University of Colorado

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Colorado State University Research Foundation

Douglas L Gin

Richard Daniel Noble

Jason Edward Bara

Trevor Carlisle

Evan Shigeto Hatakeyama

Andrew L LaFrate

Robert L Kerr

Matthew G Cowan

Matthew Roland Hill

Travis S Bailey

Kristina Konstas

Cory Pecinovsky

Jackson T Lewis

Phuc Tien Nguyen

Garret Nicodemus

Tammy Haut Donahue

Chen Guo

Kristine Fischenich

Cher Hon Lau

William McDanel

Dilanji Wijayasekara

Xiaohui Zeng

Blaine M Carter

Meijuan Zhou

Weiqiang Gu

Sarah Marie Dischinger

Yanjie Xu

Zoban Singh

Collin Andrew Dunn

The invention includes compositions and methods for promoting gas mixtures separations, such as a carbon dioxide and methane mixture. The composition of the invention is based on a curable polymerized room-temperature ionic liquid [poly(RTIL)].

Curable poly(RTIL)-based mixed-matrix membranes and methods using same

The invention includes methods of reversibly tuning the effective pore size and/or solute rejection selectivity of a nanoporous lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) polymer membrane. The membranes of the invention have high levels of pore size uniformity, allowing for size discrimination separation, and may be used for separation processes such as liquid-phase separations.

Nanoporous lyotropic liquid crystal polymer membranes with reversibly tuned pore size and selectivity, and methods using same

Provided herein is a block copolymer hydrogel, comprising a glass formed from a dry blend of polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer (SO) and polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide)-polystyrene triblock copolymer (SOS) in a molar ratio from between 95:5 and 1:99 SO/SOS and a liquid medium at a concentration between about 32:1 and about 2:1 liquid medium/SO&#x2014;SOS by weight. The block copolymer hydrogel has a fatigue resistance to at least 500,000 compression cycles. Also provided are methods for forming the hydrogel.

Thermoplastic elastomer hydrogels

The present invention relates to a mixed-matrix composition comprising polymer having a fractional free volume of at least 0.1 and porous particles.

Mixed matrix polymer compositions

The invention includes compositions comprising curable imidazolium-functionalized poly(room-temperature ionic liquid) copolymers and homopolymers. The invention further includes methods of preparing and using the compositions of the invention. The invention further includes novel methods of preparing thin, supported, room-temperature ionic liquid-containing polymeric films on a porous support. In certain embodiments, the methods of the invention avoid the use of a gutter layer, which greatly reduces the overall gas permeance and selectivity of the composite membrane. In other embodiments, the films of the invention have increased gas selectivity and permeance over films prepared using methods described in the prior art.

Composites comprising novel RTIL-based polymers, and methods of making and using same

The present invention provides gels, solutions, films, membranes, compositions, and other materials containing polymerized and/or non-polymerized room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). These materials are useful in catalysis, gas separation and as antistatic agents. The RTILs are preferably imidazolium-based RTILs which are optionally substituted, such as with one or more hydroxyl groups. Optionally, the materials of the present invention are composite materials comprising both polymerized and non-polymerized RTILs. The RTIL polymer is formed from polymerized RTIL cations typically synthesized as monomers and polymerized in the presence of the non-polymerized RTIL cations to provide a solid composite material. The non-polymerized RTIL cations are not covalently bound to the cationic polymer but remain as free cations within the composite material able to associate with charged subunits of the polymer. These composite materials are useful in catalysis, gas separation, and antistatic applications.

Imidazolium-based room-temperature ionic liquids, polymers, monomers and membranes incorporating same

Imidazolium-based room-temperature ionic liquids, polymers, monomers, and membranes incorporating same

A modular surfactant architecture based on room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) has been developed that affords non-polymerizable and polymerizable amphiphiles that form lamellar (L), hexagonal (H) or bicontinuous cubic (Q) LLC phases when mixed with water or RTILs serving as the polar solvent. The amphiphiles are imidazolium salts having two or more imidazolium head groups joined by one or more spacers. Polymerization of the LLC assembly can produce polymeric materials having ordered nanopores, with the ordering of the pores determined by the LLC phase.

Surfactants and polymerizable surfactants based on room-temperature ionic liquids that form lyotropic liquid crystal phases with water and room-temperature ionic liquids

The invention provides composite nanofiltration membranes (FIG.) with lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) polymer porous membranes () attached to a porous support (). The LLC membranes are prepared from LLC monomers which form the inverted hexagonal or bicontinuous cubic phase. The arrangement, size, and chemical properties of the pores can be tailored on the molecular level. The composite membrane of the invention is useful for separation processes involving aqueous and nonaqueous solutions as well as gases. Methods for making and using the composite nanofiltration membranes of the inventions are also provided.

Lyotropic liquid crystal nanofiltration membranes

The invention provides cross-linked lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) copolymers having ordered nanometer-sized pores lined with functional groups. The copolymers are formed by copolymerizing LLC monomers with strong LLC character and functionalized monomers with no or weak LLC character to form an LLC phase. Both the LLC monomers and the functionalized monomers contain hydrogen-bonding groups and hydrogen-bonding is believed to assist in the formation of the LLC phase of the blended mixture. Different classes of functional groups useful for the invention include, but are not limited to, acidic groups, basic groups, catalytic groups, oxidizing agents, reducing agents, polymerization initiators, binding agents, optically active groups, and electrically active groups. The invention also provides methods for making the cross-linked LLC copolymers of the invention. In these methods, the LLC monomer and the functionalized monomer are blended in a polar solvent, thereby allowing self-assembly of the first and second monomer into an LLC phase. The LLC phase in then cross-linked with retention of the LLC microstructure.

Functionalized nanostructured lyotropic liquid crystal polymers

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Longmont, CO, United States of America

Douglas L Gin