Fabrication of Eco-Friendly Polyelectrolyte Membranes Based on Sulfonate Grafted Sodium Alginate for Drug Delivery, Toxic Metal Ion Removal and Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) are a novel type of material that is in high demand in health, energy and environmental sectors. If environmentally benign materials are created with biodegradable ones, PEMs can evolve into practical technology. In this work, we have fabricated environmentally safe and economic PEMs based on sulfonate grafted sodium alginate (SA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). In the first step, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid (AMPS) and sodium 4-vinylbenzene sulfonate (SVBS) are grafted on to SA by utilizing the simple free radical polymerization technique. Graft copolymers (SA-g-AMPS and SA-g-SVBS) were characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, XRD and DSC. In the second step, sulfonated SA was successfully blended with PVA to fabricate PEMs for the in vitro controlled release of 5-fluorouracil (anti-cancer drug) at pH 1.2 and 7.4 and to remove copper (II) ions from aqueous media. Moreover, phosphomolybdic acids (PMAs) incorporated with composite PEMs were developed to evaluate fuel cell characteristics, i.e., ion exchange capacity, oxidative stability, proton conductivity and methanol permeability. Fabricated PEMs are characterized by the FTIR, ATR-FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDAX. PMA was incorporated. PEMs demonstrated maximum encapsulation efficiency of 5FU, i.e., 78 ± 2.3%, and released the drug maximum in pH 7.4 buffer. The maximum Cu(II) removal was observed at 188.91 and 181.22 mg.g–1. PMA incorporated with PEMs exhibited significant proton conductivity (59.23 and 45.66 mS/cm) and low methanol permeability (2.19 and 2.04 × 10−6 cm2/s).

Development and Utilization of Polyelectrolyte Membranes Based on Biomass and Agricultural Waste

“…9 Sodium alginate (SA), as a biomass material in the energy field, has attracted wide attention from scholars at home and abroad because of its good membrane formation, biodegradability, nontoxicity, low cost, and good biocompatibility. 10 However, in order to make pure alginate membrane practical, there is an urgent need to overcome its disadvantages of low proton conductivity and high water solubility. 11,12 conductivity of the composite membrane improved but also the dimensional stability and methanol resistance were enhanced.…”

“…It is estimated that global biomass production reaches approximately 130 billion tons annually . Sodium alginate (SA), as a biomass material in the energy field, has attracted wide attention from scholars at home and abroad because of its good membrane formation, biodegradability, nontoxicity, low cost, and good biocompatibility . However, in order to make pure alginate membrane practical, there is an urgent need to overcome its disadvantages of low proton conductivity and high water solubility. , Shaari et al.…”

BiVO4 As a Sustainable and Emerging Photocatalyst: Synthesis Methodologies, Engineering Properties, and Its Volatile Organic Compounds Degradation Efficiency

“…Along with these, a vast amount of toxic and harmful chemicals, heavy metals [3], ionic liquids [4], surfactants [5] agrochemicals, and pharmaceutical industry wastes, including drugs and antibiotics wastes [6], are discharged into fresh water. Organic effluents are highly carcinogenic, leading to a negative impact on the sustainability of water resources [7]. It is anticipated that up to 50% of people will face clean water disasters by 2025 because approximately 70% of industrial wastewater is not well treated and waste effluent is released directly into freshwater sources, causing the severe pollution of natural water bodies [8].…”

Metal-Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanomaterials for Photocatalytic Environmental Applications—A Review

“…In attending to the needs of the rising population of the world, rapid industrialization is taking place that is leading to the environmental pollution [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. One of the major sources of pollution is wastewater released mainly from chemical industries; this industrial wastewater contains high concentrations of organic waste and heavy metal ions; by their nature, these are highly poisonous and carcinogenic, causing negative impact on sustainability of water resources [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Recently, environmental remediation technologies such as adsorption, chemical oxidation, incineration, and biological oxidation have been used in all types of organic and toxic wastewater treatment and also have various advantages in solar energy utilization, sensing, environmental treatment, and biomedical applications.…”