Efeito da adição de magnetita em processo de polimerização de poli(estireno-co-divinilbenzeno) quanto à distribuição do tamanho de partículas

Abstract

Magnetic polymeric materials have a wide field of application due to their characteristics, combining adsorptive properties with the ease of handling their particles through external magnetic fields. In this work, the effect of adding magnetite [Fe3O4] to poly(styrene-codivinylbenzene)/magnetite [Sty-DVB/Fe3O4] composition on the homogeneity obtained in terms of particle size compared with the same material without the iron oxide was studied. For the polymerizations, the ratio of 4 % of DVB in volume of styrene used was maintained, forming a gel-like resin. The samples were characterized by laser diffraction and optical microscopy. Ion exchange test was performed with samples after sulfonation using 0.1 N NaOH, determined by titration with 0.1 N H2SO4 (phenolphthalein as indicator), to determine the amount of exchanged ions. The results showed that the copolymer without magnetite had more uniform particles and a larger average diameter compared to the copolymer with magnetite. Optical microscopy images showed impact on particle homogeneity with the addition of Fe3O4, with formation of small aggregates, presence of lateral droplets and impaired sphericity. Ion exchange test showed greater adsorption capacity by the Sty-DVB/Fe3O4 sample. The results contribute to the efforts to compose an adsorbent resin with magnetic properties, justifying the search for the optimization of the synthesis process.