Porphyrin based Cryogel for water remediation

New adsorbent resins based on the copolymerization of methacrylate and/or vinyl moieties to eliminate organic or inorganic toxic species from water were described. Cryo-based and/or traditional chain growth polymerization was employed to achieve materials having peculiar morphologies, functionalizing them ad-hoc to chelate and remove specific molecules. By adding acrylate porphyrin units as a comonomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and acrylic acid (AA), photodegradation efficiency under visible light irradiation can be accomplished after the pollutant adsorption. Additionally, porphyrin units can be used to capture heavy metals such as us mercury. For this purpose, an acrylic monomer containing a porphyrin unit was specifically synthesized to be soluble in water. The synthesis was followed by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) giving a yield of 97%. The as-obtained monomer was copolymerized with HEMA and/or AA by using different concentrations up to 20% in weight of the total materials. The Cryogels were subsequently added with graphene oxide(GO) in water dispersion and subjected to lyophilization. GO was added as a cocatalyst to improve the photocatalytic activity of the organic semiconductor. The materials were characterized by thermal, chemical, physical, and morphological methods to assess the nature and formation of the crosslinking structures. Adsorption and photocatalytic tests were performed using diclofenac and 2,4 D as pollutant references. Besides, the capability of porphyrin-based cryogel in sequestering heavy metal ions was proven by using mercury and Lead. The kinetic and adsorption models have also been investigated as well as the recyclability of the materials after their use in up five steps