Complexes of heavy metals with nitrogen containing copolymers - electrochemical and physicomechanical properties

Recently, the polymer-metal complexes attracted the interest of many researchers due to their valuable electric, mechanical and thermal properties and the possibilities for their use as immobilized catalysts in various processes. The use of polymer carrier allows combining the properties of the matrix with the complex-forming ability of the ligands and reveals new perspectives for the design of new materials with an interesting complex of properties. Radiation initiated grafting is a wide field of polymer chemistry with numerous potential applications of industrial interest. 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) is a monomer polymerizing under initiation by radiation. The surface modification of polymer materials by radiation grafting of this monomer provides possibilities to prepare grafted polymers. Poly-4vinylpyridine (P4VP) and its copolymers are known for their versatility of the possible applications. The copolymer materials based on P4VP are used as membranes for retention of heavy metals [1–3], carriers for immobilization of biologically active substances [4], preparation of polymer adsorbents [5], polymer metal complexes with catalytically active centers [6–9] etc. The grafted poly-4-vinylpyridine forms stable complexes with transition metal ions and ions of metals of higher valence. The presence of nitrogen containing functional groups leads to formation of metal complexes when treated with solutions of heavy metal salts. The reactions of co-ordination of