Synthesis of silver particles stabilized by a bifunctional SiH -NH -PMHS oligomer as recyclable nanocatalysts for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Bifunctional oligomers with both reducing and stabilizing functionalities were prepared and successfully applied to the preparation of silver colloids of around 2 nm size without employing a strong stabilizer such as S and P, which was quite difficult to achieve. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were performed to determine the morphology and particle size of the Ag colloids. UV-vis spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were implemented to investigate the oxidation state of the Ag colloids.

Cellulose nanocrystals obtained from office waste paper and their potential application in PET packing materials.

Annually a tremendous amount of office waste paper (OWP) is discarded creating environmental pollution. Therefore, how to make this paper from waste to wealth and use it in new approaches have become a meaningful and challenging work. In this work, OWP being a cellulose rich biomass was employed for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) by acid hydrolysis with different acid concentrations but without subjecting OWP to alkali and bleaching treatments.