Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of a small size were successfully synthesized using the wet chemical reduction method into the lamellar space layer of montmorillonite/chitosan (MMT/Cts) as an organomodified mineral solid support in the absence of any heat treatment. AgNO3, MMT, Cts, and NaBH4 were used as the silver precursor, the solid support, the natural polymeric stabilizer, and the chemical r...

A model that describes pearlite-to-austenite transformation during continuous heating in a eutectoid steel has been developed. The influence of structure parameters, such as interlamellar spacing and edge length of pearlite colonies, and heating rate on the austenite formation kinetics has been experimentally studied and considered in the modeling. It has been found that the kinetics of austeni...

The effects of graphene stacking are investigated by comparing the results of methane adsorption energy, electronic performance, and the doping feasibility of five dopants (i.e., B, N, Al, Si, and P) via first-principles theory. Both zigzag and armchair graphenes are considered. It is found that the zigzag graphene with Bernal stacking has the largest adsorption energy on methane, while the arm...

Three representative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug molecules, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, and Indomethacin, have been intercalated within the galleries of an anionic clay, Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH). X-ray diffraction, IR and Raman vibrational spectroscopy and (13)C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning NMR have been used to characterize the confined drug molecules, while molecular...

The structure of a self-assembly formed from a cationic azobenzene derivative, 4-cholesterocarbonyl-4'-(N,N,N-triethylamine butyloxyl bromide) azobenzene (CAB) and surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution was studied by cryo-TEM and synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Both unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles could be observed. CAB in vesicles were ca...

We propose a model for the liquid-liquid (L(alpha)-->L(alpha(') )) phase transition observed in osmotic pressure measurements of certain charged lamellae-forming amphiphiles. The model free energy combines mean-field electrostatic and phenomenological nonelectrostatic interactions, while the number of dissociated counterions is treated as a variable degree of freedom that is determined self-con...

While ∼75% of commercially utilized polymers are semicrystalline, the generally low mechanical modulus of these materials, especially for those possessing a glass transition temperature below room temperature, restricts their use for structural applications. Our focus in this paper is to address this deficiency through the controlled, multiscale assembly of nanoparticles (NPs), in particular by...

The aim of this research was to synthesize and develop a new method for the preparation of iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles on talc layers using an environmentally friendly process. The Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using the chemical co-precipitation method on the exterior surface layer of talc mineral as a solid substrate. Ferric chloride, ferrous chloride, and sodium ...

Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure the freezing behaviour of lamellar phases of phosphatidylcholine in water and in solutions of sorbitol. Both solute and solvent were deuterated in different series of experiments to allow the calculation of the partitioning of solute and solvent molecules between the lamellar phase and unfrozen bulk solution. Sorbitol, as well as water...