Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 April 2022) | Viewed by 16118

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Interests: analytical fractal modeling; fractional-derivative equation; power-law fluid mechanics; heat and mass transfer; fibrous porous media; roughness of porous media
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Porous polymers have wide applications in many different fields, including textile fabric, fiber reinforced composite, fuel cells, filtration, thermal insulation, paper products, and tissue scaffold. The transport phenomena in porous polymers are complex processes. The understanding and modeling of these processes can lead to the optimization and innovation of porous polymers. However, the geometric structure of porous polymers is very complex and difficult to describe. Heat and mass transfer of porous polymers have been studied for many years, but the effects of the geometric parameters of porous polymers on the transport properties still need to be fully elucidated. Once the microstructures of porous polymers are determined, transport properties, such as permeability, diffusion coefficient, and thermal conductivity, may be determined by numerical and/or analytical fractal techniques. This Special Issue calls for the submission of high-quality research papers with an emphasis on both fundamental research and applications. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel methods in modeling heat and mass transferthrough porous polymers;
  • Non-Darcy and/or nonlinear flow in porous polymers;
  • Characterizations of transport properties of porous polymers;
  • Reconstruction of polymer morphology;
  • Multi-scale and multi-physics theories in porous polymers;
  • Advances in applications of polymers, such as in medical facilities for anti-COVID-19.

Prof. Dr. Boqi Xiao
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • porous polymers
  • heat and mass transfer
  • transport properties

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2054 KiB  
Article
Photoswitchable Zirconium MOF for Light-Driven Hydrogen Storage
by Vera V. Butova, Olga A. Burachevskaya, Vitaly A. Podshibyakin, Evgenii N. Shepelenko, Andrei A. Tereshchenko, Svetlana O. Shapovalova, Oleg I. Il’in, Vladimir A. Bren’ and Alexander V. Soldatov
Polymers 2021, 13(22), 4052; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13224052 - 22 Nov 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2385
Abstract
Here, we report a new photosensitive metal–organic framework (MOF) that was constructed via the modification of UiO-66-NH2 with diarylethene molecules (DAE, 4-(5-Methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-3-(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)-4-furan-2,5-dione). The material that was obtained was a highly crystalline porous compound. The photoresponse of the modified MOF was observed via [...] Read more.
Here, we report a new photosensitive metal–organic framework (MOF) that was constructed via the modification of UiO-66-NH2 with diarylethene molecules (DAE, 4-(5-Methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-3-(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)-4-furan-2,5-dione). The material that was obtained was a highly crystalline porous compound. The photoresponse of the modified MOF was observed via UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy. Most of the DAE molecules inside of the UiO-66-pores had an open conformation after synthesis. However, the equilibrium was able to be shifted further toward an open conformation using visible light irradiation with a wavelength of 520 nm. Conversely, UV-light with a wavelength of 450 nm initiated the transformation of the photoresponsive moieties inside of the pores to a closed modification. We have shown that this transformation could be used to stimulate hydrogen adsorption–desorption processes. Specifically, visible light irradiation increased the H2 capacity of modified MOF, while UV-light decreased it. A similar hybrid material with DAE moieties in the UiO-66 scaffold was applied for hydrogen storage for the first time. Additionally, the obtained results are promising for smart H2 storage that is able to be managed via light stimuli. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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12 pages, 2066 KiB  
Article
Study on Permeability Characteristics of Porous Transparent Gels Based on Synthetic Materials
by Gaoliang Tao, Qingshi Luo, Shaoping Huang, Yi Li, Zhe Huang, Zhijia Wu, Fan Zhang and Heming Dong
Polymers 2021, 13(22), 4009; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13224009 - 19 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1691
Abstract
Advanced knowledge of the permeability characteristics of transparent gels play a key role in providing a rational basis for the study of porous polymer permeability and the research on the migration behavior of superpolymer solutions. Thus, a new type of transparent gel was [...] Read more.
Advanced knowledge of the permeability characteristics of transparent gels play a key role in providing a rational basis for the study of porous polymer permeability and the research on the migration behavior of superpolymer solutions. Thus, a new type of transparent gel was prepared to simulate porous media, with aim to observe and analyze the permeability characteristics of transparent gel under the conditions of our experimental design by combining a transparent soil test and simple particle image velocimetry. The experimental results showed that the permeability of the transparent gel was similar to that through actual soil. The permeability coefficients of the transparent gel under different pressure gradients varied greatly early in the experimental cycle, while changing only slightly afterward, showing an overall trend of decreasing first and then stabilizing. With the increase of the mass ratio, the permeability coefficient of the sample decreased, the distribution of the low-velocity zone of the intercepted section became wider and tended to move upward. Differences in spatial position also caused different patterns of velocity and direction. The findings presented in this paper contribute to providing a new direction for the study of porous polymer permeability and the porous migration of superpolymer solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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17 pages, 2587 KiB  
Article
Solute Diffusion into Polymer Swollen by Supercritical CO2 by High-Pressure Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Chromatography
by Oleg I. Gromov, Mikhail O. Kostenko, Alexander V. Petrunin, Anastasia A. Popova, Olga O. Parenago, Nikita V. Minaev, Elena N. Golubeva and Mikhail Ya. Melnikov
Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3059; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183059 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2504
Abstract
High-pressure electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to measure translational diffusion coefficients (Dtr) of a TEMPONE spin probe in poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) and swollen in supercritical CO2. Dtr was measured on two scales: macroscopic scale (>1 μm), by measuring [...] Read more.
High-pressure electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to measure translational diffusion coefficients (Dtr) of a TEMPONE spin probe in poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) and swollen in supercritical CO2. Dtr was measured on two scales: macroscopic scale (>1 μm), by measuring spin probe uptake by the sample; and microscopic scale (<10 nm), by using concentration-dependent spectrum broadening. Both methods yield similar translational diffusion coefficients (in the range 5–10 × 10−12 m2/s at 40–60 °C and 8–10 MPa). Swollen PDLLA was found to be homogeneous on the nanometer scale, although the TEMPONE spin probe in the polymer exhibited higher rotational mobility (τcorr = 6 × 10−11 s) than expected, based on its Dtr. To measure distribution coefficients of the solute between the swollen polymer and the supercritical medium, supercritical chromatography with sampling directly from the high-pressure vessel was used. A distinct difference between powder and bulk polymer samples was only observed at the start of the impregnation process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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11 pages, 5169 KiB  
Article
Influence of Evaporation Drying on the Porous Properties of Carbon/Carbon Composite Xerogels
by Kriangsak Kraiwattanawong, Noriaki Sano and Hajime Tamon
Polymers 2021, 13(16), 2631; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162631 - 7 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1707
Abstract
Carbon/carbon (C/C) composite xerogels dried by evaporation were prepared in this study to observe the change of their porous properties and their morphology by nitrogen sorption apparatus and a scanning electron microscope. Resorcinol and formaldehyde (RF) sols as a matrix phase and cotton [...] Read more.
Carbon/carbon (C/C) composite xerogels dried by evaporation were prepared in this study to observe the change of their porous properties and their morphology by nitrogen sorption apparatus and a scanning electron microscope. Resorcinol and formaldehyde (RF) sols as a matrix phase and cotton fibers (CF) as a dispersed phase were mixed and gelated to be CF/RF composite hydrogels. The composite hydrogels were exchanged by t-butanol (TBA), dried by evaporation at 50 °C, and carbonized at 1000 °C to become the C/C composite xerogels. The results show that the CF addition does not decrease the mesoporous properties of the C/C composite xerogels. Moreover, the CF addition can alleviate the pore shrinkage, and it can maintain the mesopore structure. The mesopore size and the micropore size of C/C composites are insignificantly changed because the CF addition and the solvent exchange using TBA may suppress the pore shrinkage despite the gas-liquid interface existing during the evaporation drying. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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14 pages, 9282 KiB  
Article
Photocuring Hyaluronic Acid/Silk Fibroin Hydrogel Containing Curcumin Loaded CHITOSAN Nanoparticles for the Treatment of MG-63 Cells and ME3T3-E1 Cells
by Qingwen Yu, Zhiyuan Meng, Yichao Liu, Zehao Li, Xing Sun and Zheng Zhao
Polymers 2021, 13(14), 2302; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13142302 - 14 Jul 2021
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4105
Abstract
After an osteosarcoma excision, recurrence and bone defects are significant challenges for clinicians. In this study, the curcumin (Cur) loaded chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (CCNP) encapsulated silk fibroin (SF)/hyaluronic acid esterified by methacrylate (HAMA) (CCNPs-SF/HAMA) hydrogel for the osteosarcoma therapy and bone regeneration was [...] Read more.
After an osteosarcoma excision, recurrence and bone defects are significant challenges for clinicians. In this study, the curcumin (Cur) loaded chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (CCNP) encapsulated silk fibroin (SF)/hyaluronic acid esterified by methacrylate (HAMA) (CCNPs-SF/HAMA) hydrogel for the osteosarcoma therapy and bone regeneration was developed by photocuring and ethanol treatment. The micro or nanofibers networks were observed in the CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel. The FTIR results demonstrated that alcohol vapor treatment caused an increase in β-sheets of SF, resulting in the high compression stress and Young’s modulus of CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel. According to the water uptake analysis, SF caused a slight decrease in water uptake of CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel while CCNPs could enhance the water uptake of it. The swelling kinetic results showed that both the CCNPs and the SF increased the swelling ratio of CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel. The accumulative release profile of CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel showed that the release of Cur from CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel was accelerated when pH value was decreased from 7.4 to 5.5. Besides, compared with CCNPs, the CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel had a more sustainable drug release, which was beneficial for the long-term treatment of osteosarcoma. In vitro assay results indicated that CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel with equivalent Cur concentration of 150 μg/mL possessed both the effect of anti-cancer and promoting the proliferation of osteoblasts. These results suggest that CCNPs-SF/HAMA hydrogel with superior physical properties and the bifunctional osteosarcoma therapy and bone repair may be an excellent candidate for local cancer therapy and bone regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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15 pages, 2236 KiB  
Article
An Apparent Gas Permeability Model for Real Gas Flow in Fractured Porous Media with Roughened Surfaces
by Tao Wu, Qian Wang and Shifang Wang
Polymers 2021, 13(12), 1937; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13121937 - 10 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2046
Abstract
The investigation of gas transport in fractured porous media is essential in most petroleum and chemical engineering. In this paper, an apparent gas permeability model for real gas flow in fractured porous media is derived with adequate consideration of real gas effect, the [...] Read more.
The investigation of gas transport in fractured porous media is essential in most petroleum and chemical engineering. In this paper, an apparent gas permeability model for real gas flow in fractured porous media is derived with adequate consideration of real gas effect, the roughness of fracture surface, and Knudsen diffusion based on the fractal theory. The fractal apparent gas permeability model is obtained to be a function of micro-structural parameters of fractured porous media, relative roughness, the pressure, the temperature, and the properties of gas. The predictions from the apparent gas permeability model based on the fractal theory match well with the published permeability model and experimental data, which verifies the rationality of the present fractal apparent gas permeability model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Polymers)
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