Epoxy-Functional (Alkyl)methacrylate-Based Hybrids Reinforced with Layered Silicate Montmorillonite: From Mechanistic Study to Sustainable Wastewater Treatment

This work aims to design versatile hybrids fabricated by poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) gels loaded with pristine montmorillonite, P(HPMA-co-GMA)/Mmt, by varying the clay content. Insights into design of epoxy-functional hybrids were provided by combining in situ copolymerization reactions with solution mixing to evaluate the effect of aluminosilicate addition on structure–property changes in (alkyl)methacrylate-based gels. Comprehensive analyses were conducted regarding the composition and structural properties of hybrids in the presence of Mmt. The hybrids exhibited excellent swelling, salt surfactant tolerance, and pH sensitivity depending on the composition. The higher the Mmt concentration, the lower the swelling ratio; however, the compressive moduli did not change monotonically with increasing Mmt from 0.80 to 2.20% (w/v). Dye adsorption revealed the effects of variables (dye type, pH, contact time, concentration) on adsorptive properties of hybrids towards cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic sunset yellow, allura red, blue brilliant, carmoisine, and tartrazine dyes. Adsorption kinetics of MB obeyed pseudo-second-order model, and the maximum dye adsorption capacity for hybrids increased from 5.01 mg g⁻¹ to 16.42 mg g⁻¹, while adsorption isotherms were defined by the Freundlich model. The proposed hybrids have emerged as alternative materials that enable multiple uses of same adsorbent for the removal of different types of pollutants.