Polarity and functionality tailored conjugated microporous polymer coatings on silica microspheres for enhanced pollutant adsorption.

Many sources of pollution that are generated by modern society are not addressable by conventional methods. Especially organic compounds, like pharmaceutics, are particularly hard to remove from waterbodies. Herein, a new approach is presented using conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) to coat silica microparticles yielding specifically tailored adsorbents.

SiO nanospheres as surfactant and template in aqueous dispersion polymerizations yielding highly nanoporous resin particles.

Hypothesis: High nitrogen containing resins such as poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde) (PMF) are known for their very good adsorption properties. Until now, using an ecofriendly hard-templating approach with SiO nanospheres in water for synthesis, only yielded either highly porous particles with diameters up to 1 µm or non-porous particles with diameters above 1 µm. Small particles cannot be used as fixed bed adsorbents in columns because of the very high pressure occurring.

Tuning the pore structure of templated mesoporous poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde) particles toward diclofenac removal.

The increasing demand and implementation of pharmaceutics poses severe risk to different aquatic species as detectable contaminant in almost every surface water worldwide. Diclofenac (DCF) as one of the most common used analgesics was investigated as contaminant to be removed by adsorption onto nanoporous poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde) (PMF) particles featuring a very high amount of nitrogen functionalities. To achieve a high specific surface area (up to 416 m/g) and a tunable pore system by hard templating, four different SiO nanoparticles were used as template.

Meso- and macroporous silica-based arsenic adsorbents: effect of pore size, nature of the active phase, and silicon release.

Arsenic pollution in ground and drinking water is a major problem worldwide due to the natural abundance of arsenic by dissolution from ground sediment or mining activities from anthropogenic activities. To overcome this issue, iron oxides as low-cost and non-toxic materials, have been widely studied as efficient adsorbents for arsenic removal, including when dispersed within porous silica supports. In this study, two head-to-head comparisons were developed to highlight the As(v)-adsorptive ability of meso- and macrostructured silica-based adsorbents.

Influence of CNT Length on Dispersion, Localization, and Electrical Percolation in a Styrene-Butadiene-Based Star Block Copolymer.

This study followed the approach of dispersing and localizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in nanostructured domains of block copolymers (BCPs) by shortening the CNTs via ball milling. The aim was to selectively tune the electrical and mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites, e.g.

Mesoporous Poly(melamine--formaldehyde) Particles for Efficient and Selective Phosphate and Sulfate Removal.

Due to the existence-threatening risk to aquatic life and entire ecosystems, the removal of oxyanions such as sulfate and phosphate from anthropogenic wastewaters, such as municipal effluents and acid mine drainage, is inevitable. Furthermore, phosphorus is an indispensable resource for worldwide plant fertilization, which cannot be replaced by any other substance. This raises phosphate to one of the most important mineral resources worldwide.

A Complementary and Revised View on the N-Acylation of Chitosan with Hexanoyl Chloride.

The modification of the biobased polymer chitosan is a broad and widely studied field. Herein, an insight into the hydrophobization of low-molecular-weight chitosan by substitution of amino functionalities with hexanoyl chloride is reported. Thereby, the influence of the pH of the reaction media was investigated.

Simultaneous Ligand and Cation Exchange of Colloidal CdSe Nanoplatelets toward PbSe Nanoplatelets for Application in Photodetectors.

Cation exchange emerged as a versatile tool to obtain a variety of nanocrystals not yet available via a direct synthesis. Reduced reaction times and moderate temperatures make the method compatible with anisotropic nanoplatelets (NPLs). However, the subtle thermodynamic and kinetic factors governing the exchange require careful control over the reaction parameters to prevent unwanted restructuring.

A Comparative Study on the Flocculation of Silica and China Clay with Chitosan and Synthetic Polyelectrolytes.

Flocculation is still one of the most important and efficient processes for water treatment. However, most industrial processes, such as in water treatment plants, still use huge amounts of synthetic polyelectrolytes for the flocculation process. Here we compare the flocculation of two different suspended particles, i.

Solubility and Selectivity Effects of the Anion on the Adsorption of Different Heavy Metal Ions onto Chitosan.

The biopolymer chitosan is a very efficient adsorber material for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. Due to the solubility properties of chitosan it can be used as both a liquid adsorber and a solid flocculant for water treatment reaching outstanding adsorption capacities for a number of heavy metal ions. However, the type of anion corresponding to the investigated heavy metal ions has a strong influence on the adsorption capacity and sorption mechanism on chitosan.

Complex calcium carbonate/polymer microparticles as carriers for aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Composite microparticles of CaCO and two pectin samples (which differ by the functional group ratio) or corresponding nonstoichiometric polyelectrolyte complexes with different molar ratios (0.5, 0.9 and 1.

The Influence of Salt Anions on Heavy Metal Ion Adsorption on the Example of Nickel.

The biodegradable polysaccharide chitosan possesses protonated and natural amino groups at medium pH values and has therefore been used as an adsorbing material for nickel salts in water treatment. Nickel is a problematic heavy metal ion which can cause various diseases and disorders in living organisms. Here, we show the influence of oxyanions (e.

Autotemplate Microcapsules of CaCO/Pectin and Nonstoichiometric Complexes as Sustained Tetracycline Hydrochloride Delivery Carriers.

New types of composites were obtained by an autotemplate method for assembling hollow CaCO capsules by using pH-sensitive polymers. Five pectin samples, which differ in the methylation degree and/or amide content, and some nonstoichiometric polyelectrolyte complex dispersions, prepared with the pectin samples and poly(allylamine hydrochloride), were used to control the crystal growth. The morphology of the composites was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, and the polymorphs characteristics were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy.

KRAS mutation screening by chip-based DNA hybridization--a further step towards personalized oncology.

The use of predictive biomarkers can help to improve therapeutic options for the individual cancer patient. For the treatment of colon cancer patients with anti-EGFR-based drugs, the KRAS mutation status has to be determined to pre-select responders that will benefit from this medication. Amongst others, array-based tests have been established for profiling of the KRAS mutation status.