Surface modified Nylon 6,6 and application for adsorption and detection of uranium in potable water

Several types of novel, surface modified, Nylon 6,6 films were prepared. The polymer surfaces were first subjected to controlled oxidation with potassium peroxydisulfate at 80 °C. Subsequently, functionalization by covalent incorporation of specific reactive dyes, amidoxime, tetraisopropyl diphosphonate or acetamide functional groups was performed. The amidoxime functions were introduced using methods: grafting of polyacrylonitrile on oxidized Nylon 6,6 films and modification with acrylonitrile catalyzed by sodium methoxide. Then, the acrylonitrile groups were hydrolyzed to amidoxime. The modification with tetraisopropyl diphosphonate and acetamide groups was performed by reaction of oxidized films with tetraisopropyl vinylidene diphosphonate and respectively chloroacetamide. All the materials obtained showed a very good adsorption towards uranium (VI) ions in potable water. The adsorbed uranium was analyzed by alpha spectroscopy. The adsorption rate at different temperatures and the effect of pH were studied.