Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of nanocomposites based on aromatic polyamide and modified ZnO nanoparticle for removal of toxic Cr(VI) from water

In this study, novel nanocomposites (NCs) of aromatic polyamide (PA) and surface modified ZnO nanoparticle with s-triazine heterocyclic ring was introduced for efficient removal of toxic hexavalent chromium (VI) from aqueous solution. The surface of ZnO nanoparticle was modified by s-triazine core silane coupling agent (ZnO-TSC) and PA/ZnO-TSC NCs with different amount of ZnO-TSC nanoparticles (0, 5, 10 and 15 wt%) were prepared by ultrasonic irradiation. The synthesized PA/ZnO-TSC NCs were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM and TGA methods. TEM images showed that ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed homogeneously in the polymer matrix. The adsorption experiments were carried out in batch mode to optimize various parameters like contact time, pH and concentration of metal ion that influence the adsorption rate. The maximum uptakes of Cr(VI) at pH 4.0 was 72%, 81%, 89% and 91% for pure PA, NC5%, NC10% and NC15%, respectively. The kinetic of adsorption was investigated and the pseudo second-order model is an appropriate model for interpretation of adsorption mechanism of Cr(VI) ions.