Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bangyun Xiong, Jingjing Li, Chunqing He, Jiale Lai, Xiangjia Liu, Tao Huang
Summary: In this study, tunable mesoporous silica films were characterized using positron annihilation gamma-ray energy spectroscopy, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, ellipsometric porosimetry, and heptane adsorption. The results showed that ellipsometric porosimetry combined with heptane adsorption is a highly sensitive method for calibrating mesopore size in interconnected films, while positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy is a novel complementary tool for characterizing closed and open pores.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kiminori Sato, Juan Antonio Cecilia
Summary: This study examines the shrinkage dynamics of template substances in response to temperatures and its influence on pore texture formation in silica-based porous materials.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Alexey Zotovich, Sergey M. Zyryanov, Dmitry Lopaev, Askar A. Rezvanov, Ahmed G. Attallah, Maciej O. Liedke, Maik Butterling, Maria A. Bogdanova, Alexey S. Vishnevskiy, Dmitry S. Seregin, Dmitry A. Vorotyntsev, Alexander P. Palov, Eric Hirschmann, Andreas Wagner, Sergej Naumov, Konstantin A. Vorotilov, Tatyana Rakhimova, Alexander T. Rakhimov, Mikhail R. Baklanov
Summary: This study investigates the modification of spin-on-deposited porous PMO ultralow-k SiCOH films by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) emission. The results show that the VUV exposure process can be divided into two phases, with the first phase resulting in the removal of surface methyl and matrix bridging groups. This leads to increased material porosity. In the second phase, there is an increase in mesopore size, which is masked by air exposure.
ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Julien El Sabahy, Florence Ricoul, Vincent Jousseaume
Summary: The gas detection ability of porous organosilicates thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was investigated in this paper. The results showed that these materials have good chemical stability, hydrophobicity, and high affinity to toluene and pentane, making them promising sensitive layers for NEMS-based gravimetric sensors integrated on silicon.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
J. Mor, P. Utpalla, J. Bahadur, D. Sen, S. K. Sharma
Summary: Due to its crystalline morphology, Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) have well designed pore architecture, high surface area, pore volume, and well defined pore network, making them great candidates for gas separation, gas storage, catalysis, and sensors. However, traditional gas adsorption techniques are insufficient for studying the complete pore architecture of ZIFs. Recently, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) has been identified as a powerful technique for investigating the pore architecture of various ZIFs.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Mikhail R. Baklanov, Konstantin P. Mogilnikov, Alexey S. Vishnevskiy
Summary: The review article provides an overview of important techniques for evaluating the porosity of thin films. These methods include ellipsometric porosimetry (EP), positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS/PALS), and grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS). The article highlights the challenges and limitations of each method and demonstrates their unique insights into pore structure. The cross-evaluation of different methods enhances understanding of complex pore structures and emphasizes the importance of appropriate data modeling and interpretation.
JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Benjamin K. Derby, Sean Mills, Sahil Agarwal, James A. Valdez, J. Kevin Baldwin, Matthew M. Schneider, Andrew M. Minor, Blas P. Uberuaga, Farida Selim, Nan Li
Summary: Passivating iron-oxide films were grown to simulate the corrosion process in a nuclear reactor environment. The morphology and defect content of the films varied depending on the growth method, with different oxide films exhibiting different microstructures and defect characteristics.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Katarina Cifranicova, Ondrej Sausa, David Pavel Kralovic, Helena Svajdlenkova
Summary: This study investigated a commercial photopolymer mixture using positron annihilation spectroscopy (PALS), near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and bulk density measurements to study microstructural free volume, which affects material properties. It was found that 0.5 mol% of photoinitiator (PI) is sufficient to achieve similar microstructures for 2 mm and 5 mm-thick samples. The thickness and amount of PI were found to have an impact on the free volume characteristics, which correlated with bulk density, monomer conversion, and H bonded interactions determined from NIR. Spatial graded microstructural study revealed more pronounced differences with increased PI amount and reduced thickness.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marwa Nabil, Kamal Reyad Mahmoud, Raghda Nomier, El-Maghraby El-Maghraby, Hussien Motaweh
Summary: Synthesis of nano-porous silicon powder using ultra-sonication and alkali chemical etching has been conducted, resulting in a new environmentally friendly material for adsorption. Various characterization techniques were used to describe the properties of the product. The study showed that the most effective parameter for dye removal is the contact time, with the best removal time being 5 minutes, eliminating 82.12% of the initial dye concentration.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming-Shui Yao, Ken-ichi Otake, Susumu Kitagawa
Summary: This article summarizes the design strategies of conductive crystalline porous materials (cCPMs) thin films and highlights the synergistic interface based on cCPM thin films. The article is organized into three parts: the categories and design of cCPMs, the design and characterization of cCPM thin films and a proof-of-concept example of the synergistic interface, and the conclusion and outlook.
TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Santiago Estevez-Areco, Carlos Macchi, Lucas Guz, Silvia Goyanes, Alberto Somoza
Summary: The effect of citric acid (CA) concentration and water content on the free hole volume of thermoplastic cassava starch films (TPS) was studied. The increase in CA concentration leads to wider free hole volume distributions with lower mean values. The water vapour permeability was significantly higher in films incorporating 5 % (w/w) of CA, in line with the more open network of this material that was revealed in the hole volumes distribution.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Renjith B. Nelliyil, Jaideep Mor, Siddhartha Kolay, Sandeep Kumar Sharma
Summary: This study proposes the incorporation of unsubstituted imidazole (Im) in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to greatly improve gas capture and gas separation performance. The incorporation of Im in ZIF-8 has been challenging due to the thermodynamic instability, but a delayed linker addition strategy at room temperature has successfully achieved up to 24.4 mol % Im linker incorporation. Im incorporation brings significant tuning to the pore architecture of ZIF-8, improving its crystal structure stability and iodine capture capability.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Fang Wei, Junheng Zhang, Cheng Wu, Mi Luo, Bangjiao Ye, Hongjun Zhang, Junsheng Wang, Menghe Miao, Tingcheng Li, Daohong Zhang
Summary: Recyclable flame-retardant epoxy resins (FREPs) have been developed using itaconic acid-derived hyperbranched epoxy resin (IA-EHBP) and (1,3,5-hexahydro-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyl)benzyl mercaptan (HT-BM). These resins can be degraded into monomers with high yield and the IA-EHBP structure improves their mechanical properties. The incorporation of IA-EHBP also enhances the flame retardancy of the resins by promoting char residue formation and preventing the generation of combustible volatiles. This method provides a convenient and closed-loop approach for efficient chemical recycling and reuse of end-of-life flame-retardant materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nils Christian Keppler, Adrian Hannebauer, Karen Deli Josephine Hindricks, Saskia Zailskas, Andreas Schaate, Peter Behrens
Summary: This article presents the synthesis of high-quality crystalline Zr-fum-MOF (MOF-801) thin films on glass and silicon substrates by direct growth under solvothermal conditions. The influence of different synthesis parameters on the film quality is investigated, including temperature, precursor concentration, and substrate type. The resulting films exhibit high optical quality and can be easily characterized in terms of crystallinity, porosity, and homogeneity. The sorption behavior of the films is studied using various adsorptives, and the transmission measurement at a single wavelength proves to be a fast and effective method for evaluating the adsorption properties. The sorption behavior of the films is compared with that of Zr-fum-MOF powder samples, and the optical properties of the films are thoroughly investigated.
CHEMISTRY-AN ASIAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ahmed G. Attallah, Slawomir Prucnal, Maik Buttering, Eric Hirschmann, Nicole Koehler, Stefan E. Schulz, Andreas Wagner, Maciej O. Liedke
Summary: Flash lamp annealing (FLA) is a new curing method for pore precursor's degradation in thin films. A case study on the curing of dielectric thin films is presented. FLA-cured films are being investigated by means of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in order to quantify the nm-scale porosity and post-treatment chemistry, respectively. Results suggest that FLA is able to decompose the porogen and generate interconnected or isolated pore networks with self-sealed pores. FTIR results demonstrate the structural evolution after FLA and Raman spectroscopy suggests the development of a self-sealing layer.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Min Tu, Flip de Jong, Cristina Martin, Helge Reinsch, Sabina Rodriguez-Hermida, Arne Meulemans, Eduard Fron, Daniel Escudero, Mark Van der Auweraer, Johan Hofkens, Rob Ameloot
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are used to confine guest molecules and control their emissions. This study explores the encapsulation of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the MOF ZIF-8, which allows for tunable luminescence color and excellent thermal stability. The variations in luminescence are attributed to guest arrangements and host-guest interactions within the nanocompartments.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Beatriz Donagueda Suso, Alexandre Legrand, Catherine Weetman, Alan R. Kennedy, Ashleigh J. Fletcher, Shuhei Furukawa, Gavin A. Craig
Summary: Three new ligands with a bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxydiimide unit were used to assemble lantern-type metal-organic cages with the formula [Cu4L4]. The functionalization of the ligands' backbone resulted in distinct crystal packing motifs for the three cages, as observed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The gas sorption behavior of the three cages varied, with the material's capacity for CO2 dependent on the activation conditions, and one of the cages exhibiting the highest BET surface area among lantern-type cages.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hiroki Nakahara, Akiko Nomura, Shun Tokuda, Mami Okamura, Kiyoshi Fujisawa, Takanori Koitaya, Yasuhiro Yoshida, Shuhei Furukawa, Yutaka Hitomi
Summary: Nanosized mixed-metal zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) exhibit superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like catalytic activity due to their porous nature and numerous copper active sites. These nanoparticles have potent SOD-like activity and exceptional recyclability.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lukas Legenstein, Sabina Rodriguez-Hermida, Victor Rubio-Gimenez, Timothee Stassin, Sebastian Hofer, Manuel P. Kainz, Mario Fratschko, Francesco Carraro, Paolo Falcaro, Rob Ameloot, Roland Resel
Summary: Chemical vapor deposition is used to prepare thin films of a copper-isonicotinate (Cu-INA) metal-organic framework (MOF). The crystalline order of the precursor layer strongly influences the texture of Cu-INA thin films. A novel methodology combining synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) data with Patterson functions is introduced to determine the structure of an unknown thin-film MOF polymorph.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Alexander E. J. Hoffman, Joao Marreiros, Sven M. J. Rogge, Rob Ameloot, Veronique Van Speybroeck
Summary: Mixed-linker zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are candidate materials for gas separation. The pore size of ZIFs can be regulated by changing the linker content, which affects diffusion and adsorption. The linker distribution in mixed-linker ZIF-8/ZIF-90 is characterized using computational Raman spectroscopy, revealing the impact of hydrogen bonding behavior on the distribution.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Sareh Rezaei Hosseinabadi, Laurens A. J. Rutgeerts, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: Engineering membranes for molecular separations in organic media remains a difficult task, particularly when separating similar solutes by allowing one to pass and rejecting the other. The resolution of the membrane becomes critical in such cases. Crosslinked poly(vinylidene difluoride) (XL-PVDF) and crosslinked polyimide (XL-PI) membranes were prepared and tested for solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF). The molecular weight cut-offs (MWCOs) of the membranes varied with the type of solvent used.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Maarten Bastin, Kristof Bogaert, Elke Dom, Rhea Verbeke, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: This article introduces a new epoxy curing method that can be used for membrane preparation and has been successfully applied in solvent-tolerant nanofiltration experiments. UF membranes with a retention for bovine serum albumin of -40% and a water permeance of 171 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 were prepared, and selective top layers were synthesized on these supports layers via interfacial polymerization or interfacial initiation of polymerization. The testing results showed that these membranes have excellent separation performance in solvent-water mixtures.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ines Nulens, Rhea Verbeke, Tomas Opsomer, Jianjun Huang, Yingchun Wang, Scout Caspers, Alexey Kubarev, Alexander H. Mcmillan, Wim Dehaen, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: Polyamide thin film composite membranes are widely used in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, and understanding the synthesis-structure-performance relationships is crucial for membrane design. Researchers developed a new method using droplet-based experiments and fluorescence microscopy for in situ characterization of interfacial polymerization. The results showed that pH measurements and dye partitioning can provide valuable information about the synthesis process and the resulting membrane properties.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ines Nulens, Scout Caspers, Rhea Verbeke, Alexey Kubarev, Alexander H. McMillan, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: A new microfluidic design and operational protocol for in situ characterization of interfacial polymerization (IP) is developed in this study. The optimized parylene-coated PDMS-glass chip with a specific channel layout and dimensions is proven to be most compatible with IP and performance testing.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Amineh Baniani, Matthew P. Rivera, Joao Marreiros, Ryan P. Lively, Sergey Vasenkov
Summary: Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) are a promising membrane type for gas and liquid separations. They can be formed by dispersing metal-organic framework (MOF) crystals in polymers. The polymer crosslinking process used in this study did not affect the intra-MOF diffusivities but resulted in a decrease in the effective size of ZIF-71 crystals inside the MMMs.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cedric Van Goethem, Parimal V. Naik, Miet van de Velde, Jim Van Durme, Alex Verplaetse, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: This study investigates the performance of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) in real-feed pervaporation processes. The results show that the selectivity of filled PDMS membranes decreases and the fillers degrade. These findings are significant for membrane testing in practical applications.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rhea Verbeke, Douglas M. Davenport, Caroline Bogaerts, Samuel Eyley, Wim Thielemans, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: Membrane technology offers promise as a breakthrough separation technology, but is often limited by the chemical stability of existing materials. However, newly developed membranes utilizing epoxide-based chemistry show potential as stable thin-film composite membranes. This study demonstrates the versatility of epoxide chemistry and its ability to tailor membrane performance in a controllable way.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Francisco J. Carmona, Thiago Negrao Chuba, Eli Sanchez-Gonzalez, Jenny Pirillo, Yuh Hijikata, Shuhei Furukawa
Summary: In this study, a new molecular material based on metal-organic polyhedra is proposed for controlled release of nitric oxide (NO). These porous materials, with significant NO payloads, can be triggered to release NO by light and humidity, making them potentially effective for treating various diseases.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Javier Troyano, Fuerkaiti Tayier, Phitchayapha Phattharaphuti, Takuma Aoyama, Kenji Urayama, Shuhei Furukawa
Summary: This study presents a self-gelation approach based on metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) that allows for the reversible assembly into nanoparticles and colloidal gels through charge manipulation. Furthermore, the simplicity of this method is demonstrated by synthesizing MOP-based gels via a one-pot synthetic approach. The research highlights the potential application of charge manipulation in the formation of supramolecular gels and porous aerogels based on MOPs.
