Allylimidazole containing OSTE based photocured materials for selective and efficient removal of gold from aqueous media

Adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics of Au(III) on chitosan/palm kernel fatty acid distillate/magnetite nanocomposites

This study examined the adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics of Au(III) onto chitosan/palm kernel fatty acid distillate/magnetite nanocomposites (CPMNs) to enhance the understanding of adsorption behavior and mechanisms. Adsorption experiments were conducted across various initial Au(III) concentrations, contact times, and temperatures. The experimental data were analyzed using nonlinear isotherm and kinetic models, and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated. The results revealed that the Langmuir model best fits the adsorption equilibrium data, showing a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 1.102-1.163 mmol/g (217-229 mg/g). The pseudo-first-order model best describes the kinetic data, suggesting first-order kinetics and a physisorption-dominated process. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous, endothermic, entropy-driven, and highly favorable, primarily governed by physisorption. This study provides significant insights into the adsorption mechanisms of CPMNs for Au(III), contributing to advancing cost-effective and eco-friendly adsorbents for industrial use, such as wastewater treatment and metal recovery in mining, metallurgy, and electronic waste recycling industries.

Healable Ionoelastomer Designed from Polymeric Ionic Liquid and Vitrimer Chemistry

The growing demand for all-solid flexible, stretchable, and wearable devices has boosted the need for liquid-free and stretchable ionoelastomers. These ionic conducting materials are subjected to repeated deformations during functioning, making them susceptible to damage. Thus, imparting cross-linked materials with healing ability seems particularly promising to improve their durability. Here, a polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) bearing allyl functional groups was synthesized based on the quaternization of N-allylimidazole with a copolymer rubber of poly(epichlorohydrin) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The resulting PIL was then cross-linked with dynamic boronic ester cross-linkers 2,2'-(1,4-Phenylene)-bis[4-mercaptan-1,3,2-dioxaborolane] (BDB) through thiol-ene "click" photoaddition. PEO dangling chains were additionally introduced for acting as free volume enhancers. The properties of the resulting all-solid PIL networks were investigated by tuning dynamic cross-linkers and dangling chain contents. Adjusting the cross-linker and dangling chain quantities yielded soft (0.2 MPa), stretchable (300%), and highly conducting ionoelastomers (1.6 × 10^-5 S·cm^-1 at 30 °C). The associative exchange reaction between BDB endowed these materials with vitrimer properties such as healing and recyclability. The recycled materials were able to retain their original mechanical properties and ionic conductivity. These healable PIL networks display a great potential for applications requiring solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, healing ability, and reprocessability.

Off-Stoichiometry Thiol–Enes Polymers Containing Silane Groups for Advanced Packaging Technologies

New modified off-stoichiometry thiol–enes polymers, called OSTE-MS polymers, were developed by introducing mercaptosilane into the polymer mixture. This modification made it possible to introduce silane groups into the polymer frame, due to which the polymer gained the ability to bond with silicon wafers without modification of the wafer surface by any adhesive. The optimal composition for creating 3D polymer structures on a chip was selected, which consists of a volume ratio of 6:6:1 of allyl monomer, mercapto monomer, and mercaptosilane, respectively. The hardness, shift force, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, optical transparency, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, and chemical resistance of the OSTE-MS polymer, and the viscosity for the prepolymer mixture were studied. On the basis of the OSTE-MS polymer, 3D polymer structures of the well type and microfluidic system on the silicon chips were obtained.

A Switchable Solvent-Based Liquid Phase Microextraction Method for the Detection of Cadmium in Water Samples with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

BACKGROUND

The natural concentration of trace elements in water and soil depends on the geological, geomorphological, and climate characteristics of the region. The rapid increase of technology in recent years has increased concentrations of trace elements in nature.

OBJECTIVE

Separation and enrichment methods are needed to detect trace amounts of heavy metals that cannot be detected due to the detection limit of the instruments or the matrix effect in samples. Recently, low hazard solvents compatible with green chemistry have been used in preconcentration/separation studies of Cd(II).

METHODS

Switchable solvent-based liquid phase microextraction is an environmentally-friendly, simple, and fast procedure for the determination of Cd(II) ions in environmental samples combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS).

RESULTS

The switchable polarity solvent was prepared with N,N-dimethyl-n-octylamine. 2-(5-Bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino) phenol was used as the complexing agent. Important parameters such as pH, amount of switchable polarity solvent and NaOH, as well as ligand and sample volume, all of which might affect the microextraction efficiency were optimized. Under optimal experimental conditions, linear range was found to be between 5 and 500 µg/L. The limit of detection, preconcentration factor, and relative standard deviation were 0.89 μg/L, 150, and 3.2%, respectively.

HIGHLIGHTS

The accuracy of our method was confirmed by the analysis of certified reference material SPS-WW1 Batch 106 (Waste Waters). The developed procedure was successfully applied to determine the cadmium contents of environmental water samples. We believe that this environmentally-friendly method will be useful in detecting Cd(II) ions in water samples.

An Imidazole Thione-Modified Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane for Selective Detection and Adsorptive Recovery of Au(III) from Aqueous Solutions

Developing a material toward simultaneous detection and recovery of gold ions (Au(III)) is highly desirable for the economy and the environment. Herein, we report a highly efficient dual-function material for simultaneous Au(III) detection and recovery by simply introducing abundant imidazole thione and thioether groups in one system. This material, that is, an imidazole thione-modified polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-2), was prepared by a mild reaction of an imidazolium-containing POSS and sulfur at ambient temperature. The POSS-2 suspension in water can rapidly and selectively detect Au(III) with a very low limit of detection of 1.2 ppb by fluorescence quenching or a visualized color change from white to dark orange. POSS-2 can also selectively and efficiently capture Au(III) with a maximum adsorption uptake of 1486.5 mg/g. The adsorption process well fits with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir models. The intriguing dual-function performance is better than most of the previous Au(III) probes or adsorbents. The mechanism study reveals that the detection and adsorption behavior are mainly caused by the redox reaction and coordination between imidazole thione and thioether groups and Au(III). Furthermore, POSS-2 was successfully utilized to extract gold without interference from a discard CPU. These results indicate the potential application of the present dual-function material for Au(III) detection and recovery from aqueous solutions. More dual-functional materials could be designed and prepared by this simple strategy.