Highly Active Cellulose-Supported Poly(hydroxamic acid)-Cu(II) Complex for Ullmann Etherification

Highly active natural pandanus-extracted cellulose-supported poly(hydroxamic acid)-Cu(II) complex 4 was synthesized. The surface of pandanus cellulose was modified through graft copolymerization using purified methyl acrylate as a monomer. Then, copolymer methyl acrylate was converted into a bidentate chelating ligand poly(hydroxamic acid) via a Loosen rearrangement in the presence of an aqueous solution of hydroxylamine. Finally, copper species were incorporated into poly(hydroxamic acid) via the adsorption process. Cu(II) complex 4 was fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The cellulose-supported Cu(II) complex 4 was successfully applied (0.005 mol %) to the Ullmann etherification of aryl, benzyl halides, and phenacyl bromide with a number of aromatic phenols to provide the corresponding ethers with excellent yield [benzyl halide (70-99%); aryl halide (20-90%)]. Cu(II) complex 4 showed high stability and was easily recovered from the reaction mixture. It could be reused up to seven times without loss of its original catalytic activity. Therefore, Cu(II) complex 4 can be commercially utilized for the preparation of various ethers, and this synthetic technique could be a part in the synthesis of natural products and medicinal compounds.

Fluorescence control of chitin and chitosan fabricatedviasurface functionalization using direct oxidative polymerization

The copolymer of 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) and fluorene (F) was directly grafted onto chitin and chitosan using FeCl₃ as an oxidant. The properties of the grafted chitin/chitosan were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and quantum yield measurements. The UV-Vis absorption peaks of the chitin/chitosan grafted with 3-hexylthiophene and fluorene copolymer were increasingly blue-shifted upon increasing the fluorene content and the red-shifted emission of the grafted chitin/chitosan were controlled by varying the monomers feed of the 3HT/F units. The hypsochromic and bathochromic shifts of chitin/chitosan were ascribed to the (3HT/F) moieties grafted to their surface. The quantum yield of grafted chitin/chitosan increased upon increasing the fluorene content. The TGA and XRD analysis revealed that the thermal stability and crystallinity of chitin/chitosan decreased upon grafting the copolymer of fluorene and 3-hexylthiophene. This article represents a simple route towards the surface modification of chitin and chitosan using conducting copolymers, providing multicolor chitin and chitosan via a one-step reaction.

The copolymer of 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) and fluorene (F) was directly grafted onto chitin and chitosan using FeCl₃ as an oxidant.

Biopolymers from Composted Biowaste as Stabilizers for the Synthesis of Spherical and Homogeneously Sized Silver Nanoparticles for Textile Applications on Natural Fibers

The use of bio-based substances (BBS) obtained from composted biowaste as stabilizers for the production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in substitution to citrate is investigated herein, evaluating the functionalization of natural fibers for textile antibacterial applications. The results obtained evidenced that BBS can substitute citrate as reducing/stabilizing agent in the synthesis, inducing a geometrical control (in shape and size) of the AgNPs. Two different substrates were selected (wool and cotton) and two dip-coating deposition techniques investigated. The release of AgNPs from the supports in water was evaluated under two different experimental conditions: 1) soaking (static conditions) for 7 and 15 days, simulating the contact with sweat, and 2) centrifugation (dynamic conditions), simulating a washing machine treatment. A wide physicochemical characterization was carried out to evaluate the effects of BBS on the morphology and stability of AgNPs suspensions as well as the functionalization effectiveness.