PAMAM grafted α-Fe2O3 nanofiber: Preparation and dye removal ability from binary system

• Published in: Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers Vol. 80; pp. 156 - 167
• Main Authors: Chizari Fard, Ghazaleh, Mirjalili, Mohammad, Almasian, Arash, Najafi, Farhood
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2017
• Subjects: Acid Red 18; Adsorption isotherm; Direct Red 80; Electrospinning; Polyamidoamine; α-Fe2O3; α-Fe2O3; Electrospinning; Acid Red 18; Direct Red 80; Polyamidoamine; Adsorption isotherm
• ISSN: 1876-1070; 1876-1089
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2017.04.018

•Preparation of an adsorbent with high adsorption capacity by grafting of PAMAM onto vinyl-functionalized α-Fe2O3 Nanofiber.•Determination of the optimum grafting conditions Investigation on adsorption isotherm and kinetic. In this paper, polyamidoamine (PAMAM) grafted α-Fe2O3 nanofiber as a new adsorbent was prepared by a three-step method. (1): preparation of α-Fe2O3 nanofiber by electrospinning technique, (2): incorporation of vinyl group on the nanofiber surface by vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) and (3): grafting of PAMAM dendrimer onto the nanofiber surface. For the first time, the possibility of reaction between the vinyl group of VTES and the amine group of PAMAM was evaluated and the optimum condition was reported. Characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the PAMAM molecules were covalently grafted to the surface through the formation of CN group. The diameter of nanofibers was increased after the grafting process, confirming the deposition of a layer containing silica and PAMAM molecules on the surface. Decreasing in the total surface area values of nanofibers after the grafting process was detected by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. Moreover, dye removal ability of prepared nanofibers in single and binary systems were investigated. It was found that the number of functional group and size of dye molecule play important roles in selective adsorption in binary system. Adsorption of dyes in single and binary systems followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetics confirming monolayer and chemical adsorption, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of PAMAM grafted nanofiber was 1428.57 and 1250mg/g for Direct Red 80 and Acid Red 18 at pH 3, respectively. It was concluded that the prepared nanofiber with a relatively large adsorption capacity can be a suitable alternative for elimination of dyes from aqueous media. [Display omitted]