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Sol-gel-cum-hydrothermal synthesis of mesoporous Co-Fe@Al2O3−MCM-41 for methylene blue remediation

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Abstract

A combined sol-gel-cum-hydrothermal method has been employed to synthesize novel monometallic (Mn, Fe, Co) and bimetallic (Co-Fe, Mn-Co, Fe-Mn) nanoparticles loaded onto Al 2 O 3−MCM-41. Powder XRD, N 2 sorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements show that the materials possess mesoporosity, high surface area and nanosize. Monometallic Fe, Co and Mn @Al 2 O 3−MCM-41 and bimetallic Co-Fe, Fe-Mn and Mn-Co @Al 2 O 3−MCM-41 materials were tested for methylene blue remediation from aqueous media. In the present study, Co-Fe@Al 2 O 3−MCM-41 was found to be an excellent adsorbent. The adsorption efficiency of Co-Fe@Al 2 O 3−MCM-41 has been studied as a function of adsorbent dose and pH of the solution. Maximum adsorption of methylene blue was obtained at high pH values of the solution. Framework mesoporosity, high surface area, and narrow pore distribution are the key factors for an efficient adsorption of methylene blue on Co-Fe@Al 2 O 3−MCM-41.

Bimetallic Co-Fe@Al2O3−MCM-41 material was identified as the best adsorbent for methylene blue which safely accommodates the dye on its suitable mesoporous structure.

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Acknowledgements

Amaresh Chandra Pradhan thanks IIT Madras for Postdoctoral Fellowship. The instrumental facilities established under the FIST Scheme of SERC division of DST, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi, have been very helpful to carry out this work. Mr. A. Narayanan and Mrs. S. Srividya carried out BET and XRD measurements.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 036, India

    AMARESH C PRADHAN, ANIMESH PAUL & G RANGA RAO

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  1. AMARESH C PRADHAN
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Correspondence to AMARESH C PRADHAN or G RANGA RAO.

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Supplementary Information (SI)

Additional information pertaining to FTIR spectrum (Figure S1) and methylene blue adsorbed (%) on Co-Fe@Al 2 O 3−MCM-41 material (Figure S2) are given in the Supporting Information, which is available at www.ias.ac.in/chemsci.

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PRADHAN, A.C., PAUL, A. & RAO, G.R. Sol-gel-cum-hydrothermal synthesis of mesoporous Co-Fe@Al2O3−MCM-41 for methylene blue remediation. J Chem Sci 129, 381–395 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12039-017-1230-5

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