Synthesis of PAMAM dendron functionalized superparamagnetic polymer microspheres for highly efficient sorption of uranium(VI)

A new magnetic adsorbent PAMAMG(3)-Fe3O4/P(GMA-AA-MMA) was prepared by growing third generation poly(amido) amine (PAMAMG(3)) on the surface of superparamagnetic polymer microspheres Fe3O4/P(GMA-AA-MMA). The maximum sorption capacity of U(VI) (395.2 mg g(-1)) on the sorbent was much higher than those of U(VI) on many other reported materials. The sorption of U(VI) on the magnetic adsorbent obeyed the Langmuir mode. The selectivity of the sorbent could reach up to 91.8 % at pH 4.5. Furthermore, PAMAMG(3)-Fe3O4/P(GMA-AA-MMA) could also be reused at least five times without any noticeable loss of its sorption capacity.