Abstract
BackgroundIncreasing the yield of nanomaterials using the same reactor size and fixing most of the reactants and conditions will greatly improve the production process by saving time, energy and efforts. Titanate nanotubes are mainly prepared by hydrothermal process, in which TiO2 powder reacts with NaOH at certain conditions to form the desired nanotubes. It was reported that it is a must to use high concentrations of NaOH (10 N) to enable the tubular form formation, and the amount of NaOH from the stoichiometry point of view is much higher than that of TiO2; this means excess amounts of NaOH are not used and washed off. This work was designed to improve the production yield by making use of this excess amount of NaOH.ResultsMore than 60 g of sodium titanate nanotubes was prepared using simple hydrothermal method. The prepared nanotubes were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and BET surface area analysis. The adsorption capacity of these nanotubes was tested against three commonly used dyes: methyl orange, crystal violet and thymol blue. The samples showed great affinity toward crystal violet and lower activity toward methyl orange and thymol blue, where they achieved more than 90% removal efficiency under different experimental conditions.ConclusionsSodium titanate nanotubes were prepared in large amounts using modified hydrothermal method. The obtained nanotubes efficiently removed crystal violet from water. This improved synthesis of titanate nanotubes will reduce the total cost of nanomaterials production, and subsequently the treatment process, since titanate nanotubes are used in adsorption and photocatalysis processes.
Highlights
Increasing the yield of nanomaterials using the same reactor size and fixing most of the reactants and conditions will greatly improve the production process by saving time, energy and efforts
The prepared nanotubes were studied by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the obtained spectrum is shown in Fig. 2, Three bands were observed at 901 cm−1, 1633 cm−1 and 3400–3200 cm−1, which are corresponding to the Ti–O stretching vibration, O–H stretching vibration, and H–O–H bending vibration, respectively; the presence of bands at 1633 cm−1 and 3400–3200 cm−1 indicates the presence of water molecules in the prepared titanate
4 Discussion Results revealed that the removal efficiency was greatly affected by titanate surface charge, since the surface of the titanate was negatively charged at almost all pH values, the prepared nanotubes were capable of removing crystal violet (CV) with high percentage, while the low removal % of M.O and T.B is attributed to the similarity in charges of the dyes and titanate surface; since both of them are negatively charged, there is weak electrostatic attraction or repulsion
Summary
Increasing the yield of nanomaterials using the same reactor size and fixing most of the reactants and conditions will greatly improve the production process by saving time, energy and efforts. Zaki et al Beni-Suef Univ J Basic Appl Sci (2021) 10:86 the nanoscale level improves the process efficiency, since nanomaterials are smaller in size and larger in surface area when compared to conventional bulk materials [14]. Among these adsorbents, recently titanate nanostructures, especially nanotubes, have attracted more attention due to their high surface area, non-toxicity and their high adsorption and exchange capacity [14]. Researchers did not pay attention to increase the yield of titanates in their studies; they tend to change the starting materials, time and temperature of reaction, the post-treatment solvents and acids [21, 26]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
