Electrochemical,spectroscopic, and thermal studies on interactions of linear poly(acrylic acid) with uranyl ions in aqueous solutions

The formation of complexes between linear poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and uranyl ions in aqueous solutions was studied with conductometry, potentiometry, thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared, and luminescence spectroscopy methods. The stoichiometry of the PAA/UO complex on repeating units of a PAA basis was determined to be 2:1. IR spectroscopy studies made on solid complexes showed that the carbonyl stretching absorption band of PAA was shifted to a higher wave number, and a new band at 1749 cm^?1 in the polycomplex spectrum was observed, confirming the existence of specific interactions between the carboxylate groups of PAA and metal ions. Luminescence spectroscopy studies showed an increase in the intensity of the uranyl‐ion emission spectra and new band formation at 483 nm, further confirming the interaction of UO ions with PAA in aqueous solutions. The thermal behavior of PAA/UO complexes further proved strong interactions in the complex structure. The thermal degradation of the polycomplexes included the main stages of destruction of both PAA and uranyl nitrate. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1610–1618, 2004