Granted Patent B2

US 9,144,784 · App. 14/156,326 · Granted Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

Claims (23)

1. A sorbent material comprising:

a swellable, aromatically-bridged, organosiloxane sol-gel composition, containing a plurality of alkyl siloxy substituents, the aromatically-bridged, organosiloxane sol-gel composition having a porous matrix and

a sorbent property modifier intermixed with at least a portion of the porous matrix, the sorbent property modifier modifying a sorbent property of the sorbent material when compared to the same sorbent property of the corresponding, unmodified sol-gel composition.

2. The sorbent material of claim 1 , wherein the swellable, aromatically-bridged, organosiloxane sol-gel composition is derived from a trialkoxysilane corresponding to the formula:

(alkoxy) 3 Si—(CH 2 ) n —Ar—(CH 2 ) m- —Si(alkoxy) 3

where n and m are individually an integer from 1 to 8, Ar is a single-, fused-, or poly-aromatic ring, and each alkoxy is independently a C 1 to C 5 alkoxy.

3. The sorbent material of claim 2 , wherein the trialkoxysilane is a bis(trialkoxysilylalkyl)benzene.

4. The sorbent material of claim 3 , wherein the bis(trialkoxysilylalkyl)benzene is 1,4-bis(trimethoxysilylmethyl)benzene or bis(triethoxysilylethyl)benzene.

5. The sorbent material of claim 2 , wherein the alkyl siloxy substituents correspond to the formula:

—O x —Si—R y

where R is independently a hydrocarbon containing up to about 30 carbons, x is 1 or 2, y is 2 or 3 and the total of x and y is 4.

6. The sorbent material of claim 5 , wherein the alkyl siloxy substituents include at least one heteroatom selected from sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous or halogen atom or combinations thereof.

7. The sorbent material of claim 1 , wherein the sorbent property modifier is a polymer, pendant group, coupling agent, nanoparticle or combination thereof.

8. The sorbent material of claim 7 , wherein the polymer is a polar organic polymer.

9. The sorbent material of claim 8 , wherein the polar organic polymer is poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid), poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid co-maleic acid), polyethylenimine, polystyrene, polyvinylphenol, polymethylmethacrylate, polyphenylene sulfide or combinations thereof.

10. The sorbent material of claim 7 , wherein the sorbent property modifier is a pendant group.

11. The sorbent material of claim 7 , wherein the pendant group is a polar pendant group.

12. The sorbent material of claim 11 , wherein the polar pendant group is a nitro or sulfonate group.

13. The sorbent material of claim 1 , wherein the sorbent property is the selectivity for a sorbate.

14. The sorbent material of claim 1 , wherein the sorbent property is the capacity for a sorbate.

15. The sorbent material of claim 1 , further comprising a binder.

16. The sorbent material of claim 15 , wherein the binder is microcrystalline cellulose or an elastomeric polymer having a glass transition temperature below about 150° C.

17. The sorbent material of claim 16 , wherein the binder is present in an amount of at least 50% based on the weight of the sorbent material.

Assignments (8)