Change in the Affinity of Ethylene Glycol Methacrylate Phosphate Monomer and Its Polymer Anchored on a Graphene Oxide Platform toward Uranium(VI) and Plutonium(IV) Ions.

The complexation behavior of the carbonyl and phosphoryl ligating groups bearing ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP) monomer and its polymer fixed on a graphene oxide (GO) platform was studied to understand the coordination ability of segregated EGMP units and polymer chains toward UO22+ and Pu4+ ions. The cross-linked poly(EGMP) gel and EGMP dissolved in solution have a similar affinity toward these ions. UV-initiator induced polymerization was used to graft poly(EGMP) on the GO platform utilizing a double bond of EGMP covalently fixed on it. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the GO and GO–EGMP was done to confirm covalent attachment of the EGMP via a −C–O–P– link between GO and EGMP. The extent of poly(EGMP) grafting on GO by thermal analyses was found to be 5.88 wt %. The EGMP units fixed on the graphene oxide platform exhibited a remarkable selectivity toward Pu4+ ions at high HNO3 conc. where coordination is a dominant mode involved in the sorption of ions. The ratio of distribution...