Hybrid materials based on chitosan functionalized with green synthesized copper nanoparticles: Physico-chemical and antimicrobial analysis.

Recently, the development of materials with antimicrobial properties has become a challenge under scrutiny. The incorporation of copper nanoparticles (NpCu) into a chitosan matrix appears to represent a viable strategy to contain the particles and prevent their oxidation. Regarding the physical properties, the nanocomposite films (CHCu) showed a decrease in the elongation at break (5 %) and an increase in the tensile strength of 10 % concerning chitosan films (control).

ZnO recovered from spent alkaline batteries as antimicrobial additive for waterborne paints.

Biocides are employed to prevent biodeterioration in waterborne paints. In the present study, we used zinc oxide nanoparticles (obtained from spent alkaline batteries) as biocide for indoor waterborne paint at 1.5% of the total solid content in paint.

Nucleant layer effect on nanocolumnar ZnO films grown by electrodeposition.

Different ZnO nanostructured films were electrochemically grown, using an aqueous solution based on ZnCl2, on three types of transparent conductive oxides grow on commercial ITO (In2O3:Sn)-covered glass substrates: (1) ZnO prepared by spin coating, (2) ZnO prepared by direct current magnetron sputtering, and (3) commercial ITO-covered glass substrates. Although thin, these primary oxide layers play an important role on the properties of the nanostructured films grown on top of them. Additionally, these primary oxide layers prevent direct hole combination when used in optoelectronic devices.

Positron annihilation lifetimes in cucurbiturils: evidence of internal inclusion of gold in CB[7].

Positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurements are carried out to determine the cavity dimensions of hydrated and dehydrated cucurbiturils (CB[n]; n=5,6,7,8). In the case of hydrated samples, the dimensions of the cavity are unrelated to the number of glycoluril units of the CB, whereas for dehydrated samples the cavity dimensions measured by PAL follow the expected order, although the experimental values obtained by PAL are significantly smaller than the dimensions of each CB determined by crystallography. For a host-guest complex in which colloidal gold nanoparticles are assumed to be included inside CB[7], a significant reduction of the cavity size is measured.