The usual problem of meltable phase-change agents is the instability in their form upon heating, which can be solved by placing them into a continuous polymer matrix. Epoxy resin is a suitable medium for dispersing molten agents, but it is necessary to make the obtained droplets stable during the curing of the formed phase-change material. This work shows that molten paraffin wax forms a Pickering emulsion in an epoxy medium and in the presence of asphaltenes extracted from heavy crude oil. Theoretical calculations revealed the complex equilibrium in the epoxy/wax/asphaltene triple system due to their low mutual solubility. Rheological studies showed the viscoplastic behavior of the obtained dispersions at 25 °C, which disappears upon the heating and melting of the paraffin phase. Wax and asphaltenes increased the viscosity of the epoxy medium during its curing but did not inhibit cross-linking or reduce the glass transition temperature of the cured polymer. As a result of curing, it is possible to obtain phase-change materials containing up to 45% paraffin wax that forms a dispersed phase with a size of 0.2–6.5 μm. The small size of dispersed wax can decrease its degree of crystallinity to 13–29% of its original value, reducing the efficiency of the phase-change material.

In this study, the task of integrating capture and conversion of CO₂ into a single material platform is realized by developing bifunctional membranes based on polymer ionic liquids (PILs). The novelty of this work lies in the fabrication and comprehensive evaluation of PIL-based membrane materials that combine catalytic activity toward CO₂ conversion with gas separation performance within one material system. In contrast to most previously reported imidazolium-based PILs, which have mainly been considered either as catalysts or as membrane materials, the present approach focuses on their dual functionality under both catalytic and gas transport conditions. A series of imidazolium-based PILs, including homopolymers and block copolymers with polystyrene, were synthesized. The materials were characterized to determine their catalytic activity during the cycloaddition of CO₂ to epichlorohydrin and to determine their gas transport properties using pure gases (N₂, O₂, CO₂) and a simulated dry flue gas mixture; membrane morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Block copolymers exhibited higher catalytic conversions (up to 82.7%) than homopolymers, with selectivities above 93%. Chloride-containing block copolymers gave the best combination of CO₂ permeability (up to 7.5 Barrer) and CO₂/N₂ selectivity (18–22) under mixed-gas conditions. Iodide-containing analogs demonstrated higher selectivity (up to 30) but lower CO₂ permeability. Morphological analysis confirmed the presence of dense, defect-free structures in materials with the chloride anion, while materials with the iodide anion showed increased free volume and microheterogeneity. These results indicate that by altering the polymer and anion architecture, PIL-based membranes can effectively combine catalytic activity with selective CO₂ transport, providing a promising avenue for enhancing carbon capture and utilization processes.

Objectives . The work set out to develop epoxy multicomponent binders for polymer composite materials by interrelating the rheological properties and the curing kinetics of the epoxy modified with thermoplastic. Changes in the rheological properties of binders are determined by the competition between two processes: the curing reaction of modified epoxy oligomers with an amine curing agent, and phase separation, which leads to a loss of compatibility between thermosetting components and modifier. Methods . During the curing process, rotational and oscillational rheometry were used. The kinetic patterns of the curing process of epoxy-amine binders based on a mixture of trifunctional and bifunctional epoxy resins modified with polysulfone were studied. Results . The dependence of viscosity on curing time of an epoxy binder at various temperatures and polysulfone content was experimentally studied. Gelation and vitrification time, viscosity growth constants, and activation energies values were determined. It was shown that phase separation induced by curing results in the formation of a polysulfone-rich phase. Moreover, the phase separation time decreases with higher modifier content. Conclusions . It has been established that the adding of polysulfone into the composition of a multicomponent epoxy-amine binder leads to an enhancement in the gelation time by 8–15 min, depending on the curing temperature and the thermoplastic content, which is explained by an increase in the viscosity of the binder.