Synthesis of temperature-responsive anion exchanger via click reaction

The temperature-responsive anion exchanger was synthesized by immobilizing the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), a kind of the temperature-responsive polymer, on the external surface of mesoporous silica via click reaction. The structure of this synthesized composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis, and nitrogen adsorption experiment. The amount of PNIPAM immobilized on the external surface of mesoporous silica, which was calculated from the weight loss measured by thermogravimetry, increased from 5.3 wt.% to 12.9 wt.% (dry) depending on the amount of PNIPAM added in the click reaction. The adsorption-desorption behavior of methyl orange (MO) ions in this synthesized anion exchanger was affected by the temperature of aqueous solution: the MO ions were adsorbed and desorbed reversibly and repeatedly with changing the pH of the solution at 25 °C, while the amount of adsorbed MO ions remained nearly constant at about 0.05 mmol/g independent of the pH of the solution at 40 °C. Also, the amount of PNIPAM immobilized on the mesoporous silica influenced the adsorption rate of MO ions, suggesting that the adsorption rate in this composite is controlled by the diffusion of MO ions through the PNIPAM layer.