Abstract
Nanometer-sized iron particles with monodispersity and narrow size distribution were synthesized by modi-fied microemulsion system using environment-friendly non-ionic surfactants Span 80 and Tween 60 as mixed surfactants. The synthesized iron nanoparticles were characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the synthesized particles were mainly composed of α-Fe with an average diameter of 80-90 nm. The chemical activity of the obtained iron nanoparticles was evaluated by the denitrification of nitrate in water. On neutral condition, complete denitri-fication of nitrate was achieved by freshly synthesized nanoiron within 30 min. Ammonia was the main product, with good material balance at the end of the reaction. Two possible reaction pathways for nitrate reduction by nanoiron have been proposed in this study.
Highlights
Metallic nanoparticles play important roles in many different areas by virtue of their unique microstructure
The W/O microemulsions consist of nanosized water droplets that are dispersed in a continuous oil medium and stabilized by surfactant molecules accumulated at the oil/water interface
The water solubilization capacity and the properties of the water molecules solubilized in the interior of the S-T/isooctane system were investigated in order to prepare a transparent, isotropic, and thermodynamically stable W/O microemulsion system and the reverse micelles were used as nanoreactors to synthesize iron nanoparticles, which can be used in environmental contaminants remediation
Summary
Metallic nanoparticles play important roles in many different areas by virtue of their unique microstructure (small size effect, quantum effect, and surface effect). The physical and chemical properties of the nanoparticles are different from those of bulk metal due to their extremely small sizes and large specific surface areas. They have been widely used in the areas of catalysis, luminous materials, high quality magnetic materials, electronics, biomedical engineering and environmental remediation [1,2,3,4]. The water solubilization capacity and the properties of the water molecules solubilized in the interior of the S-T/isooctane system were investigated in order to prepare a transparent, isotropic, and thermodynamically stable W/O microemulsion system and the reverse micelles were used as nanoreactors to synthesize iron nanoparticles, which can be used in environmental contaminants remediation.
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