This work describes, for the first time, the preparation of palladium nanoparticles supported in thermally-treated human hair. Human hair showed to be an efficient adsorbent of Pd2+ in aqueous media, reaching nearly 100% of adsorption from a 100 ppm solution. The thermal treatment of hair containing Pd2+ at 200 ºC under nitrogen atmosphere led to the formation of an N, S-containing material presenting 0.5 wt.% of palladium. The material was extensively characterized by elemental analysis (CHN and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES)), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, and by thermogravimetry (TG), thermogravimetry coupled to mass spectrometry (TG-MS), scanning electron miscroscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. It was possible to observe that the surface structure of hair was preserved during thermal treatment, presenting palladium nanoparticles with particle sizes of approximately 4 nm. This material was used as heterogeneous catalyst in a preliminary application in nitrobenzene reduction to aniline in aqueous medium using sodium borohydride.

The potentialities of X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) of the N K edge (N K) obtained with the spherical grating monochromator beam line at the Brazilian National Synchrotron Light Laboratory are explored in the investigation of poly(aniline), nanocomposites and dyes. Through the analysis of N K XANES spectra of conducting polymers and many other dye compounds that are dominated by 1s<FONT FACE=Symbol>®p</FONT>* transitions, it was possible to correlate the band energy value with the nitrogen oxidation states. An extensive N K XANES spectral database was obtained, thus permitting the elucidation of the nature of different nitrogens present in the intercalated conducting polymers.