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Applied Sciences
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Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry
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Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 16999

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pietro Calandra

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Guest Editor
CNR-ISMN, National Research Council, Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, Via Salaria km 29.300, 00015 Monterotondo Stazione (RM), Italy
Interests: complex systems properties; surfactant self-assembly; synsthesis and characterization of nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mikolaj Pochylskj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wieniawskiego 1, 61-712 Poznań, Poland
Interests: correlation spectroscopy; light scattering; polarimetry; instrument development; complex liquids; supercooled liquids; glass transition
Dr. Szerb Elisabeta Ildyko

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
“Coriolan Drăgulescu” Institute of Chemistry, Romanian Academy, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: inorganic and coordination chemistry; liquid crystals; self-assembly; functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Domenico Lombardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Processi Chimico-Fisici, (CNR–IPCF), 98158 Messina, Italy
Interests: structure and interactuion in nano-colloids (polymers and block copolymers; dendrimers; lipids; proteins); self-assembly in nanostructured (and hybrid) materials; interaction of nanoparticles with model bio-membranes and biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Self-assembly in chemistry has recently gained increasing attention due to its consequences with regard to developing novel materials. From a scientific point of view, the composition, intermolecular interactions, and chemical stability are pivotal factors in determining the properties of self-assembled structures. From a technological point of view, they are involved in drug delivery, nanoparticle synthesis, liquid crystals, and in several other state-of-the-art applications. Interest is also focused on self-assembly triggered by external fields (electrorheology, magnetorheology) or factors/conditions (smart materials).

The main focus of this Special Issue will be to point out the recent research progress on self-assembly in chemistry and supra-molecular chemistry. Interest in nano- and meso-structures from both the theoretical and experimental point of view is necessary to form a common language and knowledge basis for the scientific community. This Special Issue will be an international platform to synergically present the results of the most exciting experimental and theoretical studies in this field. Research articles, with a special emphasis on results obtained in the last five years, are welcome, as well as review articles on emerging fields and commentaries. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Stabilizing agents
  • Reactive and compartmentalizing media for nanoparticle synthesis
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nanostructures
  • Liquid crystals
  • Liquid membranes
  • Novel applications in chemistry
  • Modeling and simulation of structure–properties
  • Supramolecular ordering
  • Drug and gene delivery
  • Computational structure optimisation
  • Smart materials
  • Ferrofluidics
  • Magnetorheology
  • Electrorheology
  • Amphiphiles
  • Complex systems

Dr. Pietro Calandra
Dr. Mikolaj Pochylskj
Dr. Elisabeta Ildyko Szerb
Dr. Domenico Lombardo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Self-assembly
  • Supramolecular chemistry
  • Surfactants
  • Liquid crystals
  • Drug delivery
  • Nanostructures

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1751 KiB  
Article
A Photoelectrochemical Study of Hybrid Organic and Donor—Acceptor Dyes as Sensitizers for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
by Jessica Barichello, Sara Gullace, Alberto Cusimano, Gaetano Di Marco, Fabio Matteocci and Giuseppe Calogero
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3159; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12063159 - 20 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2106
Abstract
An investigation on the photoelectrochemical and sensitizing properties of two different hybrid organic dyes, anchored as sensitizers on mesoporous TiO2, in Grätzel solar cells, is presented. Firstly, we studied the absorption properties of the C106 sensitizer, a Ru polypyridine complex, and of [...] Read more.
An investigation on the photoelectrochemical and sensitizing properties of two different hybrid organic dyes, anchored as sensitizers on mesoporous TiO2, in Grätzel solar cells, is presented. Firstly, we studied the absorption properties of the C106 sensitizer, a Ru polypyridine complex, and of the Y123, an organic push and pull dye. In this work, we characterized these two dyes, employing two different electrolytes, with similar experimental condition and device parameters. From the J–V curves and IPCE photo action spectra, we performed an inedited bifacial study based on the comparison of their photovoltaic performances, exploiting several backgrounds (black or white). Among the obtained results from this study, we found the best bifaciality factor of 93% for C106 and the best power conversion efficiency of 12.8% for Y123. These results represent, concerning these two dyes and to the best of our knowledge, some of the highest values in literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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13 pages, 4507 KiB  
Article
Molecular Assembling in Mixtures of Hydrophilic 1-Butyl-1-Methylpyrrolidinium Dicyanamide Ionic Liquid and Water
by Oriele Palumbo, Francesco Trequattrini, Jean-Blaise Brubach, Pascale Roy and Annalisa Paolone
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(14), 4837; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10144837 - 14 Jul 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2049
Abstract
The infrared absorbance spectrum of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide, mixed with water at two different concentrations, was measured between 160 and 300 K in the mid infrared range. Both mixtures do not crystallize on cooling; however, remarkably, the one with an ionic [...] Read more.
The infrared absorbance spectrum of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide, mixed with water at two different concentrations, was measured between 160 and 300 K in the mid infrared range. Both mixtures do not crystallize on cooling; however, remarkably, the one with an ionic liquid (IL):water composition of 1:3 displays a cold crystallization process on heating in a restricted temperature range between 240 and 250 K. A portion of the water participates to the cold crystallization. On the contrary, with an IL:water composition of 1:6.6 no crystallization takes place. Upon water addition the vibration frequencies of the anion and of some lines of the cation are blue shifted, while the absorption lines of water are red shifted. These facts are interpreted as the evidence of the occurrence of the hydrogen bonding of water, as the hydrogen bonding acceptor with respect to the anion (anion∙∙∙O-H bonds develop) and as hydrogen donor for the cation (C-H∙∙∙O bonds can form). Microscopic inhomogeneities in the samples and their evolution with temperature are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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12 pages, 3622 KiB  
Article
Cu Nano-Roses Self-Assembly from Allium cepa, L., Pyrolysis by Green Synthesis of C Nanostructures
by Paola De Padova, Amanda Generosi, Barbara Paci, Bruno Olivieri, Carlo Ottaviani, Claudio Quaresima, Lorenza Suber, Fabio Di Pietrantonio, Giancarlo Della Ventura, Luciano Pilloni, S Supriya and Gurumurthy Hegde
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3819; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10113819 - 30 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2742
Abstract
Carbon nanostructures are achieved by bio-waste Allium cepa, L., (onion vulgaris) peels through pyrolysis at 900 °C. They contain dispersed elements derived by their bio-precursors, like Mg, Ca, S, Na, K, and Cu. Here, we report the self-assembly of new Cu flower-shaped [...] Read more.
Carbon nanostructures are achieved by bio-waste Allium cepa, L., (onion vulgaris) peels through pyrolysis at 900 °C. They contain dispersed elements derived by their bio-precursors, like Mg, Ca, S, Na, K, and Cu. Here, we report the self-assembly of new Cu flower-shaped nanostructures organized as nano-roses. Remarkably, the nano-roses show rolled-up petals of Cu0 with a high chemical stability in air, exhibiting an intrinsic pure Cu crystalline phase. This suggests the exceptional potentiality to synthesize Cu0 nanostructures with novel physical/chemical properties. The size, morphology, and chemical composition were obtained by a combination of high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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15 pages, 3050 KiB  
Article
Superhydrophobic Self-Assembled Silane Monolayers on Hierarchical 6082 Aluminum Alloy for Anti-Corrosion Applications
by Amani Khaskhoussi, Luigi Calabrese and Edoardo Proverbio
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(8), 2656; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10082656 - 12 Apr 2020
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3545
Abstract
In this work, a two-stage methodology to design super-hydrophobic surfaces was proposed. The first step consists of creating a rough nano/micro-structure and the second step consists of reducing the surface energy using octadecyltrimethoxysilane. The surface roughening was realized by three different short-term pretreatments: [...] Read more.
In this work, a two-stage methodology to design super-hydrophobic surfaces was proposed. The first step consists of creating a rough nano/micro-structure and the second step consists of reducing the surface energy using octadecyltrimethoxysilane. The surface roughening was realized by three different short-term pretreatments: (i) Boiling water, (ii) HNO3/HCl etching, or (iii) HF/HCl etching. Then, the surface energy was reduced by dip-coating in diluted solution of octadecyltrimethoxysilane to allow the formation of self-assembled silane monolayers on a 6082-T6 aluminum alloy surface. Super-hydrophobic aluminum surfaces were investigated by SEM-EDS, FTIR, profilometry, and contact and sliding angles measurements. The resulting surface morphologies by the three approaches were structured by a dual hierarchical nano/micro-roughness. The surface wettability varied with the applied roughening pretreatment. In particular, an extremely high water contact angle (around 180°) and low sliding angle (0°) were evidenced for the HF/HCl-etched silanized surface. The results of electrochemical tests demonstrate a remarkable enhancement of the aluminum alloy corrosion resistance through the proposed superhydrophobic surface modifications. Thus, the obtained results evidenced that the anti-wetting behavior of the aluminum surface can be optimized by coupling an appropriate roughening pretreatment with a self-assembled silane monolayer deposition (to reduce surface energy) for anticorrosion application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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13 pages, 2348 KiB  
Article
Polysaccharides-Reinforced Bitumens: Specificities and Universality of Rheological Behavior
by Michele Porto, Paolino Caputo, Valeria Loise, Giovanni De Filpo, Cesare Oliviero Rossi and Pietro Calandra
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5564; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9245564 - 17 Dec 2019
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 2197
Abstract
The rheological properties of bitumens can be modified by the addition of specific chemical additives. Taking into account the molecular complex aggregation pattern, we hypothesized that macromolecules characterized by long, flexible, and hydrophilic chains can establish soft bridges connecting the different polar aggregates [...] Read more.
The rheological properties of bitumens can be modified by the addition of specific chemical additives. Taking into account the molecular complex aggregation pattern, we hypothesized that macromolecules characterized by long, flexible, and hydrophilic chains can establish soft bridges connecting the different polar aggregates of asphaltenes, strengthening their overall hierarchical supra-structures, and consequently increasing rheological performance at higher temperatures. Here, we propose the use of low cost and high availability polysaccharides as chemical additives to improve the rheological characteristics of a bitumen and to strengthen its thermal resistance. Fourteen different low-cost and high-availability polysaccharides, (flours, gums, and extracts from vegetable products) have been tested. While alghae euchemae have proved to be the most effective additive, corn and 00 flours are the least effective. Attempts to explain their differences have been made considering their chemical interactions with the polar molecules of asphaltenes within the complex framework of their supramolecular hierarchical structures. Through Arrhenius analysis, a correlation between activation energy and preexponential factor has been found, which can be useful for practical purposes, together with an unexpected consistency with the behavior of simple liquids, despite the striking differences in structure. Furthermore, a qualitative model has been suggested. The added value of this work is the focus on polysaccharides constituting low-cost, high availability materials which are sometimes even found as waste in industrial processes, all factors which, together with the environmental issues connected with their use, can be considered for large-scale applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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30 pages, 9797 KiB  
Commentary
A Presentation of Ionic Liquids as Lubricants: Some Critical Comments
by Pietro Calandra, Elisabeta I. Szerb, Domenico Lombardo, Vincenzo Algieri, Antonio De Nino and Loredana Maiuolo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5677; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11125677 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3160
Abstract
Ionic liquids (ILs) are liquid materials at room temperature with an ionic intrinsic nature. The electrostatic interactions therefore play a pivotal role in dictating their inner structure, which is then expected to be far from the traditional pattern of classical simple liquids. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Ionic liquids (ILs) are liquid materials at room temperature with an ionic intrinsic nature. The electrostatic interactions therefore play a pivotal role in dictating their inner structure, which is then expected to be far from the traditional pattern of classical simple liquids. Therefore, the strength of such interactions and their long-range effects are responsible for the ionic liquid high viscosity, a fact that itself suggests their possible use as lubricants. More interestingly, the possibility to establish a wide scenario of possible interactions with solid surfaces constitutes a specific added value in this use. In this framework, the ionic liquid complex molecular structure and the huge variety of possible interactions cause a complex aggregation pattern which can depend on the presence of the solid surface itself. Although there is plenty of literature focusing on the lubricant properties of ionic liquids and their applications, the aim of this contribution is, instead, to furnish to the reader a panoramic view of this exciting problematic, commenting on interesting and speculative aspects which are sometimes neglected in standard works and trying to furnish an enriched vision of the topic. The present work constitutes an easy-to-read critical point of view which tries to interact with the imagination of readers, hopefully leading to the discovery of novel aspects and interconnections and ultimately stimulating new ideas and research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembly in Chemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry)
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