Facile Preparation and Dye Adsorption Performance of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/Molybdenum Disulfide Composite Hydrogels

[Image: see text] Using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AAc) as monomers, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linking agent, and molybdenum disulfide (MoS(2)) as functional particles, a P(NIPAM-co-AAc)/MoS(2) composite hydrogel was prepared by free radical polymerization initiated by ultraviolet light. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy show that MoS(2) has been successfully introduced into the P(NIPAM-co-AAc) system, and the obtained composite hydrogel has a porous network structure. Studies on the swelling property and dye adsorption performance show that the addition of MoS(2) can increase the swelling ratio of P(NIPAM-co-AAc) hydrogels to a certain extent and can significantly improve the ability of the P(NIPAM-co-AAc) hydrogel to adsorb methylene blue (MB). The adsorption process of MB by the composite hydrogels conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm adsorption models. The estimated equilibrium adsorption capacity (Q(m)) using the Langmuir isotherm model can reach 1258 mg/g, mainly due to the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged groups −COO(–) and MoS(2) particles on the network structure and the positively charged dye MB. The adsorption of MB by P(NIPAM-co-AAc)/MoS(2) composite hydrogels depends on the temperature during adsorption. Compared with room temperature, a high temperature of 40 °C above the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) phase transition temperature (∼32 °C) leads to a decreased adsorption capacity of the P(NIPAM-co-AAc)/MoS(2) composite hydrogel for MB due to the enhanced hydrophobic properties of the network structure and the decrease of the swelling ratio. The prepared hydrogel material can be used as a good adsorbent for dyes, which is promising in wastewater treatment.