Functionalized hollow MnFe 2 O 4 nanospheres: design, applications and mechanism for efficient adsorption of heavy metal ions

• Published in: New journal of chemistry 2019-04, Vol.43 (15), p.5879-5889
• Main Authors: Jin, Chengzhao, Teng, Guixiang, Gu, Yinan, Cheng, Hao, Fu, ShaoPeng, Zhang, Chun, Ma, Weigang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1144-0546; 1369-9261
• DOI: 10.1039/C8NJ05917A

The spread of heavy metal ions has given rise to severe environmental problems, and eliminating heavy metal pollutants from the environment has become a difficult task facing the world. Developing a new material with efficient adsorption of heavy metal ions has become a hot focus of the academic community recently. This work presents a l -cysteine functionalized magnetite hollow MnFe 2 O 4 nanosphere (H-MnFe 2 O 4 -Cys) material used to remove heavy metal ions in water, and this could be mass-produced using carbonized MnFe 2 O 4 as a matrix, mixed acid as etchant and l -cysteine as the modification agent in a process-controllable reactor. The morphology of H-MnFe 2 O 4 -Cys could be effectively controlled by adjusting the etching time. The possible mechanism of the synthesis of H-MnFe 2 O 4 -Cys and the efficiency of the removal of Cr 6+ and Pb 2+ were discussed in detail. Based on the high magnetism, large interior cavities, high porosity, and abundant functional groups (–SH, –NH 2 ), H-MnFe 2 O 4 -Cys exhibits excellent adsorption of heavy metal ions (Cr 6+ and Pb 2+ for instance) from wastewater. The high absorption efficiency and low manufacturing costs, coupled with the advantages of fast removal and magnetic recycling capability, make H-MnFe 2 O 4 -Cys a potential adsorbent for heavy metal ion contaminated water.