Synthesis and self-assembly of chitosan-g-polystyrene copolymer: a new route for the preparation of heavy metal nanoparticles.

Amphiphilic graft copolymers made of a Chitosan (CS) backbone and three arm polystyrene (PS) grafts were prepared by "grafting onto" strategy using Toluene Diisocyanate. IR spectroscopy and SEC show the successful grafting process. SEM pictures of Chitosan-g-Polystyrene (CS-g-PS) indicate a spherulite like surface and exhibit properties that result from the disappearance of Chitosan crystallinity. The introduced polystyrene star grafts units improve hydrophobic properties considerably as confirmed by the very high solubility of (CS-g-PS) in organic solvents. The graft copolymer which self-assembles into polymeric micelles in organic media demonstrates much better adsorption of transition and inner transition metal ions than pure Chitosan whose amine groups are not necessarily available due to crystallinity.