Nanoporous-Crystalline Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide Aerogels with Selectively Sulfonated Amorphous Phase for Fast VOC Sorption from Water.

This paper describes the preparation and characterization of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)oxide (PPO) highly porous monolithic aerogels with a hydrophobic nanoporous-crystalline phase and a hydrophilic sulfonated amorphous phase. The sulfonated aerogels were obtained by the sulfonation of PPO physical gels, followed by the supercritical CO 2 extraction of solvents. WAXD and FTIR analysis showed that the nanoporous-crystalline phase was preserved for a degree of sulfonation up to c.a. 35%, allowing a highly volatile organic compound (VOC) sorption capacity. The sulfonated PPO aerogels exhibited a high water sorption capacity, with a water uptake of up to 500 wt%, and faster VOC sorption kinetics from water with respect to unsulfonated aerogels.