New magnetic core shell nanoparticles were synthesized consisting of a magnetite core and a poly (1-vinylimidazole) shell. Magnetite nanoparticles were first coated by bis(methacryloyloxyethoxy)phosphate as a reactive alkene-containing anchor followed by radical polymerization of 1-vinylimidazole. The poly(1vinylimidazole) coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNP-PVIm) represent versatile magnetic nanoplatforms capable of complexing different types of metals. Their chemical structure was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The novel nanostructures MNP-PVIm were used as a promising platform for complexing rare earth metals, as gadolinium, terbium, erbium and europium. The morphology and the content of rare earth metals were determined by Transmission Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX). The magnetization curves of MNP-PVIm demonstrate the superparamagnetic nature of these nanostructures.

The recently introduced photothermoelectric technique (PTE) was applied to detect first order phase transitions in some liquid thermoelectrics (LTE). The investigated samples were based on dodecanol mixed with tetradodecylammonium nitrate (TDAN) and tetrabutylammonium nitrate (TBAN). It was demonstrated that the Seebeck effect, produced by a LTE, is an useful tool for the detection of phase transitions in the very same material. Additional photopyroelectric (PPE) measurements suported the obtained results.