Synthesis and adsorption study of hypercrosslinked styrene-based nanocomposites containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes

New nanocomposite microporous materials obtained by adding functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to styrene/vinylbenzyl chloride/divinylbenzene hyper-crosslinked resins were prepared and characterized. In order to promote the embedding of the MWCNT within the gel-type precursor, a suitable surface modification strategy was set up, based on the grafting of a poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) (PVBC) resin, able to participate in the hyper-crosslinking step, onto the nanotube surface. Characterization of the nanocomposites by FTIR spectroscopy and electron microscopy enabled the assessment of the effect of the nanotubes on the structure and the morphology of the resin. Moreover, gas sorption measurements indicated that by addition of nanotubes it is possible to modulate the pore size distribution, the uptake of CO2 and H-2 and the CO2/N-2 selectivity. Finally, modified MWCNT are also able to improve the adsorption capacity of phenol from water solutions, suggesting the possible application of the new microporous nanocomposites for water remediation.