The paper will first present an overview of the field of multi-functional polymeric materials with special emphasis on sustainability followed by discussion of several case studies drawn from our work on bi-component polymer nanofibers, mesoporous aerogels, aerogel foams, and ceramic oxide nanofibers. In the first case study, nanofibers of interpenetrating network obtained from a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic polymer via gas jet method are used in efficient removal of water droplets from ultralow sulfur diesel fuel. In the second case study, strategies for manufacturing of open and closed cell aerogel foams from high internal phase emulsion methods are discussed. The resultant materials contain interconnected meso- and macroporosity and show fast absorption of hydrocarbon liquids, high permeability of air, and high efficiency of breaking water-in-oil emulsions as well as removal of airbone nanoparticles. In the third case study, the gas jet fiber method is used in the fabrication of 1-100 mm long nanofibers of semiconducting metal oxides of TiO2, TiO2/ITO, and TiO2/V2O5 with side-by-side, core-shell, and nanorods-on-nanofiber arrangements. The heterojunctions with wide band gap in these nanofibers offer stronger photocatalytic degradation of ethanol and splitting of water molecules under ultra-violet and visible lights. The factors responsible for local nanostructures, surface energy, pore size distribution, and unique heterojunctions are discussed.

Multifunctional materials based on nanofibers and open and closed cell aerogel foams for sustainability

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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