Rapid removal of anionic dye from water by poly(ionic liquid)-modified magnetic nanoparticles

Abstract

A poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) functionalized magnetic responsive nanocomposite was developed and utilized as a highly efficient sorbent for dyes removal. The adsorbent was prepared by grafting PIL onto silicon coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles via Cu(0)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) method. The obtained Fe3O4@SiO2@PIL nanocomposite was characterized by various techniques, and tested for removal of different ionic dyes, including alizarin red (AR), thionin acetate (TA), malachite green (MG) and acid orange II (AO). The adsorbent showed ultrafast adsorption and large adsorption capacity by reaching a maximum adsorption amount of AR up to 510.2 mg·g−1. Furthermore, the sorbent was capable to selectively adsorb the anionic dyes from aqueous solutions of mixed dyes. In addition, influences of some important factors upon the adsorption process were investigated, including adsorption temperature and time, pH value and initial dye concentration. The magnetic nanoparticles could be readily collected by applying a magnetic field and regenerate with a salt solution. The results demonstrate that the Fe3O4@SiO2@PIL nanocomposite has great potential as an efficient, functional and durable sorbent for water treatment.