UV-radiation curing of simultaneous interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels for enhanced heavy metal ion removal

Simultaneous interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels have been prepared by UV-initiated polymerization of a mixture of acrylamide (AM) and triethylene glycol divinyl ether (DVE-3). The consumption of each monomer upon UV-irradiation was monitored in situ by real-time infrared (RTIR) spectroscopy. The acrylamide monomer AM was shown to polymerize faster and more extensively than the vinyl ether monomer DVE-3, which was further consumed upon storage of the sample in the dark, due to the living character of the cationic polymerization. The IPN hydrogels were used to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solution under the non-competitive condition. The effects of pH values of the feed solution and the DVE-3 content in the formulation on the adsorption capacity were investigated. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity of the IPN hydrogels increased with the pH values and DVE-3 content in the formulation. Furthermore, the synergistic complexation of metal ions with two polymer networks in the IPN was found in the adsorption studies. Adsorption kinetics and regeneration studies suggested that the IPN hydrogels could be used as fast-responsive and renewable sorbent materials in heavy metal removing processes.