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In this study, we described a simple surfactant-assisted approach for synthesizing polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) nanofibers with different morphologies and dimensions. By adding different amounts of specific surfactant (1,2-epoxyalkane, fatty acids, and fatty alcohols) during the polymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB), the shape or size of PDVB nanofibers can be changed, for example the diameter has been reduced to 50–100 nm and helical nanofibers has been obtained. This kind of PDVB nanofibers have widespread potential application in nanomaterials and nanofibers with different requirements.

Contamination of the environment with lead (Pb) is of great concern because it is harmful to living organisms even at low concentrations. This work describes a reliable strategy for the effective removal of lead ions using polycarboxylic acid brushes on polystyrene-divinyl benzene (PS-DVB) microbeads. The synthesized material is demonstrated to be a viable sorbent for lead ion adsorption. The following parameters are examined to obtain the optimal sorption conditions: pH of 5, sorbent amount of 10 mg, contact time of 120 min, and sorption temperature of 25 degrees C. Under these conditions, the maximum removal efficiency and experimental adsorption capability are found to be >93% and 134 mg g(-1), respectively. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic models best represent the adsorption process. It is evaluated that an exothermic and spontaneous adsorption mechanism occurs. The method's applicability is demonstrated with spike recovery experiments using real water samples. Overall, the results show that the synthesized material has high removal efficiency (>93%) against lead ions in a variety of water matrixes.

The inclusion of the metal free semiconductor graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) into polymer systems brings a variety of new options, for instance as a heterogeneous photoredox polymer initiator. In this context, we present here the decoration of the inner surface of poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads with organomodified g-CN via one pot suspension photopolymerization. The resulting beads are varied by changing reaction parameters, such as, crosslinking ratio, presence of porogens, and mechanical agitation. The photocatalytic activity of so-formed beads was tested by aqueous rhodamine B dye photodegradation experiments. Additionally, dye adsorption/desorption properties were examined in aqueous as well as in organic solvents. Photoinduced surface modification with vinylsulfonic acid and 4-vinyl pyridine is introduced. Overall, metal-free semiconductor g-CN donates photoactivity to polymer networks that can be employed for dye photodegradation and acid–base catalyst transformation through facile photoinduced surface modifications.

In this paper, graphitic carbon-nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets agglomerated poly (styrene–divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) anion-exchange stationary phase was prepared and applied in ion chromatography. The mono-dispersity, diameters, porosity and surface characteristics of g-C3N4 nanosheets agglomerated PS-DVB microspheres were measured by scanning electron microscope and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements. The quaternized g-C3N4 nanosheets agglomerated PS-DVB anion-exchange stationary phase was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Elemental Analysis, Breakthrough Curve and Mechanical Intensity Test. The chromatographic properties of self-fabricated anion-exchange column packed with septuple quaternized g-C3N4 nanosheets agglomerated PS-DVB microspheres were investigated by separating six conventional anions and four monovalent organic acids. According to the results, g-C3N4 nanosheets were successfully agglomerated onto the surface of PS-DVB microspheres; g-C3N4 nanosheets agglomerated PS-DVB showed good reactivity due to the presence of terminal amino groups; baseline separation of six conventional anions and four monovalent organic acids were obtained on this column. Finally, the self-fabricated column was successfully applied to the determination of mercaptoacetic acid in water reducer.

Dummy-template molecularly imprinted microspheres were synthesized via precipitation polymerization employing 2,4-D isooctyl ester as the template molecule instead of 2,4-D butyl ester, while methacrylic acid and divinylbenzene were used as functional monomer and cross-linker in acetonitrile or a mixture of acetonitrile and toluene. The microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analyzer and fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Binding capacity experiment showed that the molecularly imprinted polymers prepared in a mixture of acetonitrile and toluene had a high binding capacity. The performance of microspheres was further assessed by equilibrium binding and kinetic adsorption experiments. The results showed that the apparent maximum adsorption reached up to 1.35 mg·g−1 within 10 min. Based on the dummy-template microspheres, a molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction-gas chromatography method was developed for the selective analysis of 2,4-D butyl ...

Heterogeneous catalysts usually show much lower catalytic activities than homogeneous catalysts due to insufficient dispersion and contact of catalytically active sites to reactants. Efforts have been made to solve this problem during past decades. Herein, we have synthesized a series of poly (ionic liquid)s (PILs), which are well swelled in ethylene carbonate (EC), by polymerization of N-vinylimidazolium ionic liquid monomers with divinylbenzene (DVB). The structure, morphology and swelling property of the PILs were charicreized by 13C MAS NMR, FT-IR and SEM. Cyro-SEM showed that the PILs demonstrate a 3D network structure in swelling state which might promote mass transfer and dispersion of active sites. The PILs were utilized in the reaction of 2-(phenylamino) ethanol (2-PAE) and EC and exhibited even better catalytic performance than homogeneous catalyst 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate (BmimOAc). This superior catalytic activity is strongly related to the swelling property and selective absorption behavior of PILs. The absorption behavior was investigated by 1H NMR analysis of mole ratio of reactants to product inside and outside of PILs in the reaction mixture. It was found that the PILs could enrich reactants and eject products which could accelerate the reaction.

A novel type of hollow polymer particles containing carboxyl groups was prepared from a widely available biophenylpropene trans-anethole (ANE). To prepare the hollow particles, we first prepared polymeric particles using vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride (MAH), and then such particles were taken as sacrificial templates for the subsequent formation of core/shell particles, which were synthesized by using ANE and MAH as comonomers and divinylbenzene (DVB) as cross-linking agent through precipitation polymerization. After removing the core in the prepared core/shell particles, we obtained hollow particles and then hydrolyzed the anhydride groups into carboxyl functional groups. The hollow particles were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, and TEM, and further used as absorbents. The maximum adsorption toward Cu2+ and methylene blue reached 270 and 940 mg/g, respectively. The recycling study showed that the biobased hollow particles can be easily restored and reused. The hollow particles may find practical applica...

l -Ascorbyl oleate is recognized as efficient liposoluble antioxidant and biosurfactant which can be synthesized by using immobilized lipases as catalysts in organic media. However, development of economical production process is still a challenge, particularly in (semi)continuous systems. Hereby, we present application of novel immobilized lipase preparation, lipase B from Candida antarctica hydrophobically adsorbed onto styrene divinylbenzene based support, for the synthesis of l -ascorbyl oleate in batch bioreactor (BB) and fluidized bed bioreactor (FBB) with recirculation of reaction medium. Reaction kinetics was described by Ping Pong bi bi mechanism with low acyl donor inhibition. Considerably higher reaction rates (∼40%) were accomplished in FBB. Hydrodynamic study revealed that reaction is kinetically controlled and unhindered external and internal mass transfer was enabled in both systems. However, much higher shear stress occurred in BB (10.46 Pa) comparing to FBB (5 × 10 −2 Pa). After 12 consecutive reaction cycles lasting 24 h, 23.13 g of product per gram of biocatalyst was synthesized in a FBB. Within this study, usage of new immobilized enzyme in semicontinuous system enabled high reaction rates and satisfying operational stability in the synthesis of l -ascorbyl oleate, offering good prospect for further process development.

For the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 2065/2003 related to smoke flavourings used or intended for use in or on foods a method based on solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) GC/MS was developed for the characterisation of liquid smoke products. A statistically based experimental design (DoE) was used for method optimisation. The best general conditions to quantitatively analyse the liquid smoke compounds were obtained with a polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fibre, 60°C extraction temperature, 30 min extraction time, 250°C desorption temperature, 180 s desorption time, 15 s agitation time, and 250 rpm agitation speed. Under the optimised conditions, 119 wood pyrolysis products including furan/pyran derivatives, phenols, guaiacol, syringol, benzenediol, and their derivatives, cyclic ketones, and several other heterocyclic compounds were identified. The proposed method was repeatable (RSD%5) and the calibration functions were linear for all compounds under study. Nine isotopically labelled internal standards were used for improving quantification of analytes by compensating matrix effects that might affect headspace equilibrium and extractability of compounds. The optimised isotope dilution SPME-GC/MS based analytical method proved to be fit for purpose, allowing the rapid identification and quantification of volatile compounds in liquid smoke flavourings.

Polymeric monoliths fabricated in tips with embedded materials of choice are important in separation science. Polymeric backbone however interferes in the enrichment and thus affects efficiency. This work focuses on the in-tip fabrication of lanthanum oxide porous monolith and its application in the enrichment of phosphorylated peptides and lipids. Polycondensation reaction uses an aqueous solution of LaCl3·7H2O with N-methyl formamide as porogen and propylene oxide as initiator. The aging time of monolith and temperature condition for the reaction are optimized to attain porous monolithic tip. A comparison of (i) solid phase batch extraction using La2O3, (ii) La2O3 embedded in poly(glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)/divinylbenzene (DVB)) tip, and (iii) pure La2O3 monolithic tip shows improved enrichment efficiency in the case of pure La2O3 monolithic tip. The monolithic tip achieves selectivity of 1:4500 as compared to solid phase extraction (SPE)(1:3500) and limit of detection down to 0.25 fmol. The in-tip La2...

Vicinal dual hydroxyl functional mesoporous poly(ionic liquid)s with large surface area and high ionic liquid (IL) content were synthesized through the copolymerization of epoxy-containing IL monomers and divinylbenzene, followed by ring opening in water. They acted as recyclable heterogeneous organocatalysts in the cycloaddition of a series of epoxides with CO2 under mild conditions (down to ambient conditions). The catalyst can be lightly recovered and reused with stable activity. The remarkable performance was attributable to the abundant mesoporosity and the synergistic effect of vicinal dual hydroxyls as hydrogen-bonding donors and halogen anions as nucleophiles. Density functional theory calculation, comprising the structural optimization, the energetic profile, and the charge and energy decomposition analysis by the combination of the extended transition state energy decomposition scheme with the natural orbitals for chemical valence approach, was performed to afford insight, indicating that the vi...

Sulfonated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) modified with five kinds of amine functional groups was applied to the determination of carbendazim in apple samples with a pipette-tip solid-phase extraction method. The structures of the polymers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Five different modifications of the solid-phase extraction sorbent based on sulfonated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) were tested under static and pipette-tip solid-phase extraction conditions. The polymer modified with p-methoxyaniline showed the best recognition capacity and adsorption amount for carbendazim. Under the optimum conditions, 3.00 mg of the adsorbent, 1.00 mL of ethyl acetate as washing solvent, and 1.00 mL of ammonia/acetonitrile (5:95, v/v) as elution solvent were used in the pretreatment procedure of apple samples. The calibration graphs of carbendazim in methanol were linear over 5.00-200.00 μg/mL, and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.01 and 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. The method recoveries of carbendazim were in the range of 91.31-98.13% with associated intraday relative standard deviations of 0.76-2.13% and interday relative standard deviations of 1.10-1.85%. Sulfonated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) modified with p-methoxyaniline showed satisfactory results (recovery: 97.96%) and potential for the rapid purification of carbendazim in apple samples combined with the pipette-tip solid-phase extraction.

The branched polymers containing different amounts of the highly branched fraction are synthesized by the radical copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene under conditions of the reversible inhibition by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl. The branched polystyrenes are studied by size-exclusion chromatography combined with static light scattering, viscometry, and pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance. The branched polymers prepared by living radical polymerization (in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) feature reduced intrinsic viscosities and increased self-diffusion coefficients compared with their linear analogs. As the content of the highly branched fraction in the synthesized polymers grows, the Zimm contraction factor in toluene solution decreases to g′ = 0.13. The Kuhn-Mark-Houwink parameters for these polymers in toluene solution (a = 0.43) confirm the nonlinear architecture of macromolecules.

We report on the phase separation behaviors of polymerization mixtures containing a polylactide macro-chain transfer agent (PLA-CTA), styrene, divinylbenzene, hydroxyl-terminated PLA (PLA-OH), and a molecular chain transfer agent which enable the ability to tune the pore size of a cross-linked polymer monolith in a facile manner. Cross-linked monoliths were produced from the mixtures via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and converted into cross-linked porous polymers by selective removal of PLA while retaining the parent morphology. We demonstrate that pore sizes are tunable over a wide range of length scales from the meso- to macroporous regimes by adjusting the ratio of PLA-CTA to PLA-OH in the reaction mixture which causes the phase separation mechanism to change from polymerization-induced microphase separation to polymerization-induced phase separation. The possibility of increasing porosity and inducing simultaneous micro- and macrophase separation was also realized by adjustments in the molar mass of PLA which enabled the synthesis of hierarchically meso- and macroporous polymers.

The parameters of the process of isolation, concentration, and gas chromatographic analysis of volatile organic compounds by solid-phase microextraction were optimized. With different amounts of a mixture of essential oils, the conditions of reproducibility of their determination were established based on the absolute values of the squares of chromatographic peaks obtained by capillary gas chromatography. It was found that the efficiency of the extraction of volatile compounds from gas phase by sorption on mixed polymer (consisting of polydimethylsiloxane and divinylbenzene) was significantly influenced by the structure of their molecules, while the sorption time and their content in the liquid phase influenced the significance of determination.

To extract tetracycline antibiotics (TAs) effectively, a new adsorbent based on poly (muconic acid-co-divinylbenzene/ethylenedimethacrylate) monolith was fabricated and used as the extraction medium of multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction (MD/MF-SPME). The effect of the fabrication parameters on extraction efficiency was studied thoroughly. Elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry were used to check the physicochemical properties of the adsorbent. Some key parameters that affect the extraction performance of MD/MF-SPME for TAs were investigated systematically. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the prepared adsorbent could effectively extract the TAs through multiple interactions. At the same time, a simple and sensitive method for monitoring trace TAs in honey samples was developed by coupling MD/MF-SPME with high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection (MD/MF-SPME-HPLC-MS/MS). The limits of detection (S/N=3) for target compounds were in the range of 7.3-17.1ng/kg. The intra-day and inter-day precision (relative standard deviations, n=4, %) at 0.5μg/kg and 20.0μg/kg spiking concentrations were 5.0-9.5% and 3.6-10.0%, respectively. The mean recoveries of the target TAs in the real honey samples were between 70.5-111.0%.

Porous cross-linked polymers containing pendant triazole groups were synthesized from glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in the presence of divinylbenzene via high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating method followed by functionalization with sodium 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATANa). They were characterized with FTIR, SEM, BET, and mercury intrusion and assessed as CO2 adsorbents. With interconnected hierarchical porous structure and abundant triazole groups which absorbed CO2 chemically in 1:1 stoichiometry, the adsorbents exhibited high CO2 adsorption capacity (3.6 mmol g–1, at 25 °C and 1 atm) and rate, and good CO2/N2 selectivity (∼30). The adsorbents also displayed easy CO2 desorption with medium desorption heat (58 kJ/mol CO2), acceptable moisture endurance, and excellent recyclability. The results suggest that these functionalized porous polymers are potential adsorbents for CO2 capture.

We demonstrated a practical microfluidic approach to fabricate extremely monodisperse millimeter-sized poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB) foam shells with the comparable double emulsion templates. At millimeter scale, the emulsification process was more complex and more difficult to control due to the very large characteristic sizes and velocities. A new kind of three-dimension co-axial microfluidic chip including a Y-shaped compound channels was designed to maintain more stable and robust flow field and regular emulsification. The hydrodynamic features of the double-emulsion droplet formation were investigated. The results showed perfect encapsulation and continuous emulsification could be obtained by one-step dripping (Caouter ∈ (0.018,0.09)). The size of the outlet channel would be comparable with the target droplet. Besides, droplet diameters could similarly be plotted as a function of capillary number close to the general microfluidic ones. After photo-polymerization and supercritical drying, spherical and concentric PDVB foam shells were obtained to satisfy the inertial fusion energy experiments with large diameter (3–5.45 mm), thin wall thickness (50–250 μm), low density (50–300 mg/cm3), and a less than 0.1% polydispersity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

The study reports some novel information on both production and characterization for the poly [DVB/Fe3O4] composite film deposited by free radical polymerization method. The composite film consists of a combination of organic phase and magnetite nanoparticles. The magnetization behavior of the poly [DVB/Fe3O4] composite film was analyzed with both vibrating sample magnetometers (VSM) and a technique of electron spin resonance (ESR). It was found that the ESR study performed at room temperature showed the poly [DVB/Fe3O4] composite film had strong transition of g eff ∼2.5 (254 mT) due to the Fe3+ S-state ions. This g eff value indicated that the composite film behavior was near superparamagnetism. The VSM results also supported the ESR results.

Two copolymers of poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (PS-AA) were synthesized in solution by radical polymerization and partially crosslinked by adding, either trimethylol propane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) or divinylbenzene (DVB) to improve mechanical resistance. Copolymers were sulfonated with theoretical molar quantities of sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 = 170%) and two different amounts of silver sulfate (Ag 2 SO 4 = 0.11 or 0.055%). Materials were dissolved in three different solvent compositions: copolymer + THF, copolymer + THF+55% DMSO and copolymer + THF+110% DMSO and used to prepare membranes prepared by casting. Membranes were characterized by Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Ionic Exchange Capacity (IEC) and Water Uptake (WU) capacity. Addition of DMSO to THF during casting procedure has an important increment on IEC and WU results; however, mechanical resistance is considerably reduced. SEM images show almost no pores in the membranes casted from THF alone, while increasing the amount of DMSO enhances porosity. Such phenomenon is responsible for reduced mechanical property (brittleness), as seen by TMA.

Many fundamentals of ion sorption in ion exchange membranes (IEMs) are not fully understood, and few modern studies focus on multivalent ion sorption, despite the importance of divalent ion transport properties in water purification applications. Here, MgCl2 and CaCl2 sorption in a commercial cross-linked, styrene-divinylbenzene cation exchange membrane (CEM) with fixed sulfonate groups was measured and compared with NaCl, LiCl and KCl sorption in the same material. The data were correlated with counter-ion size and valence, as well as membrane water content. Divalent salts had higher sorption coefficients than monovalent salts, even though membrane water content significantly decreased in the presence of divalent counter-ions. The Donnan potential is weaker in the presence of multivalent counter-ions, which increases co-ion sorption, contributing to the observed increase in salt sorption coefficients for divalent salts. Ion activity coefficients in the membrane were calculated and compared to predictions of the recently proposed Manning-Donnan model. This model showed much better agreement with the experimental data than the ideal Donnan model, suggesting that ion non-ideality in the membrane is important when analyzing ion sorption and transport in IEMs.

The baseline separation of divinylbenzene (DVB) and ethylvinylbenzene (EVB) isomers was achieved using HPLC with MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe) packed columns respectively when hexane/dichloromethane (100:0) used as mobile phase, at flow rate of 0.5mLmin-1, room temperature, and monitored with a UV detector at 254nm. The two Fe-based MILs packed columns showed different separated performances, analytes had short retention time on MIL-100(Fe) compared to MIL-53(Fe), but selectivity of DVB isomers (m-DVB and p-DVB) was lower, which was mainly due to the differences of the pore size and structure of MILs. Moreover, the results of calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the separation of DVB and EVB isomers was not only controlled by enthalpy change (ΔH), but also controlled by entropy change (ΔS). The head-to-tail stacking was the main reason for the separation according to the mechanism of the DVB and EVB isomers on Fe-based MILs packed columns.

We report two examples of initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) polymers being developed for use in laser targets for high peak-power laser systems. First, we show that iCVD poly(divinylbenzene) is more photo-oxidatively stable than the plasma polymers currently used in laser targets. Thick layers (10–12 μm) of this highly crosslinked polymer can be deposited with near-zero intrinsic film stress. Second, we show that iCVD epoxy polymers can be crosslinked after deposition to form thin adhesive layers for assembling precision laser targets. The bondlines can be made as thin as ~ 1 μm, approximately a factor of 2 thinner than achievable using viscous resin-based adhesives. These bonds can withstand downstream coining and stamping processes.

One-pot polymerization with macroinitiator is supposed to be a robust, facile way to synthesize well-defined core-shell nanoparticles with fixed shell thickness. To testify this, we investigated the temperature-depending morphology evolution of polystyrene (PS) core/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) shell microgel synthesized by one-pot polymerization with PNIPAM-RAFT as macroinitiator in dimethylformamide (DMF) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic/static light scattering (DLS/SLS) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). It is revealed that the microgel has a core-shell structure, i.e., the core is made of pure PS, but the shell is composed of both PNIPAM-RAFT macroinitiator and crosslinked PS. In fact, there are 92.0 wt% D2O, 6.7 wt% PNIPAM and 1.3 wt% PS in the shell in its aqueous dispersion at 21 °C; therefore, its shell thickness is much larger than the extended chain length of the macroinitiator as revealed by both SANS and DLS observations. Competitive growth of styrene, divinylbenzene and PNIPAM macroinitiator as well as possible chain transfer from amine proton of PNIPAM side chain may lead to the larger shell thickness, compared with the extended chain length of the macroinitiator. Our work can shed light on the real morphology control in one-pot polymerization.

The cross-linked polysilazane spherical particles were synthesized via a solvothermal process from a liquid polysilazane precursor. We found that the average size of obtained cross-linked polymer spheres is in the range of hundreds nanometer to about 10 μm by adjusting the amount of divinylbenzene cross-linker. Spherical ceramic particles were synthesized via the polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) route. The XRD and SEM analysis on ceramic particles pyrolyzed below 1400°C showed that they were amorphous and maintained a smooth spherical morphology. When the polymer spherical particles were pyrolyzed at 1500°C, SiC/Si3N4 ceramics spheres were fabricated.

Adsorption of thorium on styrene–divinylbenzene-based resin was investigated to obtain the optimum adsorption conditions by using the central composite design (CCD) method. This study was performed in 30 runs of experiments as a function of pH, thorium concentration, contact time and temperature. Adsorption performance of styrene–divinylbenzene-based resin was higher than 98%. The optimum adsorption of thorium using styrene–divinylbenzene-based resin can be successfully predicted statistically by the CCD method. In addition, sorption isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich were applied, and adsorption of Th(IV) was described most precisely by the Langmuir isotherm, which has the highest R 2 (0.99) value. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption is an exothermic and spontaneous physical process. The results of this study reveal that this type of synthetic resin can be used as an effective sorbent material for the removal of Th(IV) ions from weakly aqueous solutions in remediation and nuclear wastewater treatment.

In this work, we report a facile and convenient approach for the synthesis of a molecular imprinted electrode for detecting total theaflavin (TF), an important chemical constituent of black tea. The proposed electrode is prepared from co-polymer of acrylamide and divinylbenzene along with graphite and it is imprinted with TF. The molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) is characterized by fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) techniques. Cyclic voltammetric and differential pulse voltammetry analysis were performed in order to study the performance of the electrode. The MIP electrode is found to have a good detection limit of 14 μΜ (S/N = 3) and a linear range of 20–100 μΜ. The electrode also showed an excellent selectivity and sensitivity to TF from its structural analogues. The analytical performance of the MIP electrode has been observed to be reasonably good and has adequate repeatability and reproducibility. The proposed electrode is employed to determine the TF content in black tea samples by correlating with HPLC data using partial least square regression technique and a prediction accuracy of 94% is obtained.

Novel multitemplate molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared using mixtures of chlorogenic acid and rutinum as molecular templates, acrylamide as a functional monomer, divinylbenzene as the cross-linker, and 20:80 methanol:acetone as the porogen. The polymers were assessed for solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the purification of two compounds from Herba Artemisiae Scopariae. The synthesized molecularly imprinted polymers were identified by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Systematic characterization of the functional monomer and porogens on the recognition properties of the molecularly imprinted polymers were carried out. Comparison with single-template molecularly imprinted polymers showed that the multitemplate molecular polymers exhibited higher selectivity and adsorption capacity for multiple analytes. The optimization of washing solvent as 1:9 acetone:water and the elution solvent as 9:1 acetonitrile:acetic acid provided a reliable analytical method with strong reco...

Crosslinked colloidal monolayers are promising as templates, lithographic masks, filtration membranes, or membranes for controlled release rates in drug delivery. We demonstrate assembly of monodisperse micron-sized polystyrene (PS) beads at an air/water interface, which are transformed into crystalline monolayers using addition of surface-active agents. Vapor annealing methods with solvents (toluene and xylene) and crosslinking agents (divinylbenzene) were investigated regarding their ability to crosslink these floating monolayers directly at the interface, generating crosslinked membranes with crystal size up to 44 cm2, domain size up to 1.9 mm2, and nano-sized pores (100–300 nm). The demonstrated fabrication method emphasizes short fabrication time using a simple setup. Graphical abstract Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00706-017-1997-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A series of silver-containing composites based on highly hydrophilic silica S-120, moderately hydrophilic activated carbon, and hydrophobic copolymer of styrene with divinylbenzene (Psb-1) is synthesized and studied using nonlinear gas chromatography, XRD, IR spectroscopy, and volumetric adsorption, and by optical means. The effect modifying an adsorbent with silver nanoparticles has on the structure, geometry, and chemistry of its surface, and the effects the concentration of metal, the nature of the matrix, the means of synthesis, and the size of nanoparticles have on its adsorption and catalytic properties, are studied. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect is observed in some composites.

Magnetic particles have attracted much interest because they can be easily guided under the influence of magnetic field and are considered suitable in biomedical as well as in separation technology. In this work, magnetite (Fe3O4) loaded cross-linked polystyrene (PS) composite particles are prepared by a novel suspension polymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene (DVB) in presence of nanosized iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles dispersed in n-octane. The structure and surface properties are systematically characterized using FTIR, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The morphology and surface structure reveal that Fe3O4 nanoparticles are mostly dispersed within the P(S-DVB) copolymer layer. Finally the applicability of Fe3O4/P(S-DVB) composite polymer particles as adsorbent for toxic element like trivalent arsenic (As) has been investigated. Fe3O4/P(S-DVB) composite polymer particles exhibited good sorption efficiency compared to reference P(S-DVB) copolymer particles.

This study reports on the development of nanocomposite foams, prepared by Pickering emulsion templating, with promising tailored-properties, simply tunable by their composition. The selected multicomponent monomer mixtures comprise acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDD) and divinylbenzene (DVB), chosen by their renewable-origin or resemblance to renewable ones, and above all due to their varying stiffness or crosslinking-ability. The Pickering water-in-oil emulsions, after their fast stabilization using cyclohexane and acetylated bacterial cellulose, were used as templates for the polymeric foams production. These original materials were thermally stable up to approximately 320 °C, and had a Young's modulus varying between 3.41 and 16.39 MPa, being the highest results prompted by the use of HDD or DVB.

A facile one-step approach to synthesize various phase-separated porous, raspberry-like, flower-like, core–shell and anomalous nanoparticles and nanocapsules via 1,1-diphenylethene (DPE) controlled soap-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene (S) with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), or acrylic acid (AA) is reported. By regulating the mass ratio of S/GMA, transparent polymer solution, porous and anomalous P(S-GMA) particles could be produced. The P(S-GMA) particles turn from flower-like to raspberry-like and then to anomalous structures with smooth surface as the increase of divinylbenzene (DVB) crosslinker. Transparent polymer solution, nanocapsules and core–shell P(S-AA) particles could be obtained by altering the mole ratio of S/AA; anomalous and raspberry-like P(S-AA) particles are produced by adding DVB. The unpolymerized S resulted from the low monomer conversion in the presence of DPE aggregates to form nano-sized droplets, and migrates towards the external surfaces of the GMA-enriched P(S-GMA) particles and the internal bulk of the AA-enriched P(S-AA) particles. The nano-sized droplets function as in situ porogen, porous P(S-GMA) particles and P(S-AA) nanocapsules are produced when the porogen is removed. This novel, facile, one-step method with excellent controllability and reproducibility will inspire new strategies for creating hierarchical phase-separated polymeric particles with various structures by simply altering the species and ratio of comonomers. The drug loading and release experiments on the porous particles and nanocapsules demonstrate that the release of doxorubicin hydrochloride is very slow in weakly basic environment and quick in weakly acidic environment, which enables the porous particles and nanocapsules with promising potential in drug delivery applications.

Hybrid macroporous adsorbent was synthesized for CO 2 capture, where polyethylenimine (PEI)-enveloped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO 2 ) as well as Span 80 act as a co-emulsifier in the preparation of styrene/divinylbenzene high internal phase emulsion (HIPE). By means of interfacial control in one-step polymerization, the terminals of most PEI chains were embedded into the polymer matrix, and the PEI-enveloped nano-TiO 2 particles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of macropores to form a nanoscale roughness. Compared with the conventionally impregnated PEI in PolyHIPE, more amine groups in the hybrid polyHIPE are exposed to CO 2 molecules, and the leaching and volatilization of PEI have been effectively prevented through the embedding technology, resulting in high adsorption capacity, rapid adsorption/desorption rates, and long-cycle stability in a wide temperature range. On the other hand, the particle-formulated inorganic framework fascinates stress-strain strength and thermal conductivity to accomplish two important prerequisites for industrial application.

Core-shell latex-based pressure-sensitive adhesives comprising n-butyl acrylate, styrene and acrylic acid were prepared via two-stage seeded semi-batch emulsion polymerization. d-Limonene (Lim) was used as a renewable chain transfer agent. Adhesive performance was modified by manipulating the microstructure of both the latex particle cores and shells. In the first stage of the polymerization, the concentrations of Lim and divinylbenzene (DVB) crosslinker were varied to alter the core microstructure and thus, the cohesive strength of the adhesive films. The particle shell microstructure was modified in the second stage of the polymerization by varying only the amount of Lim. As a result, a variety of particle microstructures and morphologies were generated. Tack and peel strength decreased with increasing Lim concentration while shear strength showed a maximum at a moderate core Lim concentration of 2 phm. Empirical models were developed using stepwise regression to correlate tack, peel strength and shear strength to Lim concentration in the core/shell and DVB concentration in the core.

Adsorbents of mesoporous polymeric networks of divinylbenzene (PDVB) with different functionalities were synthesized by simple hydrothermal treatment of divinylbenzene (DVB) with co-monomers of vinylimidazole (VI) and 3-((3-(cyclohexylamino)propyl)thio)propyl methacrylate (ACAM) which resulted in P(DVB-VI) and P(DVB-ACAM) respectively. The CO2 adsorptive properties of PDVB were compared with the functionalized polymers. Although incorporation of ACAM monomer leads to loss of surface area, the functional groups of amine, thiol, and ester on P(DVB-ACAM) provide favorable sites for CO2 molecules to be adsorbed more efficiently in comparison with non-functionalized PDVB. The amine/thiol functionalized adsorbent, P(DVB-ACAM), also showed high selectivity and regenerability with the heat of adsorption of >70 kJ/mol indicating chemical interactions of active sites with CO2 at low adsorption limit and physical adsorption at higher adsorptions.

Heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of C-H bonds were synthesized by co-polymerization of new N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium(II) (NHC-PdII) monomers with divinylbenzene. The polymer-supported NHC-PdII-catalysed undirected C-H acetoxylation of simple and methylated arenes as well as polyarenes, with similar or superior efficiency compared to their homogeneous analogues. In particular, the regioselectivity has been improved in the acetoxylation of biphenyl and naphthalene compared to the best homogeneous catalysts. The new polymer-supported catalysts maintain the original oxidation state of PdII after repeated catalytic reactions, and exhibit no significant leaching of palladium. In addition, the new catalysts have been successfully recovered and reused without loss of activity over several cycles of reactions. (Less)

The pH-responsive molecularly imprinted polymers (SR-MIPs) for the removal of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were obtained. The polymers were synthesized using methyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, divinylbenzene and a template mixed at different ratios allowing to optimize the process. The so-prepared SR-MIPs were evaluated at various pH in processes of DBP sorption. The studies covered evaluation of uptake capacity, sorption kinetics, selectivity and elution. The imprinted samples are characterized by improved factors comparing to their non-imprinted analogues, revealing also pH-sensitivity. The highest removal of DBP (130 mg g−1) was achieved at pH=6, while pH-driven desorption (90%) was the most efficient at pH=8.