Amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol) gels and their swelling features

Abstract

This article describes the preparation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) ‐based gels for removal of both organic solvents and water through a clean synthesis process without using any initiator, catalyst, activator, or liquid medium. The synthesis of the gels is based on the condensation of different molecular weights of PEG macromolecules with the nine‐functional crosslinker tris[3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] isocyanurate (ICS). Solid‐state 13 C and 29 Si cross‐polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and elemental analysis were used to characterize the prepared sorbents. Thermal properties of the synthesized sorbents were examined using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The swelling capacities of the sorbents were determined by swelling tests in dichloromethane (DCM), tetrahydrofuran (THF), benzene, acetone, and toluene. The water absorbency of the PEG‐based sorbents is also investigated. The effect of the reaction time and reaction temperature on swelling features of the sorbents was studied systematically. The prepared PEG gels have high swelling ratios both in polar and nonpolar solvents. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.