1. Hierarchically porous polyacetylene networks : adsorptive photocatalysts for efficient bisphenol a removal from waterDavid Šorm, Jiří Brus, Albin Pintar, Jan Sedláček, Sebastijan Kovačič, 2024, original scientific article Keywords: polyacetylenes, emulsion-templating, π-conjugated networks, macroporous polymers, heterogeneous photocatalysis Published in DKUM: 29.08.2024; Views: 73; Downloads: 3 Link to file |
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3. Highly porous polymer beads coated with nanometer-thick metal oxide films for photocatalytic oxidation of bisphenol AGergő Ballai, Tomaž Kotnik, Matjaž Finšgar, Albin Pintar, Zoltán Kónya, András Sápi, Sebastijan Kovačič, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Highly porous metal oxide−polymer nanocomposites are attracting considerable interest due to their unique structural and functional features. A porous polymer matrix brings properties such as high porosity and permeability, while the metal oxide phase adds functionality. For the metal oxide phase to perform its function, it must be fully accessible, and this is possible only at the pore surface, but functioning surfaces require controlled engineering, which remains a challenge. Here, highly porous nanocomposite beads based on thin metal oxide nanocoatings and polymerized high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) are demonstrated. By leveraging the unique properties of polyHIPEs, i.e., a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network of macropores, and high-precision of the atomic-layer-deposition technique (ALD), we were able to homogeneously coat the entire surface of the pores in polyHIPE beads with TiO$_2$-, ZnO-, and Al$_2$O$_3$-based nanocoatings. Parameters such as nanocoating thickness, growth per cycle (GPC), and metal oxide (MO) composition were systematically controlled by varying the number of deposition cycles and dosing time under specific process conditions. The combination of polyHIPE structure and ALD technique proved advantageous, as MO-nanocoatings with thicknesses between 11 ± 3 and 40 ± 9 nm for TiO$_2$ or 31 ± 6 and 74 ± 28 nm for ZnO and Al$_2$O$_3$, respectively, were successfully fabricated. It has been shown that the number of ALD cycles affects both the thickness and crystallinity of the MO nanocoatings. Finally, the potential of ALD-derived TiO$_2$-polyHIPE beads in photocatalytic oxidation of an aqueous bisphenol A (BPA) solution was demonstrated. The beads exhibited about five times higher activity than nanocomposite beads prepared by the conventional (Pickering) method. Such ALD-derived polyHIPE nanocomposites could find wide application in nanotechnology, sensor development, or catalysis. Keywords: nanovlakna, aerosoli, filtracija, emulsion-templating, macroporous polymers, atomic-layer-deposition Published in DKUM: 15.04.2024; Views: 249; Downloads: 17 Link to full text This document has many files! More... |
4. Carbon foams via ring-opening metathesis polymerization of emulsion templates : a facile method to make carbon current collectors for battery applicationsSebastijan Kovačič, Bettina Schafzahl, Nadejda B. Matsko, Katharina Gruber, Martin Schmuck, Stefan Koller, Stefan A. Freunberger, Christian Slugovc, 2022, original scientific article Keywords: emulsion templating, carbonization, ROMP, polyHIPEs, porous cathode Published in DKUM: 10.04.2024; Views: 213; Downloads: 17 Full text (12,66 MB) This document has many files! More... |
5. An All-Fiber Fabry–Pérot Sensor for Emulsion Concentration MeasurementsSimon Pevec, Janez Kunaver, Vedran Budinski, Matej Njegovec, Denis Đonlagić, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: This paper describes a Fabry-Perot sensor-based measuring system for measuring fluid composition in demanding industrial applications. The design of the sensor is based on a two-parametric sensor, which enables the simultaneous measurement of temperature and refractive index (RI). The system was tested under real industrial conditions, and enables temperature-compensated online measurement of emulsion concentration with a high resolution of 0.03 Brix. The measuring system was equipped with filtering of the emulsion and automatic cleaning of the sensor, which proved to be essential for successful implementation of a fiber optic RI sensor in machining emulsion monitoring applications. Keywords: optical fiber sensors, Fabry–Pérot interferometer, refractive index, temperature, emulsion concentration Published in DKUM: 06.02.2024; Views: 336; Downloads: 25 Full text (4,44 MB) This document has many files! More... |
6. Cross-linked porous poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) from high internal phase emulsions: preparation and functionalisationJanja Majer Kovačič, Peter Krajnc, 2009, original scientific article Abstract: By using emulsions with high volume fractions of internal phase as polymerisation media porous copolymers of acrylic acid and acrylamide, cross-linked by methylenebisacrylamide, were prepared. The ratio of acrylic acid to acrylamide were varied (molar ratios 70:30, 50:50, 30:70) in order to yield polymers with various loading of acidic functional groups. Porous polymers with an open-cellular architecture were obtained with void diameters between 2.8 μm and 3.9 μm and with interconnecting pores approx. 0.3 μm in diameter. The chemical composition of the polymers influenced the conversion degrees during the process of functionalisation of acidic groups to acid chloride, being the highest in the case of polymer with the lowest content of acrilyc acid. Keywords: porous monoliths, copolymers, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, plyHIPE, high internal phase emulsion Published in DKUM: 17.08.2017; Views: 2286; Downloads: 141 Full text (218,85 KB) This document has many files! More... |
7. Tailoring the mechanical and thermal properties of dicyclopentadiene polyHIPEs with the use of a comonomerE. H. Mert, Christian Slugovc, Peter Krajnc, 2015, original scientific article Abstract: The effect of adding a comonomer to dicyclopentadiene in high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) on the properties of ring-opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) derived polyHIPEs has been investigated. With this aim, dicylopentadiene was copolymerised with norbornene in surfactant stabilized high internal phase emulsions. Morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting materials were investigated with regard to the monomer ratio. The interconnected pore structure was observed for the resulting poly(dicylopentadiene-co-norbornene) polyHIPEs. Furthermore, the new polyHIPE copolymers were found to have an improved thermal stability compared to the poly(dicylopentadiene) homopolymer. Keywords: mechanical properties, emulsion templating, polyHIPE, dicyclopentadiene, norbornene Published in DKUM: 07.08.2017; Views: 1657; Downloads: 387 Full text (1,39 MB) This document has many files! More... |
8. Ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) as a tool for polyhipes with extraordinary mechanical propertiesSebastijan Kovačič, 2013, professional article Abstract: PolyHIPE materials have been prepared by Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerisation (ROMP) of dicyclopentadiene. Two characteristic features for successful stabilization of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were tuned in order to achieve improvements regarding mechanical properties of polyHIPEs.Mechanical properties of the new materials were related to variations of the surfactant concentration and the volume ratio of the internal phase in HIPEs. Values for Youngʼs moduli were about a hundred times higher than in standard polyHIPE materials with the same level of porosity, which represents a major improvement for highly porous cellular polymeric materials. Moreover, fully interconnected macroporous morphology was found forpolyHIPEs, where respective HIPEs were stabilized with only 0.25 v% of surfactant. Keywords: emulsion templating, ring opening metathesis polymerization, dicyclopentadiene, ROMP, mechanical characteristics, polyHIPEs Published in DKUM: 21.12.2015; Views: 2518; Downloads: 104 Full text (490,09 KB) This document has many files! More... |
9. Preparation and characterization of poly(high internal phase emulsion) methacrylate monoliths and their application as separation mediaPeter Krajnc, Nermina Leber, Dejan Štefanec, Sandra Kontrec, Aleš Podgornik, 2005, original scientific article Abstract: Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) monolithic supports were prepared by radical polymerisation of the continuous phase of water in oil high internal phase emulsions. Morphology of monolithic materialswas studied by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The ratio of phase volume and the degree of crosslinking influenced the void size and pore size distribution of resulting polymers. Void sizes between 1 and 10 m were observed and average pore sizes around 100nm. Polymers with 60, 75, 80 and 90% pore volume were prepared and even samples with highest pore volume showed good mechanical stability. They were modified to bear weak-anion exchange groups and tested on the separation of standard protein mixture containing myoglobin, conalbumine and trypsin inhibitor. Good separation was obtained in a very short time similar to the separation obtained by commercial methacrylate monoliths. However, higher dispersion was observed. Bovine serum albumin dynamic binding capacity for monolith with 90% porosity was close to 9 mg/ml. Keywords: organic chemistry, methacrylate monoliths, preparation, emulsion polymerization, high porosity, high mechanical stability, polymer chromatographic supports, monolithic methacrylate supports, protein separation Published in DKUM: 01.06.2012; Views: 2570; Downloads: 64 Link to full text |
10. Aryl acrylate based high-internal-phase emulsions as precursors for reactive monolithic polymer supportsPeter Krajnc, Dejan Štefanec, Jane F. Brown, Neil R. Cameron, 2005, original scientific article Abstract: Water-in-oil high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs), containing 4-nitrophenyl acrylate and 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl acrylate as reactive monomers, were prepared and polymerized, and highly porous monolithic materials resulted. The novel materials were studied by combustion analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry, and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. With both esters, cellular macroporous monolithic polymers were obtained: the use of 4-nitrophenyl acrylate resulted in a cellular material with void diameters between 3 and 7 m and approximately3-m interconnects, whereas the use of 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl acrylate yielded a foam with void diameters between 2 and 5 m, most interconnects being around 1 m. The resulting monoliths proved to be very reactive toward nucleophiles, and possibilities of functionalizing the novel polymer supports were demonstrated via reactions with amines bearing additional functional groups and via the synthesis of an acid chloride derivative. Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine derivatives were obtained. The hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenylacrylate removed thenitrophenyl group, yielding a monolithic acrylic acid polymer. Furthermore,functionalization to immobilized acid chloride was performed very efficiently, with more than 95% of the acid groups reacting. The measurement of the nitrogen content in 4-nitrophenyl acrylate poly(HIPE)s after various times of hydrolysis showed the influence of the total pore volume of the monolithic polymers on the velocity of the reaction, which was faster with themore porous polymer. Keywords: organic chemistry, macroporous polymers, monolithic polymer supports, emulsion polymerisation, foams, functionalization of polymers, high-internal-phase emulsions Published in DKUM: 01.06.2012; Views: 2329; Downloads: 97 Link to full text |