Extraction of methylmercury and ethylmercury from aqueous solution using surface sulfhydryl-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 424; no. 424; pp. 124 - 131
• Main Authors: Li, Guangzhu, Liu, Miao, Zhang, Zhuqing, Geng, Chao, Wu, Zhongbo, Zhao, Xin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 15.06.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Affinity; Aqueous solutions; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Ethylmercury; Exact sciences and technology; Extraction; Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic nanoparticles; General and physical chemistry; Methylmercury; Nanoparticles; Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena; Porous materials; Silicon dioxide; Sulfhydryl-functionalized; Surface chemistry; Ethylmercury; Extraction; Sulfhydryl-functionalized; Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic nanoparticles; Methylmercury; Binary compound; Nanoparticle; @SiO; magnetic nanoparticles; Porous material; Silica; Mesoporosity; O; Silicon oxides; Aqueous solution; Fe; FeO@SiO magnetic nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2014.03.026

[Display omitted] •Fe3O4@SiO2–RSH nanoparticles were prepared.•It exhibited high adsorption affinity for methylmercury and ethylmercury.•The adsorption on surface of nanoparticles could reach equilibrium in 2 min.•The adsorbed methylmercury and ethylmercury could be desorbed easily.•The nanoparticles are promising for extraction of alkylmercury from water samples. Surface sulfhydryl-functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles were prepared, aiming to extract trace alkylmercury from aqueous solution. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, ED, EDX, DLS, FTIR, and SERS. Compare with that the non-sulfhydryl-functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2 exhibited almost no affinity for CH3Hg+ and CH3CH2Hg+; the sulfhydryl-functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2 exhibited high adsorption affinity for them, resulting from chelating interaction by surface sulfhydryl group, and the adsorption was not significantly impacted by pH within the range of 3.5–9.0 or coexisting metal ions. The monolayer adsorption on surface of Fe3O4@SiO2–RSH could reach equilibrium in 2min. Moreover, the CH3Hg+ and CH3CH2Hg+ adsorbed on Fe3O4@SiO2–RSH could be quickly separated from the matrix in a magnetic field and desorbed easily by acetonitrile and l-cysteine aqueous solution or HCl solution, and the recoveries were more than 80%. Findings of the present work highlight the potential for using Fe3O4@SiO2–RSH magnetic nanoparticles as effective and reusable adsorbents for extraction of ultra trace alkylmercury from environmental water samples.