Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Fundamental Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 2 School of Fundamental Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Terengganu, Malaysia. Electronic address: kerol@umt.edu.my
Chemosphere, 2017 Feb;168:474-482.
PMID: 27855344 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.11.028

Abstract

This study aims to develop a highly efficient adsorbent material. CNTs are prepared using a chemical vapor deposition method with acetylene and synthesized mesoporous Ni-MCM41 as the carbon source and catalyst, respectively, and are then functionalized using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) through the co-condensation method and loaded with commercial TiO2. Results of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirm that the synthesized CNTs grown are multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Transmission electron microscopy shows good dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles onto functionalized-CNTs loaded TiO2, with the diameter of a hair-like structure measuring between 3 and 8 nm. The functionalized-CNTs loaded TiO2 are tested as an adsorbent for removal of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution, and results show that 94% of MO is removed after 10 min of reaction, and 100% after 30 min. The adsorption kinetic model of functionalized-CNTs loaded TiO2 follows a pseudo-second order with a maximum adsorption capacity of 42.85 mg/g. This study shows that functionalized-CNTs loaded TiO2 has considerable potential as an adsorbent material due to the short adsorption time required to achieve equilibrium.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.