Acyl thioacetamide-group chelated nanofiber to adsorb silver ions from aqueous systems

Abstract

The acyl thioacetamide-group chelated nanofiber was prepared from polyacrylonitrile(PAN) fiber with thioacetamide as vulcanization agent by an electrospinning process combined with chemical modification. It was found that the chelated nanofiber displays a high adsorption capacity and adsorption selectivity for Ag(I) ions from aqueous systems. The adsorption capacity of Ag(I) ions on chelated nanofiber increases with the increase of adsorption time. Kinetics of the Ag(I) ions adsorption was found to follow pseudo-second-order rate equation. Based on the characterization results, a possible mechanism of Ag(I) ions adsorbed on the acyl thioacetamide-group chelated nanofiber was proposed. The chelated nanofiber could not only chelate to Ag(I) ions but also reduce them. This study provides a promising nanofiber material for removing heavy metal ions.