Ημερομηνία: Σεπ 20, 2024
Ώρα: 16:00 - 18:00
Αίθουσα: Βιβλιοθήκη "Αλκιβιάδης Χ. Παγιατάκης" (Κτήρια Χημικών Μηχανικών)

Διεύθυνση Διαδικτυακής Μετάδοσης: https://upatras-gr.zoom.us/j/96279294048?pwd=Q8qps2XCI9m3M9lZD2UEQHFLxCox0I.1

Ομιλητής: Paschalis Alexandridis (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY))

Τίτλος Ομιλίας: Functional Polymers for Capture of PFAS from Aqueous Media

Περίληψη

Surface active per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) find niche applications because of their high chemical and thermal stability, high interfacial activity, and incompatibility with both water and hydrocarbons. However, several widely used PFAS surfactants have been found extremely resistant to degradation, accumulate in the environment, and have long half-lives in humans, consequently generating great concern. 

To sequester PFAS from aqueous media, we develop materials and processes that are based on PFAS binding to functional polymers. We present here examples on how the notorious PFAS surfactants perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(hept afluoropropoxy) propanoate (GenX) bind to poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) homopolymers and block copolymers in aqueous solution, and to polymer networks: cyclodextrin and polycationic gels . We also discuss how PFAS-adsorbent materials can be regenerated by disrupting the PFAS-polymer binding. From the analysis of complementary experimental (small-angle neutron scattering, SANS, with contrast variation) and modeling (molecular dynamics, MD) results, a detailed description emerges on how PFAS molecules organize around the different parts of the polymers. This information is used to rationalize the capacity of these polymers for PFAS sequestration, and to design polymers with optimal binding and selectivity.

Σύντομο Βιογραφικό Ομιλητή

Paschalis Alexandridis is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY), where he has served as Director of the Materials Science and Engineering program and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the School of Engineering. He holds a Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens (EMΠ) and a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in chemical engineering, and has carried out postdoctoral research in physical chemistry at Lund University. Alexandridis is an expert on soft matter and complex fluids, whose research bridges molecular organization to mesoscale structure, and translates these into processes and products that are environmentally responsible and energy-efficient. Ongoing projects address self-assembly of block copolymers and PFAS sequestration. In the field of plastics recycling, Alexandridis is leading projects in advanced sorting, chemical recycling, and recycling of multilayer films. Alexandridis has 200 journal publications and 6 US patents (Google Scholar h-index 82 and 25000 citations as of 9/2024). He is a Fellow of AAAS, AIChE, RSC, and IAAM, and held leadership positions within AIChE Area 1C: "Interfacial Phenomena" and the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. Alexandridis is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, and Review Editor of the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents. (http://www.cbe.buffalo.edu/alexandridis)