Up-scaling aerosol functionalization. Photo-oxychlorination using vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV)

Abstract

The up-scaling of an earlier described VUV-photochemical oxidative functionalization of polystyrene aerosols depends primarily on the possibility to increase substantially the particle concentration in the gas phase, the aerosol flux and the rate of oxidation. The VUV-photolysis of tetrachloro-methane (CCl 4 ) in the presence of air was chosen for the initiation of the oxidation of the polystyrene surface (photo-oxychlorination) taking advantage of the excellent solvent characteristics and the high absorption cross section. FTIR spectroscopic analyses confirm the high efficiency of the process, and chlorination, crosslinking and oxidative particle fragmentation remained at low yields. Secondary products of the VUV-photolysis of CCl 4 were trapped and did not interact with the functionalized particles.