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NMR Techniques for Solids and Soft Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 5890

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici, CNR, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: solid-state NMR; polymers and composite materials; porous materials; soft materials; environmental NMR

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici, CNR, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: NMR spectroscopy; NMR relaxometry; soft materials; porous materials; polymers; chars; perovskites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

An understanding of the molecular-level properties of materials is fundamental for technological progress. In particular, advanced characterization techniques are required for the development of novel materials, either solid or soft, for application in areas such as manufacturing, energy, environment, food, biomedicine, and cultural heritage, as well as for clarifying biochemical processes. In this context, NMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique allowing access to detailed structural and dynamic properties.

This special issue will focus on the development and application of NMR techniques for the investigation of solid and soft systems. The following is a non-exhaustive list of subjects of interest:

  • Liquid and plastic crystals;
  • Polymers and composites;
  • Food and biomacromolecules;
  • Drugs;
  • Porous materials;
  • Membranes;
  • Inorganic and hybrid materials;
  • Nanostructured and 2D materials;
  • Biomasses and soils.

Dr. Claudia Forte
Dr. Lucia Calucci
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

  • solid-state NMR
  • structural properties
  • dynamics
  • polymers
  • porous materials
  • soft materials
  • nanomaterials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1391 KiB  
Article
Influence of Process Parameters on the Hydrothermal Carbonization of Olive Tree Trimmings: A 13C Solid-State NMR Study
by Lucia Calucci and Claudia Forte
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1515; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031515 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1918
Abstract
Chars obtained from the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of agricultural wastes are increasingly being employed as solid biofuels. Their properties are strongly dependent on HTC process parameters. In this study, 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy was applied to semiquantitatively investigate carbon functionalities present in [...] Read more.
Chars obtained from the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of agricultural wastes are increasingly being employed as solid biofuels. Their properties are strongly dependent on HTC process parameters. In this study, 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy was applied to semiquantitatively investigate carbon functionalities present in olive tree trimming feedstock and in the corresponding hydrochar samples. Hydrochars were obtained by HTC under different conditions, that is, at two different temperatures (180 and 250 °C), with two different biomass/water ratios (B/W of 7 and 25% w/w) and with reaction times at peak temperatures of 30, 60, and 180 min. The NMR analysis was complemented by infrared spectroscopy experiments. A detailed analysis of carbon functionalities and their evolution during HTC allowed the transformation of feedstock into hydrochar to be followed and the structure of hydrochars to be correlated to the different reactions occurring during HTC in dependence on reaction time, temperature, and B/W ratio, as well as to the hydrochar properties fundamental for their application as solid biofuel reported in previous studies. 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy revealed a powerful tool for explaining hydrochar properties as a function of HTC parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NMR Techniques for Solids and Soft Systems)
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Review

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44 pages, 2972 KiB  
Review
Studies of Organic Matter in Composting, Vermicomposting, and Anaerobic Digestion by 13C Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy
by Silvia Pizzanelli, Lucia Calucci, Claudia Forte and Silvia Borsacchi
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 2900; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052900 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3343
Abstract
Composting, vermicomposting, and anaerobic digestion are three commonly applied processes for the transformation of organic waste into valuable products for soil amendment. The application of compost, vermicompost, and digestate to soil requires specific properties, such as maturity and stability, strongly related to the [...] Read more.
Composting, vermicomposting, and anaerobic digestion are three commonly applied processes for the transformation of organic waste into valuable products for soil amendment. The application of compost, vermicompost, and digestate to soil requires specific properties, such as maturity and stability, strongly related to the composition of organic matter. 13C solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) has often been applied to follow the transformation of organic matter during waste treatment processes, as well as to assess the quality of the produced amendments and the effectiveness of the treatments. Thanks to the possibility of associating the 13C chemical shift to different functional groups of biomacromolecules present in the waste feedstocks and in the final products, thorough characterizations of organic matter have been performed exploiting 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning experiments, and semiquantitative descriptions of the evolution of the different groups during composting, vermicomposting and anaerobic digestion have been reported. Here, these studies are reviewed with the aim of highlighting the potential of the application of 13C SSNMR to these complex materials, as well as the critical issues and perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NMR Techniques for Solids and Soft Systems)
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