Accelerated Sorption Diffusion for Cu(II) Retention by Anchorage of Nano-zirconium Dioxide onto Highly charged Polystyrene Material

The development of nanocomposite with strong adsorption ability exhibits great potential applications for environmental remediation. However, the pore blocking in preparation frequently constrains sorption diffusion, resulting in low utilization efficiency. Here we synthesized a new nano-ZrO2/Polystyrene (NZO-PS) material tailored with a specific fixed SO3-Na group to enhance Cu(II) removal. The NZO-PS exhibits efficient Cu(II) sequestration in a wide pH range (3.0-6.5) and preferential sorption performances. The efficient kinetic behavior and column applicability suggest the blocked pore channel is not a matter when presence of negatively charged moiety, which accelerates Cu(II) sorption diffusion and enrichment toward target active site. Moreover, the exhausted NZO-PS can be readily regenerated through HCl-NaCl binary solution. The preparation route can be extended to synthesize other functional composited materials. Simultaneously, the characteristics of simplicity, high-yield and regeneration provide some promising industrial merits.