Heavy metal sensors and sequestrating agents based on polyaromatic copolymers and hydrogels

Abstract

A series of readily available, amphiphilic pyrene- and perylene-containing fluorescent materials, derived from the co-polymerisation of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid with acrylate esters, can be used to detect heavy metal ions in the micromolar concentration range in aqueous solutions. The incorporation of these amphiphilic copolymers into semi-interpenetrating hydrogels also resulted in the irreversible removal of divalent Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions at neutral pH.