In this work, composites based on carbon (1, 10 and 20 wt.%) interfaced with Fe3O4 (magnetite) have been studied as catalysts for the oxidation of aqueous sulfide. The composites were prepared by assembling cellulose nanocrystals surrounding Fe3O4 followed by a controlled thermal decomposition at 400, 600 and 800 ºC. Mössbauer, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman, thermogravimetry (TG), elemental analysis CHN, scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and potentiometric titration indicated that at 400 and 600 ºC the cellulose nanocrystals decompose to different carbon forms, i.e., films, filaments and particles attached to the Fe3O4 crystals. At higher temperature, i.e., 800 ºC, this carbon on the magnetite surface further reacted to produce Fe0. UV-Vis, Raman and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) measurements showed that these composites catalyze the oxidation of aqueous sulfide to convert S2-aq to polysulfides Sn2- (where n = 2-9) and also oxygen containing polysulfides HOSn-. Simple kinetic experiments showed very low sulfide oxidation activities for pure Fe3O4 and pure carbon. On the other hand, the composites, especially with 10% C obtained at 600 ºC, were remarkably active. These results are discussed in terms of a possible participation of oxygen based redox groups present on the carbon surface and an electron transfer from the carbon to the Fe3O4 phase.

Composites strengthened with nanocellulose have been developed with the aim of improving mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties of materials. This improvement is primarily due to the nanometric size and the high crystallinity of the incorporated cellulose. Cassava starch films plasticized with glycerol and incorporated with nanocellulose from coconut fibers were developed in this study. The effect of this incorporation was studied with respect to the water activity, solubility, mechanical properties, thermal analysis, and biodegradability. The study demonstrated that the film properties can be significantly altered through the incorporation of small concentrations of nanocellulose.

A influência da estrutura química dos grupos mesogênicos e do tamanho dos grupos espaçadores, no comportamento de fase de uma série de cristais líquidos poliméricos de cadeia lateral (SCLCP), foram estudados utilizando-se espalhamento de raios-X a Baixo Ângulo (SAXS) e Microscopia Ótica de Luz Polarizada (POM). Análises do arranjo das mesofases em amostras não orientadas e orientadas por ação do campo magnético são descritas. O papel do tamanho do espaçador lateral no empacotamento local e na largura da camada esmética determinados nas mesofases SmA e SmC é elucidado. Os ângulos teta formados entre os grupos mesogênicos e a normal às camadas nas mesofases SmC foram determinados. Um estudo a respeito do grau de ordem em função da temperatura, para os polímeros esméticos foi possível através de medidas de SAXS. Uma ordenação particular em um dos SCLCPs estudados é relacionada com a coexistência de duas fases distintas.

The influence of the chemical structure of the mesogenic groups and the length of the spacer groups on the phase behavior in a series of side-chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates (SCLCP) have been studied using Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM). Analyses of the mesophase arrangement in unaligned and aligned samples by magnetic field are reported. The role of the spacer length on the local packing and on the thickness of the layers encountered in the SmA and SmC mesophases is elucidated. The tilt angles theta of the mesogenic cores related to the normal of the layers in the SmC mesophases are measured. A study about the degree of order as a function of temperature for the smectic polymers was possible using SAXS measurements. A particular arrangement in one of the studied SCLCPs is related to the coexistence of two different phases.

A síntese e o comportamento mesomórfico de dois poliacrilatos quirais líquido cristalinos com cadeia lateral derivados do (S)-(-)-2-metil-1-butanol são descritos. Estes novos poliacrilatos quirais mostram dependência das temperaturas de transição de fase com a massa molar e o comprimento do espaçador. O poliacrilato contendo quatro unidades metilênicas no espaçador mostra fase nemática quiral, enquanto que o poliacrilato com espaçador contendo onze unidades metilênicas mostra fase esmética. Além disto, a fase nemática quiral foi encontrada para massa molar menor e fase esmética para massa molar maior. Experimentos de espalhamento de luz foram realizados em soluções diluídas do poliacrilato contendo onze unidades metilênicas em tetrahidrofurano e diclorometano. Valores de massa molar ponderal média, raio de giro e o segundo coeficiente virial foram determinados através de espalhamento de luz estático, enquanto que o coeficiente de difusão e o raio hidrodinâmico foram obtidos por espectroscopia de correlação de fótons. Uma comparação entre as técnicas indica que o comportamento da cadeia é típico de cadeia linear polidispersa em bom solvente.

The synthesis and mesomorphic behavior of two chiral side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates from (S)-(-)-2-methyl-1-butanol are described. These new polyacrylates show a dependence of the phase transition temperatures on both, molecular weight and spacer length. The polyacrylate with four methylene units in the spacer exhibits a chiral nematic phase whereas the polyacrylate with a spacer containing eleven methylene units presents a smectic phase. In addition, the chiral nematic phase appears for low molecular weight and smectic phase for high molecular weight polyacrylates. Light scattering experiments were performed in dilute solutions of the polyacrylate containing eleven methylene units in tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane. Values for weight averaged molecular weight, radius of gyration and second virial coefficient were determined by static light scattering whereas the diffusion coefficient and the hydrodynamic radius of the chains were obtained by photon correlation spectroscopy. A comparison between both techniques indicates that the chain behavior can be taken as typical for a polydisperse linear chain in a good solvent.