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Nanofurry magnetic carbon microspheres for separation processes and catalysis: synthesis, phase composition, and properties

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Abstract

A new method is developed to synthesize magnetic carbon microspheres decorated with carbon nanofibers and iron nanoparticles (nanofurry microspheres) for separation techniques in chemistry and biology. Microspheres are synthesized by carbonizing polystyrene–divinylbenzene-based, iron-loaded ion exchange resins. The phase composition, magnetic properties, and surface area and morphology of these materials are characterized by various techniques. It is detected that superparamagnetic (SPM) magnetite is present in microspheres exclusively upon carbonization at 400–500 °C, elemental iron, both α- and γ-Fe, is the major component at 600 °C, and cementite dominates between 700 and 1000 °C. Nanofiber formation is observed to be pronounced at high temperatures. The synthesized carbon microspheres have high surface area (100–300 m2 g−1) and can be separated easily by a magnet or by filtration. Saturation magnetization of selected samples is obtained between 5 and 28 emu g−1, depending on the phase composition. The novel microcomposites are expected to be effective adsorbents or support materials in various chemical processes, for example in water and air cleaning, catalysis, and biotechnological separations. Preliminary experimental studies for Cr(VI) removal from water and for platinum deposition are provided.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank Zsuzsanna Czégény, Gábor Varga, and Ödön Wagner for their assistance in TG, SEM, and UV spectroscopic investigations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, P.O. Box 32, Budapest 112, 1518, Hungary

    Tibor Pasinszki, Zoltán Homonnay & Ernő Kuzmann

  2. Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 45 Budaörsi street, Budapest, 1112, Hungary

    Melinda Krebsz

  3. Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 286, Budapest, 1519, Hungary

    László Kótai

  4. János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Ifjúság u. 20., Pecs, 7624, Hungary

    István E. Sajó

  5. Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, Budapest, 1525, Hungary

    László F. Kiss

  6. Department of Mineralogy, Eötvös Loránd University, P.O. Box 32, Budapest 112, 1518, Hungary

    Tamás Váczi

  7. DS Development, MOL Plc, P.O. Box 1., Százhalombatta, 2443, Hungary

    Imre Kovács

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  1. Tibor Pasinszki
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  2. Melinda Krebsz
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  3. László Kótai
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  4. István E. Sajó
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  5. Zoltán Homonnay
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  7. László F. Kiss
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  8. Tamás Váczi
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  9. Imre Kovács
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Correspondence to Tibor Pasinszki.

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Pasinszki, T., Krebsz, M., Kótai, L. et al. Nanofurry magnetic carbon microspheres for separation processes and catalysis: synthesis, phase composition, and properties. J Mater Sci 50, 7353–7363 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9292-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9292-6

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