Removal of toxic dyes from aqueous medium using adenine based bicomponent hydrogel

Abstract

By utilizing hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions, we have demonstrated the construction of three dimensional adenine based gel networks due to the self assembly with complementary tricarboxylic acid derivatives which were designed and unambiguously characterized with the help of NMR, HRMS, and FTIR. Upon cooling the homogeneous aqueous solution of adenine and tricarboxylic acid, it formed hydrogels which were thermoreversible in nature and characterized by various instrumental techniques such as OM, FESEM, TEM, AFM, FL, XRD, FT-IR, rheology etc. Networks of belts in the hydrogel were clearly observed and the dimension of belt depended on the tricarboxylic acid used. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds which were considered to be the driving force for the formation of stable gel were confirmed by FT-IR studies. In spite of the absence of symmetry either in bpca or adenine, these two moieties surprisingly produced gels and it was due to the symmetrical position of complementary interaction sites between adenine and tricarboxylic acids. The mechanical strength of the hydrogel network as revealed by rheological study depended on the tricarboxylic acid used in the two-component systems and also on the composition of fixed pair. These kind of hydrogels have potential to be utilized as inexpensive materials for the treatment of waste water containing organic dyes (methylene blue, rhodamine 6G and crystal violet) that are widely used in textile as well as dye industries.