Publications by authors named "Sara Fernanda Orsini"
A novel starch-based ether bearing cinnamyl functionalities, conferring photo-crosslinking properties, is synthesised by reaction with cinnamyl chloride in the presence of sodium hydroxide. Natural yuca was selected as a sustainable source of starch. Three different molar equivalents of reagents are used, affording starch-cinnamyl ethers with different degrees of substitution, ranging from 0.
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- Fe-N-Cs are emerging as cost-effective alternatives to rare and expensive platinum group metals for use in fuel cell applications, particularly for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
- The typical method of using silica templates for these materials involves hazardous hydrofluoric acid, but a new approach uses in-situ generated HF from NHHF and NaF to remove the silica safely.
- This modified method shows that a specific molar ratio of etching agents can effectively dissolve silica without damaging the porous structure of the electrocatalysts, resulting in improved performance, especially with NHHF-washed Fe-N-C catalysts achieving an exceptional onset potential of 970 mV in alkaline solutions.
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- Chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from chitin, found in crustacean exoskeletons, and has gained attention for its diverse applications and beneficial properties since the early 2000s.
- This review discusses the chemical modifications of chitosan and the strategies for creating innovative biomaterials, particularly focusing on hydrogels and other structures used in biomedicine.
- While the review covers significant developments in chitosan-based materials over the past decade, it notes that it is not exhaustive and aims to inspire further exploration in the field.
Sepiolite clay is a natural filler particularly suitable to be used with polysaccharide matrices (e.g., in starch-based bio-nanocomposites), increasing their attractiveness for a wide range of applications, such as packaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study reports on the synthesis of a new alkoxysilane-bearing light-responsive cinnamyl group and its application as a surface functionalization agent for the development of SiO nanoparticles (NPs) with photoreversible tails. In detail, cinnamic acid (CINN) was activated with -hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to obtain the corresponding NHS-ester (CINN-NHS). Subsequently, the amine group of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was acylated with CINN-NHS leading to the generation of a novel organosilane, CINN-APTES, which was then exploited for decorating SiO NPs.
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