Synthesis, characterization and size control of zerovalent iron nanoparticles anchored on montmorillonite

Abstract

Zerovalent iron nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized using sodium borohydride solution reduction of ferric trichloride hexahydrate in the presence of montmorillonite as an effective protective reagent and support as well. A combination of characterizations reveals that with high monodispersity these obtained iron nanoparticles are well dispersed on clay surface, virginal from boron related impurity, and oxidation resistant well with iron core-iron oxide shell structure. The shell thickness of 3 nm remains almost invariable under ambient conditions. The size control of these iron nanoparticles has been achieved by tailoring the amount of the ferric iron, which mainly depends on the protective action of montmorillonite.