Synthesis and testing of functional mesoporous silica nanoparticles for removal of Cr (VI) ions from water

摘要: This work reports a reliable and reproducible synthesis and in situ functionalization protocol for the synthesis of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The porous aminofunctional (pSiO2-NH2) nanoparticles were fully characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET) analyses. The size of the particles was in the range of 80-200 nm with a specific surface area (SSA) of 721 m2 g-1, and the pore diameter was 31Å. The pSiO2-NH2 nanoparticles were tested for their efficiency in removing Cr (VI) ions from water. Almost quantitative removal of the ions was achieved by using the particles just within two hours. The adsorption efficiency of the particles was about 50 mg g-1. The synthesized porous silica particles can be repeatedly used as nano adsorbent for the adsorption removal of Cr (VI) ions from water. The nanoparticles can be potentially used for the selective capture, removal, and recovery of various other metal ions that can be complexed by amino groups.