Katy Arias / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Purnendu Dasgupta
Polymers are an integral part of our lives. While fully solid polymers serve many purposes, porous structures are useful to reduce material cost. Proper cross-linking obviates any loss of structural
strength. Porosity also increases surface area; this improves sorption capacity. Microporous polymers with micron or sub-micron size pores, as well as macroporous polymers (that interconnect small pores with larger channels), are of interest as separation media. Such polymers are typically made by incorporating some substance, often called a porogen, that can initially be present with the monomers in a homogeneous solution. As the polymer forms, the porogen separates as droplets into a separate phase and can be washed out with an appropriate
solvent that does not dissolve the polymer. We describe here a novel approach where the porogen is a solid particle of micron or submicron size. After polymerization it is removed by reactive dissolution, leaving a void. Further, the dissolution step involves gas evolution, producing fractures as the gas escapes beyond leaving a void where the particle was. We show initial results from experiments where a hyberbranching polymerization system incorporates CaCO3 microparticles. After the polymerization, the polymer is treated with dilute acid, which dissolves and removes the particles with simultaneous evolution of Carbon dioxide.
Ricardo
Muy bonito audio
Katy
Muchas gracias por el comomento y por tomar el tiempo para ver este video! Si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en preguntar.
Ricardo
Felicidades
Katy
Mil gracias, Ricardo! La investigación de polimeres porosos nos ayudará en el advansamiento de diferentes métodos sientificos.