Synthesis and characterization of poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide-acrylic acid) smart polymer microgels for adsorptive extraction of copper(II) and cobalt(II) from aqueous medium: kinetic and thermodynamic aspects.

Extraction of toxic heavy metal ions from aqueous medium using poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide-acrylic acid) (P(NiPmA-Ac)) microgels as adsorbent has been investigated in present study. P(NiPmA-Ac) microgel particles were prepared by free radical precipitation polymerization in aqueous medium. Morphology and size of the prepared microgel particles was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis of pure and metal ion-loaded microgel particles was performed to confirm the presence of various functionalities of microgel particles and their interaction with metal ions extracted from aqueous medium. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the thermal stability and thermal behavior of pure and metal ion-loaded microgel particles. Contents of metal ions loaded into microgel particles were determined by TGA analysis. It was observed that P(NiPmA-Ac) particles have a potential to extract Cu2+ and Co2+ ions from aqueous medium. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm model best interprets the adsorption process as compared with the Langmuir model. Value of R2 according to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm was found to be 0.994 and 0.993 for Cu2+ and Co2+ ions, respectively. Adsorption process was followed by pseudo second order kinetics for Cu2+ and Co2+ ions with R2 values of 0.999 for both metal ions. Thermodynamic study showed that adsorption process was spontaneous, feasible, and endothermic in nature. Entropy was decreased at adsorbate-adsorbent interface during adsorption process. Adsorbent was recycled and reused for removal of Cu2+ ions, and adsorption efficiency was found to be maintained up to three cycles. Microgel particles also have ability to extract Cu2+ ions efficiently from electroplating wastewater. Graphical abstract.