Synthesis and adsorption behaviors of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) brushes on silica particles by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Multifunctional Silica-Based Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Hybrid for Cu(II) and Sodium Oleate Adsorption in Beneficiation Wastewater

Beneficiation wastewater contains various types of pollutants, such as heavy metal ions and organic pollutants. In this work, a silica-based amphiphilic block copolymer, SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA, was obtained by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for Cu(II) and sodium oleate adsorption in beneficiation wastewater, using butyl methacrylate (BMA) as a hydrophobic monomer and 2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA) as a hydrophilic monomer. FTIR, TGA, NMR, GPC, XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms and TEM were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the hybrid adsorbent. The introduction of PBMA greatly increased the adsorption of sodium oleate on SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA. Adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption of Cu(II) or sodium oleate on SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA fitted the pseudo-second-order model well. Adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) on SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA were better described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, and sodium oleate on SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA was better described by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) and sodium oleate calculated from Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation reached 448.43 mg·g^-1 and 129.03 mg·g^-1, respectively. Chelation and complexation were considered as the main driving forces of Cu(II) adsorption, and the van der Waals force as well as weak hydrogen bonds were considered the main driving forces of sodium oleate adsorption. The adsorbent was recyclable and showed excellent multicomponent adsorption for Cu(II) and sodium oleate in the mixed solution. SiO₂-g-PBMA-b-PDMAEMA represents a satisfying adsorption material for the removal of heavy metal ions and organic pollutants in beneficiation wastewater.

Surface-Initiated Controlled Radical Polymerization: State-of-the-Art, Opportunities, and Challenges in Surface and Interface Engineering with Polymer Brushes

The generation of polymer brushes by surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) techniques has become a powerful approach to tailor the chemical and physical properties of interfaces and has given rise to great advances in surface and interface engineering. Polymer brushes are defined as thin polymer films in which the individual polymer chains are tethered by one chain end to a solid interface. Significant advances have been made over the past years in the field of polymer brushes. This includes novel developments in SI-CRP, as well as the emergence of novel applications such as catalysis, electronics, nanomaterial synthesis and biosensing. Additionally, polymer brushes prepared via SI-CRP have been utilized to modify the surface of novel substrates such as natural fibers, polymer nanofibers, mesoporous materials, graphene, viruses and protein nanoparticles. The last years have also seen exciting advances in the chemical and physical characterization of polymer brushes, as well as an ever increasing set of computational and simulation tools that allow understanding and predictions of these surface-grafted polymer architectures. The aim of this contribution is to provide a comprehensive review that critically assesses recent advances in the field and highlights the opportunities and challenges for future work.

Fabrication of triple responsive polymer brushes and their catalytic performance after loading palladium

The uniformly dispersed and structured silica nanoparticles were prepared and functionalized by amino and 2-bromoisobutyrate successively. The triple responsive polymer brushes were synthesized from the functionalized silica particles by SI-ATRP.

Challenges and developments of self-assembled monolayers and polymer brushes as a green lubrication solution for tribological applications

Surface initiated polymer brushes, grafted from self-assembled initiating monolayers on a contact surface, provide opportunities to develop innovative solutions for friction reduction in tribological systems.