Preparation and application of Poly(AMPS-co-DVB) to remove Rhodamine B from aqueous solutions

A series of functional cross-linked polymer (Poly(AMPS-co-DVB)) were synthesized by 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and divinylbenzene (DVB). The physicochemical properties of the Poly(AMPS-co-DVB) were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, SEM, XRD, Zeta potential and UV-Vis. Those results showed that the Poly(AMPS-co-DVB) could provide mounts of adsorption sites from its special structure. The effects of the initial pH, dosage, contact time, and temperature on the adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB) onto the Poly(AMPS-co-DVB) were investigated. It was found that the initial pH was an important factor for the molecules form of RhB and the surface formation of Poly(AMPS-co-DVB). With increasing of molar ratio of AMPS/DVB, the adsorption efficiency increased gradually. In the adsorption process, both physical and chemical mechanism is presence to adsorb RhB. The maximum adsorption capacity could get 407.9 mg/g within 2 h at room temperature.