Preparation of inexpensive modified polystyrene with adipoyl chloride and N-benzimidazole iminoesther for the removal of Ni2+ and study of the impedance and conductivity of the obtained complex

We used, in this work, a potentially effective adsorbent for removing nickel (Ni2+) from wastewater, employing modified polystyrene; the di-acylated polystyrene with iminoether (DIPS-N-Ac-Imi). The product was utilized for the adsorption of Ni(II) from waste water at ambient temperature. The di-acylated polystyrene with iminoether DIPS-N-Ac-Imi and DIPS-N-Ac-Imi/Ni2+ were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Subsequently, the percentage of adsorption of DIPS-N-Ac-Imi/Ni2+ was determined via atomic absorption spectroscopy. An electrical study of DIPS-N-Ac-Imi/Ni2+ was performed using Impedance Spectroscopy, revealing a stimulated thermal conduction mechanism. Based on conductivity analyses, the activation energy was deduced from the Arrhenius diagram and corresponded to Ea = 1.07 eV, which suggests that DIPS-N-Ac-Imi/Ni2+ is a proton-type semiconductor.