Comprehensive study of mesoporous carbon functionalized with carboxylate groups and magnetic nanoparticles as a promising adsorbent

Highly ordered mesoporous carbon functionalized with carboxylate groups and magnetic nanoparticles has been successfully synthesized. By oxidative treatment using (NH4)(2)S2O8 and H2SO4 mixed solution, numerous hydrophilic groups were created in the mesopores without destroying the ordered mesostructure of CMK-3. Through the in situ reduction in Fe3+, magnetic nanoparticles were successfully introduced into the mesopores, resulting in the multifunctional mesoporous carbon Fe-CMK-3. The obtained hybrid carbon material possesses ordered mesostructure, high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area up to 1013 m(2)/g, large pore volume of about 1.16 cm(3)/g, carboxylic surface, and excellent magnetic property. When used as an adsorbent, Fe-CMK-3 exhibits excellent performances for removing toxic organic compounds from waster-water, with a high adsorption capacity, an extremely rapid adsorption rate, and an easy magnetically separable process. In the case of requiring emergency removal of large amount of organic pollutants in aqueous, the hybrid carbon adsorbent would be an ideal choice. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.