Porous poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) hydrogels prepared by radical polymerisation with methanol as diluent

Dynamic-mechanical and water sorption properties of porous and non-porous hydrogels have been studied as a function of their porosity and crosslinking density. Porous hydrogels with different crosslinking densities were prepared by co-polymerisation of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate in solution in methanol. Pores were formed due to the segregation of the solvent from the polymer network during the polymerisation process. The porosity of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The pores collapse during the drying process after polymerisation but they reopen when the xerogel is immersed in liquid water. Bulk polymer networks with varying crosslinking densities were also synthesised and used as a reference in the analysis of the porous hydrogels. Water sorption from the gas phase and from the liquid phase was studied by means of equilibrium sorption isotherms and immersion experiments, respectively. Dynamic-mechanical spectroscopy conducted on the xerogels shows that the elastic modulus in the rubber-like state highly depends on the amount of solvent used in the polymerisation what is attributed to the presence of discontinuity surfaces in the xerogel although the pores are closed.     

Novel high strength graphitic foams

A novel high strength graphitic foam was produced through the incorporation of carbon nanofibers into a pitch based precursor. The nanofiber reinforced cellular foams were mechanically tested both from a localized and bulk perspective with results indicating enhanced foam performance with nanofiber addition. The magnitude of increased performance was a result of both the nanofiber itself as well as its heat treatment as an increase in each was found to cause an associated increase in foam performance. The increase in mechanical capability is attributed to the formation of a zigzag structure in the ligaments and nodes of the foam. This zigzag structure serves as an interlocking mechanism, preventing easy shearing of the graphene layers. The in situ fracture mechanics experiment shows brittle behavior of a single ligament indicating that only reinforced foam behaves like that of a carbon fiber.     

Theoretical studies of displacement deposition of nickel into porous silicon with ultrahigh aspect ratio

A model is developed to address the uniformity of displacement deposition of nickel inside porous silicon with an ultrahigh aspect ratio as high as 200. The nickel distribution is treated as a current distribution issue as in electrodeposition. It is shown that the deposition distribution along the pore depth exhibits a strong dependence on a polarization parameter ξ. High values of ξ correspond to mass transport limitations and lead to non-uniform distributions, whereas small ξ values, representing interfacial reaction control, produce uniform distributions. Non-uniform deposition primarily occurs at an initial stage in which the reaction is dominated by mass transfer. As the deposition process continues, the deposition rate drops to a low value, and the deposition uniformity shifts from Ni²⁺ mass transport limitations to its interfacial reaction control, leading to uniform Ni²⁺ concentration and deposition rate distributions. It is predicted that the non-uniformity at the initial stage could be remedied by increasing the bulk concentration of the nickel ions and decreasing the plating bath pH. In addition, the uniformity of the deposition distribution can be significantly improved by introducing inhibiting additive coumarin to the plating solution.     

Template synthesis of novel porous carbons using various types of zeolites

As previously reported, high surface area microporous carbons with long-range order can be synthesized by using zeolite Y as a template. In this work, an attempt is made to synthesize porous carbon using several other types of zeolites (zeolite β, ZSM-5, mordenite and zeolite L). Special attention is paid to whether the structural regularity of each zeolite can be transferred to the carbon structure as well as with the case of zeolite Y. The carbon filling method was then examined to see which gives the highest regularity to the carbon structure. It has been found that the optimum carbon filling method for zeolite Y is not an optimum one for the other zeolites and the degree of the regularity of long-range ordering in the carbons strongly depends on zeolite type. The order of the regularity in the resultant carbons is zeolite β>>zeolite L>mordenite>ZSM-5. The effect of zeolite type on the regularity is discussed in relation to the size and the shape of the zeolite channels.     

EVAPORATION FROM POROUS MEDIA: A CAPILLARY MODEL OF A PENETRATING FRONT

A capillary tube model was solved to investigate the influence of mass transfer coefficient, temperature, and front depth on the evaporation rate during the penetrating-front period of water-filled porous media dried in hot air. The results show that increasing the flow rate of the drying air is not so efficient as increasing the sample temperature. Due to attenuating diffusion rate, the rate of liquid front migration decreases with time. The calculations explain the falling rate period behavior of sandstone heated at 121°C. Trends depicted by the model may be useful for the design of heating conditions for drying processes.     

Microporous carbons prepared from cationic surfactant-resorcinol/formaldehyde composites

Microporous carbons have been synthesized by the carbonization of cationic surfactant-resorcinol/formaldehyde (RF) composites, which were themselves formed by electrostatic organic-organic interaction. The porous structure produced by the decomposition of the surfactant plays an important role for the gasification of the RF polymer at higher temperatures. The pore size of the carbon prepared from tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPAB)-RF, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₆TAB)-RF and decyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₀TAB)-RF mixtures can be estimated as 0.53 nm from the Horvath-Kawazoe method using N₂ adsorption isotherms. Their pore size distributions were very narrow, showing that the microporous carbons derived from surfactant-RF mixture may have promise as adsorbents and membrane materials.     

On the hierarchy of the influences of porous and electronic structures of carbonaceous materials on parameters of molecular storage devices

The relation between porous structure, electronic properties of carbonaceous material and the capacitance of its interface with an electrolyte is discussed. It is shown that, in an electric double-layer, the contribution of pseudocapacitive charge accumulation is determined, mainly, by the position of Fermi level in the carbonaceous material and depends on thermodynamic parameters of ions in the electolytic solution. The sizes of the pores in which the processes of capacitive and pseudocapacitive charge accumulation dominate are determined. Theoretical analysis of the processes taking place on the nanoporous carbon|electrolyte interface has made it possible to recognize the intercalative nature of pseudocapacity and to find the criterion of its manifestation in the form of the formation of a continuous series of stable valency phases.     

氧化石墨烯的制备及形成机理研究

氧化石墨烯(GO)作为一种石墨烯衍生物,结构中含有大量羟基、环氧基、羧基和羰基等含氧官能团,使其易与其他物质通过相互作用复合,从而提高和拓宽传统材料的性能及应用。GO的结构和尺寸等性质会受石墨氧化过程中制备方法、石墨来源、氧化剂种类、反应条件等因素的影响。针对GO的制备、形成机理、结构控制等方面的研究逐渐引起科研工作者的重视。该文综述近几年有关GO的制备、方法改进、制备过程中涉及到的化学反应和形成机理以及GO结构影响其宏观性能和应用的研究进展,指出确定GO的形成机理和精确控制GO的结构是制约其应用的关键,从工业化生产和可持续性发展的角度对要拓宽和实现GO的应用存在的问题及研究方向进行了总结和展望。     

由沥青制备多孔炭的工艺研究

采用沥青加发泡剂加炭黑制备了孔结构较好的多孔炭材料，分析和讨论了该工艺中沥青、发泡剂及炭黑的作用和影响，对多孔炭材料进行了力学性能测试和微观电镜观察分析，探讨了其可能的应用前景。     

多孔导电聚碳酸酯/碳黑复合材料制备

介绍了一种新颖的制备聚碳酸酯／碳黑复合材料的方法。该方法使用高速混合机把高分子树脂溶液和碳黑粉末混合而成型，通过SEM分析发现，制得的材料横截面由直径大约0．1μm的树脂纤维和乙炔碳黑的团聚物交错缠绕而成。