A new functionalized mesoporous polymer with high efficiency for the removal of pollutant anions

Abstract

A new mesoporous polymer, mesoporous poly-triallylamine (MPTA-1), has been synthesized by a simple and facile in situ radical polymerization of triallylamine through organic–organic self-assembly of anionic or anionic/non-ionic mixed surfactant systems. Powder XRD and TEM image analysis suggests the presence of disordered wormhole-like mesopores in these samples. N₂ sorption analyses reveal bimodal pore size distributions on the nanoscale with moderately good surface areas (70–134 m² g⁻¹) for these MPTA-1 samples. Template-free protonated MPTA-1 samples carry positively charged nitrogen atoms in the mesoporous framework, which is reflected in its high anion exchange efficiencies from aqueous solutions. High anion exchange efficiency of MPTA-1 has motivated us to explore its potential application in the removal of pollutant anions such as CrO₄²⁻, MnO₄⁻, AsO₃³⁻, NO₃⁻ and PO₄³⁻, which can be present in significant quantities in various wastewater sources.