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New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 18278

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Clayton Jeffryes

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77705, USA
Interests: nanobiomaterials; bioprocessing; biomimetics; algae; bioproducts; biopolymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Si Amar Dahoumane

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada
Interests: nanomaterials; biomaterials; biomedical engineering; bioprocesses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent decades have witnessed tremendous and fast-growing developments in the use of microwave technology (MT) for the synthesis of a large variety of inorganic nanomaterials and organic molecules. This started when scientists used domestic microwave ovens to carry out their reactions. Soon after, dedicated lab microwave ovens came to the market, enabling more robust scientific studies in this field. Microwave technology offers several advantages compared to chemical syntheses that use conventional heating methods. Microwave synthesis benefits from volumetric heating that creates uniform temperatures within the reaction volume when compared to conductive heating and, therefore, has faster and more uniform synthesis conditions that should be amenable to scale-up. Additionally, the interaction of the electromagnetic waves with the reaction mixture may impart additional benefits to the synthesis process. For example, the study of localized “hot spots” at the surface of suspended particles within microwave synthesis systems is another phenomenon that cannot be achieved in conventional heating systems. Moreover, microwave synthesis systems are cost-effective and energy-efficient and thus meet the criteria of green chemical synthesis.

Under the form of research or review papers, the present Special Issue encompasses but is not limited to the following topics:

Nanomaterial synthesis via MT;
Organic synthesis via MT;
Polymer chemistry via MT;
Comparative studies and life cycle assessment;
Emerging processes.

Dr. Clayton Jeffryes
Prof. Dr. Si Amar Dahoumane
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

Microwave heating
Inorganic synthesis
Organic synthesis
Nanomaterials
Sustainability
Materials screening
Applications

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Performance Ag₂Se Film by a Microwave-Assisted Synthesis Method for Flexible Thermoelectric Generators

by Zixing Wang, Ying Liu, Jiajia Li, Changjun Huang and Kefeng Cai

Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6397; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176397 - 01 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 854

Abstract

Flexible Ag₂Se thermoelectric (TE) films are promising for wearable applications near room temperature (RT). Herein, a Ag₂Se film on a nylon membrane with high TE performance was fabricated by a facile method. First, Ag₂Se powders were prepared by a microwave-assisted synthesis method using Ag nanowires as a template. Second, the Ag₂Se powders were deposited onto nylon via vacuum filtration followed by hot pressing. Through modulating the Ag/Se molar ratio for synthesizing the Ag₂Se powders, an optimized Ag₂Se film demonstrates a high power factor of 1577.1 μW m⁻¹ K⁻² and good flexibility at RT. The flexibility of the Ag₂Se film is mainly attributed to the flexible nylon membrane. In addition, a six-leg flexible TE generator (f-TEG) fabricated with the optimized Ag₂Se film exhibits a maximum power density of 18.4 W m⁻² at a temperature difference of 29 K near RT. This work provides a new solution to prepare high-TE-performance flexible Ag₂Se films for f-TEGs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis)

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9 pages, 1912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microwave Heating Promotes the S-Alkylation of Aziridine Catalyzed by Molecular Sieves: A Post-Synthetic Approach to Lanthionine-Containing Peptides

by Valentina Verdoliva, Giuseppe Digilio, Michele Saviano and Stefania De Luca

Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6135; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206135 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1400

Abstract

Aziridine derivatives involved in nucleophilic ring-opening reactions have attracted great interest, since they allow the preparation of biologically active molecules. A chemoselective and mild procedure to convert a peptide cysteine residue into lanthionine via S-alkylation on aziridine substrates is presented in this paper. The procedure relies on a post-synthetic protocol promoted by molecular sieves to prepare lanthionine-containing peptides and is assisted by microwave irradiation. In addition, it represents a valuable alternative to the stepwise approach, in which the lanthionine precursor is incorporated into peptides as a building block. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis)

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18 pages, 3097 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sugar-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Selenide Semiconductor Nanocrystals under Ultrasound Irradiation

by Daniela Armijo García, Lupe Mendoza, Karla Vizuete, Alexis Debut, Marbel Torres Arias, Alex Gavilanes, Thibault Terencio, Edward Ávila, Clayton Jeffryes and Si Amar Dahoumane

Molecules 2020, 25(21), 5193; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25215193 - 08 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4419

Abstract

Silver selenide (Ag₂Se) is a promising nanomaterial due to its outstanding optoelectronic properties and countless bio-applications. To the best of our knowledge, we report, for the first time, a simple and easy method for the ultrasound-assisted synthesis of Ag₂Se nanoparticles (NPs) by mixing aqueous solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) and selenous acid (H₂SeO₃) that act as Ag and Se sources, respectively, in the presence of dissolved fructose and starch that act as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. The concentrations of mono- and polysaccharides were screened to determine their effect on the size, shape and colloidal stability of the as-synthesized Ag₂Se NPs which, in turn, impact the optical properties of these NPs. The morphology of the as-synthesized Ag₂Se NPs was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and both α- and β-phases of Ag₂Se were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical properties of Ag₂Se were studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy and its elemental composition was determined non-destructively using scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). The biological activity of the Ag₂Se NPs was assessed using cytotoxic and bactericidal approaches. Our findings pave the way to the cost-effective, fast and scalable production of valuable Ag₂Se NPs that may be utilized in numerous fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis)

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10 pages, 1661 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Microwave-Assisted Heating Reactions of N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in Sulfolane as a Method Generating 1,6-Anhydrosugars Consisting of Amino Monosaccharide Backbones

by Harumi Kaga, Masaru Enomoto, Hiroki Shimizu, Izuru Nagashima, Keigo Matsuda, Seigou Kawaguchi and Atsushi Narumi

Molecules 2020, 25(8), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081944 - 22 Apr 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2795

Abstract

The microwave-assisted heating reaction of N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) in sulfolane is described. The reaction produces two major products that are assignable to 1,6-anhydro-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucopyranose (AGPNAc) and 1,6-anhydro-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucofuranose (AGFNAc). In order to reveal a general feature of the system, the 3, 5, and 10 min reactions were performed at 140, 160, 180, 200, and 220 °C to clarify the time course changes in the conversion of GlcNAc and the yields of the two produced 1,6-anhydrosugars. Temperature is a crucial factor that significantly affects the conversion of GlcNAc. The yields of AGPNAc and AGFNAc are also drastically changed depending on the reaction conditions. The 5-min reaction at 200 °C is shown to be the optimal condition to generate the 1,6-anhydrosugars with a high efficiency in which AGPNAc and AGFNAc are produced in the yields of 21% and 44%, respectively. Consequently, the microwave-assisted heating reaction of GlcNAc in sulfolane is shown to be a simple and promising pathway to generate 1,6-anhydrosugars consisting of amino monosaccharide backbones, which have high potentials as raw materials leading to biological oligosaccharides and biomimetic polysaccharides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis)

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Review

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24 pages, 44144 KiB

Open AccessReview

Photochemical Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles—A Review

by Nicole Jara, Nataly S. Milán, Ashiqur Rahman, Lynda Mouheb, Daria C. Boffito, Clayton Jeffryes and Si Amar Dahoumane

Molecules 2021, 26(15), 4585; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26154585 - 29 Jul 2021

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 7801

Abstract

Nanomaterials have supported important technological advances due to their unique properties and their applicability in various fields, such as biomedicine, catalysis, environment, energy, and electronics. This has triggered a tremendous increase in their demand. In turn, materials scientists have sought facile methods to produce nanomaterials of desired features, i.e., morphology, composition, colloidal stability, and surface chemistry, as these determine the targeted application. The advent of photoprocesses has enabled the easy, fast, scalable, and cost- and energy-effective production of metallic nanoparticles of controlled properties without the use of harmful reagents or sophisticated equipment. Herein, we overview the synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles via photochemical routes. We extensively discuss the effect of varying the experimental parameters, such as the pH, exposure time, and source of irradiation, the use or not of reductants and surfactants, reagents’ nature and concentration, on the outcomes of these noble nanoparticles, namely, their size, shape, and colloidal stability. The hypothetical mechanisms that govern these green processes are discussed whenever available. Finally, we mention their applications and insights for future developments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments and Emerging Trends in Microwave Technology for Chemical Synthesis)

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