PDA-meditated green synthesis of amino-modified, multifunctional magnetic hollow composites for Cr(VI) efficient removal

Employing mussel-inspired concept, a controllable “Sol-Gel-like” condensation of dopamine (DA) and aminosilane coupling agents (A1, A2, A3 represent APTMS, TSPED and TPDA, respectively) was undertaken to synthesize magnetic hollow composites (Fe 3 O 4 @A/PDA), aiming for removing Cr(VI) from wastewater. Compared to reported magnetic amino-functionalized composites for heavy metal removal, it is a new green process via post-grafting pathways that can avoid using organic solvents and high-temperature treatment. Structural characterization and batch experiments are correlated to illustrate the adsorption performance of resultant composites. Upon screening resultant adsorbents, Fe 3 O 4 @A2/PDA exhibited the highest adsorption capacity; the maximum Cr(VI) removal amount could be up to 284.1 mg g −1 at 298 K and pH 2.0. The pseudo-second-order and Langmuir model preferably fitted the adsorption process , besides, the activation energy is 7.17 kJ/mol −1 . The hollow composites could be easily separated from solutions by a magnet, and over 70% Cr(VI) could be removed even after five cycles. Electrostatic attraction and reduction reaction could be used to explain the adsorption mechanism that on the basis of XPS analysis. According to thermodynamic analysis, the adsorption is a spontaneous endothermic process. The high Cr(VI) adsorption capacity, fast adsorption kinetics and easy separation properties of hollow Fe 3 O 4 @A2/PDA composites make it be potential to alleviate Cr-containing aqueous solutions.