Synthesis, characterization and analytical applications of Ni(II)-ion imprinted polymer

Ion recognition-based separation techniques have received much attention because of their high selectivity for target ions. In this study, we have prepared a novel ion imprinted polymer (IIP) to remove nickel ions with high selectivity. The imprinted polymer was prepared by copolymerization of 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with nickel vinylbenzoate complex in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker. The polymerization was carried out in bulk with free radical initiation using 2-methoxy ethanol as a solvent and porogen. The adsorbed nickel was completely eluted with 15mL of 1M HCl. Control polymer was also prepared by similar experimental conditions without using imprint ion. The above synthesized polymers were characterized by surface area measurements, FT-IR, microanalysis and SEM analysis. The adsorption capacity of IIP and CP was found to be 1.51 and 0.65 mmol g(-1), respectively. The optimal pH for quantitative enrichment was 6.5. Nature of eluent, eluent concentration and eluent volume were also studied. The relative selectivity factor (alpha(r)) values of Ni(II)/Zn(II),Ni(II)/Cu(II) and Ni(II)/Co(II) were 78.6, 111.1 and 91.6, respectively. Five replicate determinations of 30 mu gL(-1) of Ni(II) gave a mean absorbance of 0.067 with a relative standard deviation of 1.06%. The lowest concentration determined by GTA-AAS below which the recovery becomes non-quantitative is 6 mu gL(-1). IIP was tested for removal of Ni(II) from sea water sample. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.