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Mesoporous, highly structured silicon carbide (beta-SiC) was synthesised from renewable plant materials (two Equisetaceae species) in a one-step carbothermal process at remarkably low temperatures down to 1200 degrees C. The SiC precursor is a silicon-carbon mixture with finely dispersed carbon prepared by pyrolysis of the organic plant matrix. Yields are 3 to 100% (omega(Si/Si) related to the silicon deposited in the plant material), depending on reaction temperature and time. IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen sorption prove the formation of high-purity beta-SiC with minor inorganic impurities after purification and a high specific surface area of up to 660 m(2) g(-1). Scanning electron microscopy shows that the plant morphology is maintained in the final SiC. Sedimentation analysis finds a mean particle size (diameters d(50)) of 20 mu m.
Amphiphilic alkyl-poly(ethyleneimine)s (alkyl-PEI) with different degrees of polymerization have been produced by alkaline hydrolysis of alkyl-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline). Potentiometric titration of the alkyl-PEI shows the influence of the alkyl chain and the degree of polymerization on the titration curves and hence on the polymer conformation. Karl Fischer titration has been used to determine the water content in the polymers. Subsequent X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements prove the existence of different hydration states of the PEI even under dry storage conditions. Upon cooling from hot aqueous Solutions, hydrogels form. The gelation concentration decreases with increasing degree of polymerization of the PEI segment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and cryo-SEM) of the hydrogels reveal an alkyl-PEI fibrous network composed of fan-like units. DSC shows that the percentages of bound and free water in the hydrogels depend on the concentration of polar amino groups.