P(N-phenylmaleimide-alt-styrene) (P(NPMI-alt-St)) and P(N-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide-alt-styrene) (P(CPMI-alt-St)) were designed and synthesized via free radical copolymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to confirm the structure of P(NPMI-alt-St) and P(CPMI-alt-St). Next, the effect of P(CPMI-alt-St) on the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of nylon 6 was studied. In comparison to the PA6/P(NPMI-alt-St) blend, with the addition of 10 wt %, the HDT value of the PA6/P(CPMI-alt-St) blend increased by 15.7 °C, and the glass transition temperature (Tg) by Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) increased 2.3 °C. According to the analysis of DMA, dynamic viscosity, and the SEM of PA6 and its blends, P(CPMI-alt-St) promoted its compatibility with PA6, and promoted the storage modulus and dynamic viscosity of the blends. Thus, the introduction of 4-carboxyl can significantly improve the effect of P(CPMI-alt-St) on the heat resistance modification of nylon 6.

Phosphogypsum is a solid waste with great environmental stockpile pressure produced by the wet production of phosphoric acid. Although there are various methods to purify and utilize phosphogypsum, the means for environmentally friendly, low energy consumption, and high value-added utilization still need to be further explored. Here, CaSO₄·2H₂O crystal was directly purified and regulated from phosphogypsum by using the anti-solvent method. The antisolvent can be adsorbed in the c-axis direction of the crystal and further inhibit the growth rate in this direction, resulting in a change in the morphology of the crystal. By adjusting the polarity and chain length of the anti-solvent, the morphology of CaSO₄·2H₂O crystal can change from butterfly-like flake crystals to hexagonal prism-like crystals. When n-propanol with long chain was used as the anti-solvent, the morphology of the CaSO₄·2H₂O crystal showed a hexagonal prism with a specific surface area of 19.98 m²/g and a Cu²⁺ loading efficiency of 52.67%. The encouraging results open up new possibilities for the application of phosphogypsum.