Polyaminoazide mixtures for the synthesis of pH-responsive calixarene nanosponges.

Two mixtures of polyaminoazides were synthesized by a nucleophilic displacement strategy providing no separation of the components. The mixtures were adequately characterized by means of combined HR-ESIMS, FTIR and NMR techniques and, despite their complexity, they were successfully used to accomplish the subsequent preparation of pH-sensitive calixarene hyper-reticulated nanosponge materials. The desired responsivity to pH variations of the nanosponges obtained was verified by means of absorption tests on a set of organic pollutant model molecules.