University of Liverpool

Iota Nanosolutions Limited

Conopco, Inc.

Cambridge University Technical Services Limited

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Chemunex

Andrew Cooper

Steven Paul Rannard

Haifei Zhang

Alison Jayne Foster

Andrew Bruce Holmes

David John Duncalf

Jonathan Weaver

Gwenaelle Bonzi

Jiaxing Jiang

Neil Campbell

Linjiang Chen

Fabing Su

Abbie Trewin

Edward William Corcoran, Jr

Yi Du

Jean-Louis Drocourt

Ming Liu

Tom M Hasell

Thomas Hasell

Daniel Holden

Rachel Butler

Shan Jiang

Michael Briggs

Les Dodd

Philippe Cornet

Michael Andrew Carroll

Marc A Little

Gwénaelle Bonzi

Abigail Trewin

The present invention relates to methods of preferentially sorbing, from a target mixture, one or more target substance(s) over one or more non-target substance(s). In particular, porous organic cages (POCs) may be deployed in the quantum sieving of mixtures of hydrogen isotopes to selectively sorb heavy hydrogen isotopes (e.g. diatomic deuterium) over lighter isotopes (diatomic protium).

Porous organic cages for quantum sieving

A host material may be used for the separation of elements or compounds, wherein the host material is an organic molecular solid with suitable cavities for accommodating a guest material to be separated, and with interconnections between the cavities to allow the guest material to diffuse through the host material, and wherein said interconnections are closed for a proportion of the time or have a static pore limiting diameter which is smaller than the static dimension of the guest material. Applications include separations of rare gases, chiral molecules, and alkanes. One class of suitable host materials may be made by imine condensation.

Separations with organic molecular solids

Porous organic compositions including a core comprising nitrogen-containing molecules and a shell comprising nitrogen-containing compounds wherein the shell is non-chemically bonded to the core are provided herein. Processes for making the porous organic compositions as well as gas separation processes using the porous organic compositions are also provided herein.

Core-shell compositions, methods of making the same, and gas separation processes using the same

A method for preparing a conjugated microporous polymer comprises the coupling of an alkynyl aryl monomer having a plurality of terminal alkyne groups with an iodo- or bromo-aryl monomer having a plurality of halogen atoms in the presence of a palladium (0) catalyst. The conjugated microporous polymer comprises nodes comprising at least one aryl unit and struts comprising at least one alkyne unit and at least one aryl unit, wherein a node is bonded from its aryl unit or units to at least two struts via alkyne units. Such polymers are useful in numerous areas such as separations, controlled release, gas storage and supports for catalysts.

Microporous polymers, methods for the preparation thereof, and uses thereof

A method for preparing a conjugated microporous polymer comprises the coupling of an alkynyl aryl monomer having a plurality of terminal alkyne groups with an iodo-or bromo-aryl monomer having a plurality of halogen atoms in the presence of a palladium (0) catalyst. The conjugated microporous polymer comprises nodes comprising at least one aryl unit and struts comprising at least one alkyne unit and at least one aryl unit, wherein a node is bonded from its aryl unit or units to at least two struts via alkyne units. Such polymers are useful in numerous areas such as separations, controlled release, gas storage and supports for catalysts.

The present invention relates to a branched vinyl polymer carrying dendrons made from monofunctional vinyl monomers and branched by virtue of difunctional vinyl monomers so that there is on average one branch or fewer per polymer chain to avoid gelation. The polymer may be made by chain-growth polymerization of predominantly monofunctional vinyl monomers in the presence of difunctional vinyl monomers and dendron units.

Polymer-dendrimer hybrids

Methods of preparing polymer-dendrimer hybrids

The present invention relates to a method for producing a porous material comprising the steps of; (a) providing a C/W emulsion comprising an aqueous phase, a matrix building material, a surfactant and liquid COphase; (b) at least partially freezing the aqueous phase; (c) gasifying COfrom the liquid COphase to form an intermediate porous material; (d) venting gasified COfrom the intermediate porous material; and (e) freeze drying the intermediate porous material at least substantially to remove the aqueous phase and form the porous material. The present invention also relates to a porous material obtainable by the method.

Porous material and method of production thereof

The invention provides a method for preparing water dispersible or water soluble porous bodies and the bodies themselves The bodies have an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least about 3 ml/g and comprise a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing less than 10% by weight of a water soluble polymeric material and 5 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, with the proviso that said porous bodies are not spherical beads having an average bead diameter of 0.2 to 5 mm. The method comprises the steps of: a) providing an intimate mixture of the polymeric material and the surfactant in a liquid medium b) providing a fluid freezing medium at a temperature effective for rapidly freezing the liquid medium; c) cooling the liquid medium with the fluid freezing medium at a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid medium for a period effective to rapidly freeze the liquid medium; and d) freeze-drying the frozen liquid medium to form the porous bodies by removal of the liquid medium by sublimation.

Porous bodies and method of production thereof

Porous bodies which are soluble or dispersible in non-aqueous media comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing (a) 10 to 70% by weight of a polymeric material which is soluble in water immiscible non-aqueous media and (b) 30 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, said porous bodies having an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least 3 ml/g.

Water dispersible or water soluble porous bodies comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing 10 to 95% by weight of a polymeric material which is soluble in water, and, less than 5% by weight of a surfactant, said porous bodies having an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry (as hereinafter described) of at least about 3 ml/g, and, with the proviso that said porous bodies are not spherical beads having an average bead diameter of 0.2 to 5 mm. And a method for making the same comprising the steps of: providing an intimate mixture of the polymeric material and any surfactant in a liquid medium: providing a fluid freezing medium at a temperature effective for rapidly freezing the liquid medium; cooling the liquid medium with the fluid freezing medium at a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid medium for a period effective to rapidly freeze the liquid medium; and freeze-drying the frozen liquid medium to form the porous bodies by removal of the liquid medium by sublimation.

Porous polymeric materials and method of production thereof

A process for trapping and confining microorganisms in air using water-soluble polymers is disclosed. The water-soluble polymers are readily soluble in water or a physiological diluent, have reasonable mechanical strength so that they can be transported without rupture, retain water and adhere to microorganisms. A process for the rapid and sensitive detection of microorganisms in air under aseptic conditions is also disclosed.

Process for trapping and confining microorganisms in air using water-soluble polymers

The present invention relates to porous beads and to methods of production thereof, in particular to a method of producing hydrophilic polymeric beads by freeze-drying a droplet containing a polymeric material in a continuous phase of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion.

Porous beads and method of production thereof

Highly cross-linked, maroporous/mesoporous polymer monoliths are prepard using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO ) as the solvent and porogen for the polymerisation of monomers having more than one polymerisable group, at a monomer concentration in CO of more than 40 vol %. The procedure allows the direct formation of dry, solvent-free, macroporous/mesoporous cross-linked monoliths with large surface area and well-controlled pore size distribution.

Manufacturing porous cross-linked polymer monoliths

A process for the transformation of an organic molecule catalyzed by a ligand-metal complex, is conducted in compressed CO2 as a solvent, wherein the complex comprises a perfluorinated group. Further, a process for the polymerization of a monomer containing two or more polymerizable groups, optionally together with another copolymerizable monomer, to give a cross-linked polymer in the form of essentially spherical particles, is conducted in compressed CO as a solvent, typically in the presence of a surfactant.

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Liverpool, United Kingdom

Andrew Cooper