Preparation of Hydrophobic Cryogel Containing Hydroxyoxime Extractant and Its Extraction Properties of Cu(Ⅱ).

Hydrophobic cryogels with monolithic supermacropores based on poly-trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (pTrim) containing 1-(2-Hydroxyl-5-nonyphenyl)ethanone oxime (LIX84-I) were successfully prepared by a cryo-polymerization technique using organic solvents with freezing points between room temperature and around 0 °C as solvents. The prepared cryogels were characterized in terms of macroscopic shape and porous structure. The cryogels had a monolithic supermacroporous structure and high contents of LIX84-I depending on the added amount of the extractant to the monomer solution.

Preparation and Characterization of Biodegradable Sponge-like Cryogel Particles of Chitosan via the Inverse Leidenfrost (iLF) Effect.

Chitosan-based cryogel particles were synthesized using the inverse Leidenfrost (iLF) effect, with glutaraldehyde employed as the cross-linker. The resulting cryogels exhibited a sponge-like morphology with micrometer-sized interconnected pores and demonstrated resilience, withstanding up to three compression-release cycles. These characteristics highlight the potential of chitosan cryogels for diverse applications, including adsorption and biomedical uses.

Development of a desktop mask charger.

Polypropylene mesh, integrated in N95 respirators and surgical masks that are widely used in the current crisis of COVID-19, filters aerosols via electrostatics in addition to the physical block. However, any contact to water such as storage under high humidity, exposure to exhaling breath, and washing in water removes its charges and thus compromises its filtering efficiency. We developed a desk top device based on a Cockcroft-Walton's voltage multiplier that can restore the electrostatic charge of surgical masks within 1 min and recover the filtering efficiency of the polypropylene mesh from 87% to 97%.

Versatility of the Preparation Method for Macroporous Cryogel Particles Utilizing the Inverse Leidenfrost Effect.

We have investigated the versatility of a two-step preparation method, without a detergent, that combines both the inverse Leidenfrost effect and the cryogelation technique by using the macroporous particles of different kinds of monomers (four vinyl monomers) or a natural polymer (agarose). First, the precursor of polymers was dropped into liquid nitrogen to prepare the spherical frozen droplet by the inverse Leidenfrost effect. Second, the frozen droplets were cryo-polymerized at the frozen temperature; then, cryogel particles were prepared after thawing.

Preferential adsorption of L-tryptophan by L-phospholipid coated porous polymer particles.

Chiral selective adsorption of L-amino acid, tryptophan (Trp) was achieved using phospholipid membrane-coated porous polymer particles (PPPs). PPPs with numerous pores were prepared by in situ polymerization of divinylbenzene, and then coated with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC, L-phospholipid) via the impregnation method. Elemental mapping of energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis revealed that DPPC molecules were distributed to the surface and the inner part of PPPs, where almost all the DPPC molecules applied for impregnation were deposited on PPPs.