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Facile synthesis of silica‐polymer monoliths using nonionic triblock copolymer surfactant for efficient removal of radioactive pollutants from contaminated seawater
Author(s) -
Abdelmageed Nada,
ElSaid Waleed A.,
Younes Ahmed A.,
Atrees Mohamed S.,
Farag Abdelfatah B.,
Elshehy Emad A.,
Abdelkader Amr M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.51263
Subject(s) - materials science , adsorption , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , polymer , tetraethyl orthosilicate , chemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , composite material , engineering
Here, we introduce a highly porous functional mesoscopically silica‐polymer composite based on silica monolith‐conjugated thiourea/formaldehyde copolymer. The developed nanostructure enables selective and fast removal of the radioactive pollutants strontium (Sr[II]) and cesium (Cs[I]) ions from contaminated seawater. The silica/polymer composite was synthesized by introducing thiourea/formaldehyde solution into tetramethoxy orthosilicate/triblock copolymer emulsion. The chemical and textural features of the synthesized silica/thiourea‐formaldehyde polymer composite (SiO 2 ‐TUF) were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, high‐resolution transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, dynamic light scattering, thermal analysis, and N 2 adsorption/desorption measurements. The synthesized microporous SiO 2 ‐TUF showed excellent cesium and strontium ions removal ability, reaching a maximum adsorption capacity of 78.2 and 40.3 mg g −1 for Sr(II) and Cs(I), respectively. When tested with seawater contaminated with radioactive cesium and strontium, SiO 2 ‐TUF was able to selectively target Sr(II) and Cs(I) ions. Among the different types of adsorption isotherms investigated, Sips isotherm showed the best fit with R 2 > 0.990. The kinetic studies showed that the pseudo‐second‐order model gave the best description of the uptake process.