Low temperature one‐step synthesis of poly(barbituric acid) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for removal of heavy metal ions

Poly(barbituric acid) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles with excellent adsorption behavior were facilely synthesized through one‐step chemical oxidation polymerization method by using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. Structure, morphology, and magnetism of the products were thoroughly investigated by means of FTIR, FESEM, EDX, X‐ray photoelectron spectra, thermogravimetric analyzer–differential scanning calorimetry, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The products were of a sphere‐shaped nanostructure with the saturation magnetization value of 7.5 emu g^?1, which make them reusable for adsorption application. Removal capability for heavy metal ions were systematically evaluated using Pd (II) and Cu (II) ions as the models. The maximum sorption capacities by applying the Langmuir equation were calculated to be 166.6 mg/g for Cu (II) and 142.8 mg/g for Pb (II). A recycle test revealed that the PBA‐MNPs have above 87.1% for Cu (II) and 82.69% for Pb (II) ion desorption efficiency after the three regeneration cycle process. All the above experimental results demonstrated that barbituric acid‐based material could be used as a possible adsorbent for the efficient removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40957.