An improved device for solid phase microextraction, the device including a plastic substrate, a pre-coating layer on the plastic substrate, and an SPME coating on the precoating layer. SPME coatings are typically incompatible with plastic substrates due to differences between the surface energies of the substrate and the coating, leading to uneven coating and poor adhesion. The addition of the precoating layer provides increased evenness and stronger adhesion of the SPME coating to the plastic substrate. Also provided are method of coating an SPME coating on a plastic substrate, the method including the step of precoating the plastic substrate to provide a precoated substrate and then coating the precoated substrate with an SPME coating, wherein precoating provides improved coating evenness and adhesion of the SPME coating to the plastic substrate.

A composite of polyurethane foam grafted with carbon nanofibers is described. This composite foam may be made by contacting and drying a polyurethane foam with a suspension of carbon nanofibers and then drying. Additional carbon nanofiber layers may be added with repeated contacting. The composite film has a high surface area of 276 m.sup.2/g and a hydrophobic character that may be exploited for separating an oil phase from water.

A composition for making composite adsorbents from a mixture of geopolymer, zeolite and activated carbon wherein a geopolymer material, a carbonaceous material, and an alkali activating agent are the components of the mixture. The alkali activating agent to carbonaceous material solid mass ratio is at least 0.25:1, respectively. A process for producing shaped composite adsorbents from the composition is done using conventional means such as mixing, shaping, extrusion and other methods. Alkali activation is used to convert the carbonaceous material to activated carbon, followed by hydrothermal treatment to convert the geopolymer material to zeolites. Shaped composite adsorbents fabricated from the composition of the instant invention are used for adsorption, purification, or other separation applications of liquids and gases.

A method of producing a functionalized material that extracts metal ions from solution, the method comprising: (i) providing a precursor material having nitrile groups appended to its surface; and (ii) reacting said nitrile groups with hydroxylamine or a derivative thereof in the presence of a polar aprotic solvent at a temperature of 60-80 C. for at least 1 hour, to convert at least a portion of said nitrile groups to amidoxime and imide dioxime groups, followed by reaction with a base capable of hydrolyzing any remaining nitrile groups to carboxylic acid groups; wherein said functionalized material has a higher uranium absorption capacity than a functionalized material produced under same conditions except that the nitrile groups are reacted with hydroxylamine in only a protic solvent. The invention is also directed to functionalized materials produced by the above-described method, and methods for using the functionalized material for extracting metal ions from metal-containing solutions.

Disclosed herein are aggregators that can be cellulosic particles having high oil sorption capacity, high hydrophobicity, high buoyancy in water, and an aggregation quality that can support environmental remediation of hydrocarbon spills (e.g., crude oil spills) by various cleanup strategies including burning, skimming, or bioremediation. Also disclosed are methods of making the materials and methods of using the materials for environmental remediation.

Provided is a method of producing a catalyst or adsorbent carrier and a catalyst or adsorbent carrier which can enhance a catalyst or adsorbent function, and prevent fall-off of catalyst particles or adsorbent particles. The surface of a metal base material made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy is subjected to an etching process using an etchant containing iron chloride and an oxide to convert the surface to an uneven and rough surface. The uneven and rough surface of the metal base material is subjected to an anodizing process to form a porous coating along the uneven and rough surface. A large number of catalyst or adsorbent particles are thus carried on the surface of the metal base material on which the porous coating is formed along the uneven and rough surface.

Solid supports and ligands are provided for purification of biomolecules by mixed-mode anion exchange-hydrophobic chromatography. Compositions can have the formula Support-(X)N(R1, R2)-R3-L-Ar, or a salt thereof, wherein: Support is a chromatographic solid support; X is a spacer or absent; R1 and R2 are each selected from hydrogen and an alkyl comprising 1-6 carbons; R3 is an alkyl comprising 1-6 carbons or a cyclo alkyl comprising 1-6 carbons; L is NR4, O, or S; wherein R4 is hydrogen or an alkyl comprising 1-6 carbons; and Ar is an aryl. Methods are also provided for using solid supports and ligands to purify biomolecules such as monomeric antibodies.

An air filter including a filter support that supports metal-containing sorbent particles, the sorbent particles comprising a precursor that is a porous siliceous material that has been treated with a surface treatment agent, and a divalent metal incorporated into the siliceous precursor material.

Microcapsules or macrocapsules have a core composition that includes a phase change material (PCM) encapsulated within a polymer wall with an outer shell having a siloxane tethered to an exterior surface of the polymer wall by a surfactant. The siloxane may form a crystalline or a sol-gel outer shell. Methods of making such capsules and textile fabrics and clothing incorporating such capsules include treating pre-formed capsules with a surfactant solution followed by treating with a compound containing a siloxane functional group. The surfactant connects or tethers the siloxane to the exterior surface of the polymer wall and the siloxane forms an outer shell of the capsules.

The present invention provides a separation material comprising porous polymer particles that comprise a styrene-based monomer as a monomer unit; and a coating layer that comprises a macromolecule having hydroxyl groups and covers at least a portion of the surface of the porous polymer particles, wherein the rupture strength is 10 mN or higher.