3 research outputs found
Functionalization of graphene related materials with biosourced C-3 and C-6 building blocks. From synthesis to applications
The functionalization of sp2 carbon allotropes is one of the hot research topics in advanced research
on materials. Nowadays, carbon nanotubes and graphene related materials are extensively studied
due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. They are capable of substantially
improving the properties of polymeric materials. Their functionalization is a crucial step, for allowing
an even dispersion in the matrix.
In this research, the functionalization of graphene related materials was performed with biosourced
C-3 and C-6 molecules. They were glycerol and galactaric acid derivatives: pyrrole
compounds (PyC) and 2-pyrones. The reactions for their synthesis and for the carbon
allotrope functionalization were green and characterized by high atom efficiency, with a yield up to
96%. Indeed, the reactions were carried out in the absence of solvents and catalysts and adducts were
obtained by simply mixing, with the help of either thermal or mechanical energy. The developed
functionalization methods were successful for: carbon black, carbon nanotubes, few layers graphene.
The bulk structure of the carbon substrate was left substantially unaltered: functionalization occurred
in peripheral positions, at the edges of the graphene layers. Functional groups of defined chemical
structure were covalently bound to the carbon material and stable adducts, up to very high
temperature, were formed. Reliable hypotheses for the functionalization mechanisms were
elaborated. In Figure 1b the supposed domino reaction based on the pyrrole compound, with the Diels
Alder cycloaddition as the last step is represented.
Such functionalization technique was developed as a pervasive technology, which allowed to pursue
a variety of applications: (i) decoration with metals to obtain catalysts for the selective deuteration of
pharmaceutical molecules as well as antibacterial ingredients (ii) rubber compounds for
dynamic-mechanical applications (tires) (iii) conductive inks
Risk of Guillain-Barr\ue9 syndrome after 2010-2011 influenza vaccination
Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barr\ue9 Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case-control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged 6518 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case-control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case-control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations