Solid polymeric materials for detection, transfer, amplification and memory of chirality of optically active compounds

A process for the manufacture of solid polymeric materials based on syndiotactic polystyrene in its δ nanoporous crystalline form or on styrene copolymers with olefins CH2═CH—R, wherein R is an alkyl-aryl or a substituted aryl radical with 6-20 carbon atoms, or with other co-polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers, said copolymers being syndiotactic and crystallizable in δ nanoporous crystalline form, wherein said crystalline form is characterized by elongated morphologies with shape-ratio higher than 5 and minor size in the range 10-0.01 μm, said process comprising:

• (a) dissolution of syndiotactic polystyrene, syndiotactic styrene copolymers, or both with olefins CH2═CH—R, wherein R is an alkyl-aryl or a substituted aryl radical with 6-20 carbon atoms, or with other co-polymerizable ethylenically unsaturared monomers, in at least solvent selected from the group consisting of halogenated solvents, aromatic solvents, cyclic aliphatic solvents, and sulphur containing solvents, to obtain a solution of at least said polystyrene or said copolymers;
• (b) flow-crystallization of said solution of said polystyrene, said copolymers, or both on a support to obtain a semicrystalline sample;
• and
• (c) treatment of said semicrystalline sample with volatile guests of said polystyrene, said copolymers, or both, whereby said polystyrene, said copolymers, or both in said sample are obtained in δ nanoporous crystalline form.