Macroporous Materials Research Articles

Three-Dimensional Superhydrophobic Hollow Hemispherical MXene for Efficient Water-in-Oil Emulsions Separation.

A superhydrophobic macroporous material composed of hollow hemispherical MXene (HSMX) was synthesized by the thermal annealing of MXene-wrapped cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS@MXene). Notably, the spherical MXene shells exhibited highly efficient catalysis of the carbonization of CPS into carbon nanoparticles. Their insertion into the interlayer of MXene increased the d-spacing and created hollow hemispheres. The as-prepared HSMX with nanoscale walls had a lower packing density than MXene, but higher porosity, total pore volume, and total pore area. Moreover, the stacking of hollow hemispheres promoted the formation of a highly undulating macroporous surface and significantly improved the surface roughness of the HSMX-based 3D membrane, resulting in superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156.4° and a rolling angle of 6°. As a result, the membrane exhibited good separation efficiency and Flux for emulsifier-stabilized water-in-paraffin liquid emulsions, which was dependent on its superhydrophobic performance and strong demulsification ability derived from the razor effect originating from the ultrathin walls of HSMX. This work provides a facile approach for the transformation of highly hydrophilic 2D MXene into superhydrophobic 3D HSMX, and opens a new pathway for the development of advanced MXene-based materials for environmental remediation applications.

Preparation of macroporous ion-exchange resin organic amine composite material by using waste plastics and its application in CO2 capture

ABSTRACT Two new types of solid adsorption material (macroporous cation exchange resin (MCER) and macroporous ion-exchange resin organic amine composite material (MCER-DEA)) were prepared from waste television plastics outer shell (WTPS) and used to capture CO2 in flue gas from coal-fired power plants. The results showed that the CO2 adsorption capacity of MCER-DEA was 2.87 mmol/g, while MCER was 1.87 mmol/g. The preparation mechanism and action mechanism of MCER and MCER-DEA was studied by Fourier transform infrared and quantum chemical calculations. The results showed that the electrophilic substitution occurs in between an H atom of meta position on the benzene ring and H2SO4. The electron energy of MCER-DEA was calculated to be 1.14 ev, indicating these MCERs formed acid–base coordination with diethanolamine (DEA). Besides, the electron energy of between MCER and CO2 was 0.27 ev, and the interaction force was dominated by hydrogen bonds. The electron energy of the MCER-DEA and CO2 was 3.02 ev, and the interaction force was mainly controlled by coordination bonds. It indicated that MCER and CO2 were primarily based on physical adsorption, while MCER-DEA and CO2 were mainly based on chemisorption adsorption. Adsorption kinetics studies showed that internal diffusion was a rate-controlling step.

Carbon Nanofiber/PEDOT Based Macro-Porous Composite for High Performance Multifunctional Neural Microelectrode

Brain study methods mainly rely on neurochemical detection and electrophysiology, respectively studying the molecular dynamics and electrical activity in the brain cellular environment. The combined and simultaneous use of both study modes holds great promises for patients and researchers, in line with the treatment research but rely on multifunctional platforms (materials, devices, techniques…) still to be developed. Here, we present a new macro-porous composite material made up of PEDOT and carbon nanofibers (CNFs), coated on a flexible neural microelectrode array. A fully controlled one-shot electrodeposition strategy was developed to coat flexible Au-microelectrode surfaces with macro-porous CNF/PEDOT nanocomposite. The oxidized CNFs were used as a dopant and infused within the conductive PEDOT, electrochemically, in such a way that their excellent electronic, mechanical, chemical properties, and resulting combined performances can be exploited to yield better quality neural recordings, electrical stimulation and neurotransmitter detection.

Synthesis of Macro-Porous De-NOx Catalysts for Poly-Tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene Membrane Bag Filter.

This study examined the effects of the porosity of catalytic bag-filter materials for applications to the SNCR (selective noncatalytic reduction)-SCR (selective catalytic reduction) hybrid process for highly treating nitrogen Oxides (NOx) in the exhaust gas of a combustion process. A V₂O5/TiO₂ catalyst was dispersed in a PTFE (poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene) used as the catalytic bag-filter material to remove particulate matter and nitrogen oxides contained in the combustion exhaust gas. Macroporous alumina was added into a V₂O5/TiO₂-dispersed PTFE to improve the catalytic activity of V₂O5/TiO₂ dispersed in the PTFE material. In this study, the textural properties and denitrification performances of the V₂O5/TiO₂-dispersed PTFE materials were examined according to the addition of macro-porous alumina. When the denitrification catalyst was solely dispersed in the PTFE material, the catalyst inside the PTFE backbone had low gas-solid contact efficiency owing to the low porosity of the PTFE materials, resulting in low denitrification efficiency. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of V₂O5/TiO₂ dispersed inside the macro-porous PTFE material was significantly enhanced by adding macro-porous alumina into the PTFE matrix. The enhanced textural properties of the macro-porous PTFE material where V₂O5/TiO₂ was uniformly dispersed proved the facilitated diffusion of combustion exhaust gas into the PTFE material.

Surfactant-Free Aqueous Fabrication of Macroporous Silicone Monoliths for Flexible Thermal Insulation

Abstract Hydrophobic silicone macroporous materials prepared in an aqueous solution by the sol–gel method have been considered for various applications such as separation media, heat insulators, and liquid nitrogen adsorbents. In the conventional preparation process, surfactants are used to suppress phase separation to obtain a uniform bulk material. However, a large amount of solvent and time is required to remove them before drying, which hinders industrial-scale synthesis. By copolymerizing tetra-, tri-, and bifunctional organosilicon alkoxides in an aqueous acetic acid–urea solution, flexible macroporous silicone monoliths were successfully obtained. The marshmallow-like monoliths recovered their original shape even after 80% uniaxial compression and significant bending and water repellency. The thermal conductivity of those materials was ∼0.035 W m−1 K−1 and did not increase even under 60% uniaxial compression. This characteristic property can be used for thermal insulation on surfaces with various shapes and in confined spaces under harsh conditions.

Porosity Centrifuge: Determination of Pore Sizes of Swellable Porous Materials under Hypergravity.

Porous materials are ubiquitous and essential for many processes in nature as well as in industry, and the need to produce them from renewable materials will definitely increase. A prominent example for such a fully recyclable and biogenic porous material is paper, a material that contains macropores formed in between the fibers as well as a large distribution of much finer pores on and within the fiber walls. While the determination of pore sizes is of central importance for the characterization of such materials, their determination is usually only possible with complex methodologies. The determination of pore sizes in the context of water has remained largely unsolved to date, in particular, if water-swellable materials are considered. Here, we introduce a completely new way of determining pore sizes of materials even under swelling conditions. Using a centrifugal device and studying the imbibition of water into paper at various centrifugal forces that oppose the capillary forces, we can access the mean pore size of different paper materials in an experimentally simple fashion. In addition, we can show that the pore size values obtained with our "centrifugal porosimetry" are consistent with the values obtained using other methods, usually much more involved methods. For this purpose, we measure well-characterized translucent macroporous materials using water, ranging from simple glass capillaries to standard filters and nitrocellulose membranes.

Bubble evolution and manipulation revealed by reconfigurable shape-memory photonic crystals with tunable wettability

Understanding and controlling the behaviors of bubbles on the surface of macroporous materials (SMM) are of vital importance in the development of industrial catalysis, mass transfer, and membrane science. Using shape-memory photonic crystals (SMPCs) with tunable wettability as 3D/2D macroporous supports, we reveal for the first time the bubble evolution on the SMM by structure color. The evolution of oxygen bubbles generated by the film was accompanied by a red/blue shift structural color, which is convenient for analyzing the evolution process. The color contrast is produced by gas–liquid exchange triggered by Laplacian pressure in the macropores, which is regulated by surface wettability. Importantly, the pressure-induced reversible deformation of macropores adjusts surface wettability and promotes the corresponding gas–liquid exchange, enhancing the color contrast. It makes it possible to reveal bubble evolution in liquids with different wettability. Moreover, 2D bowl-shaped SMPCs with bubble anti-adhesion can be constructed by scraping 3D inverse opals. The reversible deformation of bowls can realize the switch between bubble adhesion and anti-adhesion. It improves our understanding of bubble evolution and inspires us to fabricate the next generation of interfacial catalysts, structured electrodes, and mass transfer interfaces.

A Comparison of Transition Metal Oxide Ordered Macroporous Materials Used in Battery Electrodes

This talk will summarize recent results of ordered macroporous (inverse opal) materials made from a range of transition metal oxides when used as Li-ion battery electrodes. The basic methodology for macroporous material formation will be presented for electrodes fabricated with macroporous ordered materials included TiO2, SnO2, GeO2, V2O5, their mixtures and other compounds.The talk will compare the basic lithiation response in these porous materials in Li-in battery half cells and detail the electrochemical response of each oxide and porous structure as a function of specific current (rate) and cycle life. Several of these materials offer surprisingly good electrochemical stability during long (>5000 cycles in the case of TiO2) cycle life, in a binder and conductive additive-free electrode formulation. We also summarize limits of some macroporous oxide materials at very high charge and discharge rates when used in Li-ion batteries and compare the influence of phase and structure on reversible lithiation.Related work and References O'Hanon, D. McNulty, R. Tian, J. Coleman, and C. O'Dwyer, High Charge and Discharge Rate Limitations in Ordered Macroporous Li-ion Battery Materials, J. Electrochem. Soc. 167, 140532 (2020).McNulty, H. Geaney, Q. Ramasse, and C. O'Dwyer, Long Cycle Life, Highly Ordered SnO2/GeO2 Nanocomposite Inverse Opal Anode Materials for Li‐Ion Batteries, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2005073 (2020).McNulty, H. Geaney, D. Buckley, and C. O'Dwyer, High Capacity Binder-free Nanocrystalline GeO2 Inverse Opal Anodes for Li-ion Batteries with Long Cycle Life and Stable Cell Voltage, Nano Energy 43, 11 (2018).McNulty, E. Carroll, and C. O'Dwyer, Rutile TiO2 Inverse Opal Anodes for Li-ion Batteries with Long Cycle Life, High-rate Capability and High Structural Stability, Adv. Energy Mater. 7, 1602291 (2017).McNulty, A. Lonergan, S. O'Hanlon, and C. O'Dwyer, 3D open-worked inverse opal TiO2 and GeO2 materials for long life, high capacity Li-ion battery anodes, Solid State Ionics 314, 195 (2018).Lonergan, D. McNulty, and C. O'Dwyer, Tetrahedral framework of inverse opal photonic crystals defines the optical response and photonic band gap, J. Appl. Phys. 124, 095106 (2018).O'Hanlon, D. McNulty, and C. O'Dwyer, The influence of colloidal opal template and substrate type on 3D macroporous single and binary vanadium oxide inverse opal electrodeposition, J. Electrochem. Soc. 164, D111 (2017).O'Dwyer, Colour-Coded Batteries – Inverse Opal Materials Circuitry for Enhanced Electrochemical Energy Storage and Optically Encoded Diagnostics, Adv. Mater. 28, 5681 (2016).

Understanding the Self-Templating of Hierarchically Porous Carbon Electrocatalysts Using Group 2 Coordination Polymers

Self-templating of hierarchical porosity in carbon materials can be realized by the pyrolysis of well-designed metal-organic precursors. While this strategy is elegant and scalable, detailed mechanistic understanding of the self-templating process is lacking. We now present a systematic investigation of the microstructural evolution in porous carbons, including hierarchically micro-/meso-/macroporous materials with variable mesopore size. We focus on a homologous series of well-defined metal-organic coordination polymers, combining the highly abundant Group 2 ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+) with a common ligand. To understand the role of the metal ion in directing the morphology of the ultimate N-doped carbons, we performed a detailed investigation using electron microscopy (HRSEM, HRTEM, EDS), N2 porosimetry, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The rich morphological variations in the carbons determine their activity as metal-free electrocatalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction. In particular, the reaction selectivity (2e – vs. 4e – pathways) is directed by competition between kinetics and mass transfer, due to confinement in mesopores. Figure 1

Highly reactive and thermally stable Ag/YSZ catalysts with macroporous fiber-like morphology for soot combustion

The contact between catalysts and soot has been widely held as a crucial factor affecting the catalytic soot combustion, while efforts to improve the catalyst-soot contact efficiency remain both highly desirable and challenging. Herein, a hierarchical Ag/YSZ catalyst with macroporous fiber-like morphology was synthesized via a template electrospinning method. Based on the quantitative approach developed in this work, the soot accessibility of this catalyst with engineered morphology was 6.75 times higher than that of a conventional bulk Ag/YSZ catalyst. After the ageing treatments at 800 °C, the silver species on the fibrous Ag/YSZ redispersed into fine Ag nanoparticles, which provided abundant electrophilic O− species and led to a T50 of 372 °C for soot combustion in a “loose” contact mode. This strategy of fabricating macroporous fiber-like materials provides a new opportunity to improve the soot elimination efficiency of catalyzed gasoline particulate filters.

Wet‐spun porous fibers from high internal phase emulsions: Continuous preparation and high stretchability

AbstractAlthough high internal phase emulsion (HIPE)‐templating is promising to prepare macroporous materials (polyHIPEs) with controllable shapes and tuneable property, fibrous polyHIPEs with stretchability and their continuous preparation are still challenging. Here, we report the fabrication of polyHIPE fibers in a continuous manner through wet spinning of HIPEs. The successful fabrication of polyHIPE fibers depends on HIPE dispersed phase fractions, ammonia‐catalyzed interfacial reaction and wet spinning. Dry polyHIPE fibers exhibit tunable diameters, hierarchically porous structures, high stability to temperature and to various solutions, and high stretchability (with a high tensile strain of 155%), which is hard to achieve for polyHIPEs. The polyHIPE fibers show enhanced uptakes to both water (14.4 ml g−1) and organic solvents (up to 26.3 ml g−1), and the amphiphilic swelling is rare for polyHIPEs. Moreover, the dry polyHIPE fibers show good thermal insulation, similar to that of cotton. Simple wet spinning, combining with HIPEs with tuneable composition, is promising for preparing various polyHIPE fibers for various potential applications.

Kinetic study of distillation and cracking of heavy oil on bimodal meso–macroporous materials of silica and aluminosilicate by thermogravimetry

Bimodal silica and aluminosilicate materials containing mesopores and macropores were synthesized by hydrothermal method using sodium silicate, aluminum nitrate, P123 triblock copolymer, n-decane, hydrochloric acid and water. The uncalcined silica compound was previously characterized by thermogravimetry, and the calcined materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The obtained materials have bimodal characteristics with mesopores and macropores in their structures, which pores are ideal for processing bulky molecules, such as hydrocarbons present in heavy oil. In this work, the synthesized silica and aluminosilicate were used as materials for distillation and cracking of a petroleum sample with oAPI = 17.4. The process was evaluated by thermogravimetry, in the temperature range from 25 to 900 °C, in a nitrogen atmosphere. The determination of activation energies (Ea) as a function of the degree of conversion was obtained by using the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall kinetic model and at heating rates of 5, 10 and 20 °C min−1. It was observed that the catalytic cracking of the oil presented Ea of 196 kJ mol−1 for 90% conversion. At the same conversion, for the oil containing 10% of Si-MBB catalyst, the Ea decreased to 170 kJ mol−1 and for AlSi-BMM, the Ea was 155 kJ mol−1, showing the efficiency of bimodal materials containing mesopores and macropores in its structure for processing of heavy oil.

Injectable Cryogels in Biomedicine.

Cryogels are interconnected macroporous materials that are synthesized from a monomer solution at sub-zero temperatures. Cryogels, which are used in various applications in many research areas, are frequently used in biomedicine applications due to their excellent properties, such as biocompatibility, physical resistance and sensitivity. Cryogels can also be prepared in powder, column, bead, sphere, membrane, monolithic, and injectable forms. In this review, various examples of recent developments in biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, which are currently scarce in the literature, made from synthetic and natural polymers are discussed. In the present review, several biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, therapeutic, therapy, cell transplantation, and immunotherapy, are emphasized. Moreover, it aims to provide a different perspective on the studies to be conducted on injectable cryogels, which are newly emerging trend.

Polymeric Materials Used for Immobilisation of Bacteria for the Bioremediation of Contaminants in Water.

Bioremediation is a key process for reclaiming polluted soil and water by the use of biological agents. A commonly used approach aims to neutralise or remove harmful pollutants from contaminated areas using live microorganisms. Generally, immobilised microorganisms rather than planktonic cells have been used in bioremediation methods. Activated carbon, inorganic minerals (clays, metal oxides, zeolites), and agricultural waste products are acceptable substrates for the immobilisation of bacteria, although there are limitations with biomass loading and the issue with leaching of bacteria during the process. Various synthetic and natural polymers with different functional groups have been used successfully for the efficient immobilisation of microorganisms and cells. Promise has been shown using macroporous materials including cryogels with entrapped bacteria or cells in applications for water treatment and biotechnology. A cryogel is a macroporous polymeric gel formed at sub-zero temperatures through a process known as cryogelation. Macroporous hydrogels have been used to make scaffolds or supports for immobilising bacterial, viral, and other cells. The production of composite materials with immobilised cells possessing suitable mechanical and chemical stability, porosity, elasticity, and biocompatibility suggests that these materials are potential candidates for a range of applications within applied microbiology, biotechnology, and research. This review evaluates applications of macroporous cryogels as tools for the bioremediation of contaminants in wastewater.

RECONSTRUCTION OF MANDIBULAR DEFECTS USING INDIVIDUAL VASCULARIZED AUTOGRAFTS COMBINED WITH MACROPOROUSTITANIUM FIBER MA

— The choice of donor material poses a problem for surgeons handling reconstruction of large combined bone defects or limited maxillofacial bone defects. Restoration methods, applicable in reconstructive microsurgery are based on materials of non-biological origin and musculoskeletal autogenous transplants which have complications and may inhibit the processes of osseointegration. Our study aimed to improve the efficiency of surgical treatment and rehabilitation of patients with mandibular defects using vascularized autograft in combination with macroporous titanium fiber material. The reconstruction of the defective mandible caused by chronic osteomyelitis, trauma, benign tumors was performed in 107 patients either by means of conventional methods (titanium plates, free and vascularized bone autografts), or by a novel engineered bone substitute. Our novel vascularized bone autotransplant combines a macroporous fiber titanium material and spiral bone autochips. For its fabrication we applied digital 3D technologies and methods of rapid prototyping, whereas its vascularization was harvested in iliac crest. Unlike the standard methods of reconstruction, the use of the engineered vascularized implant showed a significant reduction in stages, volume and invasiveness of surgical procedures and an improvement of esthetic and functional outcomes in patients with mandibular defects.

Microporous and macroporous materials state-of-the-art of the technologies in zeolitization of aluminosilicate bearing residues from mining and metallurgical industries: A comprehensive review

For decades, the world has experienced a steadily increasing demand in the extraction of a variety of different minerals from the earth's crust through mining processes. This has resulted in two major consequences: i) depletion of limited mineral resources of the earth, and ii) generation of large amounts of residual products in the mining and metallurgical sectors, that are disposed of in tailing ponds or landfill sites. These issues have caused that the world is encountering with incredibly serious economic and environmental challenges. Reuse, repurposing and valorization of these residues have been determined as effective and sustainable approaches towards struggling with economic and environmental issues related to the exploitation of low-grade deposits. These residues are divided into several categories according to their chemical and mineralogical compositions, since these parameters play essential roles in their repurposing/valorization. Among these residues, aluminosilicate bearing residues have demonstrated promising potential as inexpensive raw resources to produce valuable materials. In the recent years, these residues have been intensively investigated for their use in the production of cost-effective zeolites, which are crucial materials for catalysis and adsorption–separation industries. This alternative in zeolite production is of continuous interest in the field of zeolite science due to: i) important reduction in zeolite production costs, ii) sustainable development concepts as well as iii) helping to tackle the environmental concerns related to long-term management of residues. Herein, the endeavor is to discuss about the state-of-the-art technologies for zeolitization of aluminosilicate bearing residues including coal fly ash, clay minerals residues, Li slag, Al production residues, with an emphasis on the ongoing struggles in improvement of their corresponding zeolitization processes. • Valorization of mining and metallurgical residues can result in sustainable development. • Aluminosilicate bearing residues can contain zeolite precursors. • Several synthesis procedures exist to produce zeolites form aluminosilicate residues. • Zeolitization of aluminosilicate residues is influenced by a wide range of parameters. • More researches on technology development, process optimization as well as economic assessment are still needed.

Evaluation of PVA/Chitosan Cryogels as Potential Tissue Engineering Scaffolds; Synthesis, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity investigations

Cryogelation has become an advantageous method to obtain macro-porous materials with well-defined, interconnected pores for tissue engineering applications. Herein, polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan polymers (PVA-CHI) were used to produce cryogel scaffolds via cryogelation. Glutaraldehyde was used as a crosslinking agent and the effect of crosslinking amount on the properties of scaffolds investigated. Glutaraldehyde amount was divided into 5, 10, and 15% total amount of polymer concentration. The optimized pore morphology was obtained as a scaffold containing 5% glutaraldehyde amount. In addition to the FTIR, SEM, swelling, and degradation analyses, mechanical tests were performed to present the characterization properties of the cryogels. Direct and indirect cytotoxicity test and genotoxicity experiments were performed with Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEF). In addition, cell morphologies on scaffolds were analyzed with SEM. The results showed that PVA-CHI based cryogels had no genotoxic and cytotoxic effects on MEF cells and have a potential for tissue engineering applications.

Synthesis and characterization of a polyurethane-polyaniline macroporous foam material for methyl orange removal in aqueous media

In this work, it is reported the development of a polyurethane/polyaniline (PU-PANI) material that can be used as an adsorbent for azo dyes from aqueous solutions. This material was synthetized by incorporating PANI into the surface of a macroporous PU foam by an in situ chemical polymerization method. The characterization results of the material with SEM and FTIR confirmed the presence of PANI deposited on the surface of the macroporous PU foam. The adsorption capacity of the PU-PANI material was evaluated by performing experiments in batch mode using methyl orange (MO) at different pHs, interaction time and initial concentration. The adsorbed amount of MO in the first minutes of interaction is high, reaching a 32.5% of removal from its total capacity in just 5 min. The adsorption process in the material stabilizes after 30 h of interaction and the adsorption kinetics follows the Elovich and the intraparticular diffusion models. The PU-PANI material possesses a maximum experimental adsorption capacity of 255 mg/g at pH 5.0, following a Sips isotherm. The adsorption and desorption capacity of the material was evaluated, showing that it can be reused up to 10 cycles without significantly decreasing in its removal capacity. The results obtained in this work are compared with literature, it can be said that the PU-PANI material is a promising material for azo dyes removal in aqueous media.

Mechanochemical Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles and Their Self-organization at Interfaces to Produce Emulsion-Templated Photocatalytic Porous Polymers

Mechanochemical synthesis methods are solid-state processes that constitute an alternative to those based on the use of liquid solvents. Mechanochemical methods have potential for industrial use as they are simple, scalable and environmental friendly. The solid-state reactions in mechanochemical synthesis can be used to obtain nanoparticles with small size and well-controlled crystallinity, at very low cost. Herein, we report on the mechanochemical synthesis of TiO2 photocatalytic nanoparticles, with controlled particle size and crystalline structure. Moreover, we also show that the bandgap of these TiO2 nanoparticles can be modified by carbon doping, so that they can display photocatalytic activity under visible light. The photocatalytic performance of various TiO2 nanoparticles has been evaluated by measuring the degradation of dyes. Moreover, upon convenient surface hydrophobization, the TiO2 nanoparticles can adsorb on liquid/liquid interfaces and become good stabilizers for highly concentrated emulsions. Such particle-stabilized emulsions were used as templates for the preparation of macroporous photocatalytic materials with a polymer matrix (photocatalytic polyHIPE).Graphical Abstract

Enhancement of conductivity, mechanical and biological properties of polyaniline-poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) cryogels by phytic acid

Polyaniline-based cryogels were prepared by oxidative cryopolymerization in the presence of various concentrations of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) and phytic acid used as a polymer support and a dopant, respectively. Mechanical strength and handling stability of the resulting macroporous materials (pore size up to 70 μm) were significantly improved by the addition of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) into the polymerization system compared to the cryogels crosslinked only by phytic acid. Increase of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) concentration in the reaction medium above 5 wt%, while not noticeably changing mechanical properties, was found to lead to a decrease of conductivity and specific surface area. Introduction of optimal amount of phytic acid (0.2 M) as an additional codopant, in opposite, allowed enhancement of the material conductivity and specific surface area as well as increase of their tensile modulus. Polyaniline-poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) cryogels containing phytic acid also showed better cytocompatibility due to lower cytotoxicity and improved cell adhesion and proliferation.