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The design of experiments response surface analysis was employed for the first time to study the effect of divinylbenzene (DVB) (20–80 wt. %), diluent (0–100 wt.%), and mixing (200–900 rpm) on the beads' physical properties and on swelling ability. The beads with the highest performances, in terms of mechanical stability, surface area, and swelling ability, were sulphated, and tested in converting glycerol to a valuable product “solketal.” Process options for glycerol valorization to solketal using synthesized sulphonic acid-functionalized styrene-divinylbenzene (ST-DVB-SO3H) copolymer beads and techno-economic analysis of the processes have been investigated. Three processes were evaluated: two one-stage processes at 8.5 wt.% catalyst and 50°C, based on either 6:1 acetone to glycerol molar ratio (87% conversion) or 12:1 (98% glycerol to solketal conversion), and a two-stage route (two acetone additions), where ≥98% conversion can be achieved with lower overall acetone use (10:1 acetone to glycerol molar ratio and 50°C). Techno-economic analyses of the three solketal options were performed using Aspen (HYSYS), based on a fixed capacity of 100,000 te/y and 20-years lifetime. The techno-economic analyses showed that the net present values for the solketal process options were $707 M for the two-stage, $384 M for the one-stage at 6:1 acetone to glycerol molar ratio, and $703 M for the one-stage at 12:1 acetone to glycerol molar ratio. The break-even prices for these solketal processes were $2,058/ ton for the one-stage at 12:1 of acetone and two-stage and $2,088/ton for the one-stage at 6:1 of acetone, which is lower than the current price of solketal at $3,000/ton. The two-stage process was found to be the most effective method of glycerol valorization production to solketal.

Adsorption experiments of polyphenols from olive mill wastewater (OMW) using a cross-linked styrene– divinylbenzene polymer namely FPX 66 as a sorbent have been conducted. In particular the process of adsorption of phenolic compounds and carbohydrate derived from OMW by FPX 66 was rapid. A 68 and 60% reduction of polyphenols and carbohydrates, respectively was observed within the first 1 h. FPX 66 resin adsorption capacity increased by increasing polyphenol concentration values. At OMW-effluent-pH below 7.5 polyphenol removal from FPX 66 was high (77%) and for pH greater than 9.0 decreased (40%). Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium studies were carried out, fitting the equilibrium data to both Langmuir and Freundlich models. Batch adsorption models, based on the assumption of the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion mechanism showed that kinetic data of the adsorption of polyphenols derived from OMW on FPX 66 resin followed the pseudosecond- order than the pseudo-first-order and intraparticle diffusion. Regeneration studies showed that low pH value was efficient for the recovery of phenolic compounds implying that the main mechanism of regeneration might be the chemisorption. These results of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium studies indicate the efficiency of FPX 66 resin as polyphenol sorbent from OMW effluent.

Using microfluidics, we were able to synthesize monodisperse water-in-monomer emulsions with styrene and divinylbenzene (DVB) as monomers. When polymerizing and drying these emulsions, we found that the structure of the resulting macroporous polymer strongly depends on the type of initiator. With the oil-soluble azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), an open-cell structure with spherical pores was obtained. However, with the water-soluble potassium peroxydisulfate (KPS), a closed-cell structure with rhombic dodecahedron-shaped pores and thick, layered pore walls was formed. In the latter case, a yet unexplained mechanism counteracts the capillary pressure arising from surface minimization: the surface area of a rhombic dodecahedron is ~ 10% larger than that of a sphere. In our previous work, we suggested that the underlying mechanism may be osmotic transport of DVB from the plateau borders to the films. We argued that this transport also explains the layered pore walls, i.e., the formation of two outer poly-DVB-rich layers and one inner polystyrene-rich layer. In order to prove or disprove this mechanism, we carried out additional experiments. However, none of those experiments corroborated our hypothesis of osmotic transport! This study provides clear experimental evidence that our previously suggested mechanism via which spherical droplets become polyhedral pores is incorrect. We will describe (a) the rationale behind the additional experiments, (b) our expectations, and (c) our findings. Last but not least, we will discuss all of this in the light of the proposed osmotic transport., Projekt DEAL, Europäischer Forschungsrat

The chlorometylated styrene–divinylbenzene copolymer with different percent of divinylbenzene (code: S-6.7 DVB, S-12DVB, and S-15DVB) was functionalized with 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde for obtaining intermediated polymers. The aminotrimethoxysilanphosphonate groups were grafted by one-pot reactions in tetrahydrofuran using three components: polymers grafted with aldehyde groups (code: CHO-6.7, CHO-12, and CHO-15), 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, diethylphosphite. The aminotrimethoxysilanphosphonate groups functionalized onto styrene-(6.7, 12, and 15%) divinylbenzene copolymer (code: PAF-6.7, PAF-12, and PAF-15) and evolution of the reaction were evidenced by FT-IR spectroscopy and porous structure by N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM microscopy. The thermal behavior of aldehydes and materials: PAF-6.7, PAF-12, and PAF-15 are different than initial polymer supports.

A versatile one‐step photopolymerization approach for the immobilization of enantioselective organocatalysts is presented. Chiral organocatalyst‐containing monoliths based on polystyrene divinylbenzene copolymer were generated inside channels of microfluidic chips. Exemplary performance tests were performed for the monolithic Hayashi–Jørgensen catalyst in continuous flow, which showed good results for the Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroalkenes in terms of stereoselectivity and catalyst stability with minimal consumption of reagents and solvents., Let the light do the work! A universal protocol for the immobilization of enantioselective organocatalysts in glass microreactors was developed. By using the power of visible light, a Hayashi–Jørgensen catalyst was exemplarily incorporated into a polystyrene‐based monolithic structure and used for asymmetric transformations in flow (see graphic).

In the present work, a new series of cross-linked copolymers based on itaconic anhydride and methyl methacrylate were prepared employing free radical copolymerization in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and 2-butanone as a solvent under microwave irradiation. The copolymers containing itaconic anhydride (ITA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were chosen due to the formation of long-term stable anhydride moieties, which might be useful to attach enzymes covalently with numerous applications in water treatment. The copolymerization process was carried out in the presence of two types of cross-linking agent, namely, ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) in a range of 0-20% (w/w) to explore their effect on the thermal and stiffness properties of the obtained cross-linked copolymers. Increasing the ratio of the cross-linking agent, the copolymers prefer to precipitate rather than form a gel during the polymerization process. While using ethylene dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent, the copolymers change from porous to stiffness structures depending on the molar ratio of the monomers used during the polymerization. On the other hand, using divinylbenzene as a cross-linking agent, the stiffness structure was obtained in all cases and there is no effect observed for the monomer’s ratio or the percentage of cross-linking agent on the morphology of the prepared copolymers.

The analysis of volatiles is an alternative in the routine of quality control of fruits, since the volatile metabolites can change in the presence of microorganisms. A well-established method for extracting volatiles is the solid phase microextraction (SPME). This work aims to define some parameters (fiber coating, conditioning time and fiber exposure time) for an effective extraction. Whole papaya was inserted into a hermetically closed glass bottle and the system was left in conditioning for the volatiles accumulation. Then, extraction by SPME and subsequent desorption in a gas chromatograph was performed. Two fibers were evaluated: a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a 65 μm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB). The PDMS/DVB fiber extracted the highest number of volatiles. Central composite design (CCD) was performed to assess the effect of papaya conditioning time and the fiber exposure time on the response: number of detectable peaks. Both variables studied and their interactions were significant for the response. ANOVA showed that the quadratic terms and the lack of fit were not significant (p

Amine-functionalized porous adsorbent is one kind of important materials in carbon dioxide capture due to its stability and efficiency. In this study, a copolymer (polyHIPE) with interconnected macropore networks, hierarchical porous structure and abundant branched amino groups was prepared by high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) strategy via copolymerization of styrene (St), divinylbenzene (DVB), tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and triethoxyvinylsilane (VTEO), and then a novel amine-functionalized CO2 adsorbent was synthesized by in situ ring-opening grafting copolymerization of aziridine with the polyHIPE. The structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties of the polyHIPEs were characterized by FTIR, TEM, TGA, and SEM. The key roles of VTEO and TEOS in introducing active hydroxyl groups onto the surface of the inert polymer was evaluated, which was essential to improve the hydrophilicity of the polyHIPE and to provide reactive sites to combine with amine agents. The contact angle of the polyHIPE while copolymerized with TEOS and VTEO significantly was decreased from 144° to 72°. In order to further increase the specific surface area of the polyHIPEs, post crosslinking of polyHIPEs was implemented through a Friedel–Crafts reaction. The specific surface area of post-crosslinked polyHIPE could reach 513 m2/g, which was proven to be effective to enhance its CO2 adsorption capacity. Finally, the abundant branched amino sites via aziridine grafting and high surface area greatly enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity of the amino-modified polyHIPEs. The adsorption capacity of 2.40 and 3.25 mmol CO2/g could be achieved under dry and humid conditions in 0.1 atm partial pressure of CO2, respectively.

A novel hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced (HLB) thin film solid-phase microextraction (TF-SPME) device is proposed for polarity-balanced determinations of volatile organic compounds. The proposed HLB particles used in the preparation of these membranes were prepared using a precipitation polymerization technique and determined to have a specific surface area of 335 m2/g with an average pore diameter of 13 A. Membranes prepared from these particles were found to extract 1.8, 2.2, 1.9, 1.7, 2.0, and 1.3 times more benzene, 2-pentanone, 1-nitropropane, pyridine, 1-pentanol, and octane, respectively, than the established divinylbenzene/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/PDMS)-based membranes. Furthermore, membranes prepared from these lab-made particles were shown to extract significantly (p = 0.00047) larger amounts of these analytes than membranes prepared from comparative commercial HLB particles. The intermembrane extraction efficiency between 3 membranes was determined to be reproducible at 95% confidence for 4 dif...

UV-initiated radical copolymerization has been successfully applied for the preparation of two kinds of microporous organic polymers (MOPs) based on divinylbenzene (DVB)/bismaleimide (BMI) monomers and DVB/pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PET4A). The obtained MOPs exhibit high BET surface areas and good CO

In this study, heterogeneous cyclization of sorbitol to isosorbide under basic condition was realized for the first time with a novel porous polymer-supported ionic liquid as catalyst. These polymer-supported ILs were synthesized through the suspension polymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride and divinylbenzene, followed by a quaternization reaction. As compared to those of non-porous, the porous polymers had high specific surface area and large number of active sites. Consequently, they exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the cyclization of sorbitol with dimethylcarbonate (DMC) to isosorbide. As a result, a high conversion of sorbitol (99%) was achieved with 83% yield of isosorbide under optimized conditions. Importantly, the catalysts could be easily separated by decantation and reused for five times without obvious loss of catalytic activity.

The preparation of high performance poly(methyl methacrylate-acrylic acid-divinylbenzene) (P(MMA-AADVB)) microcapsule encapsulating octadecane (OD) having carboxyl groups on the surface for textile application was studied. The P(MMA-methyl acrylate (MA)-DVB) microcapsule was previously prepared by microsuspension iodine transfer polymerization prior to hydrolysis of MA segment to obtain AA in the P(MMA-AA-DVB) shell. Using 30 wt% of MA and 20 wt% of DVB, the latent heats of melting and crystallization of the encapsulated OD were close to those of original OD (245 and 251 J/g-OD, respectively). After hydrolysis, the zeta potential value of the obtained P(MMA-AADVB) microcapsule surface was -33 mV representing the formation of carboxyl groups of PAA derived from PMA. The influences of nucleating agent amount and type on the reduction of supercooling were then investigated. Using 1-octadecanol at 10 wt% of OD provided the best result. Tc of the encapsulated OD increased and reached to that of original OD while the latent heats were maintained. The hydrolyzed P(MMA-AA-DVB) presented higher efficiency than P(MMA-MA-DVB) microcapsules for fabric coating without external binder which may due to the interaction of microcapsule surface functional group with fabric.

Aiming to improve the sensitivity and specificity of environmental analysis of sertraline residues, we investigated the use of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as the solid phase extraction sorbents for rebinding of the parent drug, its metabolite norsertaline and its transformation product (TP) sertraline ketone. MIPs were synthesized using the antidepressant sertraline as the target, where two polymerisation approaches were used: polymerisation in solvent and two-stage polymerisation. Leaching of sertraline from the imprinted material presented a major problem in case of MIPs polymerised in solvent. On the contrary, by synthetizing MIPs with the two-stage polymerisation approach, sertraline was removed to below the limit of quantification (LOQ). Two MIPs were selected that showed the best binding characteristics during the solid phase extraction rebinding experiments: one was prepared by polymerisation in solvent and another one by two-stage polymerisation. The former bound norsertraline and sertraline ketone in a high binding ratio compared to its non-imprinted analogue, while the latter had the highest imprinting factor for sertraline. Based on the proved cross-selectivity of MIPs, we propose their use in enrichment, purification and isolation of transformation products, including novel compounds that have before not been recognised.

A simple, rapid, selective and sensitive monitoring method for the simultaneous determination of the widely-prescribed antidepressants agomelatine, bupropion, citalopram, fluoxetine, mirtazapine, paroxetine, trazodone in just a human blood drop is here developed and validated. This methodology is based on the use of lab manufactured poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)-coated glass (PS-DVB) blood spot for the extraction of the analytes and their subsequent separation and detection by capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (CLC-MS). Briefly, 10 mm-side squares were punched out from blood spots collected on glass substrate coated by 10 µg of the PS-DVB polymer and eluted with 1.0 mL of 2.0% acetic acid in methanol. The analytes were then separated and detected in less than 20 min by capillary CLC-MS using a Jupiter 4 µm Proteo 90 A column and water: acetonitrile (20:80 v/v) and ammonium acetate (5 mM, pH 3.0) as mobile phase. Limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.018 to 0.038 µg mL−1, and remarkable precision values for the responses and retention times lower than 5.89% and 1.92% were calculated, respectively. Moreover, accuracy values ranging between 85% and 104% were obtained.

The morphology and encapsulation efficiency of thermoregulating microcapsules based on a spreading coefficient theory and polar surface energy component were evaluated. For this purpose the microencapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs) with different copolymer shells and using different suspending agents by the suspension-like polymerization technique has been carried out. Contact angles and interfacial tensions were measured, and results were discussed with respect to the internal structure as well as encapsulation efficiency of the microcapsules. A core/shell structure was expected as the equilibrium morphology, whereas the experimental structure exhibited a matrix morphology. A core-shell structure was favored by increasing the polarity of the polymer and decreasing the solubility between the core and shell. The type and amount of suspending agent do not have a significant influence on the final characteristic of the microcapsules. Shells with various polarities were synthesized from styrene (S), divinylbenzene (DVB) and hexa(methacryloylethylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene (PNC-HEMA), and it was found that a core-shell structure was only obtained for microcapsules with a high polar surface energy component.

The 1-(3-aminopropyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([APMIm][Br]) functionalized graphene oxide ([APMIm][Br]-GO) and 1-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([MIm][TfO]) are prepared and used as fillers and proton carrier in the preparation of high temperature hybrid proton exchange membranes (PEMs), respectively. The PEMs are obtained via photo-initiated polymerization of a mixture containing polymerizable oil (styrene/acrylonitrile and divinylbenzene), protic ionic liquid (PIL, [MIm][TfO]), and different content of [APMIm][Br]-GO. The resultant membranes show good thermal stability and excellent mechanical properties. Incorporation of proper amount of [APMIm][Br]-GO significantly increases the proton conductivity of the hybrid membranes, and the membranes with 1.0 wt% [APMIm][Br]-GO shows the highest conductivity (up to 1.48 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 160 °C). Compared with the plain membrane without [APMIm][Br]-GO, the hybrid membranes with [APMIm][Br]-GO show much better PIL retention ability. These properties make this type of PIL-based hybrid membranes suitable for the application of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).

Chlorambucil, a chemotherapeutic agent, is usually administered orally to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and some other types of cancers in regimens of conventional and metronomic chemotherapies. However, the hydrolytic instability of chlorambucil is a major limitation in achieving the optimum therapeutic performance. In this work, mesoporous polymeric microspheres were prepared by free radical suspension copolymerization of methyl acrylate and divinylbenzene in the presence of porogen. Chlorambucil was loaded into the mesoporous polymeric microspheres through adsorption of the drug in aqueous media with high loading capacity up to more than 350 mg/g. Chlorambucil-loaded mesoporous polymeric microspheres showed sustained release property in media simulating gastrointestinal fluids, with nearly zero order release kinetics. Furthermore, the mesoporous polymeric microspheres as carriers greatly stabilized chlorambucil against its hydrolysis. The hydrolyzation percentage of chlorambucil that was adsorbed on the microspheres after incubation for 36 h in media simulating gastrointestinal fluids was less than 10%, while more than 90% of free chlorambucil hydrolyzed after incubation in the same media for 4 h. The chlorambucil-loaded mesoporous polymeric microspheres may be used as oral sustained release formulations, especially as oral formulations for the application in metronomic chemotherapy.

With a view to simplifying and reducing the cost of the synthesis of novel selective restricted-access materials based on microporous hypercrosslinked polystyrene for solid-phase extraction, various polystyrene crosslinking agents and Friedel–Crafts catalysts in various combinations have been studied. It has been found that the most effective crosslinking agent is monochlorodimethyl ether; in addition, expensive tin chloride has been effectively replaced with a smaller amount of cheap ferric chloride. Under special conditions for the suspension copolymerization of styrene with 1, 2, and 3% of divinylbenzene, copolymers with a bead size of 30–70 μm have been synthesized. Each of the copolymers has been further crosslinked with monochlorodimethyl ether to a degree of crosslinking of 100, 150, and 200%. These polymers are porous materials swellable in water and any organic solvents. The hypercrosslinked polymer network is not accessible to large molecules of proteins (Cytochrome C and albumin) and does not cause protein adsorption; owing to this feature, the sorbents can be classified as novel selective restricted-access materials.

Chocolate quality depends on the type of cocoa and how its manufacture was conducted. In this work, the analysis of the volatile fraction of the principal steps - from cocoa to chocolate - was performed. For this purpose, unroasted nibs, liquor and chocolate samples from five different places were used, and the isolation was conducted by HS-SPME (headspace solid phase microextraction) using a DVB/CAR/PDMS (divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane) fiber, lately desorbed in a homemade GC × GC chromatograph and detected by mass spectrometry. All the compounds with appropriate chromatographic resolution in the contour plots were identified by mass spectrum and retention index. After that, the compounds areas with match greater than 90% were used on two principal component analyzes to determine the volatile compounds differences in some steps of chocolate production. In the unroasted nibs-liquor step, pyrazines were found as the main difference between the composition of the sample, while in the liquor-chocolate step several chemical classes compounds were found. It was also possible identify the main compounds responsible for the different steps in chocolate production using HS-SPME and GC × GC-QMS.

Hollow poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) (P(S-DVB)) microspheres were fabricated via template-based method including synthesis of silica particles by sol-gel method, preparation of silica/P(S-DVB) particles by dispersion polymerization and chemical etching of silica cores by NaOH solution. TEM, FTIR and TG analyses confirmed that the hollow P(S-DVB) microspheres were successfully obtained. The morphology of hollow P(S-DVB) microspheres could be controlled by adjusting the amounts of DVB, AIBN and VTES, and the round-ball-like hollow P(S-DVB) microspheres were fabricated when the amount of DVB, AIBN and VTES was 30.0 wt%, 5.0 wt% and 30.0 vol% respectively. Both the size of silica particles and amount of monomers were regarded as the two key factors to control the particle size of the round-ball-like hollow P(S-DVB) microspheres. Keywords: Hollow poly(styrene–divinylbenzene)microspheres, Template-based method, Sol-gel method, Dispersion polymerization, Chemical etching

This paper investigates the selectivity of GMA-based-non-woven fabrics adsorbent towards copper ion (Cu) functionalized with several aliphatic amines. The aliphatic amines used in this study were ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA), and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The non-woven polyethylene/polypropylene fabrics (NWF) were grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) via pre-radiation grafting technique, followed by chemical functionalization with the aliphatic amine. To prepare the ion recognition polymer (IRP), the functionalized amine GMA-grafted-NWF sample was subjected to radiation crosslinking process along with the crosslinking agent, divinylbenzene (DVB), in the presence of Cu ion as a template in the matrix of the adsorbent. Functionalization with different aliphatic amine was carried out at different amine concentrations, grafting yield, reaction temperature, and reaction time to study the effect of different aliphatic amine onto amine density yield. At a concentration of 50% of amine and 50% of isopropanol, EDA, DETA, TETA, and TEPA had attained amine density around 5.12, 4.06, 3.04, and 2.56 mmol/g-ad, respectively. The amine density yield decreases further as the aliphatic amine chain grows longer. The experimental condition for amine functionalization process was fixed at 70% amine, 30% isopropanol, 60 &deg, C for grafting temperature, and 2 h of grafting time for attaining 100% of grafting yield (Dg). The prepared adsorbents were characterized comprehensively in terms of structural and morphology with multiple analytical tools. An adsorptive removal and selectivity of Cu ion by the prepared adsorbent was investigated in a binary metal ion system. The IRP samples with a functional precursor of EDA, the smallest aliphatic amine had given the higher adsorption capacity and selectivity towards Cu ion. The selectivity of IRP samples reduces as the aliphatic amine chain grows longer, EDA to TEPA. However, IRP samples still exhibited remarkably higher selectivity in comparison to the amine immobilized GMA-g-NWF at similar adsorption experimental conditions. This observation indicates that IRP samples possess higher selectivity after incorporation of the ion recognition imprint technique via the radiation crosslinking process.

Nanoporous microspheres with divinylbenzene (DVB), styrene (St), and lignin were synthesized by an emulsion-suspension polymerization method. Several types of lignins were used: (1) kraft lignin be ...

It is well known that free radical (co)polymerization of multivinyl monomers (MVMs) leads to insoluble gels even at a low monomer conversion, and the gelation point can be predicted by Flory–Stockmayer theory (F–S theory) based on two assumptions: (1) equal reactivity of all vinyl groups and (2) the absence of intramolecular cyclization. This theory has been experimentally studied and verified with conventional free radical (co)polymerization (FRP) of several MVMs (e.g., divinylbenzene, DVB). However, it is still debatable whether this theory is applicable for the polymerization of MVMs using reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) approaches, such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Herein, Monte Carlo simulations using two statistical models—with cyclization (w.c.) and without cyclization (wo.c., corresponding to F–S theory)—and dynamic lattice liquid (DLL) models were conducted to study ATRP of divinyl monomers. The simulated gel points using w.c. and wo.c. models were compare...

This work establishes the fact that Polyaniline (PANI) contributes to cationic scavenging on the polymerization of a cross linking polymer, i.e. Divinylbenzene (DVB), resulting in a significant change in the properties of the PANI-based DVB resin system. Furthermore, it is also shown that the cationic scavenging is directly related to the degree of doping of PANI and its dispersion state. Various intermediate doped PANI was added with a fixed amount of DVB to prepare thermosetting matrices. The degree of doping of PANI was assessed with the DSC, FT-IR, and UV-VIS-NIR analyses before mixing with DVB matrix. It has been shown that the Polyaniline (PANI) agglomerates broke and a uniform dispersion was obtained with an increased degree of doping, which led to more exposed amines groups of PANI. These groups acted as scavengers to the cationic polymerization of the DVB monomer. DSC and viscosity measurement of the uncured PANI-DBSA/DVB resin system confirmed the scavenging effect of PANI on the curing profile and subsequently to the electrical and mechanical properties of the cured composites. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the scavenging behavior of PANI in the context of preparing PANI-based polymer composites.

Aim: The preparation of magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotube poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) for propranolol magnetic solid-phase extraction is described. Materials & methods: A study comparing propranolol adsorption and desorption was performed with only magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and different poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) with and without magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Enantiomeric separation of propranolol took place by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis and the method was validated in spiked human urine samples. Results: Recovery values raised when styrene/divinylbenzene millimoles ratio was 19.57:15.80. Enrichment factors increased up to approximately 100, detection limits were 13.8 and 10.5 ng ml−1 for R- and S-propranolol respectively, quantitation limits were 46.0 and 34.8 ng ml−1 for R- and S-propranolol respectively, recoveries from spiked samples ranged from 90.9 to 109.0%, and relative standard deviations were

A novel shape-memory polymer having microspherical structure was prepared with Styrene (St), butyl acrylate (BA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) as the crosslinkers. The results clearly show the formation of crosslinked poly(St-DVB-BA) polymeric microspheres with high content of DVB. Through the variation of DVB content, different microspheres are formed, each having two-phase separation structure consisting of BA soft phase and St hard phase respectively. Both the St hard phase and chemical-crosslinker provided stable netpoints for thermally induced shape-memory effects. Thus, the Poly(St-DVB-BA) microspheres show the capability of shape deformation, shape fixation and shape recovery.

A novel polystyrene-divinylbenzene microspheres hybridized with oxidized nanodiamonds (PS-DVB-OND) was synthesized by the method of seed swelling and polymerization. The oxidized nanodiamonds (OND) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray phtoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD). PS-DVB-OND particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The result suggested that OND were successfully embedded into the polymer microspheres with the diameter of 6 ± 2 µm. Compared to polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) microspheres, PS-DVB-OND microspheres could tolerate higher pressure. The PS-DVB-OND microspheres were used as stationary phase of reversed-phase liquid chromatography directly and anion-exchangers after further quaternized with methylamine and 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether. Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic performance of PS-DVB-OND beads was investigated through separating six benzenes such as toluene, benzaldehyde, phenol, benzoic acid, 1,4-hydroquinone and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate. Inorganic anions such as F-, Cl-, NO2-, Br-, NO3-, HPO42- and SO42-, were baseline separated on the anion exchangers of PS-DVB-OND microspheres. The result suggested that the prepared PS-DVB-OND microspheres have the potential as liquid chromatographic stationary phase under high pressure and extremely pH conditions.

In this work, an effective adsorbent (polyHIPE/PEI) was developed for use in CO2 capture technologies. For this purpose, a porous polymer was prepared by high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) using 2-Ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB). This prepared porous polymer (polyHIPE) was then used as a novel support for the wet impregnation of polyethylenimine (PEI), thus resulting in the polyHIPE/PEI adsorbent. The prepared adsorbent was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyses. At the optimal PEI loading of 60 wt% on polyHIPE, the CO2 sorption capacity reached 4 mmol CO2/g-sorbent using 10 vol% CO2 and 3 vol% H2O in N2 at 70 °C. Kinetic and thermodynamic adsorption studies showed that the activation energies for CO2 adsorption and desorption of polyHIPE/PEI are 13.74 kJ/mol and 36.12 kJ/mol, respectively. These results indicate that CO2 desorption using polyHIPE/PEI has the potential to reduce CO2 capture cost due to the low activation energy and high CO2 desorption rate. As such, polyHIPE/PEI constitutes an advantageous alternative to traditional methods in CO2 capture from gas mixtures.

The catalytic conversion of alkynes into ketones via hydration has received considerable attention, because the ketones are very important intermediates in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The hydration of alkynes was usually performed with rather complicated processes in presence of liquid acids or highly toxic metal catalysts. We report here a novel metal free and efficient route to conversion of alkynes into ketones catalyzed by hierarchically porous poly(ionic liquid)s solid strong acids, which were synthesized from one-step, template-free copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) with nitrogen containing monomers under solvothermal condition, further by post grafting with strong acid ionic liquid groups. The porous poly(ionic liquid)s solid acids have large BET surface areas, hierarchical nanopores and enhanced acid strength. A variety of alkynes could be effectively transformed into ketones catalyzed by the synthesized porous poly(ionic liquid)s solid acids under green and mild conditions, which were much better than those of Amberlyst 15, phosphotungstic acid and sulfuric acid. Furthermore, the porous poly(ionic liquid)s solid acids also show excellent activities and good reusability in direct hydroamination of amines with phenylacetylene. This work largely expands the wide applications of porous poly(ionic liquid)s solid strong acids in hydration and hydroamination, which develops a green, efficient and cost effective approach for conversion of low cost alkynes into high-value added ketones.

We synthesized polymeric adsorbents modified with diglycolamic acid ligands for the recovery of rare earth elements. Styrene, divinylbenzene, and glycidyl methacrylate were copolymerized by suspension polymerization in the presence of diluent mixtures of heptane and toluene. Varying the composition of the diluent mixtures changed the pore characteristics of the polymeric particles; the highest specific surface area (51.2 m2/g) was obtained with mixtures of equal volumes of heptane and toluene. Polymeric adsorbents were prepared by functionalizing the synthesized polymeric particles with amino groups and then diglycolamic acid ligands. The content of the amino groups was almost constant, whereas that of the diglycolamic acid ligands depended on the specific surface area of the adsorbents. The synthesized polymeric adsorbents selectively adsorbed rare earth elements from a solution containing rare earth and base metal ions. The high adsorption rate of the adsorbents was due to their large specific surface area.

The organogels poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene), PS gel (1); poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene-co-vinylpyridine), PS-VP gel (2); poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene-co-vinylbenzoic acid), PS-VBA gel (3); and poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene-co-styrenesulfonate), PS-SS gel (4) were prepared with limonene by varying the concentration of cross-linker and comonomer to control the properties of the gels. Limonene was used as the swelling solvent due to its low toxicity and environmental friendliness. Additionally, 4-vinylpyridine (VP), 4-vinylbenzoic acid, and 4-styrenesulfonate were introduced as cationic and anionic moieties to act as interaction units. An increase in the divinylbenzene ratio improved the mechanical strength, as evidenced by an increase in the G′ value; for example, the G′ of gel 3 improved from 15,000 Pa with 5% cross-linking to 93,000 Pa with 10% cross-linking. However, the increased cross-linking reduced the solubility in limonene, resulting in a decrease in the swelling ratio from 1.5 to 0.7. Cationic gel 2 can adsorb anionic compounds, while anionic gel 4 can adsorb cationic compounds. Gel 2 with 5 mol% VP was able to adsorb approximately 4.4 mg/g of an anionic dye, while gel 4 with 5 mol% SS was able to adsorb approximately 6.6 mg/g of a cationic dye. The limonene organogels were used for lipophilic drug storage and the controlled release of testosterone due to their dense polymer network.

Poly(4-vinylpyridine) crosslinked by 2 % divinylbenzene was partially quaternized (20 % monomer equivalents) by a bidentate Schiff base nickel complex containing C–Br function in its molecular structure using dioxane as solvent. The resulting poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene)-Ni(II) Schiff base complex (PVP-co-DVB-Ni(II)-L) was characterized using various techniques such as elemental analysis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric (TG)/differential thermogravimetry (DTG) analysis of the nonmodified copolymer, free complex, and the copolymer modified with the nickel complex was carried out to elucidate the thermal behavior. The synthesized copolymer covalently grafted with the nickel(II) complex was mixed with carbon black paste to prepare a new modified electrode material. This electrode was characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical properties of the resulting modified electrode, recorded in alkaline solution, were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, revealing a well-defined redox process corresponding to the Ni/Ni redox couple. The effects of parameters such as the scan rate and ethanol concentration were explored for electrooxidation of ethanol using this modified electrode. A mechanism for the electrooxidation of ethanol is suggested based on the cyclic voltammetry results.

A large surplus of glycerol from the rapidly growing biodiesel industry has led to the conversion of glycerol into higher value-added products being of great industrial importance. In this paper, a promising route for the synthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol and dimethyl carbonate is described using DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) embedded porous organic polymer as an efficient and robust catalyst. The porous catalyst with base sites and hydrophilic units (monoquaternized DABCO) was facilely synthesized through a one-pot radical copolymerization of divinylbenzene and vinyl functionalized DABCO monomer. By simply varying the mass ratio between divinylbenzene/DABCO monomer, the surface area, pore volume and surface wettability of the catalyst can be easily adjusted. Results of activity evaluations indicated that the catalyst with high surface area and excellent amphiphilicity exhibits much higher activity than other samples due to the enhanced accessibility of catalytic sites and mass transfer efficiency. Under the optimum reaction conditions, a 0.75 mol% catalyst loading is sufficient for excellent yield of glycerol carbonate in 60 min. Moreover, the optimized catalyst also shows excellent reusability and could be reused up to 13 consecutive recycles without obvious deactivation in activity.

A type of magnetic ionic liquid based molecularly imprinted polymer coated on SiO2 (Fe3O4@SiO2@IL-MIPs) was prepared with 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazole ionic liquid as functional monomer, and 1,4-butane-3,3'-bis-1-ethylimidazole ionic liquid as cross linker, 4-Chlorophenol as template was successfully applied as a selective adsorbent for selective extraction of 5 chlorophenols in seawater samples by using the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method. 11 types of Fe3O4@SiO2@IL-MIPs were synthesized and investigated for their different compositions of functional monomer (such as [C2min][Br], [C2min][BF4], [C2min][PF6], acrylamide, methacrylic acid and 4-vinyl pyridine) and cross-linker (such as [C4min2][Br], [C4min2][BF4], [C4min2][PF6], divinylbenzene, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate), respectively. The [C2min][BF4] and [C4min2][PF6] based Fe3O4@SiO2@IL-MIP with the highest extraction efficiencies was applied to the optimization experiment of MSPE process (including extraction time, adsorbent mass and desorption solvents). Good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients (R2) over 0.9990 and the relative standard deviations for the intra-day and inter-day determination were less than 3.10% with the extraction recoveries ranged from 85.0% to 98.4%. The results indicated that the proposed Fe3O4@SiO2@IL-MIPs possesses great identification and adsorption properties, and could be used as a good sorbent for selective extraction of CPs in environment waters.

Hydrodeoxygenation process is a potential route for upgrading biofuel intermediates, like vanillin, which is obtained in huge quantities through the chemical treatment of the abundant lignocellulosic biomass resources of nature, and this is attracting increasing attentions over the years. Herein, we report the grafting of palladium nanoparticles at the surface of porous organic polymer Pd-PDVTTT-1 synthesized through the co-condensation of 1,3,5-triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-(1H,3H,5H)-trione and divinylbenzene in the presence of radical initiator under solvothermal reaction conditions. The Pd-PDVTTT-1 material has been characterized thoroughly by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, ultra-high-resolution transmission electron Microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C MAS NMR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. High surface area together with good thermal stability of the Pd-PDVTTT-1 material has motivated us to explore its potential as heterogeneous catalyst in the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin for the production of upgraded biofuel 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol in almost quantitative yield and high selectivity (94%).

The methylamines form part of the marine organic nitrogen pool. Although they are ubiquitous in marine systems, little is known about their distribution, production and fate in the marine environment. Analytical methods have been developed for their analysis in marine waters, but these have employed custom-made apparatus, limiting data to a few studies. Here, we report a method developed for the determination of methylamines in seawater which combines headspace solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography with selective nitrogen detection. Gaseous methylamines were pre-concentrated from water samples (approximately 1 L) heated to 60 oC, onto a polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene SPME fibre located in the headspace of the extraction flask. The analytes were then thermally desorbed from the fibre in a gas chromatograph containing a CP-Volamine column and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. The method was routinely calibrated down to 1 nM for all three analytes using matrix-matched external standards. Limits of detection were determined operationally and ranged from 0.4-2.9 nM during two sampling campaigns. The analytes were detected in seawater samples from the English Channel and Southern Ocean where concentrations up to 20 and 5.6 nM were measured, respectively, consistent with previously reported levels. We propose this method for the analysis of methylamines, and other low molecular weight amines, as it is sensitive, robust, and the necessary equipment is widely-available.

Graphene oxide is widely-used for many applications because of its surface area and the variety of oxygen functional groups that possess. This latter feature allows it to be a good candidate for polar compounds adsorption such as furfural. Furfural is a toxic compound that has been detected in a wide variety of foods of daily consumption. Frequent exposure in high doses can represent a risk to human health. In the present work, it is proposed an easy procedure to obtain reduced graphene oxide based coatings through dip-coating for Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) of furfural. The coatings were made with graphene oxide and carboxylated graphene oxide. These coatings were thermally reduced and then tested using a furfural standard. The thermally reduced graphene oxide coatings were characterized using FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy and SEM. SEM micrographs revealed that graphene oxide based fibers had thickness values between 1.5 and 2.5 μm approximately. Subsequently the results of furfural extraction were compared with those obtained from the Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) commercial fibers.

Solid supported catalysts can go a long way in developing catalyst based technology because of their high efficiency with recyclability and easy separation from the reaction mixture. Immobilizations of homogeneous catalysts through covalent bond with chloromethylated polystyrene cross-linked with divinylbenzene and develop them as environmentally safe heterogeneous catalysts for oxidation reaction have attracted attention in recent years. Recently, effort from our research laboratory was to synthesize new recyclable polymer-supported vanadium complexes based heterogeneous catalysts. Thus, chloromethylated polystyrene cross linked with 5% divinylbenzene was used as support to prepare variety of polymer supported vanadium catalysts. These catalysts have successfully been used for the oxidation and oxidative bromination of various organic substrates. Keeping in mind the industrial usage of these heterogeneous catalysts, the leaching and recycle ability of all polymer-supported catalysts have also been tested. Most catalysts are stable and do not leach during the catalytic reactions.

The living anionic polymerization of 1,4-divinylbenzene and its derivatives was reviewed. With the use of a specially-designed initiator system prepared from oligo(α-methylstyryl) lithium and potassium tert-butoxide, the living anionic polymerization of 1,4-divinylbenzene was successfully realized for the first time. During this polymerization, one of the two vinyl groups was selectively polymerized in a living manner, while the other vinyl group remained completely intact in the main chain. Soluble linear polymers with well-controlled molecular weights up to 60.5 kg mol−1 and narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn

Inverse vulcanization copolymers (p(S-DVB)) from the radical polymerization of elemental sulfur and divinylbenzene (DVB) have been studied as cathode active materials in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based all-solid-state Li-S cells. The Li-S cell comprising the optimized p(S-DVB) cathode (80:20 w/w S/DVB ratio) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide/PEO (LiFSI/PEO) electrolyte shows high specific capacity (ca. 800 mAh g −1 ) and high Coulombic efficiency for 50 cycles. Most importantly, polysulfide (PS) shuttle is highly mitigated due to the strong interactions of PS species with polymer backbone in p(S-DVB). This is demonstrated by the stable cycling of the p(S-DVB)-based cell using lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)/PEO electrolyte, where successful charging cannot be achieved even at the first cycle with plain elemental S-based cathode material due to the severe PS shuttle phenomenon. These results suggest that inverse vulcanization copolymers are promising alternatives to elemental sulfur for enhancing the electrochemical performance of PEO-based all-solid-state Li-S cells.

Supported ionic liquid (SIL) membranes using imidazolium based ionic liquids and hydrophobic PTFE base membrane were used for the π electron mediated separation of aromatic compounds including dyes in aqueous and non-aqueous medium. The FTIR of SIL membranes showed the signature of the functionalities for both base membrane and the imidazolium moiety. A significant reduction in contact angle, especially the dynamic contact angle, was observed for SIL membranes compared to the virgin membrane indicating the enhancement in surface hydrophilicity of the membrane, while considerable changes zeta potential was seen at different pH indicating the modification in surface charge. The SEM image confirmed the pore filling of base membrane with ionic liquids. The stability of the SIL membranes were studied using hexane, water and DMF as solvents. Tuning the anionic moieties, ionic liquids were utilized for aqueous and non-aqueous application through SIL membranes. For non-aqueous applications, the trend in separation efficiency was found to be divinylbenzene > styrene > toluene, which was attributed to the more π electron cloud density on extended conjugation leading to favorable interaction with ionic liquid influencing its transfer through SIL membranes. Preferential separation of Congo red (CR) and Ramazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) was achieved in water based application of the SIL membranes. The anti-microbial activity of these SIL membranes were investigated using gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). More the number of carbon atom on the side chain of the imidazolium ring, more antimicrobial activity was observed.

In grape must, the aroma is an indication of adequate conservation status. It is able to indicate losses due to thermal degradation, besides representing a great contribution in the properties of the sensorial quality of the grape juices most appreciated by consumers. This study identified the volatile compounds in different must cultivars of Vitis labrusca grapes. The volatile composition was evaluated by the solid phase microextraction method (SPME), using the polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene fiber (PDMS/DVB). The separation and identification of the volatile compounds were carried out through gas chromatography by mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed the identification of forty-four compounds belonging to the following chemical classes: carboxylic acids, alcohol, aldehydes, ketones, furans esters and terpenes. The class of esters was the most numerous compounds identified and is largely responsible for the fresh and fruity aroma of the tested musts. Solid-phase microextraction proved to be a reproducible, sensitive and fast-response technique for the identification of chemical biomarkers in musts of different grape cultivars. Key words: Aroma, gas chromatography by mass spectrometry (GC-MS), headspace, solid phase microextraction method (SPME).

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) belong to the group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The main sources of PCBs are capacitors and transformers, in which PCBs were used as dielectrics. After the replacement of oils in such equipment, waste oils are formed, in which PCB content must be under control for further use. In addition, due to emergencies edible oils were found to be contaminated with PCBs. The aim of this work is to investigate the employment of multilayer sorption systems based on various sorbents for the development of a method for determination of PCBs in industrial (transformer) and edible (vegetable) oils. A PCBs mixture consisting of di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa- and heptachlorobiphenyls prepared from technical mixtures «Trichlorbifenil» and «Sovol» was studied. Multilayer columns with a combination of various sorbents: silica gel, polychrome-1 (polymer based on teflon), polysorb-1 (copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene), florisil (magnesium silicate), aluminum oxide were used for PCBs extraction. Hexane was the elution solvent. The quantification of recovery rate was carried out using the internal standard method. To obtain more reliable and adequate results, calculations were carried out both for groups of PCB congeners and for the summary of all PCBs. It is shown that use of all multilayer columns with various sorbents allows to achieve 70-90 % recovery rate. The most acceptable is the use of columns with polychrome-1, in this case the recovery rate is the same for all groups of PCB congeners, and a lower consumption of eluent is required. The minimal detectable PCB content in the transformer oil under the conditions of GC-ECD analysis was 0.002%.

Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)-coated magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotube composite synthesized by in-situ high temperature combination and precipitation polymerization of styrene-co-divinylbenzene has been employed as a magnetic sorbent for the solid phase extraction of antidepressants in human urine samples. Fluoxetine, venlafaxine, citalopram and sertraline were, afterwards, separated and determined by capillary electrophoresis with diode array detection. The presence of magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes in native poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) not only simplified sample treatment but also enhanced the adsorption efficiencies, obtaining extraction recoveries higher than 89.5% for all analytes. Moreover, this composite can be re-used at least ten times without loss of efficiency and limits of detection ranging from 0.014 to 0.041 μg/mL were calculated. Additionally, precision values ranging from 0.08 to 7.50% and from 0.21 to 3.05% were obtained for the responses and for the migration times of the analytes, respectively.

We report on the synthesis of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles incorporated poly(divinylbenzene) monolithic column via in situ polymerization. The monolith had larger specific surface area and relatively uniform porous structure and was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The monolith was then applied for the evaluation of gas chromatography separation properties. Here, an electromagnetic induction heating technique was employed to control the column temperature with the thermal effect of eddy current in ferromagnetic materials Fe3O4. The monolith offered good separation efficiency for benzene and toluene and a higher column efficiency was obtained up to 4481 and 9216 plates per meter, respectively. In addition, the injection volume and column capacity of the proposed system are as much as 5 µL and 100 ng. This makes it possible to use a UV detector. The fabricated Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles incorporated poly(divinylbenzene) monolithic column has been shown to be very promising for gas chromatography separation.

The functionalization of S–1% DVB copolymer was carried out with aminophosphonate groups, and then the samples were covered with silica to obtain hybrid materials. The obtained hybrid materials were used as supports for impregnation of transition metal ions [Cu(II) and Mn(II)], and they were subsequently used as catalysts in oxidation reactions. The supports and catalysts were characterized by FTIR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermal analysis, SEM, and TEM electron microscopy. The results of FTIR spectroscopy indicated the formation of a hybrid of silica and an aminophosphonate polymer by the sol–gel route. The UV–Vis spectra showed a strong interaction of Cu(II) and a weak interaction of Mn(II) with aminophosphonate groups of the supports. The catalytic tests confirm different interactions between the metal cations and obtained supports. The formation of the immobilized Cu(II) complexes shows the possibility of using these materials selectively in oxidation of various organic compounds (anisole, cyclohexene, toluene, styrene, phenol). The purpose of this article is to develop some new poly(aminophosphonates)/silica hybrid materials immobilized with transition metal such as Cu(II) and Mn(II) ions for future use in the oxidation process.

Hyper-branched poly(styrene) (HPS) made from copolymerisation of styrene (St) and a branching monomer divinylbenzene (DVB) in the presence of a chain transfer agent n-dodecanethiol (C12SH) was graf...

Monolithic chromatographic columns for HPLC based on divinylbenzene-styrene both with 1-vinylimidazole and with 4-vinylpyridine are prepared. The monoliths were synthesized in glass tubes with the ...

The variety of catalysts based on macroporous ion exchange resins using 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine cross-linked with divinylbenzene (2M5VP/DVB) was investigated in the disproportionation of trichlorosilane (TCS) in a continuous-flow reactor. The effects of the reaction temperature and surface area on TCS disproportionation kinetics was invesitigated using three types of catalysts based on 2M5VP/DVB with a different pore ratios (toluene(tol)/heptane(hep)) and in the temperature range of 333.2 K and 453.2 K. The results indicate that within this range, the higher reaction temperatures result in an increase in the conversion rate to TCS at equilibrium. The effects on the specific catalyst surfaces were determined and the catalyst (2M5VP/DVB-hep/tol) with the highest specific surface area exhibited better catalytic activity. Variable temperature studies on the catalytic activity of 2M5VP/DVB-hep/tol revealed an activation energy of 24,06 ± 0.72 kJ mol−1 for 2M5VP-hep/tol and 34.30 ± 1.03 kJ mol−1 for Amberlyst A-21 resins. TCS disproportionation was investigated using a non-stationary process and showed the desorption of STC from the active sites of the catalyst to be the rate determining step. Using FTIR analysis, we have already established that the resin after exposure to HCl or TCS undergoes protonation of the nitrogen atom in the pyridine ring with intermediate formation of N+H⋯Cl−/N+H⋯SiCl3−. Based on the reaction data obtained in this study, a probable mechanism of the reaction has been proposed.

Polyethylenimine (PEI) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) functionalized poly- HIPE beads were synthesized by suspension polymerization of styrene/divinylbenzene high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) containing PEI and nano-TiO2 particles in inner phase. The products are uniform and spherical beads with average diameter of 1 mm. Characterization results showed good thermal stability and desired mechanical strength. CO2 adsorption tests were performed with CO2/H2O/N2 (1 : 1 : 8) gas mixture. Nano-TiO2 particles distinctly improved the CO2 adsorption performance of the polyHIPE beads, resulting in enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity and fast adsorption/desorption kinetics. Besides, the functionalized polyHIPE beads exhibited remarkable cycle stability.