Modification of Sulfonated Polyethersulfone Membrane as a Selective Adsorbent for Co(II) Ions.

Gadeer R Ashour,Sara A Alqarni,Khalid A Alamry,Tariq R Sobahi,Mohd Rafatullah,Mahmoud A Hussein

doi:10.3390/polym13203569

Abstract

In the current study, a variety of sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES)-based ion-exchange membranes were prepared and utilized as efficient and selective solid adsorbents for the detection of Co(II) ions in aquatic solutions. SPES membranes were treated with a variety of cations at a 2:1 ratio overnight. The produced materials were assessed via XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and TGA analyses. The structure of these materials was confirmed by FT-IR and XRD, which also confirmed the inclusion of Na+, NH4+, and amberlite on the SPES surface successfully. TGA analysis showed that the thermal stabilities of these materials were enhanced, and the order of stability was NH4-SPES > SPES > Na-SPES > A-SPES. Furthermore, the efficiency of these modified membranes for the determination and adsorption of a variety of metal ions was also examined by the ICP-OES analytical technique. A-SPES expressed a powerful efficiency of adsorption, and it showed an efficient as well as quantitative adsorption at pH = 6. Moreover, A-SPES displayed the highest adsorption capacity of 90.13 mg/g for Co(II) through the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.

Highlights

Polysulfone (PS) is a huge group of sulfur-containing polymers, which are aromatic resins with sulfone and ether links in the backbone
Sodium, ammonium, and amberlite-containing cation-exchange membranes were produced successfully based on sulfonated PES for the detection and removal of Co(II) ions
The morphological studies of the sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES), Na-SPES, NH4-SPES, and A-SPES cation-exchange membranes indicated that the integration of these positively charged species to the SPES surface led to a covering of the pores in the SPES body

Summary

Introduction

Polysulfone (PS) is a huge group of sulfur-containing polymers, which are aromatic resins with sulfone and ether links in the backbone. PES is one of the most studied and commonly utilized materials in the production of synthetic polymer membranes [2,3]. SPES is used as a polymer composite for cation-exchange membranes (CEMs) [5,7,8]. A sulfonated polyethersulfone membrane was prepared for the dehydration of a water/ethanol mixture by pervaporation. SPES polymers were applied as an ion-exchange membrane and a pervaporation membrane. The addition of a sulfuric acid group into the polymer unit improved the polysulfone membrane hydrophilic property and made it a good material for dehydration [9]. Many studies have focused on improving polymer matrix properties by introducing a number of hydrophilic groups on SPES. It can cover the surface of SPES with several materials, such as PES [11]

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Conclusion