Maria P. Sokolova

• PhD
• Researcher at Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russia

Chitosan (CS) films containing deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on malonic acid (MA) and choline chloride (ChCl) were successfully prepared by solution casting method by using DES content ranging from 0 to 82 wt%. A strong interaction of CS with the components of DES was demonstrated by analyses of water sorption isotherms, atomic force microscopy...

The natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) based on choline chloride (ChCl) and lactic acid (LA) was used for the preparation of chitosan (CS) films by the solution casting method. The content of NADES in films was from 0 to 82 wt%. The impact of NADES on the morphology and crystalline structure of films was investigated using scanning electron micr...

An environment-friendly method for obtaining cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) using deep eutectic solvents (DES) was developed. Formation of highly crystalline CNC with average particle dimensions 20 × 100 × 700 nm was confirmed with SEM and AFM. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the hydrogen bond interactions of the cellulose hydroxyl g...

It is known that structure of the interface between inorganic nanoparticles and polymers significantly influences properties of a polymer–inorganic composite. At the same time, amount of experimental researches on the structure and properties of material near the inorganic-polymer interface is low. In this work, we report for the first time the inv...

Mixed-matrix membranes based on amorphous and semi-crystalline polyimides with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanostars were synthesized. Amorphous poly(4,4'-oxydiphenylenepyromellitimide) and semi-crystalline polyimide prepared from 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene and 4,4’-oxydiphthalic anhydride were used. The effect of ZrO2 nanostars on the structure a...

The aim of this study was to develop self-healable and robust electroconductive film based on polyaniline copolymer for application as electrode in flexible supercapacitor. For this purpose, the electroconductive polymer brushes (EPB) was elaborated. The synthesis of EPB is based on graft polymerizations of acrylamide (AAm) on poly(vinyl alcohol) (...

This feature article is devoted to the evaluation of different techniques for producing colloidal polyelectrolyte brushes (CPEBs) based on cellulose nanofibers modified with grafted polyacrylates. The paper also reviews the potential applications of these CPEBs in designing electrode materials and as reinforcing additives. Additionally, we discuss...

Green method for preparation of ion-conducting membranes (ICM) based on bacterial cellulose nanofibers (CNF) modified by a copolymer of sodium acrylate and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid was elaborated. FTIR and NMR data confirmed grafting of poly-acrylate onto cellulose surface. Formation of porous structure of the ICM was controlled by...

Inks for 3D printing were prepared by dispersing bacterial cellulose nanofibers (CNF) functionalized with methacrylate groups in a polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on choline chloride and acrylic acid with water as a cosolvent. After 3D printing and UV-curing, the double-network composite gel consisting of chemically and physically c...

Surface modification of polylactide films was performed using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with the aim of increasing proliferative activity of human fibroblasts on these films. It has been shown that during the plasma treatment of the polylactide film, nonlinear processes occur depending on the processing time. The effect of the dielectric...

In this paper, we report on novel polyimide (PI) nanocomposites filled with binary mixtures of metal oxide (either TiO2 or ZrO2) nanoparticles and nanocarbon (either carbon nanofibers (CNFs) or functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTfs)). The structure and morphology of the materials obtained were comprehensively studied. An exhaustive investigation o...

The aim of this work was to study the influence of water as a co-solvent on the interaction between a polymerizable ionic liquid—choline acrylate (ChA)—and bacterial cellulose. Bacterial cellulose dispersed in ChA is a new type of UV-curable biopolymer-based ink that is a prospective material for the 3D printing of green composite ion-gels. Higher...

Two polymerizable ionic liquids (or monomeric ionic liquids, mILs) namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium and choline acrylates ([C4mim]A and ChA, respectively) were synthesized using the modified Fukumoto method from corresponding chlorides. The chemical structure of the prepared mILs was confirmed with FTIR and NMR study. Investigation of the thermal...

Regular and irregular molecular brushes with polydimethylsiloxane backbone and poly-2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline side chains have been synthesized. Prepared samples differed strongly in the side chain grafting density, namely, in the ratio of the lengths of spacer between the grafting points and the side chains. The hydrodynamic properties and molecular...

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) produced by bacterial were functionalized along the surface with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM). The chemical and crystalline structure of the material was confirmed with NMR, FTIR, EDX and XRD methods. Modified CNF were used as a crosslinker and reinforcer for polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (DES) bas...

A series of polyimide/metal oxide (either ZrO2 or TiO2) nanocomposite films were fabricated based on two polymer matrices. The prepared films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and their thermal and mechanical properties were investigated with the use of the...

3D-printing of stimuli-responsible electroactive gels containing biopolymers, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), is a prospective area of material science. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have shown a potential interest for applications in electroactive materials as well as for processing of cellulose. In this work, CNC obtained by two methods of p...

The introduction of blocks inclined to form areas of high crystallinity into the sulfonated block co‐polyimide is investigated as a prospective strategy to increase swelling resistance and dimensional stability of the polymer in application to the proton exchange membranes development. The novel copolymer with the highly crystalline block was obtai...

The route for the preparation of cellulose nanofiber dispersions from bacterial cellulose using ethylene glycol- or glycerol-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) is demonstrated. Choline chloride was used as a hydrogen bond acceptor and the effect of the combined influence of DES treatment and ultrasound on the thermal and mechanical properties of ba...

A new polycondensation aromatic rigid-chain polyester macroinitiator was synthesized and used to graft linear poly-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline as well as poly-2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline by cationic polymerization. The prepared copolymers and the macroinitiator were characterized by NMR, GPC, AFM, turbidimetry, static, and dynamic light scattering. The molar m...

In this work, a novel approach is demonstrated for 3D-printing of bacterial cellulose (BC) reinforced UV-curable ion gels using two-component solvents based on 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride or choline chloride combined with acrylic acid. Preservation of cellulose’s crystalline and nanofibrous structure is demonstrated using wide-angle X-ray...

Publications showing the prospects of combining computer simulation with atomic force microscopy in the study of polymer biological objects and materials for various purposes are analyzed. The problems that arise when these methods are used together are described. Three main directions are presented in which atomic force microscopy is used in conju...

A hybrid hydrogel based on polypyrrole and hydrothermally prepared α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles was synthesized via in situ chemical polymerization of pyrrole using sodium trimetaphosphate as a crosslinker. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction study confirmed the presence of α-Fe2O3 in the prepared material. Mapping of the elemental composition using energy dispe...

In this study, bioactive composite systems based on natural polymers (chitosan and lignin) were prepared in this study. The structural, mechanical, and morphological properties of chitosan-based materials containing various amounts of lignin filler were investigated. The infra-red IR spectroscopy data confirmed the formation of chemical bonds betwe...

Plasticized chitosan films with high content (67 – 82 wt%) of natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) based on citric acid and choline chloride were prepared by solution casting method. The thickness of films was 19 ± 3 μm. The self-healing and water vapor bending movement of prepared films were demonstrated. Maximal mechanical characteristics of 84%...

Electrochemical behavior of the electroactive polymeric hydrogels based on polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy) was studied by applying 50,000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles. Influence of repetitive electrochemical charge–discharge on the structure of hydrogels was followed by SEM, WAXD and FTIR techniques. The PPy-based hydrogel was fou...

The aim of this work is demonstration of a solid polymer electrolyte based on choline chloride/lactic acid deep eutectic solvent (DES) entrapped in chitosan (CS) matrix as potential separator for electrochemical energy storage devices. This full bio-based material demonstrates the high ionic conductivity up to 2.5 mS cm⁻¹ and electrochemical stabil...

Functional nanomaterials based on transition metal oxides are often used for the manufacture of supercapacitors and batteries, due to their special redox properties. The nanosized transition metal oxides used as the electrode material in some cases exhibit abnormally high values of capacitance and energy density. In this regard, it is important to...

Методами атомно силовой микроскопии (АСМ), высокоразрешающей электронной микроскопии, просвечивающей и растровой электронной микроскопии (ПЭМ и РЭМ), рентгеновской фотоэлектрон ной спектроскопии, рентгеновского анализа и статического светорассеяния изучена структура и морфо логия гибридных наносистем на основе наночастиц селена и селенида цинка,...

Mobility of water in polyheteroarylene (Matrimid®) was simulated at 300 K and different concentrations of water (0.5 wt.%–3 wt.%). Parameters of anomalous diffusion were calculated from molecular dynamics simulations on the base of mean square displacements of water molecules. It was found that mobility of water has nonmonotonic dependence on its c...

Fibrous mats were prepared by electrospinning of polyacrylamide-graft-polyaniline copolymers (PAAm-g-PANI) in a mixed solvent of water–dimethylformamide. The grafted copolymers were synthesized by oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of polyacrylamide; the effect of aniline/polyacrylamide ratio on the morphology of the fibrous mats a...

Segmented poly(urethane-imide)s (PUIs) were synthesized by polyaddition reaction and applied for preparation of membranes. Tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate, pyromellitic dianhydride, and m-phenylenediamine for chain extension were used to form hard aromatic blocks. Polycaprolactone diols with molecular weights equal to 530 and 2000 g mol−1 were chosen as...

In this work we present the study of electrochemical properties of the composites based on cel- lulose nanofibers and a conductive polypyrrole that can be used as an electrode in supercapacitors. Sam- ples have been prepared by two methods: in situ polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of cellulose nanofibers directly on the graphite plate used...

Development of simple methods for preparation of polymeric electrode materials with nanofibrous network structure is a perspective way toward cheap supercapacitors with high specific capacitance and energy density. In this work one-pot synthesis of electroactive ternary composite based on polypyrrole, polyacrylamide and chitin nanofibers with benef...

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are promising alternative for ionic liquids due to their low cost and sustainability. Considerable attention is paid on the ability of DES to replace ionic liquids in the separation of organic liquid mixtures via extraction. In this sense, it is important to determine the physicochemical parameters of liquid-liquid equ...

e structure and barrier properties of the oxyhydroxide layers on a carbon steel surface covered with electroactive polyaniline were investigated. Two types of polymer structure di ering in degree of macromolecular order were prepared by simultaneous (fast polymerization) or dropwise (slow polymerization) mixing of reagents. A larger amount of the m...

The 3D mat-like electroactive hydrogel for application as electrode material for supercapacitor was fabricated by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the solution containing two dopants: organic copolymer of acrylamide with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid and inorganic HCl. Electrochemical tests revealed that utilization of t...

Two different choline chloride based deep eutectic solvents (DES) were tested for the separation of azeotropic mixture of n-hexane and ethanol via liquid-liquid extraction. The simplest mixtures of choline chloride with dibasic acids: oxalic (DES1) or malonic (DES2) with molar ratio 1:1 were used. The selected DESs were characterized by differentia...

Novel mixed-matrix membranes based on polysulfone (PS) and fullerene C60 (up to 5 wt%) have been developed. Two membrane types formed from PS and PS-C60, a dense (diffusive) membrane and a supported membrane, consisted of a thin PS or PS-C60 selective layer (≈5 μm) on the surface of hydrophobic fluorocarbon polymer porous support (MFFC) were studie...

The structure and barrier properties of layers formed on the interface of steel with aniline–orthanilic acid copolymers of different compositions were determined. The structure of the protective system ensuring the best anticorrosion properties was found.

This work focuses on the incorporation of fullerenol nanoparticles to get PVA-fullerenol mixed matrix membranes for alcohol dehydration by pervaporation. Cross-linked hybrid membranes based on composites of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and low-hydroxylated fullerenol C60(OH)12 have been prepared by two different procedures. To improve the dispersion of...

Anticorrosive properties of inorganic layers formed on the surface of steel upon deposition of polyaniline doped with hydrochloric, sulfuric, or phosphoric acid were studied. It was found that the strongest anticorrosive protection is provided by the polymer containing chloride ions. An X-ray phase analysis demonstrated that the high packing order...

Hybrid membranes based on composites of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and low-hydroxylated fullerenol C60(OH)12 have been assembled. In this study, two different procedures for PVA membrane cross-linking were applied including a thermal treatment, with elevated temperatures (140 °C 100 min) and chemical treatment with the addition of 35% maleic acid to t...

The kinetic, structural, and morphological studies showed that the composition of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) and the selenium/PEC mass ratio affected the formation of biogenic selenium-containing nanosystems and their structural and morphological properties.

The structure and morphology of hybrid nanosystems based on selenium and zinc-selenide nano-particles stabilized by water-soluble polymers—polyvinylpyrrolidone and polymethacrylic acid, are studied by methods of atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution electron microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), X-ray pho...

The structure, morphology, and thermal properties of polymeric complexes, initial components, and new ionic polypseudorotaxane based on poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid),-N, N-dimethyl-N′-(4-nitrophenyl)-decane-1,10-diamine-α-cyclodextrine containing photophysically active groups in side chains are studied by X-ray diffraction analysi...

New supramolecular inclusion complexes, polyrotaxanes derived from p-tert-butylcalix[6]arene and polydimethylsiloxane modified with terminal epoxy groups, were synthesized and studied. The dependence of the structure, morphology, and thermal properties of polyrotaxanes on the molecular weight of the linear polymer was determined.

Epoxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxanes of two molecular weights (M n about 1,250 and 2,100) were proved to undergo inclusion complexation into the inner cavity of γ-cyclodextrin, thus resulting in formation of polyrotaxanes. The supramolecular assembling, the structure, the morphology, and the thermal properties of polyrotaxanes were shown to depe...

The structure and supramolecular ordering of polymer complexes formed as the result of a combination of ionic and hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions are determined. The efficiency of the combined use of the X-ray diffraction analysis, the second-harmonic generation technique, and luminescence spectroscopy in solids for determining the structure a...

Supramolecular inclusion complexes, polyrotaxanes, derived from γ-cyclodextrin and polydimethylsiloxane modified with terminal epoxy groups were studied. The dependence of the structure, morphology, and thermal properties of polyrotaxanes on the molecular weight of the linear polymer, molar ratio of γ-cyclodextrin and polymer, and presence of free...

Epoxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxanes (E-PDMSs) of different molecular weight Mn were proved to undergo inclusion complexation into the inner cavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), resulting in polyrotaxanes (PRots). The dethreading of the macrocycle was prevented by blocking the siloxane chain with a bulky substituent derived from 4-aminophenyltripheny...

Supramolecular inclusion complexes, polyrotaxanes, of β-cyclodextrin with modified polydimethylsiloxane were prepared. The structure and thermal properties of these complexes were studied as influenced by the preparation conditions, component ratio, and molecular weight of the polymer.