Fabrication of porous 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose via acetic acid-assisted vacuum processing: tailoring porosity and gas permeability

초록

Porous polymer materials have gained significant attention due to their tunable porosity, high thermal stability, and mechanical durability, making them ideal candidates for various applications, including energy storage. In this study, a cellulose derivative (CD) with a molecular weight of 380,000 was utilized to fabricate porous polymers via a vacuum-assisted process. The role of acetic acid as an additive was investigated, particularly its influence on porosity and gas permeability. The results demonstrated that increasing the acetic acid concentration led to enhanced porosity and improved gas transport properties, with the CD: acetic acid = 1: 2.0 porous polymer exhibiting a porosity of 89.2% and a Gurley value of 12.0 s/100 cc. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that while the presence of acetic acid facilitated pore formation through the weakening of intermolecular forces, the modified porous polymers maintained superior thermal stability compared to conventional polyolefin-based materials. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirmed that the cellulose structure remained chemically stable throughout the vacuum-assisted process, with only minor shifts in functional groups observed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) further validated the formation of well-defined pores, emphasizing the effectiveness of acetic acid-assisted vacuum processing in tailoring porosity.Graphical AbstractFlexible region formation by acetic acid in polymer chains

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