A novel hydroxyapatite-based hollow microsphere nanocomposite for copper ion adsorption

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is an inorganic material that can be used as an adsorption material. Here we report a novel HAp-based hollow porous microsphere , in which Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are uniformly embedded in the HAp microsphere shell. The specific surface area is 98.6 m 2 /g with an average pore size of 11.4 nm. The microsphere has been demonstrated to be a high-efficient absorbent for copper ion. Owing to the superparamagnetic property of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, the microspheres can be well dispersed in water and effectively segregated by magnet. Therefore, HAp-Fe 3 O 4 hollow microsphere is a promising candidate for copper ion treatment.