Inorganic–organic hybrid nanoporous materials as adsorbent to remove VOCs

Inorganic–organic hybrid nanoporous materials were prepared by the co-condensation of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) with 1,3-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (BTSB) or 4,4′-bis(triethoxysilyl)-1,1′-biphenyl (BTSP). The nanoporous materials had broad pore-size distribution in the range of mesopore and macropore. The nanoporous materials prepared by co-condensation of BTSE with more than 30 wt% of BTSP showed an enhanced removal capability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air compared to that prepared with BTSE only, probably due to the affirmative interaction between VOCs and aromatic ring in the nanoporous materials. The VOC generation from polypropylene/talc composite (PPF) was reduced to around half when three part of these inorganic–organic hybrid nanoporous material was added per 100 part of PPF during the melt compounding process as an additive, which suggests a new application of nanoporous material.