Sorption of heavy metal ions by polyampholyte hydrogels
The ability of polyampholite hydrogels to form polymer-metal complexes, the structure of which was confirmed by IR spectroscopy, was studied. The results of equilibrium sorption treatment showed that Cu<sup>2+</sup> and Ni<sup>2+</sup> ions attach to the same active site, forming coordination complexes with Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions. It has been established that sorption proceeds according to the ion-exchange mechanism. It has been shown by thermogravimetry that the activation energy of the polymer-metal complexes PDA, BDA with Cu<sup>2+</sup>, and BDA with Ni<sup>2+</sup> is reduced compared to the initial polymers.