title: Novel polymeric chelating fibers for selective removal of mercury and cesium from water.
abstract: We report here the synthesis and characterization of two new classes of chelating fibers, namely, (1) polymercaptopropylsilsesquioxane (PMPS) and (2) copper(II) ferrocyanide complexed with poly[1-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl]silsesquioxane (Cu-FC-PAEAPS) fibers. These fibers were evaluated for selective removal of trace amount of mercury and cesium ions respectively in the presence of competing metal ions from water. The PMPS and Cu-FC-PAEAPS fibers were prepared by coating their corresponding soluble prepolymers, which are derived from mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane and [1-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl]trimethoxysilane monomers, respectively, on a glass fiber substrate, followed by a cross-linking step at 120 degrees C. The fibers were characterized through infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These novel materials are extremely efficient in removing low concentrations of mercury and cesium ions from water in the presence of high concentrations of sodium or potassium ions. They were shown to remove trace mercury and cesium contaminants effectively to well below parts per billion concentrations under a variety of conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, 1304 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Chunqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yongqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Naismith
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Economy
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Talbott
mesh_terms: D002586:Cesium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011108:Polymers; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D011108:Polymers; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive; D002586:Cesium; D008628:Mercury