Synthesis, Characterization, Evaluation of Potassium Tertatitanium Whisker Surface Ni(II) Ion-Imprinted Polymers and Selective Adsorption of Nickel

Abstract

Ni(II) ion-imprinted polymers(Ni(II)-IIPs) was synthesis by the method of surface ion-imprinting in combination with sol-gel process, and prepared by the Ni(II) as template ion, Chitosan(CTS) as functional monomer, γ-Glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (KH560) as linking agent, potassium tertatitanium whisker as carrier. After removing Ni(II) ion from the polymer, Ni(II)-IIPs capable of selectively rebinding Ni(II) ion were obtained. The prepared material was characterized by using the infrared spectra (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A batch of adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate its adsorption behavior of Ni(II) using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The effect of solution pH, sorbent amount on the extraction of Ni(II) from aqueous solutions were studied. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ni(II) on polymer beads was about 33.1 mg•g−1. The Ni(II)-IIPs have a greater affinity for Ni(II) with respect to Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Mg(II), Mn(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) ions. Ni(II)-IIPs enabled the selective extraction of Ni(II) from a complex matrix. The prepared functional polymer was shown to be promising for selective pre-separation and enrichment of trace Ni(II) in environmental samples.