Mohammad Mahbubor Rahman

Magnetite loaded cross-linked polystyrene composite particles prepared by modified suspension polymerization and their potential use as adsorbent for arsenic(III)

Magnetic particles have attracted much interest because they can be easily guided under the influence of magnetic field and are considered suitable in biomedical as well as in separation technology. In this work, magnetite (Fe3O4) loaded cross-linked polystyrene (PS) composite particles are prepared by a novel suspension polymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene (DVB) in presence of nanosized iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles dispersed in n-octane. The structure and surface properties are systematically characterized using FTIR, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The morphology and surface structure reveal that Fe3O4 nanoparticles are mostly dispersed within the P(S-DVB) copolymer layer. Finally the applicability of Fe3O4/P(S-DVB) composite polymer particles as adsorbent for toxic element like trivalent arsenic (As) has been investigated. Fe3O4/P(S-DVB) composite polymer particles exhibited good sorption efficiency compared to reference P(S-DVB) copolymer particles.