Development of polystyrene based nanoparticles ions exchange resin for water purification applications

A poly(styrene-co-4-vinylbenzenesulfonic acid) copolymer nanoparticle ion exchanger has been developed using a precipitation polymerization technique. The factors that affect the polymerization process, including the polymerization time, polymerization temperature, initiator concentration, solvent polarity, and comonomer composition, were studied. The copolymer particle size and its ion-exchange capacity were controlled by varying the conditions of the polymerization process. The copolymer structure was investigated using FT-IR and TGA analyses. In addition, the particle size and morphology were investigated using a particle size analyzer and SEM, respectively. Finally, the developed ion-exchange nanoparticles were applied for water purification and the ion-exchange process was modeled.