Recent advances and perspectives on starch nanocomposites for packaging applications

Starch nanocomposites are popular and abundant materials in packaging sectors. The aim of this work is to review some of the most popular starch nanocomposite systems that have been used nowadays. Due to a wide range of applicable reinforcements, nanocomposite systems are investigated based on nanofiller type such as nanoclays, polysaccharides and carbonaceous nanofillers. Furthermore, the structures of starch and material preparation methods for their nanocomposites are also mentioned in this review. It is clearly presented that mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of plasticised starch can be improved with well-dispersed nanofillers in starch nanocomposites

An organic spin valve embedding a self-assembled monolayer of organic radicals

A novel functionalization of a ferromagnetic electrode employed in spintronic devices is reported. Self‐assembling monolayer technique has been used to chemisorb a paramagnetic phosphonate functionalized nitronyl‐nitroxide radical (NitPO) on the ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) manganite surface. This interfacial layer causes clearly detectable modifications of the behavior in prototypical LSMO/NitPO/Gaq3/AlOx/Co vertical spintronic devices at temperatures below the ferromagnetic alignment (estimated by density functional theory) of the magnetic moments of NitPO and LSMO. This behavior can be justified by a significant spin filtering effect at the engineered interface, with a carrier selection (spin‐up) opposite to that of the LSMO/Gaq3 interface (spin‐down). It is proposed that the engineering of spin injecting interfaces with molecules having magnetic moment enables additional mechanisms to control and manipulate the spin polarization of currents in spintronic devices