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Removal of copper ions using poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogel microspheres with controllable size prepared by W/O Pickering emulsions

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Abstract

Poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogel microspheres were prepared via Pickering emulsion polymerization with hydrophobic silica as emulsifiers. The functional groups and the morphology of the hydrogel microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The effect of the dosage of hydrophobic silica on Pickering emulsion polymerization was investigated, and the hydrogel microspheres with different particle sizes were used to remove copper ions in water. The results showed that the diameter (D) of the hydrogel microspheres was inversely proportional to the dosage (S) of the hydrophobic silica used. The size of the hydrogel microspheres mainly affected the adsorption equilibrium time, and the maximum adsorption capacity could reach 85 mg/g at pH = 5. The results of desorption experiment demonstrated that copper ions were adsorbed by hydrogel microspheres mainly through chemical interaction. Pickering emulsion polymerization was an efficient and environmentally friendly approach for the fabrication of granular hydrogels.

The novel poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogel microspheres have been fabricated by Pickering emulsion polymerization. Pickering emulsions have superiorities over conventional surfactant-stabilized emulsions, including low level in foaming, toxicity, and cost. Furthermore, the diameter of the emulsion droplets can be controlled by the dosage of solid particles, and the relationship between average particle diameter (D) of hydrogel microspheres and the dosage of hydrophobic silica (S) are consistent with the equation of D = 123 × S−0.948. Hydrogel microspheres with different particle sizes are used to adsorb copper ions in aqueous solution and exhibit excellent absorption properties.

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Funding

This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 50572088).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, China

    Songbai Yuan & Yongjun He

  2. Department of Health Products Technical Research & Development Center, Yunnan Baiyao Group Co. Ltd, Kunming, China

    Kegong Ning

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  1. Songbai Yuan
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Correspondence to Kegong Ning or Yongjun He.

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Yuan, S., Ning, K. & He, Y. Removal of copper ions using poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) hydrogel microspheres with controllable size prepared by W/O Pickering emulsions. Colloid Polym Sci 298, 1465–1472 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04715-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04715-3

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