ISSN:
0021-8995
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
Notes:
Environmental concerns, associated with the production of expanded plastics using hydrocarbon blowing agents, have spurred interest in environmentally-friendly technology by which cellular materials, particularly expanded polystyrene, can be produced. Consequently, we have explored the possibility of using styrene-based, amino-functional copolymers to generate expandable systems, which would rely solely on CO2 as a blowing agent. Carbon dioxide is an attractive foaming agent in that it can be readily extracted from the air, is nonflammable, and exhibits low toxicity. Using a styrenic copolymer, functionalized with ethylenediamine (EDA), the results of this study show that aminated polymers are capable of reversibly binding weakly acidic gases, CO2 in particular. While the reaction products (polymer-bound zwitterions) are stable under ambient conditions, decarboxylation can be thermally induced cleanly and easily. Work underway in our laboratory shows that microporous, as well as nonporous EDA-functional copolymers, are effective, thermally-reversible sorbents for acid gases. Furthermore, preliminary results show that these materials may also find potential applications in facilitated transport membrane technology. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Additional Material:
11 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/app.1993.070500510
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