Preparation of Self‐Assembled Starch‐Based Organometallic Polymers and Their Efficient Adsorption of Mercury Ion in Water

Abstract

Herein, a newly‐developed material called Thiourea@WOx/Starch Polymer (TH@WOx/SP) is prepared by a one‐pot and high yield solvothermal method. It is not only equipped with porous structure but also has a superior adsorption capacity. The relevant characterizations and adsorption performance are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Zeta potential analysis, and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Surprisingly, with its abundant active sites, the TH@WOx/SP reveals its excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metal and organics dye, as high as 2201.16 mg g−1 for Hg(II) and 175.01 mg g−1 for methylene blue (MB), finished within 30 and 90 min, respectively. These satisfactorily fast and high adsorption capacities not only come down to its concave–convex structure, but also to its enriched functional groups serving as anchor sites for Hg(II) and MB. The adsorption mechanism of Hg(II) and MB on TH@WOx/SP is carefully evaluated, which can be attributed to covalent coordination, ion exchange, π–π interactions, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic attraction. This work designs a new strategy to develop a novel porous metal organic polymer adsorbents and demonstrates its prospective application in the field of adsorption.