The synthesis, thermal, and mechanical properties of epoxy resin composites incorporating waste fibers of hemp were studied. Five different systems with increasing quantity of the eco-filler were obtained. For the synthesis of polymeric materials, the commercial epoxy resins Epidian^® 5 and triethylenetetramine (TETA) were applied as crosslinking agents. The composites were obtained based on the polyaddition reaction of an amine group with an epoxide ring. ATR/FT-IR (Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared) analysis was used to confirm the chemical structure of the composites and the course of curing processes. Moreover, the influence of the eco-friendly components on the mechanical properties was determined, while thermal properties of the materials were investigated by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic mechanical studies (DMA) and Shore hardness tests of the obtained polymers were also carried out. The DSC curves and DMA analysis revealed that all materials were characterized by a similar glass transition range. Furthermore, the DMA and hardness measurements of the composites demonstrated an increasing elasticity with the increase in the amount of eco-filler present in the compositions.

This paper presents the synthesis, physicochemical properties and modifications of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers. It describes the new 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate hydrogels in the form of microbeads of different degrees of crosslinking (2, 5, 8, 10, 15 and 20% mol). As crosslinking monomers bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy) phenyl]-sulfide and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were used. The new hydrogels were obtained by two alternative methods in a suspension copolymerisation procedure. The copolymers were modified with diethylenetriamine in an epoxide opening reaction. Thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis) and swelling characteristic in typical solvents of the obtained functional hydrogels were examined. The chemical structure of the copolymers before and after modification was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analyses. Moreover, their sorptive properties in removal of Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions were also presented. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models are used to describe the adsorption characteristics of the selected modified hydrogels

In this study, a novel method for the synthesis of hybrid, porous microspheres, including divinylbenzene (DVB), triethoxyvinylsilane (TEVS) and methacrylated lignin (L-Met), is presented. The methacrylic derivatives of kraft lignin were obtained by reaction with methacryloyl chloride according to a new experimental protocol. The course of the modification of lignin was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The emulsion-suspension polymerization method was employed to obtain copolymers of DVD, TEVS and L-Met in spherical forms. The porous structures and morphologies of the obtained lignin-containing functionalized microspheres were investigated by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption data and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microspheres are demonstrated to be mesoporous materials with specific surface areas in the range of 430–520 m²/g. The effects of the lignin component on the porous structure, shape, swelling and thermal properties of the microspheres were evaluated.

A novel method for synthesizing microspheres from lignin or lignin acrylate derivatives through copolymerization with styrene (St) and divinylbenzene (DVB) has been developed. The copolymers were obtained by the emulsion-suspension polymerization with a constant molar ratio of DVB to St of 1:1 (w/w) and different amounts of lignin or its derivatives. The morphologies of the obtained materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Two types of lignin modifications were performed to introduce vinyl groups into the lignin molecules: modification with acrylic acid and modification with epichlorohydrin plus acrylic acid. The course of modification was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal stability and degradation behavior of the obtained microspheres were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, and the pore structure was characterized via nitrogen sorption experiments. Owing to the presence of specific functional groups and the well-developed pore structure, the obtained Lignin-St-DVB microspheres may have potential application as specific sorbents for the removal of phenolic pollutants from water, as demonstrated by the solid-phase extraction technique.