Sorption properties of carbamoylmethylphosphonated-based polymer combining both sorption and thermosensitive properties: New valuable hydrosoluble materials for rare earth elements sorption

The sorption properties of gadolinium (Gd) by an original carbamoylmethylphosphonate (cmp)-based acrylamide polymer combining both chelating and thermosensitive properties namely poly(diethyl-6-(acrylamido) hexylcarbamoyl-methylphosphonate) (P(CPAAm6C)) are presented for the first time. For pH = 1 and at 20 degrees C, the maximum sorption capacity reached 0.6 mmol.g(-1) for the highest Gd concentrations. Different parameters influencing the sorption of Gd were studied as pH, ionic strenght and temperature. The temperature was shown to influence both the sorption and the stability of the complex cmp-Gd formed by coordination mode with C=O and P=O functions. The selectivity of the cmp group for Gd was demonstrated in Gd/Ni mixture and shows its thermosensitive polymer is very promising for the development of selective sorption processes.