Roselena Faez

Chitosan-Montmorillonite microspheres: A sustainable fertilizer delivery system.

Controlled release fertilizers are efficient tools that increase the sustainability of agricultural practices. However, the biodegradability of the matrices and the determination of the release into soil still require some investigation. This paper describes the preparation of potassium-containing microspheres based on chitosan and montmorillonite clay and the in situ soil release. The chitosan-montmorillonite microspheres were prepared using a coagulation method and different proportions of montmorillonite. The structural, thermal and morphological properties as well the water swelling and fertilizer sorption capacity were evaluated. The best formulations were applied in soil, and the fertilizer release was monitored using time-domain reflectometry (TDR). Montmorillonite clay provides better sorption properties than the chitosan microspheres because of the rough and porous surface. Due to these properties, high levels of fertilizer were sorbed onto the material. ChMMT33-containing potassium shows two specific periods of fertilizer release: the first one lasted approximately three days and was assigned to the external fertilizer on the microspheres. The second was assigned to the internal fertilizer. TDR is an important and fast tool and was used to determine the fertilizer release and the ion movement in the soil.

A one-pot synthesis of a ternary nanocomposite based on mesoporous silica, polyaniline and silver

The research on hybrid materials composed of inorganic and organic species in the nanometer range is motivated by the synergic combination of their native properties in a unique material. In this paper, we report a new one-pot synthesis of a ternary nanocomposite based on a conducting polymer (polyaniline – PANI) and silver, using mesoporous silica (MCM-41) as a hard template to promote the controlled growth of both polymer chains and silver nanoparticles. The presence of these reaction products was proved by the appearance of the characteristic diffraction peaks of face-centered cubic metallic silver phase in the X-ray diffractogram and by the presence of typical bands of polyaniline as emeraldine salt in the FTIR and UV-Vis spectra. The preservation of the ordered MCM-41 mesostructure after the polymerization reaction was also attested by XRD and TEM analysis and it was accompanied by a decreasing of the particle size as observed in the SEM images. N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms support the statement that PANI chains and AgNP have been incorporated mainly into the channel of MCM-41, a fact also attested by TEM images. The electrical conductivity of this nanocomposite is on the order of 10−3 S cm−1, which is one million times higher than the value obtained for a MCM-41/polyaniline composite. Although some reports about the isolated incorporation of polyaniline or silver nanoparticles into the MCM-41 pores are found in the literature, to our knowledge this is the first time that such nanocomposite preparation is reported.

Polymers and its applications in agriculture

Polymers are a class of soft materials with numerous and versatile mechanical and chemical properties that can be tuned specific to their application. Agriculture is an expanding area due to the requirement for indispensable food to meet the demands of a growing global population. Consequently, development of technology to improve the quality of the soil and agriculture manages is still under development. Intelligent agricultural supplies (controlled or slow release agrochemicals and superabsorbents) and biosorbents contribute to an expanding niche using technology from polymers. This review elucidates the state-of-the-art and will discuss some important aspects of using polymers in intelligent fertilizers, as well as superabsorbent, biosorbent and biodegradation processes in agriculture that are environmentally, technically, socially, and economically sustainable.

Estudo Reológico de Tintas de Poliuretano Contendo PAni-DBSA Aplicadas como Materiais Absorvedores de Microondas (8-12 GHz)

In this work, conducting paints based on blends of polyurethane and polyaniline in different proportions were prepared. The effects of both, polyaniline doping method and the blend processing time on the paint rheological behavior were evaluated. It was observed that the doping of the polyaniline with dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid (DBSA) by reactive processing (PAni-DBSA-pr) altered the paint complex viscosity due to the excess of the DBSA used in that doping process. This effect was observed during the rheological analyses by controlling the resting time of the prepared samples. FTIR analyses were carried out to verify possible interactions among the components of the mixture (polyurethane and polyaniline), suggesting that no chemical reactions occurred, but only physical interactions. It was also observed that samples containing 15% (w/w) of PAni-DBSA-pr attenuated nearly 48% of the incident electromagnetic radiation, at around 1112 GHz, showing the applying potential of this paint as radar absorbing material.

PF/CLAY hybrid materials: a simple method to modulate the optical properties

The aim of this work was modulate the emission properties and improve thermal stability of a conjugated polymer incorporated into an inorganic matrix. Hybrid material was prepared based on poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-phenylene (PF) and montmorillonite (Na+Mt) clay using wet impregnation of 10, 30 and 50 wt.% of PF into Na+Mt and Na+Mt intercalated with ammonium quaternary salts (hexadecyltrimethylammonium — HDTMA) in a different proportions (OMt-1 and OMt-2). The materials were characterized by infrared and UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, X-ray diffratometry and thermogravimetry analysis. The results show that the presence of the clay alters the photoluminescent and thermal properties. Nevertheless, the degree of the clay organophilization and the clay content influences the luminescent properties due to the diverse interaction behavior between the polymer and clay. The sodium clay acted only as dispersing agent since no intercalation process occurs and the emission displacement is assigned to this behavior. In this case the PF emission displace from 402 to 395 nm. A nonlinear displacement is observed for PF/OMt-2 due the difficulties to conclude if the intercalation of the polymer occurs (379, 403 and 412 for hybrid with 10, 30 and 50%, respectively). For PF/OMt-1 a higher displacements for lower wavelength is observed due to intercalation of polymer chains and subsequent isolation in the interlamellar space, especially with material with 10 and 30% of PF in the hybrid material, whose displacement reached to 360 nm. All these results show that is possible to try to control the emission of the conjugated hybrid material changing the rate of the material.

Acompanhamento do Processamento de Elastômeros Condutores por Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura

In this work the EPDM elastomer was mixed with Polyaniline (PAni) doped with dodecilbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) using a molar ratio of 1:3 of PAni:DBSA. The EPDM mixture with 40%(w/w) of PAni- (DBSA) 3 was carried out using an internal mixer chamber with two rotors coupled to a Haake Rheocord 90 at 150°C and 30 rpm. Aliquots were taken during the processing time of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 min, and the morphology was evaluated by SEM. The morphology of the blends markedly changes as a function of processing time, from a compact, at 5 min to a sponge-like morphology at 30 and 40 min. These differences influence the material properties, such as electromagnetic radiation absorption of radar absorbing materials (RAM).

Effect of oxidants and anionic surfactants on the morphology and permittivity of polypyrrole and its blends with epoxy resin

In this work, conductive polymers were prepared based on polypyrrole (PPy) and its blends with epoxy resin. The chemical syntheses of PPy used two oxidants (Fe2(SO4)3 and FeCl3.6H2O) and two surfactants (DBSNa and DBSA). PPy samples and their blends were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electrical conductivity by four points, and measurements of complex parameters of electric permittivity (e) and magnetic permeability, in the frequency range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. The micrographs of the fractured surfaces show that the PPy synthetized in the presence of surfactants has particles with smaller diameters, and the oxidant sulfate favored the formation of elongated structures, called fillets. The analysis of the blends found a homogeneous distribution of PPy clusters in epoxy resin matrix, which did not favor the electrical conductivity of these materials. On the other hand, the measurements of the complex parameters of the permittivity show that the blends have increasing values when the PPy concentration is increased in the epoxy resin.

Líquidos iônicos como plastificantes em blendas de borracha nitrílica/polianilina

Two imidazolium-based ionic liquids (C4MIMTf2N and C4MIMBF4) were used to verify their influence on polyaniline (PANI) and nitrile rubber (NBR)/PANI blend properties and the vulcanization process. High conductivity values were observed for PANI-C4MIMTf2N samples and no interference was found for the C4MIMBF4 samples. These materials were added to NBR by mechanical mixing. Based on the torque results, the presence of C4MIMBF4 does not protect the vulcanization reaction of NBR with PANI as performed by C4MIMTf2N. The highest conductivity value was obtained with 7 wt. % of PANI-DSBA-C4MIMTf2N (10-6 S/cm). This result is attributed to the more effective interaction of PANI and NBR phases promoted by the ionic liquid.