A multifunctional statistical copolymer vesicle for water remediation

Multifunctional statistical copolymers can be simply synthesized in one step without tedious and time-consuming procedures. In addition, the fuzzy boundary between different functional groups in the statistical copolymers can facilitate the fabrication of new functional nanomaterials. Herein, we designed a novel multifunctional vesicle based on a statistical copolymer, poly[[2-hydroxy-3-(naphthalen-1-ylamino)propyl methacrylate]- stat -[2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]] [P(HNA 21 - stat -DEA 35 )] which can be synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization in one step. The HNA moiety is designed for capturing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by π-π stacking, while the DEA moiety is engineered to immobilize gold nanoparticles for facilitating the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in aqueous solution. This vesicle showed excellent ability in water remediation by absorbing PAHs and accelerating the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Overall, this multifunctional statistical copolymer vesicle provides a new insight for designing multifunctional water remediation materials. We report a multifunctional statistical copolymer vesicle for effective water remediation by absorbing PAHs and accelerating catalytic reaction.