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Dielectric barrier discharge plasma polymerization of N-vinylimidazole for metal ion coordination and uptake
Thesis

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma polymerization of N-vinylimidazole for metal ion coordination and uptake

Nuri Simone Ferguson
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011355
pdf
Ferguson_Nuri_20261.78 MB
PDF Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 May 2027

Abstract

Atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma polymerization was investigated as a solvent-free route for the synthesis of functional imidazole-containing polymer materials from N-vinylimidazole (NVI). Plasma polymerization produces chemically heterogeneous, variably crosslinked networks, raising questions regarding the retention and accessibility of functional groups. In this work, NVI was polymerized in a liquid-film configuration under ambient conditions, and the resulting material was evaluated with respect to chemical structure and meta-ion interaction behavior. ATR-FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy provided strong evidence of plasma-induced polymerization through attenuation of vinyl functionality and retention of imidazole groups, accompanied by significant spectral broadening consistent with structural heterogeneity. Functional performance was assessed using Cr(VI) uptake under acidic conditions (pH = 2.0 ± 0.5), quantified by the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) method. The material exhibited time-dependent uptake reaching 1.93 ± 0.22 mg g⁻¹ after 60 min. UV-Vis studies using Cr(III) provided evidence of ligand-metal interactions consistent with coordination to imidazole nitrogen donor sites, supporting their functional availability. These results indicate that plasma-polymerized PNVI retains chemically accessible imidazole functionality despite structural disorder, providing a proof-of-concept demonstration for generating functional polymer materials via atmospheric-pressure plasma processes.

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