Zirconium (IV) phosphate/poly(gelatin-cl-alginate) Nanocomposite as Ion Exchanger and Al3+ potentiometric Sensor

Zirconium (IV) phosphate/poly(gelatin- cl -alginate) (ZP/PGA) nanocomposite ion exchanger was studied as potentiometric sensor for the detection of aluminium ions in aquatic system. ZP/PGA has been analysed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectrogram (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). TGA and XRD analysis revealed that ZP/PGA nanocomposite was highly thermo-stable and semi-crystalline in nature. The pH results show the bifunctional nature of ZP/PGA nanocomposite. Distribution studies concluded the greater sensitivity of material for aluminium ions (K d =65). Thus, the assembly of potentiometric sensor for the estimation of Al 3+ using ZP/PGA was attempted. Linear Nernstian response was detected over wide concentration. The binary separations such as Ni 2+ -Al 3+ , Zn 2+ -Al 3+ , Co 2+ -Mg 2+ , Cu 2+ -Mg 2+ , Cd 2+ -Pb 2+ , Co 2+ -Pb 2+ , Zn 2+ -Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ -Cd 2+ have been attempted onto ZP/PGA column. The efficiency of ZP/PGA was investigated for remediation of methylene blue (MB) and methylene green (MG) under solar irradiations. ZP/PGA also showed good antimicrobial activity for E. coli .