MOSCOW, December 13. Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University, as part of a research team, synthesized a nanocomposite to purify water from pollutants. According to the authors, the new magnetic material adsorbs heavy metal ions well, as well as organic dyes and microorganisms. In experiments on purifying an aqueous solution from arsenic ions, 81% of the pollutant was adsorbed within a minute. The results were published in Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects.
As explained by one of the authors of the study, Professor of the Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) Roman Surmenev, a nanocomposite is a combination of two or more materials, the dimensions of which can reach 100 nanometers. It was obtained by growing nanoparticles of magnetite (iron oxide Fe3O4) on the surface of a two-dimensional material — graphene oxide, previously synthesized at the university.
The use of graphene oxide in the composition of a nanocomposite leads to a multiple increase in the surface area of the material, which allows the adsorption of a larger amount of pollutants on the surface of the nanocomposite. Magnetite adsorbs heavy metal ions well, and reduced graphene oxide adsorbs organic dyes and biological objects.
According to Surmenev, magnetite provides the material with magnetic properties, and reduced graphene oxide increases its effective surface, and also improves electrical characteristics. Such properties make the synthesized nanocomposite promising not only for filtration of liquids, but also for use in microelectronics.
Scientists experimentally tested the efficiency of removing arsenic ions As (III) from an aqueous solution. The recorded rate of ion adsorption was 81% in one minute, which exceeds the values presented in scientific sources known to the authors.
“We were the first to determine the saturation point of the amount of phase-pure Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), when magnetite nanoparticles grow, and not other iron oxide,” said Surmenev.
Now a group of scientists TPU is engaged in dynamic sorption studies of nanocomposites to optimize its use in filtration processes similar to those used in household filters for water purification.
Scientists from several scientific institutions took part in the work: Center for Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials, Center for Piezo- and magnetoelectric materials of the Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies of Tomsk Polytechnic University, Institute of Catalysis named after. Boreskov SB RAS, Siberian State Medical University, UrFU.
The research was carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Science Foundation and the administration of the Tomsk region. TPU is a participant in the «Priority 2030» program of the Russian national project «Science and Universities».
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