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The present paper studies the effect of polyaniline grafting on magnetite functionalized with aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. All the compounds were characterized by analytical techniques (X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, Transmission electron microscopy), as well as by determining their magnetic properties. The electron microscopy analysis of the hybrids shows similar morphologies for all the samples. The presence of the iron atoms on the surface of the final product supports the idea of the existence of an inverted core-shell type structure, the more polar ferrite orienting itself towards water. The correlation between the maximum grafting probability and the maximum magnetization is evidenced, demonstrating the importance of the polymer grafting method on the magnetic properties.

We used laser techniques to create hydrophobic thin films of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and organo-modified LDHs. A LDH based on Zn-Al with Zn 2+ /Al 3+ ratio of 2.5 was used as host material, while dodecyl sulfate (DS), which is an organic surfactant, acted as guest material. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) were employed for the growth of the films. The organic anions were intercalated in co-precipitation step. The powders were subsequently used either as materials for MAPLE, or they were pressed and used as targets for PLD. The surface topography of the thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), the crystallographic structure of the powders and films was checked by X-ray diffraction. FTIR spectroscopy was used to evidence DS interlayer intercalation, both for powders and the derived films. Contact angle measurements were performed in order to establish the wettability properties of the as-prepared thin films, in view of functionalization applications as hydrophobic surfaces, owing to the effect of DS intercalation.