils were selected in order to test the efficacy of nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation dispersion (NMRD) technique in the evaluation of differences among oils (1) obtained from seeds subjected to different thermal desiccation processes, (2) retrieved from seeds belonging to the same cultivar grown in different geographical areas and (3) produced by using seed cultivars sampled in the same geographical region. NMRD measures relaxation rate values which are related to the dynamics of the chemical components of complex food systems. Results not only allowed to relate kinematic viscosity to relaxometry parameters but also were successful in the differentiation among the…