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Hydrothermal synthesized magnetically separable mesostructured H2Ti3O7/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite for organic dye removal via adsorption and its regeneration/reuse through synergistic non-radiation driven H2O2 activation

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Abstract

Hydrogen titanate (H2Ti3O7) nanotubes/nanosheets (HTN) are emerging class of adsorbent material which possess unique property of activating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to generate the reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide radical ions (O2 .−) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH), effective in the decomposition of surface-adsorbed dye. However, HTN are non-magnetic which create hurdle in their effective separation from the treated aqueous solution. To overcome this issue, magnetic nanocomposites (HTNF) composed of HTN and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles have been processed by subjecting the core–shell magnetic photocatalyst consisting of γ-Fe2O3/silica (SiO2)/titania (TiO2), having varying amounts of TiO2 in the shell to the hydrothermal conditions. HTNF-5 magnetic nanocomposite consisting of 31 wt% H2Ti3O7, typically having nanotube morphology with the highest specific surface area (133 m2 g−1) and pore-volume (0.22 cm3 g−1), exhibits the highest capacity (74 mg g−1) for the adsorption of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye from an aqueous solution involving the electrostatic attraction mechanism and pseudo-second-order kinetics. Very fast magnetic separation followed by regeneration of HTNF-5 magnetic nanocomposite has been demonstrated via non-radiation driven H2O2 activation. It has been ascertained for the first time that the underlying mechanism of dye decomposition involves the synergy effect between the constituents of HTNF magnetic nanocomposite.

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Abbreviations

AP:

3-Aminophthalate

BET:

Brunauer–Emmett–Teller

BJH:

Barrett–Joyner–Halenda

DKR:

Dubinin–Kaganer–Radushkevich

DTA:

Differential thermal analysis

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

EDX:

Energy dispersive X-ray

EPR:

Electron paramagnetic resonance

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared

HRTEM:

High-resolution transmission electron microscope

HTN:

Hydrogen titanate nanotubes/nanosheets

HTNF:

Hydrogen titanate nanotubes/nanosheets-maghemite

JCPDS:

Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards

MB:

Methylene blue

PL:

Photoluminescence

PPMS:

Physical property measurement system

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SAED:

Selected area electron diffraction

SS:

Stainless steel

SSA:

Specific surface area

STA:

Simultaneous thermal analyzer

TA:

Terephthalic acid

TEM:

Transmission electron microscope

TG:

Thermal gravimetry

TSF:

Maghemite/silica/titania

UV:

Ultraviolet

VSM:

Vibrating sample magnetometer

XPS:

X-ray photoelectron spectroscope

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank CSIR, India for funding the research projects no. MLP0012, OLP216339, P81113 and providing the Senior Research Fellowships (SRFs) to HN and MJ. The authors also thank Mr. Kiran, Mr. Firozkhan, Mr. A. Peermohamed, and Mr. Ajeesh (CSIR-NIIST, India) for conducting the TEM, XRD, BET, and PPMS analyses, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Functional Materials Section (FMS), Materials Science and Technology Division (MSTD), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Industrial Estate P.O., Pappanamcode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695019, India

    Harsha Narayani, Manu Jose, K. Sriram & Satyajit Shukla

  2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NIIST Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695019, India

    Harsha Narayani, Manu Jose & Satyajit Shukla

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  1. Harsha Narayani
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  2. Manu Jose
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  3. K. Sriram
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  4. Satyajit Shukla
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Correspondence to Satyajit Shukla.

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Narayani, H., Jose, M., Sriram, K. et al. Hydrothermal synthesized magnetically separable mesostructured H2Ti3O7/γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite for organic dye removal via adsorption and its regeneration/reuse through synergistic non-radiation driven H2O2 activation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 20304–20319 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8381-2

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