Synthesis and characterization of polymeric ionic liquid through free radical polymerization of acryloyl imidazolium-based ionic liquid monomer

This thesis investigates the synthesis of polymeric ionic liquid [(poly-acryloyloxy)6C6C1im][NTf2], by free radical polymerization of acryloyl imidazolium-base ionic liquid monomer [(acryloyloxy)6C6C1im][NTf2]. Moreover, the smartest synthetic route to obtain this monomer was investigated. Two different synthesis were compared. The first one started from the preparation of the monomer 6-chlorohexyl acrylate followed by substitution and metathesis to reach ionic liquid monomer. The second one started from synthesis of the ionic liquid [(HO)6C6C1im]Cl followed by metathesis and esterification in order to get ionic liquid monomer [(acryloyloxy)6C6C1im][NTf2].

Influence of free-radical functionalization on non-woven filtering media for medical application

Nowadays the leukodepletion is one of the most important processes done on the blood in order to reduce the risk of transfusion diseases. It can be performed through different techniques but the most popular one is the filtration due to its simplicity and efficiency. This work aims at improving a current commercial product, by developing a new filter based on Fenton-type reaction to cross-link a hydrogel on to the base material. The filters for leukodepletion are preferably made through the melt flow technique resulting in a non-woven tissue; the functionalization should increase the stability of the filter restricting the extraction of substances to minimum amount when in contact with blood. Through the modification the filters can acquire new properties including wettability, surface charge and good resistance to the extractions. The most important for leukodepletion is the surface charge due to the nature of the filtration process. All the modified samples results have been compared to the commercial product. Three different polymers (A, B and C) have been studied for the filter modifications and every modified filter has been tested in order to determine its properties.

Studio dei tannini del legno come additivi multifunzionali per biopolimeri

Il problema dello smaltimento delle plastiche tradizionali di origine petrolchimica ha stimolato l’interesse verso i materiali plastici bio-based biodegradabili come i PHB che, al contrario, possono essere degradati facilmente e in tempi rapidi dai batteri naturalmente presenti nell’ecosistema. Uno dei principali campi di applicazione dei PHA è quello del food packaging. L’uso di imballaggi attivi dove un antiossidante, disperso nella matrice polimerica, migra dall’imballaggio al cibo può essere utile per aumentare la shelf life degli alimenti ma anche per introdurre con la dieta fonti antiossidanti esogene che neutralizzano gli effetti dannosi dei radicali liberi, normalmente prodotti dai processi biologici. I tannini sono antiossidanti naturali che agiscono da riducenti, donano un idrogeno ai radicali liberi stabilizzandoli (free radical scavengers). Si può quindi usare il tannino estratto dal legno come bioadditivo per matrici biopolimeriche (PHB). Recuperando questo prodotto di scarto dell’industria agro-alimentare, si riesce ad abbassare il costo del prodotto finale che risulterà inoltre 100% biodegradabile e con capacità antiossidanti, quindi particolarmente adatto per il food packaging monouso. La bioplastica finale è stata ottenuta “melt mixando” il tannino in polvere, il PHB in pellets e il catalizzatore Ti(OBu)4 liquido in un mescolatore interno Brabender. Sono stati creati 4 campioni a percentuale crescente di tannino e catalizzatore. Sono state effettuate: - Prove di estrazione in acqua per capire quanto tannino non si fosse legato alla matrice biopolimerica. - Analisi FTIR per capire se fosse avvenuto un legame di transesterificazione tra matrice e tannino usando il Ti(OBu)4. - Prove di radical scavenging activity attraverso la spettroscopia uv-visibile per quantificare il potere antiossidante del tannino. - Analisi GPC, DSC e prove di trazione per confrontare le proprietà meccaniche e termiche dei campioni con quelle del PHB puro.

Mechanochemical solvent-free synthesis of Sn-β Zeolite and Ag2O/TiO2 catalysts

Preparations of heterogeneous catalysts are usually complex processes that involve several procedures as precipitation, crystallization and hydrothermal treatments. This processes are really dependent by the operative conditions such as temperature, pH, concentration etc. Hence the resulting product is extremely affected by any possible variations in these parameters making this synthesis really fragile. With the aim to improve these operations has been decided to exploit a new possible strong environment-respectful process by mechanochemical treatment, which permits to carry out solvent free-solvent synthesis exploiting the Mixer Mill MM400 (Retsch) in order to have reproducible results. Two different systems have been studied in this kind of synthesis: a tin β -zeolite tested in a H-trasnfer reaction of cyclohexanone and a silver on titania catalyst used in the fluorination of 2,2 dimethyl glucaric acid. Each catalyst has been characterized by different techniques in order to understand the transformations involved in the mechanochemical treatment.