Aerogels That Suck Up Pollution Just Need a Wash for Reuse
upstart writes:
Aerogels that suck up pollution just need a wash for reuse - Futurity:
A simple chemical process creates light and highly absorbent aerogels that can take a beating.
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), crystal structures with strong molecular bonds, can form a porous aerogel for use as a custom membrane in batteries or other devices or as an absorbent to remove pollutants from the environment.
Conventional COFs are usually powders. For the new study, published in Chemistry of Materials, researchers discovered a way to synthesize COF aerogels that can be made in any form at any size, limited only by the reaction chamber.
The process uses COF monomers, a solvent, and a catalyst. When mixed and heated to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit), they become a uniform gel. Washing and drying the gel to remove the solvent leaves behind the scaffoldlike aerogel with pores between 20 and 100 microns.
Journal Reference:
Dongyang Zhu, Yifan Zhu, Qianqian Yan, et al. Pure Crystalline Covalent Organic Framework Aerogels, Chemistry of Materials (DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c01122)
Dongyang Zhu, Guiyin Xu, Morgan Barnes, et al. Covalent Organic Frameworks for Batteries, Advanced Functional Materials (DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202100505)
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