Abstract
The preparation of Fe-decorated sporopollenins was achieved using pollen grains and an ionic liquid as solvent and functionalizing agent. The integrity of the organic capsules was ascertained through scanning electron microscopy studies. The presence of Fe in the capsule was investigated using FT-IR, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetization measurements allowed us to demonstrate the paramagnetic behavior of our Fe-functionalized sporopollenin. A few potential applications of pollen-based systems functionalized with magnetic metal ions via ionic liquids are discussed.
Highlights
The preparation of Fe-decorated sporopollenins was achieved using pollen grains and an ionic liquid as solvent and functionalizing agent
To exploit the 3D microstructures of SP as scaffolds or templates, the polymer must be isolated through accurate purification processes that usually consist in the use of aggressive and/or corrosive chemical agents, as
Our work experimentally demonstrates that the decoration of SP with Fe-ions using ionic liquids provides a formidable—green, facile and low cost—chemical route to a novel class of organic-based paramagnetic systems at the micro-scale
Summary
Significant modifications can be observed in the region between 1,750 and 1,200 cm−1, where usually the vibrational modes of lipids (1739 cm-1, C=O stretching; 1,413 cm−1, CH2 deformation; 1,236 cm−1, C–O stretching) and proteins (1,630 cm−1, amide I; 1,530 cm−1, amide II) are found, i.e. the intine components of pollen grains, and the vibrations of the sporopollenin (1,712–1,650 cm−1, C=O, 1,605, 1,515, 1,171, aromatic rings). IL treatment removes or reduces peaks related to lipids and proteins, the aromatic peaks around 1,610 cm−1 emerge as well as the absorption band around 1,700 cm−1, attributable to a conjugated C=O functional g roup[23,24]. The possible complexation of the IL iron to sporopollenin carboxyl groups (see below) could produce strong absorption bands in the same region (1,665–1,470 cm−1) due to νas(OCO), νs(OCO) and δ(OCO). Silicon was recognized (2s transition at 152 eV and 2p transition at 101 eV) probably due to silicon trace used to Scientific Reports | (2020) 10:12005 |
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