Fabrication of Polyelectrolyte Membranes of Pectin Graft-Copolymers with PVA and Their Composites with Phosphomolybdic Acid for Drug Delivery, Toxic Metal Ion Removal, and Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

In this study, a simple method for the fabrication of highly diffusive, adsorptive and conductive eco-friendly polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) with sulfonate functionalized pectin and poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) was established. The graft-copolymers were synthesized by employing the use of potassium persulfate as a free radical initiator from pectin (PC), a carbohydrate polymer with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid (AMPS) and sodium 4-vinylbenzene sulphonate (SVBS). The PEMs were fabricated from the blends of pectin graft-copolymers (PC-g-AMPS and PC-g-SVBS) and PVA by using a solution casting method, followed by chemical crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The composite PEMs were fabricated by mixing phosphomolybdic acid with the aforementioned blends. The PEMs were successfully characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDAX studies. They were assessed for the controlled release of an anti-cancer drug (5-fluorouracil) and the removal of toxic metal ions (Cu2+) from aqueous media. Furthermore, the composite PEMs were evaluated for fuel cell application. The 5-fluorouracil release capacity of the PEMs was found to be 93% and 99.1% at 300 min in a phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4). The highest Cu2+ removal was observed at 206.7 and 190.1 mg/g. The phosphomolybdic acid-embedded PEMs showed superior methanol permeability, i.e., 6.83 × 10−5, and 5.94 × 10−5, compared to the pristine PEMs. Furthermore, the same trend was observed for the proton conductivities, i.e., 13.77 × 10−3, and 18.6 × 10−3 S/cm at 30 °C.

Pharmaceutical and drug delivery applications of pectin and its modified nanocomposites

“… It is non-toxic and blood-compatible. [ 100 ] P/ZnO hybrid NCs Donepezil The nanocomposite had more drug adsorption (273.91 mg/g) than the parent gel (35.55 mg/g). In vitro drug release studies revealed that the NCs increased drug desorption by up to 88% over a 5-day period when compared to the parent gel (46% over a 120-h period).…”

Metal-Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanomaterials for Photocatalytic Environmental Applications—A Review

“…In attending to the needs of the rising population of the world, rapid industrialization is taking place that is leading to the environmental pollution [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. One of the major sources of pollution is wastewater released mainly from chemical industries; this industrial wastewater contains high concentrations of organic waste and heavy metal ions; by their nature, these are highly poisonous and carcinogenic, causing negative impact on sustainability of water resources [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Recently, environmental remediation technologies such as adsorption, chemical oxidation, incineration, and biological oxidation have been used in all types of organic and toxic wastewater treatment and also have various advantages in solar energy utilization, sensing, environmental treatment, and biomedical applications.…”

Polyelectrolyte Membrane Nanocoatings Aimed at Personal Protective and Medical Equipment Surfaces to Reduce Coronavirus Spreading

“…There are many reports of the successful application of layer-by-layer nanocoatings on the design of antimicrobial surfaces. Polyelectrolyte membranes, a type of material in high demand in health and environmental sectors, can play an essential role in this purpose [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”