A review on the synthesis of in situ aluminum based composites by thermal,mechanical and mechanical–thermal activation of chemical reactions

The aim of the present paper is to review the recent progress in the synthesis of in situ particle reinforced aluminum composites using thermal, mechanical and combined mechanical-thermal activation of aluminothermic reduction reactions. The combination of combustion synthesis (CS) and mechanosynthesis (MS) is the most recent development in the processing of advanced materials like micro and nano aluminum based composites. The combined mechanical thermal synthesis (MTS) has widened the possibilities for both CS and MS. MTS holds great potential for commercial viability and offers exciting processing route for the synthesis of advanced materials. Enhanced reaction kinetics and extended concentration limits in MTS are demonstrated by illustrating the synthesis of aluminum based nanocomposite involving Al–CeO₂.     

Preparation and antibacterial activity of novel fluoroalkyl end-capped oligomers/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated low molecular biocides

Fluoroalkyl end-capped N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F] reacted with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and silica nanoparticles in the presence of low-molecular weight biocides such as hibitane, hinokitiol, and hinokioil under alkaline conditions to afford R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated these biocides in excellent to moderate isolated yields. Fluoroalkyl end-capped N,N-dimethylacrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DMAA) _n -R_F] and acrylic acid oligomer [R_F-(ACA) _n -R_F]/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated hibitane were obtained under similar conditions. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that the size of these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides thus obtained is nanometer size-controlled. Additionally, these fluorinated nanocomposites were shown to have a good dispersibility and stability in methanol and water. Of particular interest, these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides were found to have a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and these nanocomposites were applied to the surface modification of traditional organic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate).     

Preparation of gold nanoparticles (GNP) aqueous suspensions by a new method involving Tiron

A new method is proposed to produce gold nanoparticles (GNP) by in situ reduction of a gold salt dissolved in water. The reducing agent used is Tiron instead of the citrate anion most often mentioned in literature. The influence of various parameters has been investigated, such as the content of Tiron with respect to that of the precursor of gold HAuCl₄, or the initial pH of the solution after mixing of reactants. It is shown that Tiron also exerts a positive influence as a dispersant, which impedes agglomeration of gold nanoparticles. The typical average size of GNP synthesized in the present work is close to 7 nm.