High Permittivity Polymer Composites on the Basis of Long Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: The Role of the Nanotube Length.

Controlling the permittivity of dielectric composites is critical for numerous applications dealing with matter/electromagnetic radiation interaction. In this study, we have prepared polymer composites, based on a silicone elastomer matrix and Tuball carbon nanotubes (CNT) via a simple preparation procedure. The as-prepared composites demonstrated record-high dielectric permittivity both in the low-frequency range (102−107 Hz) and in the X-band (8.2−12.4 GHz), significantly exceeding the literature data for such types of composite materials at similar CNT content. Thus, with the 2 wt% filler loading, the permittivity values reach 360 at 106 Hz and >26 in the entire X-band. In similar literature, even the use of conductive polymer hosts and various highly conductive additives had not resulted in such high permittivity values. We attribute this phenomenon to specific structural features of the used Tuball nanotubes, namely their length and ability to form in the polymer matrix percolating network in the form of neuron-shaped clusters. The low cost and large production volumes of Tuball nanotubes, as well as the ease of the composite preparation procedure open the doors for production of cost-efficient, low weight and flexible composites with superior high permittivity.

Nickel on Oxidatively Modified Carbon as a Promising Cost-Efficient Catalyst for Reduction of P-Nitrophenol.

The reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol has become a benchmark reaction for testing the efficiency of new catalytic systems. In this study, we use oxidatively modified carbon (OMC) as a structural support to develop a new cost-efficient nickel-based catalytic system. The newly developed material comprises single nickel ions, chemically bound to the oxygen functional groups on the OMC surface. The highly oxidized character of OMC ensures the high lateral density of nickel ions on its surface at relatively low nickel content. We demonstrate excellent catalytic properties of the new material by using it as a stationary phase in a prototype of a continuous flow reactor: the reagent fed into the reactor is p-nitrophenol, and the product, exiting the reactor, is the fully converted p-aminophenol. The catalytic properties of the new catalyst are associated with its specific morphology, and with high lateral density of active sites on the surface. The reaction can be considered as an example of single-atom catalysis. The resulting material can be used as an inexpensive but efficient catalyst for industrial wastewater treatment. The study opens the doors for the synthesis of a new series of catalytic systems comprising transition metal atoms on the OMC structural support.

Unusually high selectivity of guest exchange in tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene clathrate producing more thermostable inclusion and memory of guest.

New properties, earlier unknown for calixarenes, were found for tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (1) clathrate with 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE). Guest exchange in 1·1.90DCE for vapors of some organic compounds gives clathrates, which are more thermostable at 34-59 °C than those prepared by direct saturation of guest-free 1 with pure guests. Besides, guest exchange may produce clathrates that cannot be formed by direct saturation in binary host-guest systems. Some compounds, like water, toluene, and trichloroethylene, expel DCE from its clathrate with 1 but are not included above the trace level. Residual contents of DCE in clathrate may be controlled by variation of water and 1·1.90DCE ratio in the studied system. Host 1 can remember methanol after its elimination from the guest exchange product. This memory can be read as an exoeffect by differential scanning calorimetry. Only methanol and only after guest exchange is remembered giving an example of a genuine molecular recognition.