Hydrogels
Facilitated by Monovalent Cations and Their
Use as Efficient Dye Adsorbents
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
Gelation
behavior of lithocholate (LC<sup>–</sup>) mixed
with different monovalent cations in water was detected. The hydrogels
consisting of tubular networks were formed by introducing alkali metal
ions and NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> to lithocholate aqueous solutions
at room temperature. The formation of tubular structures was considered
to be mainly driven by the electrostatic interaction with the assistance
of a delicate balance of multiple noncovalent interactions. It is
interesting that the increase in temperature can induce a significant
enhancement in strength of the hydrogels, accompanied by the formation
of bundles of tubules and larger size aggregates. The mechanism of
the temperature-induced transition can be explained by the “salting-out”
effect and the electric double layer model. The hydrogels showed very
high adsorption efficiency and adsorption capability for the cationic
dyes and were promising to act as toxic substance adsorbents