The Catalytic Activity of Polyaniline in Hydrogenation Reactions with Molecular Hydrogen.

This study unveils a novel property of polyaniline by establishing its catalytic activity in heterogeneous hydrogenation with molecular hydrogen. Polyaniline was activated by heat-treating at different temperatures in a hydrogen atmosphere. The sample treated at 300 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity for ethylene hydrogenation in the gas phase at atmospheric pressure and for p-nitrotoluene or α-methylstyrene hydrogenation in the liquid phase.

Liquid exfoliation of mechanochemically nanostructured tungsten disulfide to a graphene-like state.

The possibility of the efficient preparation of graphene-like 1H-WS by the primary solventless nanostructuration of bulk 2H-WS by means of its mechanochemical treatment in the presence of a chemically inert agent (NaCl) and the subsequent liquid exfoliation of the nanostructured 2H-WS in an organic solvent is shown for the first time. The shear stresses generated during the grinding of the WS/NaCl mixture caused the formation of WS particles with a reduced number of layers, while the stresses normal to their surface led to their cracking and a significant reduction in lateral size. The graphene-like morphology of the 1H-WS nanoparticles in the prepared dispersions is confirmed by atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

One-Step Electrochemical Preparation of Multilayer Graphene Functionalized with Nitrogen.

A new environmentally friendly one-step method for producing multilayer (preferably 7-9 layers) nitrogen-doped graphene (N-MLG) with a slight amount of oxygen-containing defects was developed. The approach is based on the electrochemical exfoliation of graphite electrode in the presence of azide ions under the conditions of electrolysis with pulse changing of the electrode polarization potential. It was found that usage of azide anions lead not only to the exfoliation of graphite but also to the simultaneous functionalization of graphene sheets by nitrogen atoms (as a result of electrochemical decomposition of azide anions with ammonia evolution).

Enhanced and tunable photoluminescence of polyphenylenevinylenes confined in nanocomposite films.

Conformation of macromolecules and interchain interactions determine spectral properties of conjugated polymers (CP). An achievement of spatial confinement of isolated chains is one of the routes to use this feature of CP for their purposeful usage. In the present work, CP/O300 nanocomposites based on CP - poly(p-phenylenevinylene) and poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) - and silica nanoparticles (O300) are prepared.