Hyper-crosslinked polymer nanocomposites containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles with enhanced adsorption towards polar dyes

The development of new styrene-based hyper-crosslinked nanocomposites (HCLN) containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) is reported here as a new strategy to obtain functional high surface area materials with an enhanced hydrophilic character. TheHCLNcomposition, morphology and porous structure were analyzed using a multi-technique approach. The HCLN displayed a high surface area (above 1600 m/g) and higher microporosity than the corresponding hyper-crosslinked neat resin. The enhanced adsorption properties of the HCLN towards polar organic dyes was demonstrated through the adsorption of a reactive dye, Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RB). In particular, the HCLN containing 5phr MSN showed the highest adsorption capacity of RB.