Layer by layer modification of mesoporous silica surfaces with potassium copper hexacyanoferrate compound and its cesium ion adsorption behavior

Abstract

In this work, the surfaces of spherical mesoporous silica were modified with potassium copper hexacyanoferrate ([KCu(Fe(CN)6)]), then employed as a new ion exchanger nanocomposite to adsorb cesium ion from an aqueous solution. The materials have been characterized by Field EmissionScanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms (BET), and FTIR spectroscopy. The effect of contact time, pH, and initial concentration of the solution on adsorption efficiency were studied. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin's isotherm models analyzed the equilibrium concentration data. The data was in good agreement with the Langmuir model showing cesium adsorption process was a monolayer. The pseudo-second-order model was adequate to describe cesium uptake kinetic behavior, and the maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity for the nanocomposite was 46/4 (mg/g).

Keywords

• cesium
• hexacyanoferrate
• spherical sba-15