Advanced Functional Nanostructured Films and Coatings for Energy Applications, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 9 April 2025 | Viewed by 1003

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Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), National Research Council, Piazzale E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Interests: functional materials; graphene; nanocomposites; polymer-embedded nanostructures
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, the topic of energy represents a real emergency for humankind, and therefore must be considered a priority in scientific research. The natural resources of energy are not inexhaustible, and the use of those more immediately accessible (i.e., fossil fuels) is not free of drawbacks such as environmental pollution. Energy is required in any industrial/domestic technology, and, consequently, finding a solution for these energy needs is a matter of universal relevance. Material science plays a key role in this process of renewing the type of energy resources we can exploit. The direct transformation of matter to energy, since it is based on a chemical reaction, inevitably produces byproducts, and therefore always has a high environmental impact. Conversely, the energy transduction (i.e., transformation from one form to another one) is based exclusively on physical phenomena, meaning it does not generate chemical byproducts and could be a technological solution worth studying. Advanced materials surely have a strategic role in this energy transition process. Physical phenomena always occur at interfaces between different solid phases. Interfaces have a key role because their extension only amplifies the physical phenomenon. Finally, surfaces, interfaces, coatings, and thin films will have a significant role in this energy transition. For these reasons, we propose a Special Issue highlighting the overlap among energy-related issues, surface science/technology, and nanostructuration

Dr. Gianfranco Carotenuto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • advanced energy materials
  • functional materials
  • nanocomposites
  • nanostructured materials
  • smart materials
  • polymeric coatings
  • hybrid coatings

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 2359 KiB  
Article
Polyacetylene Prepared by Chemical Dehydration of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)
by Gianfranco Carotenuto and Luigi Nicolais
Coatings 2024, 14(9), 1216; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14091216 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 451
Abstract
Recently, polyacetylene (PA) has been receiving renewed scientific attention due to its electrical properties, potentially useful for energy applications (e.g., fabrication of electrodes for rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors), and unique functional characteristics (e.g., gas trap, oxygen scavenger, EMI shielding, etc.). This chemical compound [...] Read more.
Recently, polyacetylene (PA) has been receiving renewed scientific attention due to its electrical properties, potentially useful for energy applications (e.g., fabrication of electrodes for rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors), and unique functional characteristics (e.g., gas trap, oxygen scavenger, EMI shielding, etc.). This chemical compound can be obtained in the form of polyacetylene–PVOH copolymers simply through the chemical dehydration of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH), which is a very common type of polymer, widely used in packaging and other technological areas. This very inexpensive chemical reaction for the large-scale synthesis of PA/polyvinylenes is investigated by reacting PVOH with sulfuric acid at room temperature. In this process, PVOH, shaped in the form of a film, is dipped in sulfuric acid (i.e., H2SO4 at 95%–97%) and, after complete chemical dehydration, it is mechanically removed from the liquid phase by using a nylon sieve. The reduction process leads to a substantial PVOH film conversion into PA, as demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy (ATR mode). Indeed, the ATR spectrum of the reaction product includes all the characteristic absorption bands of PA. The reaction product is also characterized through the use of UV–Vis spectroscopy in order to evidence the presence in the structure of conjugated carbon–carbon double bonds of various lengths. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis are used to investigate the PA solid-state cis–trans isomerization and thermal stability in air and nitrogen, respectively. XRD is used to verify the polymer amorphous nature. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Non-Electric Applications Of Polyacetylenes
Authors: G. Carotenuto, L. Nicolais
Affiliation: Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), National Research Council. Piazzale E. Fermi, 1 – 80055 Portici (NA), Italy.
Abstract: In the history of synthetic polymers, polyacetylene (PA) constitutes a very special case. Indeed, PA is a linear polymer with a special helical molecular structure and characterized by great physicochemical properties (e.g., metallic electrical conductivity, if doped); however, this unique polymer has not found any real industrial application due to its un-processable nature and poor chemical stability (e.g., easy oxidation in air). Recently, also polyacetylenes are receiving the due scientific attention for those technological sectors where processability and remarkable chemical stability are not strictly required. Literature examples of potential technological applications for this niche polymer are the following: adsorbent for organic pollutants in water remediation, corrosion inhibitor, electro-magnetic shielding additive, antistatic additive for plastics, drug delivery materials, permselective systems, antioxidant drugs for treating cancer and other diseases, etc. In addition, noble-metal and transition-metals decorated PA powders represent a new very promising hydrogen storage material which is under investigation. In this review work, up-to-date information on such recently proposed non-electrical applications of the different polyacetylene molecular types has been shortly analyzed together with some basic information (e.g., synthesis, properties, characterization methods, etc.) on this class of polymers.

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