Preparation of Fe3O4/chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) composite particles and its application in adsorbing copper ion (II)

Fe₃O₄/chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) (Fe₃O₄/CS/PAA) composite particles, which are reusable, biodegradable and of high adsorption capacity, have been prepared through polymerizing acrylic acid in chitosan and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles aqueous solution. By varying in-feed mole ratio of carboxyl to amino group (n^c/n^a) and reactant concentration, the average diameter of Fe₃O₄/CS/PAA composite particles can be controlled to vary from 100 to 300 nm. FT-IR, XRD and TEM were used to characterize Fe₃O₄/CS/PAA composite particles. Results showed that Fe₃O₄ was indeed incorporated into CS/PAA particles. The composite particles showed high efficient to remove copper ions (II) in aqueous solution. Adsorption kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the equilibrium data agreed well with the Langmuir model. The saturated adsorption capacity obtained from the experimental was 193 mg/g in close to proximity to the data 200 mg/g calculated from Langmuir model. The saturated adsorption capacity still retained 100 mg/g after three cycles of adsorption–desorption of copper ions (II).     

Photo-fenton refreshable Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@HCS adsorbent for the elimination of tetracycline hydrochloride

A yolk–shell-structured sphere composed of a superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ core and a carbon shell (Fe₃O₄@HCS) was etched from Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@carbon by NaOH, which was synthesized through the layer-by-layer coating of Fe₃O₄. This yolk–shell composite has a shell thickness of ca. 27 nm and a high specific surface area of 213.2 m² g^?1. Its performance for the magnetic removal of tetracycline hydrochloride from water was systematically examined. A high equilibrium adsorption capacity of ca. 49.0 mg g^?1 was determined. Moreover, the adsorbent can be regenerated within 10 min through a photo-Fenton reaction. A stable adsorption capacity of 44.3 mg g^?1 with a fluctuation <10% is preserved after 5 consecutive adsorption–degradation cycles, demonstrating its promising application potential in the decontamination of sewage water polluted by antibiotics.     

Magnetite nanoparticles for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions: synthesis and characterization

Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The structural characterization showed an average nanoparticle size of 8 nm. The synthesized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were tested for the treatment of synthetic aqueous solutions contaminated by metal ions, i.e. Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Mn(II). Experimental results show that the adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles is maximum for Pb(II) and minimum for Mn(II), likely due to a different electrostatic attraction between heavy metal cations and negatively charged adsorption sites, mainly related to the hydrated ionic radii of the investigated heavy metals. Various factors influencing the adsorption of metal ions, e.g., pH, temperature, and contacting time were investigated to optimize the operating condition for the use of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as adsorbent. The experimental results indicated that the adsorption is strongly influenced by pH and temperature, the effect depending on the different metal ion considered.     

Preparation of carbon coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles for magnetic separation of uranium

Uranium(VI) was removed from aqueous solutions using carbon coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@C). Batch experiments were conducted to study the effects of initial pH, shaking time and temperature on uranium sorption efficiency. It was found that the maximum adsorption capacity of the Fe₃O₄@C toward uranium(VI) was ∼120.20 mg g⁻¹ when the initial uranium(VI) concentration was 100 mg L⁻¹, displaying a high efficiency for the removal of uranium(VI) ions. Kinetics of the uranium(VI) removal is found to follow pseudo-second-order rate equation. In addition, the uranium(VI)-loaded Fe₃O₄@C nanoparticles can be recovered easily from aqueous solution by magnetic separation and regenerated by acid treatment. Present study suggested that magnetic Fe₃O₄@C composite particles can be used as an effective and recyclable adsorbent for the removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions.     

Simple Chemical Route Synthesis of Fe2O3 Nanoparticles and its Application for Adsorptive Removal of Congo Red from Aqueous Media: Artificial Neural Network Modeling

Nanocrystalline Fe₂O₃ powder was synthesized by a simple chemical route involving FeCl₃ and NaOH. The Fe₂O₃ powder thus prepared was characterized using x-ray diffraction study, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption properties of crystalline Fe₂O₃ powder have been investigated with an aim to explore a possible low cost and efficient way to remove Congo red (CR) from waste water. Fe₂O₃ powder was found as an excellent adsorbent for CR from aqueous medium. Adsorption capacity as much as 203.66 mg g^?1 is reported at room temperature. Effect of different experimental parameters such as reaction pH, initial CR dye concentration, adsorbent dose, and reaction temperature were studied on adsorption capacity of Fe₂O₃ powder and modeled by artificial neural network (ANN). Optimal ANN structure (4–5–1) shows minimum mean squared error (MSE) of 0.00235 and determination coefficient (R²) of 0.991 with Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. Isotherm analysis of experimental data exhibited better fit to the Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption process was found to follow second-order kinetics as depicted by the analysis of experimental results. Thermodynamic study shows that the adsorption process is endothermic, spontaneous, and thermodynamically favorable in the temperature range of 27°C to 60°C.     

Sorption of uranium on magnetite nanoparticles

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticle was synthesized using a solid state mechanochemical method and used for studying the sorption of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution onto the nanomaterial. The synthesized product is characterized using SEM, XRD and XPS. The particles were found to be largely agglomerated. XPS analysis showed that Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio of the product is 0.58. Sorption of uranium on the synthesized nanomaterials was studied as a function of various operational parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, ionic strength and contact time. pH studies showed that uranium sorption on magnetite is maximum in neutral solution. Uranium sorption onto magnetite showed two step kinetics, an initial fast sorption completing in 4–6 h followed by a slow uptake extending to several days. XPS analysis of the nanoparticle after sorption of uranium showed presence of the reduced species U(IV) on the nanoparticle surface. Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio of the nanoparticle after uranium sorption was found to be 0.48, lower than the initial value indicating that some of the ferrous ion might be oxidized in the presence of uranium(VI). Uranium sorption studies were also conducted with effluent from ammonium diuranate precipitation process having a uranium concentration of about 4 ppm. 42% removal was observed during 6 h of equilibration.     

Effective removal of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions using magnetic metal–organic framework sorbents: mechanisms,isotherms and kinetics

Metal–organic framework sorbents [MIL-100(Fe), MOF-235(Fe)], Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and metal–organic framework loaded on iron oxide nanoparticles [Fe₃O₄@MIL-100(Fe) and Fe₃O₄@MOF-235(Fe)] were prepared and examined for ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal. The results showed that sorption kinetics of CIP by Fe₃O₄@MIL-100(Fe) follows the Elovich and pseudo-second-order models indicating that the sorption is both chemisorption and physical adsorption, whereas the sorption to other sorbents occurs mainly by physical sorption. The sorption isotherm studies revealed that Langmuir model provided the best fit to all the experimental data. The thermodynamic studies showed that CIP removal is spontaneous (ΔG° = 2.28 kJ/mol) and endothermic (ΔH° = 18.39 kJ/mol). It was also found that among the sorbents investigated for CIP removal, Fe₃O₄@MIL-100(Fe) has the highest maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 322.58 mg/g.     

The fabrication of a nanoscale polyoxometalate based magnetic adsorbent and its selective adsorption on cationic dyes

Amino group-functionalized Fe₃O₄ is loaded on a coordination complex-modified polyoxometalate nanoparticle. In this composite material, Fe₃O₄ and coordination complex-modified polyoxometalate are connected with intense hydrogen bonds as suggested by FTIR. This composite material exhibits excellent methylene blue (MB) adsorption, with adsorption capacity of 175.5 mg g^?1. It also possesses selective separation ability between cationic and anionic dye molecules. In binary solution of MB and methyl orange (MO), MB adsorption efficiency reaches 75%, but it exhibits almost no effect on the adsorption of methyl orange. The saturation magnetization value of this composite material is 18.89 emu g^?1, allowing magnetic separation, which facilitates the recycle and reuse of this composite adsorbent.     

Selective extraction of morphine from biological fluids by magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers and determination using UHPLC with diode array detection

The determination of morphine concentration in the blood and urine is necessary for patients and recruitment purposes. Herein, a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for selective and efficient extraction of morphine from biological samples was synthesized by using a core–shell method. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with SiO₂‐NH₂. The molecularly imprinted polymer was coated on the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂‐NH₂ surface by the copolymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of morphine as the template molecule. The morphological and magnetic properties of the polymer were investigated. Field‐emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the prepared magnetic polymer is almost uniform. The saturation magnetization values of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, Fe₃O₄/SiO₂‐NH₂, and the magnetic polymer were 48.41, 31.69, and 13.02 emu/g, respectively, indicating that all the particles are superparamagnetic. Kinetics of the adsorption of morphine on magnetic polymer were well described by second‐order kinetic and adsorption processes and well fitted by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, in which the maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 28.40 mg/g. The recoveries from plasma and urine samples were in the range of 84.9–105.5 and 94.9–102.8%, respectively. By using the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer, morphine can selectively, reliably, and in low concentration be determined in biological samples with high‐performance liquid chromatography and UV detection.     

Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>@ionic liquid-β-cyclodextrin polymer magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with HPLC for the separation/analysis of congo red

Fe₃O₄@ionic liquids β-cyclodextrin polymer(Fe₃O₄@mono-6-deoxy-6-(1-ethyl-imidazolium)-β-cyclodextrin iodide polymer, Fe₃O₄@ILs-β-CDCP) was prepared. Magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the separation/analysis of congo red (CR) in water and drysaltery was established. Fe₃O₄@ILs-β-CDCP showed a higher adsorption capacity toward CR. CR was adsorbed rapidly by Fe₃O₄@ILs-β-CDCP (adsorption efficiency: 95%) and eluted by ethanol (elution efficiency: 96%) at room temperature. Under the optimal conditions, preconcentration factor of the proposed method was 20-fold. The linear range, correlation coefficient (R ²), detection limit (DL) and relative standard deviation were found to be 0.005–100.00 µg mL^?1, 0.9910, 1.8 g L^?1 and 0.61% (n = 3, c = 5.00 µg mL^?1), respectively. The adsorption mechanism of CR on Fe₃O₄@ILs-β-CDCP was studied through the FTIR analysis. The accuracy of the developed method was confirmed by spiking city water, lake water, pond water and drysaltery. Fe₃O₄@ILs-β-CDCP can be used repeatedly for 10 times. This proposed method had been successfully applied to the determination of CR in real samples.     

Facile synthesis of Fe3O4/MoS2 nanohybrid for solid phase extraction of Ag(I) and Pb(II): kinetic,isotherm and thermodynamic studies

Recently, MoS₂ with abundant electron density in its structure attracted more attention as an adsorbent for environmental remediation. However, hard manipulation of target solution owing to high dispersibility in aqueous media restricts its application as adsorbent. Preparation of Fe₃O₄/MoS₂ nanohybrid can solve this problem. Also, this nanohybrid improves adsorption capacities of target ions. In this work, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, MoS₂ nanosheets and hybrid of these two were synthesised and then characterised by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectra, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and vibrating sample magnetometer. Subsequently, adsorption of Ag(I) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by these three adsorbents was examined in detail and compared with each other while the adsorption conditions including the pH value, contact time, dosage of sorbent, elution conditions and interfering ions have been optimised. According to obtained results, prepared nanohybrid showed enhanced adsorption capacities for both ions relative to naked Fe₃O₄ and MoS₂. The limits of detection for Ag(I) and Pb(II) were calculated as 0.49 µg L^?1 and 2.7 µg L^?1, respectively, and the relative standard deviation percentages (n = 5) for Ag(I) and Pb(II) were 2.8%, and 3.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the preconcentration factors were 300 and 75 for Ag(I) and Pb(II) ions, respectively. Moreover, kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second-order model can better describe target analytes adsorption properties by every three adsorbents. Regeneration of the adsorbents was performed with HCl/thiourea mixture.     

Preparation of core-shell magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2-dithiocarbamate nanoparticle and its application for the Ni2+, Cu2+ removal

A typical superparamagnetic nanoparticles-based dithiocarbamate absorbent (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-DTC) with core-shell structure was applied for aqueous solution heavy metal ions Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ removal.     

Preparation of magnetic surface molecularly imprinted polymers for the selective extraction of triazines in environmental water samples

ABSTRACT

In this work, a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@MIPs) was prepared via a surface-imprinted method for the determination of the triazines in environmental water samples combined with high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and vibrating sample magnetometer showed that the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@MIPs was successfully synthesised and exhibited superparamagnetism. The isotherm adsorption, selectivity and adsorption kinetics experiments showed that the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@MIPs exhibited excellent specific recognition and fast adsorption equilibrium for triazines. The adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The isotherm adsorption was consistent with Scatchard model and adsorption kinetic fit pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Under the optimised adsorption conditions, the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@MIPs was directly used to selectively enrich six triazines in environmental water samples. The enrichment volume was up to 500 mL, and the matrix effects were down to 0.7–12.4%. The built method has excellent linearities in the range of 0.25–500 ng L^?1 with R² in the range of 0.998–0.999, lower limit of detections (0.02–0.08 ng L^?1) and higher precision (2.4–7.2%). The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@MIPs is expected to be widely applied to the direct enrichment of triazines in bulk environmental water samples.     

Amin-functionalized magnetic-silica core-shell nanoparticles for removal of Hg2+ from aqueous solution

Magnetic nanoparticles with monodisperse shape and size were prepared by a simple method and covered by silica. The prepared core-shell Fe₃O₄@silica nanoparticles were functionalized by amino groups and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The synthesized nanoparticles were employed as an adsorbent for removal of Hg²⁺ from aqueous solutions, and the adsorption phenomena were studied from both equilibrium and kinetic point of views. The adsorption equilibriums were analyzed using different isotherm models and correlation coefficients were determined for each isotherm. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm better than other isotherms. The adsorption kinetics was tested for the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetic models at different initial concentrations of the adsorbate. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model describes the kinetics of the adsorption process for amino functionalized adsorbents. The maximum adsorption occurred at pH 5.7 and the adsorption capacity for Fe₃O₄@silica-NH₂ toward Hg²⁺ was as high as 126.7 mg/g which was near four times more than unmodified silica adsorbent.     

Preparation of CdS–TiO2/Fe3O4 photocatalyst and its photocatalytic properties

The CdS modified TiO₂/Fe₃O₄ photocatalysts were prepared by sol–gel and immersion methods. The morphological, structural and optical properties of as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis absorption spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM observation showed that the surface of magnetite particles (Fe₃O₄) were coated by CdS–TiO₂ layer as loose clusters, and average diameter of composites particles was about 250 nm. UV–Vis absorption spectra indicated that CdS–TiO₂/Fe₃O₄ composites had pronounced red-shift compared with that of TiO₂/Fe₃O₄. The CdS–TiO₂/Fe₃O₄ composites exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than pure TiO₂ and TiO₂/Fe₃O₄ for the degradation of Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B dye (X-3B) aqueous solution under simulated sunlight, and the optimum content of CdS is 1.0 % (mol ratio of CdS to TiO₂). In addition, a gradual loss of photocatalytic activity can be observed in reusability test of CdS–TiO₂/Fe₃O₄ composites, and degradation of X-3B reached still to 78.9 % after five runs.     

Adsorption equilibria of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> in cation-exchanged zeolites 13X

Ion-exchange with different cations (Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, Li⁺, Ba²⁺ and Fe³⁺) was performed in binderless 13X zeolite pellets. Original and cation-exchanged samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (inert atmosphere), X-ray powder diffraction and N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms at 77 K. Despite the presence of other cations than Na (as revealed in TG-MS), crystalline structure and textural properties were not significantly altered upon ion-exchange. Single component equilibrium adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) were measured for all samples up to 10 bar at 298 and 348 K using a magnetic suspension balance. All of these isotherms are type Ia and maximum adsorption capacities decrease in the order Li > Na > NH₄–Ba > Fe for CO₂ and NH₄–Na > Li > Ba for CH₄. In addition to that, equilibrium adsorption data were measured for CO₂/CH₄ mixtures for representative compositions of biogas (50 % each gas, in vol.) and natural gas (30 %/70 %, in vol.) in order to assess CO₂ selectivity in such scenarios. The application of the Extended Sips Model for samples BaX and NaX led to an overall better agreement with experimental data of binary gas adsorption as compared to the Extended Langmuir Model. Fresh sample LiX show promise to be a better adsorption than NaX for pressure swing separation (CO₂/CH₄), due to its higher working capacity, selectivity and lower adsorption enthalpy. Nevertheless, cation stability for both this samples and NH₄X should be further investigated.     

Preparation of 4-sulfonylcalix[6]arene modified Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> as adsorbent for adsorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution

The 4-sulfonylcalix[6]arene modified Fe₃O₄ (MFS) was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, VSM, TGA, etc., which showed that its saturation magnetization was 64.99 emu g^?1 with the particle size 10–40 nm. The maximum adsorption efficiency by MFS for 2.5 mg L^?1 U(VI) solution amounted to 94.39%, which was higher than that by Fe₃O₄ (65.22%) under its optimum adsorption conditions. The adsorption of MFS and Fe₃O₄ were both followed the pseudo-second order model and the Langmuir isotherm model. The Gibbs free energy change and enthalpy change revealed that the adsorption of U(VI) by MFS was a spontaneous and endothermic process.     

Adsorption of Li by a lithium ion-sieve using a buffer system and application for the recovery of Li from a spent lithium-ion battery

A lithium ion-sieve manganese oxide (MO) derived from Li-enriched MO was prepared by the glycolic acid complexation method. The Li adsorption performance in a LiCl–NH₃·H₂O–NH₄Cl buffer solution, simulated a spent lithium-ion battery (LIB) processing solution, and actual spent LIB processing solution were studied. An adsorption capacity of 27.4 mg/g was observed in the LiCl–NH₃·H₂O–NH₄Cl buffer solution (Li concentration of 0.2 mol/L, pH?=?9), and the adsorption behavior conformed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation with a linear correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9996. An adsorption capacity of 19 mg/g was observed in the simulated buffer spent battery solution (Li concentration of 0.15 mol/L, pH?=?7), and an adsorption capacity of 17.8 mg/g was observed in the actual spent battery solution (Li concentration of 0.15 mol/L, pH?=?7). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and infrared spectrum results revealed that the structure and morphology of MO are stable before and after adsorption, and the adsorption of MO in all of the abovementioned buffer systems conforms to the Li⁺–H⁺ ion-exchange reaction mechanism. The lithium ion-sieve MO demonstrates promise for the recovery of lithium from spent LIBs.     

One-Pot Synthesis of Novel Amino-Functionalized Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> Hybrid Microspheres for Cu(II) Removal from Aqueous Solutions

In this work, we report the development of novel amino-functionalized Fe₃O₄ hybrid microspheres adsorbent from a facial and one-step solvothermal route by using FeCl₃·6H₂O as a single iron source and 3-aminophenoxy-phthalonitrile as ource of amino groups. During solvothermal process, the nitrile groups of 3-aminophenoxy-phthalonitrile would bond with the Fe₃O₄ through the phthalocyanine cyclization reaction to form the amino-functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nano-material, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA). From the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, the resulting monodispersed amino-functionalized Fe₃O₄ hybrid microspheres with the diameters of 180–200 nm were synthesized via the self-assembly process. More importantly, as-prepared Fe₃O₄ nano-materials with abundant amino groups exhibited high separation efficiency when they were used to remove the Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms of Fe₃O₄ nano-material for Cu(II) removal fitted the Langmuir isotherm model, in which the calculated maximum adsorption capacity could increase from 5.51 to 16.25 mg g^–1 at room temperature. This work demonstrated that the amino-functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nano-materials were promising as efficient adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater in low concentration.     

Magnetic core–shell Fe3O4@C-SO3H nanoparticle catalyst for hydrolysis of cellulose

Catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose over solid acid catalysts is one of efficient pathways for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. High catalytic activity and easy separation from reaction media are two important factors for evaluating the performance of the solid acid catalysts for the cellulose hydrolysis. In this study, we report a core–shell Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle with a magnetic Fe₃O₄ core encapsulated in a sulfonated carbon shell, as recyclable catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose. The sulfonated carbon shell shows a good activity, presenting 48.6 % cellulose conversion with 52.1 % glucose selectivity under the moderate conditions of 140 °C after 12 h reaction. Importantly, the magnetic Fe₃O₄ core makes the catalysts easily separated from reaction mixtures by using the externally applied magnetic field. In addition, the Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle catalyst shows a high stability in the activity and magnetization during recycling tests, suggesting it a promising solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose.