Tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) pulp presents a large number of secondary metabolites that can mediate the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles through a greener and more sustainable synthetic route than traditional ones. This study investigated the production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) mediated by aqueous extracts of tucumã pulp assessing different parameters, such as temperature, concentration of extract, and pH values of the reaction media. The alkaline reaction media produced the most intense and well-defined bands around 400 nm in the electronic spectra, indicating the formation of AgNPs in the three concentrations of tucumã pulp evaluated. The increase in the temperature of the reaction media also enhanced the surface plasmon resonance band of AgNPs but it increased the polydispersivity of produced nanoparticles according to the dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data. Zeta potential results indicated moderate stability of the AgNPs (close to -30 mV). Antimicrobial assessment of the colloidal metal particles indicated microbicide activity against the Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacterium.

Resumo As argamassas são compósitos heterogêneos cujo ganho de resistência ocorre por meio de uma sucessão de reações químicas entre a água e o cimento Portland. Nesse sentido, polímeros hidrofílicos capazes de absorver água e liberá-la posteriormente vêm sendo desenvolvidos para melhorar as propriedades das argamassas. Assim, hidrogel à base de poliacrilamida, carboximetilcelulose e nanoargila foi sintetizado e aplicado em argamassas cimentícias preparadas com diferentes relações água/cimento (a/c = 0,40, 0,48 e 0,50). A sua aplicação nas argamassas reduziu o índice de consistência e a taxa de exsudação, e não ocasionou variação na densidade no estado endurecido destas. Já os índices de absorção de água das argamassas com hidrogel com a/c= 0,40 e 0,50 reduziram cerca de 6,1% e 6,7%, respectivamente. Esse mesmo comportamento também foi observado para a resistência à compressão. Em suma, o desenvolvimento e aplicação de hidrogéis capazes de absorver e liberar água é uma área bastante promissora para a construção civil.

Abstract Mortars are heterogeneous composites that gain strength through a succession of chemical reactions between water and Portland cement. In this sense, hydrophilic polymers that can absorb water and release it later have been developed to improve their properties. Thus, a hydrogel-based on polyacrylamide, carboxymethylcellulose and nanoclay was synthesized and applied in cement mortars prepared with different water/cement (w/c) ratios (0.40, 0.48, and 0.50). Its application in mortars reduced the consistency index and the exudation rate and did not cause variation in density in the hardened state. The water absorption rate of mortars with hydrogel with w/c= 0.40 and 0.50 reduced ~6.1% and 6.7%, respectively. This same behavior was also observed for compressive strength. In summary, the development and application of hydrogels capable of absorbing and releasing water is a very promising area for civil construction.

The objective of this paper was to study the effect of pH, concentration and ionic species on the water absorption of the bionanocomposite hydrogels based on carboxymethylcellulose polysaccharide and laponite nanoclay. Bionanocomposite hydrogels were obtained via free radical polymerization. It was possible to observe that the swelling degree (Q) and kinetic properties were strongly influenced, and controlled, by the presence and quantity of ionic species, decreasing their water uptake when compared to the same values obtained in distilled water. Furthermore, the addition of nanoclay decreased the water uptake sensibility of the hydrogel in ionic media. It was also observed that the presence of the nanoclay decreased the Qeq distilled water values from 32.5 g g-1 to 22.5 g g-1. The pKa variation of the bionanocomposites was a good indication of the possible interaction of the nanoclay-polymeric chains. The possibility of the control of water absorption (velocity and quantity) whereas these nanocomposites are pH- and salt-responsive may potentiate their application in agriculture. Agronomical studies are in progress, which can confirm its applicability in this area.

In this work, a novel device based on polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels and KL - DeOH - H2O lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC), with potential for application as Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals (PDLC), was proposed and its properties characterized. The confinement of LLC promoted significant changes in spectroscopic, morphological, optical, hydrophilic, structural and mechanical properties due to the interaction between the LLC-PAAm matrix and entropic parameter changes. The mechanical and structural properties can be controlled by adjusting AAm, temperature and presence of LLC, which can be useful for technological applications of these systems in optical devices.

Neste trabalho, hidrogéis condutores do tipo semi-IPN constituídos por poliacrilamida (PAAm) e polímero intrinsecamente condutor poli(3,4-etileno dioxitiofeno)/poli(estireno-sulfonato) (PEDOT/PSS) foram sintetizados e suas propriedades hidrofílicas, mecânicas, condutoras e ópticas foram caracterizadas por meio de planejamento fatorial completo 2³ com ponto central. Para isso, utilizaram-se três fatores: concentrações de acrilamida (AAm) e N,N’-metileno-bis-acrilamida (MBAAm), e quantidade de PEDOT/PSS, em três níveis, sendo um deles o ponto central. O planejamento foi construído para avaliar os efeitos desses fatores (efeitos principais e efeitos de interação entre os fatores) nas seguintes propriedades dos hidrogéis estudados (respostas): grau de intumescimento, tensão máxima de compressão, condutância iônica e intensidade relativa de luz transmitida através dos hidrogéis estudados. Os resultados demonstraram que a estabilidade mecânica dos hidrogéis semi-IPN é preservada e a presença de PEDOT/PSS aumenta o entrelaçamento na matriz de PAAm. Observou-se também que as propriedades ópticas são fortemente influenciadas com a presença de PEDOT/PSS. Dessa forma, torna-se possível obter hidrogéis com hidrofilicidade, estabilidade mecânica e transparência controladas, o que é importante para a aplicação desses materiais, principalmente como dispositivos ópticos.

Conductive semi-IPN hydrogels made with polyacrylamide (PAAm) and the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) were synthesized and the hydrophilicity, mechanical, ionic conductivity and optical properties were characterized through the 2³ factorial design. The experiments concerning the factorial design were randomly performed. The inputs were acrylamide (AAm), N,N’-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAAm) and PEDOT/PSS contents, each fixed in three levels, one being the central point. The outputs were the swelling degree, maximum compression stress, ionic conductance and relative intensity of light transmitted through the hydrogel. ANOVA was obtained using Statistical Software®. The results of the twelve runs from the factorial design (eight runs from 2³ plus four central point replicates) were applied to evaluate the main effects and their interaction, in addition to decide if they are statistically significant. The results demonstrated that mechanical stability of semi-IPN hydrogels is preserved, with PEDOT/PSS creating additional entanglements within the PAAm network. In addition, the optical properties are strongly influenced by the presence of PEDOT/PSS. In summary, hydrogels could be synthesized with controlled hydrophilicity, transparency and mechanical stability, which is important for optical devices.