Synthesis and Processing of Carbon Black Macromonomers for Design of Advanced Separation Systems for Adsorption and/or Filtration of Trace Contaminants

该项目的目标是设计可反应成型的碳黑大单体，它可以选择性和定量地从环境中去除各种痕量污染物，并允许回收和再利用。这将通过首先控制高表面积和低表面积炭黑颗粒的化学性质来实现，以在气孔中提供一系列酸性、碱性、中性或高极性表面。然后，研究人员将在炭黑表面引入各种反应单元，使其表现为可聚合的大单体。这将通过1)化学反应，2)表面中心与低聚单元(如聚合物)的反应，或3)通过涂覆非常薄的聚合物薄膜，如聚丙烯酸。然后，这些大单体将通过表面活性基团的交联反应模塑成特定的形状。这种新的环境控制方法可以解决与当今通常使用的活性碳系统相关的大多数限制。要深入研究的特征包括：1)与不同化学处理相关的表面积变化，2)反应模塑大单体的机械性能的测定以及通过电阻加热重新激活这些模塑形状的可行性，3)使用各种化学处理系统选择性地吸附痕量污染物，4)设计用于50-500A范围内的颗粒过滤的分级深度过滤器，以及5)分离离子聚集体，其中间隙开口的表面被设计为显示特定的离子特性。

The goals of this project are to design reaction moldable, carbon black macromonomers which can selectively and quantitatively remove a wide range of trace contaminants from the environment and would also permit for recovery and reuse. This will be accomplished by first controlling the chemical nature of both high and low surface area carbon black particles to provide a range of acidic, basic, neutral or high polar surfaces in the pores. The investigator will then introduce a variety of reactive units onto the surface of the carbon black to make it behave as a polymerizable macromonomer. This will be done through 1) chemical reactions, 2) reaction of surface sites with oligomeric units such as resoles, or 3) through coating with very thin polymeric films, such as polyacrylic acid. These macromonomers will then be reaction molded to specific shapes through crosslinking of the reactive groups on the surface. This new approach to environmental control could address most of the limitations associated with the activated carbon systems typically in use today. Features to be investigated in depth include: 1) the surface area changes associated with different chemical treatments, 2) the determination of mechanical properties of the reaction molded macromonomers and the feasibility for reactivation of these molded shapes through electrical resistance heating, 3) the selective adsorption of trace contaminants using the various chemically treated systems, 4) the design of graded depth filters for particulate filtration in the range of 50-500A, and 5) separation of ionic aggregates where the surface of the interstitial opening is designed to display a specific ionic character.