Construction of Polydopamine Functional Platform on the Surface of Poly (Styrene-Divinylbenzene) Microspheres Followed by Quaternization for Preparation of Anion Exchangers

As a mussel-inspired material, the unique property of polydopamine (PDA), such as a simple preparation, strong adhesive property, easy functionalization, et. al. qualifies it a promising intermediary for the preparation of anion exchangers. Herein, we describe the fabrication of a core-shell structure utilizing poly (styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) microspheres as core and PDA coating as shell. Then PDA coating shell was used as the secondary functional platform for further quaternization based on the residual amino groups. The anion exchanger was characterized by scanning electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis. The chromatographic performance was evaluated by separating seven conventional anions, organic weak acids, et. al. According to the results, the introduce of PDA functional platform makes PS-DVB to be quaternized under mild conditions. The quaternization strategy presented here is suitable for the preparation of anion exchangers.