Synthesis and characterization of a thermally stable strongly acidic Cd(II) ion selective composite cation-exchanger: Polyaniline Ce(IV) molybdate

A polymer supported organic–inorganic composite and strongly acidic cation-exchanger polyaniline Ce(IV) molybdate was chemically synthesized and demonstrated to be an excellent ion-exchange material due to its high selectivity for Cd(II), thermal stability and fast elution of an exchangeable H+ ion. The material was characterized for its ion exchange properties to study its cation-exchange behavior. Cd(II) selectivity depends upon the distribution coefficient in several solvent systems. The selectivity of this material varied depending upon its composition and the composition of the eluting solvent. Its selectivity was examined and some important binary separations such as Cd(II)–Pb(II), Cd(II)–Hg(II), Cd(II)–Zn(II) and Cd(II)–Ni(II) were also achieved. The physico-chemical properties of the material were also studied using C, H, N elemental analysis, ICP-MS, FTIR, TGA–DTA, X-ray and SEM studies.