Polymeric‐hydrogel‐coated iron oxide magnetic particles for efficient solvent dehydration

ABSTRACT In this article, we report the synthesis of crosslinked polyacrylamide‐hydrogel‐coated iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 –PAM) magnetic nanoparticles as a kind of novel and efficient solvent‐dehydrating agent. With the use of commercially available toluene (containing trace water at 168–173 ppm) as a model organic solvent, an excellent dehydration performance of Fe 3 O 4 –PAM was observed; trace water as low as 48 ppm was efficiently removed, and this desiccant could compete with respect to the dehydration efficiency with common sodium treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first example of the application of such water‐swollen hydrogel‐coated Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles for the efficient removal of trace water in solvents. Also, the Fe 3 O 4 –PAM magnetic nanoparticles could be easily separated from the solvents after the dehydration treatment; thus, they possess a great advantage over traditional organic solvent dry methods and may find a variety of applications, for example, in oil dehydration and organic solvent drying. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135 , 46869.