Design and fabrication of photoactive imidazole-based poly(ether-imide)s and a polyimide/HBP-modified SiO composite: toward high heat-resistance, antimicrobial activity and removal of heavy metal ions

• Published in: RSC advances 2021-07, Vol.11 (38), p.23574-23588
• Main Authors: Khaki, Diyari, Namazi, Hassan, Amininasab, S. Mojtaba
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ra03827c

This article describes the synthesis and properties of novel imidazole-based aromatic polyimides (PIs) containing bulky groups from direct polycondensation of two diamines with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and (hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA). The structure-property relationship of the prepared samples was fully determined via FT-IR, 1 H and 13 C NMR and elemental analysis (CHN) techniques. The inherent viscosity values of the polyimides ranged from 0.51 to 0.73 dL g −1 . These PIs showed glass transition temperatures ranging from 273 to 306 °C, and 10% mass loss temperatures within the range of 478-504 °C in a N 2 atmosphere. High transparency with a UV-visible absorption cut-off wavelength was found to range between 285 and 300 nm. Good antimicrobial activity can be correlated with the presence of xanthene and imidazole units into the main structure of PIs. Next, SiO 2 nanoparticles as inorganic nanoparticles were added to one of the synthesized polyimides (BTDA-PIb), causing changes in the attributes of both the nanoparticles and PI. The data obtained from examining the properties of the prepared BTDA-PIb/HBP@SiO 2 demonstrated increased heat resistance, photoluminescence intensity, and antimicrobial inhibition compared to pure PI. Also, in this article, the polymeric samples as adsorbents were evaluated for extraction of heavy metal ions (Hg 2+ and Co 2+ ) from water sources. Novel thermostable, photoactive, and solvable poly(ether-imide)s containing imidazole-based pendant groups and a BTDA-PIb/HBP@SiO 2 composite were synthesized and used due to their antimicrobial activity and as an adsorbent to remove heavy metal ions.