Controlled Synthesis and Selective Adsorption Properties of Pr2CuO4 Nanosheets: a Discussion of Mechanism

• Published in: Nanoscale research letters 2018-09, Vol.13 (1), p.1-11, Article 268
• Main Authors: Liu, Xuanwen, Ni, Zhiyuan, Xie, Chengzhi, Wang, Renchao, Guo, Rui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coordination compound methods (CCMs); Coordination compounds; Density functional theory (DFT); Electron microscopes; Hydrogen bonds; Malachite green; Malachite green(MG); Materials Science; Microscopy; Molecular Medicine; Nano Express; Nanochemistry; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Nanosheets; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Photoelectron spectroscopy; Pr2CuO4; Praseodymium oxide; Reflectance; Scanning electron microscopy; Selective adsorption; Thickness; Transmission electron microscopy; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 1931-7573; 1556-276X
• DOI: 10.1186/s11671-018-2697-9

Tetragonal-phase Pr 2 CuO 4 nanosheets with a thickness of about 60 nm were synthesized using the coordination compound methods (CCMs), then used as highly efficient selective adsorbent towards malachite green (MG) in aqueous solutions. The Pr 2 CuO 4 samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS), and standard Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) methods. The maximum adsorption capacity ( Q m ) of as-prepared samples was determined by adsorption isotherms with different adsorbent doses ( m ) of 0.03–0.07 g at 298, 318, and 338 K based on the Langmuir model. When m   0.07 g, effects of systemic mass loss and particle aggregation were discussed on the data deviation from the Langmuir model at 298 K. Based on the hydrogen bond and coordination bond, a possible mechanism of selective adsorption of MG by Pr 2 CuO 4 is proposed, which was further verified by the adsorption experiments of CuO and Pr 2 O 3 towards MG and competing-ion experiments. Finally, the theoretic studies were performed at DFT level to reveal the possible adsorption process.