Preparation of bifunctional polysilsesquioxane/carbon nanotube magnetic composites and their adsorption properties for Au (III)

Bifunctional polysilsesquioxane/carbon nanotube magnetic composites were prepared by coating the polysilsesquioxane with amino and thiol groups on carboxyl carbon nanotubes (CNTs-COOH) embedded with magnetic ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4). The morphology and physicochemical properties of the composites were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, VSM, XRD, XPS and BET, and the adsorption capacities of these composites for Au (III) was investigated systematically. The thermodynamic adsorption curves conform to the Langmuir model, and the kinetics curves can be fitted to the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption capacities of the composites for Au(III) at 35 degrees C varied from 2.01 mmol/g to 2.82 mmol/g according to the Langmuir model. Selective adsorption tests showed that the bifunctional composites could selectively adsorb Au(III) in a number of binary metal ions systems. It is expected that the bifunctional polysilsesquioxane/carbon nanotube magnetic composites can be used to recover low concentration Au(III) from waste water.

Automated summary

Bifunctional polysilsesquioxane/carbon nanotube magnetic composites were prepared and their adsorption capacities for Au(III) were systematically investigated. The results showed that the composites exhibited good adsorption performance and could be utilized for efficient recovery of Au(III) from waste water.