Design of functional materials it is of great importance to address important problems in the areas of health and environment. In the present work, the synthesis and application of poly-meric nanocomposite materials with poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and modified nanoclay (cloisite 20A) with 1,4-diaminobutane dihydrochloride at different reaction times were studied. The concentra-tions of the nanoclays in the PLA matrix were 0.5, 1 and, 5% by weight (wt%). TGA showed that sample C20AM 120 (120 min of treatment) obtained the highest degree of modification considering the weight losses of the analyzed samples. An FT-IR signal at 1443 cm⁻¹ suggests that the organic modifier is intercalated between the galleries of the clay. XRD, SEM and XPS suggest good disper-sion at low concentrations of the nanoclay. Adsorption tests revealed that the highest percentage of removal of uremic toxins and methylene blue was the sample with 5% wt/wt chemically modified nanoclay, suggesting good affinity between the modified nanoclays in the PLA matrix with the nitrogenous compounds.

This work reports the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro release studies of pH- and temperature-sensitive Fe₃O₄-SiO₂-poly(NVCL-co-MAA) nanocomposite. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by chemical coprecipitation, coated with SiO₂ by the Stöber method, and functionalized with vinyl groups. The copolymer poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-methacrylic acid) (poly(NVCL-co-MAA)) was grafted onto the functionalized Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ nanoparticles by free radical polymerization. XRD, FTIR, TGA, VSM, and TEM techniques were performed to characterize the nanocomposite. The release behavior of Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded in the nanocomposite at pH 5.8 and 7.4, and two temperatures, 25 and 37 °C, was studied. According to the release studies, approximately 55% of DOX is released in 72 h at pH 7.4, regardless of temperature. At pH 5.8, 78% of DOX was released in 48 h at 25 °C, and when increasing the temperature to 37 °C, more than 95 % of DOX was released in 24 h. The DOX release data treated with Zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer–Peppas models showed that Higuchi’s model best fits the data, indicating that the DOX is released by diffusion. The findings suggest that the synthesized nanocomposite may be useful as a DOX carrier in biomedical applications.

Lavender oil- (LO-) loaded ultrafine nanoparticles (NP) ( ) of a copolymer were used for impregnating fabrics of cotton, cotton polyester, and polyester-elastane. The copolymer was composed mainly of methyl methacrylate (MMA) units with a low proportion of methacrylic acid (MAA). Moreover, two kinds of NP were used: one containing uncrosslinked copolymer and another one composed of crosslinked material. All the fabrics impregnated with NP of uncrosslinked copolymer keep the aroma up to 25 washes. Under storage at ambient conditions, the fabrics impregnated with NP of either uncrosslinked or crosslinked copolymer emitted aroma for up to almost 60 days. The long duration of aroma emission from fabrics is attributed to ease of the small nanoparticles used in this study of penetrating and staying inside the pores of the fabric fibers.

The synthesis of bioplastics from renewable resources is essential for green living. PHBV (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)) is a biodegradable and biocompatible material ideal for various industrial applications. The impact of levulinic (LA), valeric acids (VA), and sodium propionate (SPr) as co-substrates in biomass and the synthesis of 3-hydroxy valerate (3HV) and co-polymerization of PHBV by Burkholderia thailandensis E264 (BtE264) was assessed. Thermogravimetric, XRD, NMR, and mechanical characterization were performed on the homopolymer (PHB) and co-polymer (PHBV), and compared to the PHBV-STD. BtE264 produced the co-polymer PHBV when adding any of the three co-substrates. LA showed a higher positive effect on microbial growth (8.4 g∙L⁻¹) and PHBV production (3.91 g∙L⁻¹), representing 78 and 22 mol % of 3HB and 3HV, respectively. The PHBV obtained with LA had a melting temperature (Tm) lower than the PHB homopolymer and presented lower values for melting enthalpies (ΔHf); the degree of crystallization and TGA values indicated that PHBV had better thermal stability. Additionally, FTIR and NMR revealed that BtE264 synthesizes PHBV with an organization in monomeric units (3HB-3HV), suggesting differentiated incorporation of the monomers, improving 3.4 times the break elongation the co-polymer’s tensile properties. This study highlights the co-substrates’ relevance in PHBV synthesis using BtE264 for the first time.

The synthesis of graphite oxide (GrO) by oxidation of graphite has been carried out by different procedures. In this chapter, we describe a simple synthesis route based on Hummers’ method without the usage of NaNO3 achieving nearly the same outcomes, and this methodology is directed toward high-quality scale production of GrO with similar properties compared with GrO obtained with traditional and improved Hummers’ methods. The GrO was obtained in a series of batch reactions and characterized by different techniques, and the results showed identical interlayer d-space, type and content of oxygen functionalities, and ID/IG ratio. The high reproducibility of this methodology offers an efficient alternative for the large-scale production of graphene oxide.