Fe3O4@C@polyaniline trilaminar core–shell composite microspheres as separable adsorbent for organic dye

Uniform core–shell Fe 3 O 4 @C@polyaniline (PANi) composite microspheres have been prepared via simple in situ polymerization in the absence of surfactants . In this case, the carbon intermediate layer plays an important role in the formation of trilaminar core–shell structure. By simply adjusting the molar ratio of aniline to Fe 3 O 4 , the thickness of the polymer shell can be tuned from about 27 to 62   nm. The obtained Fe 3 O 4 @C@PANi trilaminar core–shell composite microspheres are used as magnetic adsorbent for the removal of methyl orange (MO) dye from aqueous solution, exhibiting an excellent adsorption capability of 120.2   mg   g −1 for MO and retaining about 81% of the removal efficiency after five adsorption–desorption cycles. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics are well described by the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models respectively. The Fe 3 O 4 @C@PANi composite microspheres could be a good candidate in the waste water treatment for the removal of organic dyes.