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Chitosan is a biodegradable, non‐toxic, biocompatible polymer convenient for use in drug delivery. In this study, hybrid polymeric networks (HPNs) based on chitosan, itaconic acid and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared and characterized. Chitosan was dissolved in itaconic acid in order to obtain ionic crosslinking with the dicarboxylic acid. In the second step, this chitosan/itaconic acid network was mixed with PVA and chemically crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The chitosan/itaconic acid ratio was kept constant, while the concentrations of PVA and glutaraldehyde were varied. All samples were characterized using swelling studies, dynamic mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The equilibrium degrees of swelling obtained for the HPNs were higher than most of the values reported for chitosan hydrogels obtained by dissolving chitosan in acetic acid or HCl aqueous solutions. This method of synthesis also resulted in hydrogels with better mechanical properties and thermal stability. By changing the PVA content and the degree of crosslinking, it is possible to finely tune the properties of the HPNs, which could make them suitable as potential matrices in controlled drug delivery. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

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In this study, the removal of nickel (Ni(II)) by adsorption from synthetically prepared solutions using natural bentonites (Lieskovec (L), Hliník nad Hronom (S), Jelšový Potok (JP), and Stará Kremnička (SK)) was investigated. All experiments were carried out under batch processing conditions, with the concentration of Ni(II), temperature, and time as the variables. The adsorption process was fast, approaching equilibrium within 30 min. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of the four bentonite samples used were found to be 8.41, 12.24, 21.79, and 21.93 mg g–1, respectively. The results best fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with constant rates in a range of 0.0948–0.3153 g mg–1 min. The effect of temperature was investigated at temperatures of 20, 30, and 40 °C. Thermodynamic parameters, including standard enthalpy (ΔH0), Gibbs energy (ΔG0), and standard entropy (ΔS0), were calculated. The adsorption of Ni(II) by bentonite samples was an endothermic and spontaneous process. These results indicated that, of the bentonite samples used, the natural bentonites from JP and SK were most suitable for the removal of nickel from synthetically prepared solutions.

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