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Airborne microplastic (MP) is an emerging pollutant, still under-characterised and insufficiently understood. Detailed description of MP air pollution is crucial as it has been identified in human lungs and remote locations, highlighting... more
Airborne microplastic (MP) is an emerging pollutant, still under-characterised and insufficiently understood. Detailed description of MP air pollution is crucial as it has been identified in human lungs and remote locations, highlighting atmosphere as medium of MP dispersion and transportation. The lack of standardization of methods for measuring and further monitoring of the MP pollution is an obstacle towards the assessment of health risks. Since the first recognition of MP presence in the atmosphere of Krakow in 2019, this research was conducted to further characterise and develop the methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis of airborne MP (ATR-FTIR, Pyr-GC-MS, SEM-EDS) and pre-treatment of samples.The data was gathered in seven cycles, from June 2019 to February 2020. Methods used in the study allowed the identification and analysis of the changing ratio of the different types of synthetic polymers identified in the atmospheric fallout (LDPE, Nyl-66, PE, PET, PP, PUR). ...
Microplastics (MPs) are considered an important stratigraphic indicator, or ‘technofossils’, of the Anthropocene. Research on MP abundance in the environment has gained much attention but the lack of a standardized procedure has hindered... more
Microplastics (MPs) are considered an important stratigraphic indicator, or ‘technofossils’, of the Anthropocene. Research on MP abundance in the environment has gained much attention but the lack of a standardized procedure has hindered the comparability of the results. The development of an effective and efficient method of MP extraction from the matrix is crucial for the proper identification and quantifying analysis of MPs in environmental samples. The procedures of density separation used currently have various limitations: high cost of reagents, limited solution density range, hazardous reagents, or a combination of the above. In this research, a procedure based on density separation with the use of potassium formate water solution (H2O/KCOOH) in controlled conditions was performed. Experimental sediment mixtures, spiked with polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PUR) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles were prepared and an extraction procedure was test...
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ABSTRACT A series of novel polyacrylate/montmorillonite composites was synthesized by in situ polymerization in aqueous slurry of clay. Dissociated (obtained by adding ammonium or sodium hydroxide) and undissociated forms of acrylic acid... more
ABSTRACT A series of novel polyacrylate/montmorillonite composites was synthesized by in situ polymerization in aqueous slurry of clay. Dissociated (obtained by adding ammonium or sodium hydroxide) and undissociated forms of acrylic acid were used as monomers in the hydrogel synthesis. The structure and composition of the samples were studied by powder X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infra-red Fourier transform spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and elemental analysis. It has been found that the kind of monomer influences strongly the location of a polymer chain in the formed composite. Complete intercalation of hydrogel into the interlayer space of montmorillonite was observed for sodium polyacrylate, whereas polyacrylic acid and ammonium polyacrylate mainly occupied the outer surface of the clay. The position of hydrogel determined the swelling and adsorption properties of the studied composites. The important factor influencing the kinetics of Fe(III) cation adsorption was pH. The analysis of adsorption isotherms allowed to propose the mechanism of Fe(III) cation adsorption.
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ABSTRACT Poly(sodium acrylate), polyacrylamide and their copolymers were introduced into the interlayer spaces of raw montmorillonite (Mt) by in-situ polymerization. The obtained clay polymer nanocomposites (CPN) retained the layered... more
ABSTRACT Poly(sodium acrylate), polyacrylamide and their copolymers were introduced into the interlayer spaces of raw montmorillonite (Mt) by in-situ polymerization. The obtained clay polymer nanocomposites (CPN) retained the layered structure. The polymers were intercalated at an intended polymer-to-clay mass ratio of 1:1. Differences in the mechanism of decomposition of samples depended on the type of polymer functional groups. The CPN were tested as adsorbents of Fe3 + ions. The highest adsorption capacity was achieved for samples containing poly(sodium acrylate), which was due to their high swelling capacity and the attraction of iron ions by carboxyl groups.
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Among various (nano)composites containing hydrogels, materials based on clays are emphasized. We show features of clays, which are beneficial in the formation of (nano)composites with hydrogels. Methods used in the synthesis of these... more
Among various (nano)composites containing hydrogels, materials based on clays are emphasized. We show features of clays, which are beneficial in the formation of (nano)composites with hydrogels. Methods used in the synthesis of these materials and the resulting structures are demonstrated. Physicochemical techniques being valuable tools for characterization of this type of materials are also presented. Furthermore, the most important properties of hydrogel-clay (nano)composites are shown. Beside typically improved features like thermal stability, mechanical, rheological, and optical properties, as well as swelling and adsorption capacity are discussed. Finally, a wide range of possible applications of hydrogel-clay (nano)composites is outlined.
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Summary — Intercalation of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poli(acrylic acid) (PAA) into interlayer spaces of natural montmorillonite by the in situ polymerization technique was studied. The modifications were carried out with using both the... more
Summary — Intercalation of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poli(acrylic acid) (PAA) into interlayer spaces of natural montmorillonite by the in situ polymerization technique was studied. The modifications were carried out with using both the raw and pre-treated clay. It was shown that no initial modification of the layered mineral (by ion-exchange with Na + cations or organophilization) is needed for the successful introduction of hydrogels into the interlayer gallery. The effect of kind of polymer and its crosslinking degree (with N,N‘-methylenebisacrylamide, MBA) on the structure of the obtained composites was investigated. The polyacrylamide-containing materials exhibited a tendency to the formation of exfoliated structure. Finally, the composites were tested in a role of adsorbents in an elimination of transition metal cations (Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ ) from aqueous solutions.
Introduction Clay minerals are added to polymers to improve their thermal and mechanical properties. The challenge in the synthesis of this kind of composites is combining a hydrophilic layered material with a hydrophobic organic part.... more
Introduction Clay minerals are added to polymers to improve their thermal and mechanical properties. The challenge in the synthesis of this kind of composites is combining a hydrophilic layered material with a hydrophobic organic part. Frequently, in aim to ensure the contact between the components a surfactant is added (e.g. quaternary alkylammonium salts). Its functional groups interact electrostatically with clay layers and a hydrocarbon chain facilitates polymer introduction. In the case of the macromolecules containing carboxylic groups ion exchange between them and the cations balancing the negative charge of clay layers can occur – this eliminates the necessity of surfactant using [1]. To the synthesis of composites layered aluminosilicates are applied the most often from the bentonite group, abundant in nature. The main component of bentonite, montmorillonite is the clay mineral composed of the layers containing two sheets built of silicon oxide tetrahedrals and placed betwe...
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Two series of nanostructured carbon replicas were synthesized through a hard-templating method using ordered SBA-15 or disordered mesoporous spherical silica gel as the templates and furfuryl alcohol or sucrose as the carbon source. They... more
Two series of nanostructured carbon replicas were synthesized through a hard-templating method using ordered SBA-15 or disordered mesoporous spherical silica gel as the templates and furfuryl alcohol or sucrose as the carbon source. They were explored to synthesize the Pd catalysts (ca. 1.5 wt% Pd loading) by the colloid-based microemulsion procedure which allowed preparing the catalysts of monodispersed Pd particles of similar size (4–5 nm). The palladium phase in the catalysts (e.g. the Pd particles distribution and extent of agglomeration) varied depending on the textural and surface characteristics of the carbon replicas. In the furfural hydrogenation studied as a probe reaction (2-propanol, 35 °C, 6 bar H2), furfuryl alcohol and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol were the major products formed. The catalytic reactivity has been related to the properties of the Pd phase including the surface Pd concentration and the extent of the Pd particles aggregation accompanied by the nearest palla...
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In this manuscript, we describe the results of our recent studies on carbon aerogels derived from natural starches. A facile method for the fabrication of carbon aerogels is presented. Moreover, the complete analysis of the carbonization... more
In this manuscript, we describe the results of our recent studies on carbon aerogels derived from natural starches. A facile method for the fabrication of carbon aerogels is presented. Moreover, the complete analysis of the carbonization process of different starch aerogels (potato, maize, and rice) was performed using thermogravimetric studies combined with a detailed analysis of evolved decomposition products. The prepared carbon aerogels were studied in terms of their morphology and electrical properties to relate the origin of starch precursor with final properties of carbon materials. The obtained results confirmed the differences in carbon aerogels' morphology, especially in materials' specific surface areas, depending on the botanical origin of precursors. The electrical conductivity measurements suggest that carbon aerogels with the best electrical properties can be obtained from potato starch.
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CuO-modified montmorillonite was synthesized by the template-assisted route.
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Polyanionic cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries start to be considered as potential alternative for layered oxide materials. Among them, Li 2 CoSiO 4, characterized by outstanding capacity and working voltage, seems to be an... more
Polyanionic cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries start to be considered as potential alternative for layered oxide materials. Among them, Li 2 CoSiO 4, characterized by outstanding capacity and working voltage, seems to be an interesting substitute for LiFePO 4 and related systems. In this work, structural and electrical investigations of Li 2 CoSiO 4 obtained by sol–gel synthesis were presented. Thermal decomposition of gel precursor was studied using EGA (FTIR)-TGA method. Chemical composition of the obtained material was confirmed using X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The morphology of β- Li 2 CoSiO 4 was studied using transmission electron microscopy. High temperature electrical conductivity of Li 2 CoSiO 4 was measured for the first time. Activation energies of the electrical conductivity of two Li 2 CoSiO 4 polymorphs (β and γ) were determined. The room temperature electrical conductivity of those materials was estimated as well.