Efficient removal of Pb(II) by Ti3C2Tx powder modified with a silane coupling agent

As a layered material, Ti3C2Tx powders possess high ion-exchange capability and relative stable physical properties, but there are some drawbacks associated with Ti3C2Tx powders such as weak adsorption ability in dealing with the organic pollutions and heavy metal ions. A simple method is employed to regulate Ti3C2Tx powders with the silane coupling agent KH570, which is proved to be an efficient way for adsorption to Pb(II). In this work, Ti3C2Tx powders with the modification of KH570 (Ti3C2Tx-KH570) possesses high specific surface area, thermostability and high ion-exchange capability. From the experiment of adsorption, when the concentration of Ti3C2Tx-KH570 powders in the solution is about 3.2gL(-1), the removal rate is about 99.99%. In addition, the adsorption capacity of Ti3C2Tx-KH570 powders to Pb2+ is approximately 147.29mgg(-1) at the temperature of 30 degrees C, while the adsorption capability of Ti3C2Tx powders to Pb2+ is 48.28mgg(-1). A higher concentration of silane clogs, the available space making it inaccessible for lead adsorption, which indicates that the internal MXene hydroxyl groups are in the majority responsible for Pb2+ adsorption. The Pb2+ adsorption depends on the availability of MXene hydroxyl groups and KH570 carbonyl group of methacryloxypropyl chain. The result indicates that KH570 is a new direction for the surface modification of Ti3C2Tx powders.