Adsorption of uranyl ion onto an anthraquinone based ion-imprinted copolymer

A new nano-sized uranyl ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) material based on 1-hydroxy-2-(prop-2′-enyl)-9,10-anthraquinone (HAQ) as a functional vinylated ligand has been prepared by using the radical precipitation technique. The interaction between uranyl ion and HAQ was investigated spectrophotometrically in the prepolymerization solution. The resulting UO22+-HAQ complex was copolymerized with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA), as a cross-linking monomer. The entrapped uranyl ion was then removed from the polymeric matrix with 2 M HCl. The resulting powder material was characterized using IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The influence of pH on the adsorption of uranyl ion was investigated in the range from 1.5 to 7.0. The results of a kinetic study revealed that more than 95% of uranyl ions can be adsorbed within 5 min. The experimental adsorption data were successfully described by the Langmuir-Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the imprinted polymer was calculated as 52.11 μmol g−1. Finally, selectivity of the prepared polymer toward uranyl ion was investigated in the presence of some foreign metal ions.