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Green synthesis of polyacrylamide/polyanionic cellulose hydrogels composited with Zr-based coordination polymer and their enhanced mechanical and adsorptive properties

Polymer Journal volume 54, pages 515–524 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

As a class of typical supramolecular dynamic interactions, metal–ligand coordination has been widely used to fabricate high-performance hydrogels and coordination polymers (CPs). However, the synchronous achievement of functionalizing coordination hydrogels and shaping a stable CP through an in situ growing process in aqueous systems is still a challenge. In this paper, a series of polyacrylamide/polyanionic cellulose/Zr–CP (PAM/PAC/Zr–CP) composite hydrogels were prepared via acrylamide polymerization in aqueous solutions of PAC and disodium terephthalate (Na2BDC), followed by posttreatment in 0.1 M ZrOCl2 solution. The coordination of Zr(IV) clusters with carboxylates on PAC and BDC2− endows the hydrogels with improved strength and adsorption of methyl orange (MO). Increasing the PAC and/or Na2BDC amount in the precursor solution lowers the swelling ratio, tightens the network, and elevates the mechanical and MO-adsorptive properties of composite hydrogels, and the PAC dosage generates a more significant influence than the Na2BDC concentration owing to the greater contribution of PAC to the network structures and Zr–CP states than that of BDC2−. Specifically, over 5 MPa of compressive strength and 500 mg MO/g Zr of MO-adsorption capacity are attained. In brief, this work provides a facile and green approach to synthesize CP-based composite hydrogels with enhanced mechanical and adsorptive properties through strong metal–ligand coordination.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2021CX02043).

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  1. Beijing Engineering Research Center of Cellulose and Its Derivatives, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Chaolun Zheng, Jianquan Wang, Han Jiang, Ying Ma & Ziqiang Shao

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Zheng, C., Wang, J., Jiang, H. et al. Green synthesis of polyacrylamide/polyanionic cellulose hydrogels composited with Zr-based coordination polymer and their enhanced mechanical and adsorptive properties. Polym J 54, 515–524 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00590-z

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