Sorption of Pollutant Traces by Nanoporous Crystalline Aerogels: Visualization by a Dye

Summary: The influence of the crystalline structure on the pollutant sorption properties of high porosity syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) aerogels has been made visible by using azulene, a blue dye, capable to form a clathrate phase with sPS. The bluish coloration observed for aerogels with the nanoporous δ-form and the absence of coloration for aerogels with the densely-packed γ-form clearly establish that the crystalline nanopores play a key role for the removal of pollutant traces from water or air.