A simple scheme for grafting an ion-imprinted layer onto the surface of poly(propylene) fibers

Abstract

A simple method for surface ion-imprinting is described in which poly(glycidyl methacrylate) is grafted onto PP fibers to act as a binder to a Cu2+ ion-imprinted polymer layer. Mechanical and thermal analysis shows excellent tensile and thermal properties of the ion-imprinted fibers. Competitive adsorption of Cu2+ and other ions such as Zn 2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Mn2+, and Mg 2+ on the fibes is examined and a highly selective adsorption of Cu2+ is observed. The selectivity coefficient for Cu2+ with respect to Cd2+ can be as high as 20.2. Dynamic adsorption results indicate that the fibers are able to thoroughly remove Cu2+ from a solution. Regeneration performance tests show that the fibers maintain almost the same adsorption capacity for copper ions after 10 adsorption/desorption cycles. Polyethylenimine-modified ion-imprinted fibers are prepared by first grafting a poly(glycidyl methacrylate) functional layer onto poly(propylene) fibers and then reacting with a Cu2+ imprinted layer through a covalent bond. With satisfying thermal stability and mechanical properties, the ion-imprinted fiber shows a high adsorption capacity and a high selectivity for Cu2+. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.