Preparation of Al2O3–SiO2 composite aerogels and their Cu2+ absorption properties

Xiao-guang Liu; Qiu-shuo Mao; Yue Jiang; Yan Li; Jia-lin Sun; Fei-xue Huang

doi:10.1007/s12613-020-2111-3

Volume 28 Issue 2

Feb. 2021

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials > 2021 > 28(2): 317-324

Xiao-guang Liu, Qiu-shuo Mao, Yue Jiang, Yan Li, Jia-lin Sun, and Fei-xue Huang, Preparation of Al₂O₃–SiO₂ composite aerogels and their Cu²⁺ absorption properties, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 28(2021), No. 2, pp. 317-324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2111-3

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Xiao-guang Liu, Qiu-shuo Mao, Yue Jiang, Yan Li, Jia-lin Sun, and Fei-xue Huang, Preparation of Al2O3–SiO2 composite aerogels and their Cu2+ absorption properties, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 28(2021), No. 2, pp. 317-324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2111-3

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Research Article

Preparation of Al₂O₃–SiO₂ composite aerogels and their Cu²⁺ absorption properties

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Corresponding author:
Xiao-guang Liu E-mail: liuxg@ustb.edu.cn
Received: 11 November 2019; Revised: 30 May 2020; Accepted: 1 June 2020; Available online: 3 June 2020

Abstract

Abstract

In order to remediate heavy metal ions from waste water, Al₂O₃–SiO₂ composite aerogels are prepared via a sol–gel and an organic solvent sublimation drying method. Various characterisation techniques have been employed including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) N₂ adsoprtion isotherm, and atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). XRD and FTIR suggest that the aerogels are composed of mainly Al₂O₃ and minor SiO₂. They have a high specific surface area (827.544 m²/g) and high porosity (86.0%) with a pore diameter of ~20 nm. Their microstructures show that the distribution of Al, Si, and O is homogeneous. The aerogels can remove ~99% Cu²⁺ within ~40 min and then reach the equilibrium uptake (~69 mg/g). Preliminary calculations show that the Cu²⁺ uptake by the aerogels follows pseudo second-order kinetics where chemical sorption may take effect owing largely to the high surface area, high porosity, and abundant functional groups, such as Al–OH and Si–OH, in the aerogel network. The prepared aerogels may serve as efficient absorbents for Cu²⁺ removal.
- heavy metal ion;
- aerogel;
- absorption;
- organic solvent sublimation drying;
- specific surface area;
- porosity

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