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Reassessing the Physicochemical Properties of Ordered Mesoporous Polymer and Copolymer Nanocasts
Author(s) -
Bilodeau Simon,
Florek Justyna,
Kleitz Freddy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemie ingenieur technik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1522-2640
pISSN - 0009-286X
DOI - 10.1002/cite.202000238
Subject(s) - mesoporous material , copolymer , materials science , divinylbenzene , styrene , polymer , surface modification , polymerization , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , porosity , mesoporous organosilica , structuring , catalysis , organic chemistry , mesoporous silica , chemistry , composite material , finance , economics , engineering
Nanocasting is a convenient way for preparing highly porous, nanostructured soft materials. Mesoporous polymer nanocasts have been reported for over a decade, however, several aspects remain to be explored further. To do so, we report a comprehensive investigation of the physicochemical characteristics of high surface area functional organic polymers and copolymers obtained by nanocasting. Divinylbenzene, styrene and chloromethyl styrene were selectively polymerized within the pores of mesoporous SBA‐15 or KIT‐6 silicas. Following template removal, the resulting materials were characterized. The nanocast mesoporous polymers were also modified to introduce functional groups. The success of the functionalization was assessed analytically and by model catalytic tests. The study points to the advantages of the hard templating method for structuring organic materials but also its limitations.