Abstract: Grafting from polymerisation technique has been used to prepare Th(IV) ion-imprinted polyvinyl sulfonate (IIPVS)-bonded silica particles. The graft polymerisation of vinyl sulfonate (VS) on the surface of silica particles was achieved in aqueous medium through thermal decomposition of surface-bound azo initiators (60 °C) in the presence of thorium ion. The prepared material was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The entrapped template ion was then removed using 2 M HCl. The experimental batch rebinding data were successfully described by the Langmuir-Freundlich model. The prepared material was then packed to a PTFE micro-column (20 mm x 3.0 mm, id) to evaluate its efficiency in column operations prior to determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The limit of detection of the method and breakthrough capacity of the column was evaluated as 0.074 μg L-1 and 0.83 mg g-1, respectively. The selectivity of the prepared polymer towards Th(IV) ion was investigated in the presence of some foreign competitor ions, including U(VI). Finally, the proposed method has been used to determine Th(IV) ion in real samples
Template and target information: thorium ion, Th(IV)
Author keywords: Polyvinyl sulfonate, grafting from polymerisation, imprinted polymer, Th(IV), column operation