GG-g-(AA-co-AM-co-APA) IPN superadsorbent, characterization of loaded microstructures and individual/synergistic adsorption mechanism of MB/SF/Pb(ii)/Cd(ii)/Cu(ii) are reported.

Superadsorbent hydrogel with excellent physicochemical properties is used for mere/synergic chemisorption of dyes and M(ii).

Grafting of guar gum (GG) and in situ strategic attachment of acrylamidosodiumpropanoate (ASP) via solution polymerization of acrylamide (AM) and sodium acrylate (SA) resulted in the synthesis of a sustainable GG- g -(AM- co -SA- co -ASP)/GGAMSAASP interpenetrating polymer network (IPN)-based smart superadsorbent with excellent physicochemical properties and reusability, through systematic optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) for removal of methyl violet (MV) and/or Hg(II). The relative effects of SA/AM ratios, in situ allocation of ASP, grafting of GG into the AMSAASP terpolymer, ligand-selective superadsorption mechanism, and relative microstructural changes in individually/synergistically-adsorbed MV–/Hg(II)–/Hg(II)–MV–GGAMSAASPs were determined by extensive analyses using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), and O 1s-/N 1s-/C 1s-/Hg 4f 7/2,5/2 -X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy and were supported by % gel content, pH PZC , and % graft ratio. The ionic/covalent-bonding, monodentate, bidentate bridging, and bidentate chelating coordination between GGAMSAASPs and Hg(II), and MV + –Hg(II) bonding were rationalized by FTIR, UV–vis, fitment of kinetics data to the pseudo-second-order model, and thermodynamic parameters. The maximum adsorption capacities of 49.12 and 53.28 mg g –1 were determined for Hg(II) and MV, respectively, under optimized conditions.

Biocompatible, nonconventional, multifunctional, purely aliphatic, light-emitting terpolymers, i.e., acrylonitrile-co-3-(N-isopropylacrylamido)propanenitrile-co-N-isopropylacrylamide (AN-co-NIPAMPN-co-NIPA, 1) and acrylonitrile-co-3-(N-hydroxymethylacrylamido)propanenitrile-co-N-hydroxymethylacrylamide (AN-co-NHMAMPN-co-NHMA, 2), were designed and synthesized via N−H-functionalized C−C + N−C-coupled in situ protrusions/grafting of fluorophore monomers, i.e., NIPAMPN and NHMAMPN, by solution polymerization of two highly hydrophobic nonemissive monomers in water. These scalable and reusable 1 and 2 were suitable for high-performance three-in-one applications, such as Fe(III) sensors, imaging of Madin−Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and human lung cancer (A549) cells, and security inks. The structures of 1 and 2, N− C-coupled in situ attachments/grafting of third fluorophore monomers, grafting events, and aggregation-enhanced emissions (AEEs), were analyzed by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet−visible (UV−vis) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), fluorescence imaging, and fluorescence lifetime. The geometries, electronic structures, and absorption/emission properties of 1 and 2 at optimized compositions were examined by density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent DFT (TDDFT), and natural transition orbital (NTO) analyses. The limits of detection were 3.20 × 10 −7 and 1.37 × 10 −7 M for 1 and 2, respectively. The excellent biocompatibility of 1 and 2 was confirmed by >95% retention of MDCK and A549 cell morphologies.

Unorthodox synthesis of natural polymer-g-terpolymer superadsorbent for exclusion of M(ii/iii).