Synthesis of Glutamic Acid Derived Organogels and their Applications in Dye Removal from Aqueous Medium

Abstract

Abstract To develop glutamic acid derived cross‐linked polymeric organogels for dye adsorption from aqueous media, dimethyl 2‐(methacrylamido)pentanedioate (Glu‐MAC) is polymerized using diethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linker via the reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) technique to synthesize cross‐linked polymeric organogels with pendant glutamate moieties. The mechanical properties of organogels are examined by rheological study. The organogels exhibit higher value of storage modulus ( G ′) than the loss modulus ( G ′′) within the linearity limits of deformation, and strong dependence of G ′ values on the extent of cross‐linking in the gel matrix. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows porous structure of the gel matrix, therefore, organogels are able to exhibit swelling behaviors in organic solvents such as dichloromethane, N , N ‐dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, and methanol. Dye adsorption properties of these organogels are investigated using different aqueous dye solutions, such as crystal violet (CV), malachite green (MG), rhodamine‐B, and uranine. The gels show high dye adsorption capacities (≥97%) toward cationic dyes like CV and MG.