4 research outputs found
Solution study of novel diblock copolymers: Morphology and structural transition
The solution behavior and morphology of the nanostructures formed by novel block copolymers based on 1-cetyl[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethylammonium bromide (ADHA) and 2-hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA) or N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) have been studied using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In these block copolymers the pADHA block consists of long hydrophobic C16 tails connected to a positively charged quaternary ammonium group, making it amphiphilic, while the second block is either fully hydrophilic (pHEA) or thermoresponsive (pNIPAM). Using SAXS, we demonstrate that the morphology of block copolymer nanostructures is dependent on the solute concentration and on the length and composition of the blocks. In the case of thermoresponsive pADHA-b-pNIPAM, two types of ordered structures are formed and their characteristics are also defined by the temperature. Complementary information is obtained from DLS, showing large particles with the size up to 280 nm, which is beyond the resolution of the SAXS data. Loss of ordering around the lower critical solution temperature followed by ordering restoration at the higher temperature was observed for the pADHA-b-pNIPAM block copolymers. The differences in the structural order in the block copolymer solutions are directly related to their ability to coat hydrophobic metal nanoparticles
Multifunctional Nanohybrids by Self-Assembly of Monodisperse Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Nanolamellar MoS<sub>2</sub> Plates
Here, we report the synthesis, characterization,
and properties
of novel nanohybrids formed by self-assembly of negatively charged
MoS<sub>2</sub> nanoplates and positively charged iron oxide nanoparticles
(NPs) of two different sizes, 5.1 and 11.6 nm. Iron oxide NPs were
functionalized with an amphiphilic random copolymer, quaternized poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl
metacrylate-<i>co</i>-stearyl metacrylate), synthesized
for the first time using atom transfer radical polymerization. The
influence of the MoS<sub>2</sub> fraction and the iron oxide NP size
on the structure of the nanohybrids has been studied. Surprisingly,
larger NPs retained a larger fraction of the copolymer, thus requiring
more MoS<sub>2</sub> nanoplates for charge compensation. The nanohybrid
based on 11.6 nm NPs was studied in oxidation of sulfide ions. This
reaction could be used for removing the dangerous pollutant from wastewater
and in the production of hydrogen from water using solar energy. We
demonstrated a higher catalytic activity of the NP/MoS<sub>2</sub> nanohybrid than that of merely dispersed MoS<sub>2</sub> in catalytic
oxidation of sulfide ions and facile magnetic recovery of the catalyst
after the reaction