Pentynyl Ether of β-Cyclodextrin Polymer and Silica Micro-Particles: A New Hybrid Material for Adsorption of Phenanthrene from Water

• Main Authors: Jae Min Choi, Daham Jeong, Eunae Cho, Jae-Hyuk Yu, Muhammad Nazir Tahir, Seunho Jung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-01-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: pentynyl ethers of beta-cyclodextrin; silica micro-particles; hybridization; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; inclusion complex
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/1/10
• ISSN: 2073-4360

A new hybrid material for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from water was prepared by the polymerization of pentynyl beta-cyclodextrin (PyβCD) and silica micro-particles (SMP). Phenanthrene, being one of the important members of the PAH family and a potential risk for environmental pollution, was selected for this study. Results show that phenanthrene removal efficiency of the SMP was improved significantly after hybridization with PyβCD-polymer. Approximately 50% of the phenanthrene was removed in the first 60 min and more than 95% was removed in less than 7 h when 25 mL of the 2 ppm aqueous phenanthrene solution was incubated with the 100 mg of SMP-PyβCD-polymer material. Infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis show that the enhanced efficiency of the SMP-PyβCD-polymer compared to the unmodified SMP was due to the formation of the inclusion complexation of phenanthrene with the PyβCD. These results indicate that SMP-PyβCD polymers have a potential to be applied as molecular filters in water purification systems and also for waste water treatment.