Functional core/shell PMMA/P(MMA-co-PDSECAE)-SH particles with thiol groups in the shell and their adsorption of heavy metal ions

The relationships between morphology and properties are important for functional polymer particles. In this work, stable core/shell PMMA/P(MMA- co -PDSECAE) (C/S) latexes with uniform particle size are first prepared through semi-continuous soap-free seeded emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-(((2-[pyridin-2-yldisulfanyl]ethoxy)carbonyl)amino) ethyl acrylate (PDSECAE), and thiol-functionalized core/shell PMMA/P(MMA- co -PDSECAE)-SH (C/S-SH) submicron particles (SPs) are then obtained by reduction of disulfide bonds with dithiothreitol (DTT). Adsorption behaviors of heavy metal ions on the SPs are investigated. Results show that, the C/S-SH SPs, with more thiol groups distributed closer to the surface, have nearly twice the Pb 2+ adsorption capacity of the homogeneous SPs prepared via batch emulsion polymerization. The C/S-SH SPs show strong selective adsorption capacities toward Hg 2+ and Pb 2+ , and maximum adsorption capacities reach 0.477 and 0.303 mmol g −1 , respectively. Due to their high selectivity, adsorption capacity, specific surface area and simple preparation process, these core/shell SPs have promising applications in water treatment.