title: Monolithic polymeric aerogels with VOCs sorbent nanoporous crystalline and water sorbent amorphous phases.
abstract: Monolithic syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS) aerogels, formed by highly crystalline nanofibrils with a hydrophobic nanoporous-crystalline phase and a hydrophilic amorphous phase have been prepared and characterized. These aerogels, with a high degree of sulfonation of the amorphous phase and nearly negligible sulfonation of the crystalline phase, are obtained by treating physical gels exhibiting δ-clathrate form. With respect to unsulfonated nanoporous-crystalline polymeric aerogels, these new selectively sulfonated aerogels present the great advantage of a high water diffusivity and water uptake up to 600 wt %. This water uptake increases greatly the sorption kinetics of organic pollutants by the hydrophobic nanopores of the crystalline phase. For instance, for aerogels with a sulfonation of 10%, the diffusivity of a volatile organic compound (1,2-dichloroethane, DCE) from 10 ppm aqueous solution is more than 3 orders of magnitude higher than that for the unsulfonated aerogel and is very close to the DCE diffusivity in water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biology, Nanomates Center and INSTM Research Unit, University of Salerno , via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Venditto
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Califano
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ambrosio
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borriello
keywords: diffusivity; nanoporous crystalline phase; solid-state sulfonation; syndiotactic polystyrene; water uptake