Cube-octameric silsesquioxane (POSS)-capped magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for the efficient removal of methylene blue

Abstract

Octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was polymerized on the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and then the NPs were functionalized with carboxylic acid groups using thiol-ene click reactions with thioglycolic acid. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄@POSS-COOH magnetic hybrid NPs had mesoporous structures with an average particle diameter of 15 nm and a relatively high specific surface area of 447 m²∙g⁻¹. Experimental results showed that 4 mg of Fe₃O₄@POSS-COOH NPs efficiently adsorbed and removed methylene blue from water at 5 min. This is due to the presence of both carboxylic acid and pendant vinyl groups on the Fe₃O₄@POSS-COOH NPs. These NPs could be easily withdrawn from water within a few seconds under moderate magnetic field and showed high stability in acid and alkaline aqueous mediums.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

nanomagnetic POSS / surface polymerization / thiol-ene reaction / adsorbent / water treatment

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Acknowledgments

The authors A.A. and N.A. thank the research council of the University of Tabriz and the Iran Science Elite Federation (ISEF) for supporting this work.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-018-1784-x and is accessible for authorized users.

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