Facile Preparation of Mesoporous Carbon Microspheres Containing Nickel Nanoparticle and Dye Adsorption Behavior

Magnetic mesoporous carbon microspheres containing nickel nanoparticle were synthesized in situ in one pot. In this study, furfuryl alcohol was used as a carbon precursor, silica nanoparticles were used as a silica template precursor, and hydrated nickel nitrite was used as a nickel source. The adsorption behavior of methylene blue (MB) and acid red 114 (AR114) on the obtained materials was investigated. This paper presents an easy and effective method for the treatment of dye in water. The effects of the loading amount of hydrated nickel nitrite on the structural parameters, morphologies, and magnetic properties of the samples were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, N-2 sorption analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and physical property measurements. The specific surface area and total pore volumes decreased with the increase in hydrated nickel nitrite loading. The samples exhibited fast adsorption ability for dye and excellent magnetic responsiveness. The adsorption of dye on the samples followed the pseudo-second-order equation. The adsorption capacity and adsorption rate of MB were higher than those of AR114 for the same carbon materials.