Development of Silver-Nanoparticle-Decorated Emulsion-Templated Hierarchically Porous Poly(1-vinylimidazole) Beads for Water Treatment

Abstract

Water, the driver of nature, has always been polluted by the blind hurling of highly toxic contaminants, but human-friendly science has continuously been presenting better avenues to help solve these challenging issues. In this connection, the present study introduces novel nanocomposites composed of emulsion-templated hierarchically porous poly(1-vinylimidazole) beads loaded with the silver nanoparticles generated via an in situ approach. These nanocomposites have been thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The appropriate surface chemistry, good thermal stability, swelling behavior, porosity, and nanodimensions contributed to achieve very good performance in water treatment. Owing to their easier handling and separation, these novel nanocomposites are highly efficient to remove arsenic and eriochrome black T with decent adsorption capacities in addition to the inactivation and killing of Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria.

Polyacrylamide exotemplate-assisted synthesis of hierarchically porous nanostructured TiO2macrobeads for efficient photodegradation of organic dyes and microbes

“…The crosslinked PAM beads were synthesized by double (O/W/O) emulsion polymerization 41,42 with some modications. The clear solution of AM (0.96 g), BAM (0.24 g) and PVA (0.06) was prepared in deionized water (3 mL) and evenly mixed with a triton X-405 (650 mL) solution.…”

Silver-modified porous polystyrene sulfonate derived from Pickering high internal phase emulsions for capturing lithium-ion

“…24,25 Silver is an effective antibacterial agent, which has been immobilized on different support materials for a wide range of antimicrobial and antifouling performance applications. 26 To the best of our knowledge, using Pickering HIPEs to produce the nano-silver immobilized porous material was rarely reported.…”

Three hierarchical porous magnesium borate microspheres: a serial preparation strategy, growth mechanism and excellent adsorption behavior for Congo red

“…Adsorption is the most commonly used method due to its advantages of high efficiency, low cost, no secondary pollution, and simple operation process. 5,6 3D hierarchical porous materials with ultrahigh surface areas and large pore volumes have been extensively applied in water treatment. 7,8 Borate is a kind of important functional material because of its unique and rich structure.…”