Recyclable Alloy Nanocatalyst-Mediated Photo-Controlled Synthesis of Functional Polymers for Toxic Metal and Dye Removal

Overcoming the challenges of transition metal contamination and the use of hazardous solvents in traditional reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) techniques, the photoinduced RDRP (photoRDRP) mediated by recyclable Ag-Pd nanocatalyst in recoverable ionic liquid (IL) solvent has been developed. Photoinduced polymerization of acrylate/methacrylate monomers activation and deactivation was controlled simply by turning "ON" or "OFF" the UVA light (λmax = 352 nm) irradiation, offering extraordinary control over molar mass and dispersities of the produced polymers. Furthermore, the synthesized homopolymer was used as a macroinitiator to synthesize different well-defined diblock copolymers with acceptable Đ values (≤1.23). Polymers obtained after the postpolymerization modification of the synthesized copolymers were used for heavy metal and contaminant removal from water. Furthermore, by this straightforward synthesis technique, innovative approaches toward the synthesis of smart polymers for biomedical and engineering applications could be made feasible.