Abstract

The interactions between metal ions and water-soluble polymers (WSP) have gained great interest due to their intrinsic properties as well as their potential applications, such as superconducting materials, ultra-high strength materials, liquid crystals, and biocompatible polymers. This review attempts to provide a general coverage of various scientific aspects of the WSP-metal ion interactions in aqueous solution and their applications. It includes fundamental aspects on synthesis of water-soluble polymers, as well as different activities and properties. A particular emphasis is given to the study the WSP-metal ion interactions, under different experimental procedures, through the liquid-phase polymer based retention (LPR) technique, which combines the use of WSP and membrane ultrafiltration. Theoretical work on this WSP-metal ion interaction has been elaborated to explain the counterion binding to polyelectrolytes, and the polymer-metal ion complex formation. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.