Enhanced bio-affinity of magnetic QD-P(St-GMA)@Fe3O4 micro-particles via surface-quaternized modification.

ABSTRACT

In this work, a kind of bio-carrier quaternized-polystyrene-polyglycidyl methacrylate@Fe3O4 (QD-P(St-GMA)@Fe3O4, QD-PSGF) micro-particles was successfully prepared by modifying PSGF micro-particles through a hydrothermal method. The quaternary ammonium group and surface structure of QD-PSGF were confirmed through several characterization methods. We directly verified the efficacy of the quaternary ammonium group in promoting microbial activity due to QD-PSGF being synthesized by a hydrothermal method without changing the surface topography and pore. The bio-affinity of QD-PSGF microspheres was evaluated by bacterial adhesion and anaerobic digestion experiments. The results showed that a little quaternary ammonium group can increase bacterial adhesion by about 2-3 times and methane production by 40%. The novel developed QD-PSGF micro-particles can be a promising material as a biofilm carrier for bio-application.