Synthesis of poly[2-(3-butenyl)-2-oxazoline] with abundant carboxylic acid functional groups as a fiber-based sol-gel reaction supporter for catalytic applications

Abstract Polymer-based catalysts have been of special interest because of their several advantages such as easy processibility. Inorganic catalyst generally have been introduced into polymer-based media to endow catalytic activity. Surface decoration or sol-gel reaction have been performed so far, but inherent low affinity between organic/inorganic causes low efficiency in loading amount, resulting in low catalytic activity. Herein, we synthesized easily processible and highly functionalizable polyoxazoline as polymer nonwoven fiber-based catalytic supporter. Zr(OH)4 was grown on surface of fiber-web via sol-gel reaction. The Zr(OH)4 grown fiber exhibited not only excellent mechanical properties but also effective decontamination efficiency against organophosphate-based toxic agents.