Preparation and characterization of Zn(II) ion-imprinted polymer based on salicylic acrylate for recovery of Zn(II) ions

This work describes the synthesis of new ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) for selective solid phase extraction of Zn(II) ions from aqueous samples. IIPs were synthesized by copolymerization of salicylic acrylate (SA) as a functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker in the presence of 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The template ions were removed from IIPs particles by leaching with 0.1 M Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) which leaves cavities in the particles with the capability of selective extraction of the Zn(II) ions. The monomer and the polymer after synthesis have been characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and FT-IR studies. The effect of the pH on the extraction efficiency of Zn(II) ions was studied and optimized in pH around 6. The selectivity of the synthesized IIPs was studied in the presence of Co(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions, and the IIPs showed higher affinity for Zn(II) in the presence of other interfering ions.