Synthesis and characteristics of novel chelate fiber containing amine and amidine groups

A polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber was adopted for the backbone of a chelate polymer and poly(acryloamidino ethylene amine) (PAEA) was prepared through a one-step reaction between the PAN fiber and ethylenediamine (EDA). The maximum removal capacity and degree of substitution were 7.8 meq per gram of dried PAEA and 98%, respectively. The PAEA was tested as an adsorbent in single and two-component metal aqueous solutions under changing pH. The Cu²⁺ ion accomplished maximum adsorption amount at pH 3 and the order of maximum adsorbed amounts on PAEA is Cu²⁺ > Ag⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Pb²⁺ in molar basis. FT-IR spectroscopy was employed to characterize the chemical bonding in metal aqueous solutions and surface morphology was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).