Researchers from Xinjiang University Describe Findings in Oxides

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Life Science Weekly -- Researchers detail new data in Oxides. According to news reporting originating in Urumqi, People's Republic of China, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "The temperature-sensitive Cu(II) ion imprinted polymer (Cu(II)-MIIP) materials were prepared via precipitation polymerization methods in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) by using methanol as cosolvent.

In the polymerization process, the polymerization mixture consists of copper ion, N-isopropylacrylamide (functional monomer), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (crosslinker), and 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (initiator)."The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Xinjiang University, "Non-imprinted polymer particles were similarly prepared in the same way except for the presence of copper ion in the polymerization reaction. In this study, the characteristic of swelling/shrinking for Cu(II)-MIIP in response to the change in temperature was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and photograph of swelling/shrinking for Cu(II)-MIIP in deionized water.

The above-synthesized polymer particles were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared, thermo-gravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Furthermore, the complete removal of the copper metal ion from the CuP was confirmed by atomic absorption spectroscopy."According to the news reporters, the researchers concluded: "The selectivity adsorption of polymer materials was investigated from dilute aqueous solutions, and it was found to have an imprinting efficiency of 2.13 for Zn and Co ions."