Poly(acrylic acid)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles : quantitative evaluation of the coating properties and applications for the removal of a pollutant dye

TL;DR

This study synthesized and characterized poly(acrylic acid)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, demonstrating their high efficiency in removing methylene blue dye from solutions, with detailed insights into coating properties and adsorption mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative evaluation of the coating properties and demonstrates the nanoparticles' effectiveness in pollutant dye removal, highlighting the multi-site binding mechanism.

Findings

Nanoparticles had a coating density of 1.9 nm^-2.

Achieved an adsorption capacity of 830 mg/g for methylene blue.

Coating provides a resilient and effective binding for pollutant removal.

Abstract

In this work, 6 to 12 nm iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and coated with poly(acrylic acid) chains of molecular weight 2100 g/mol. Based on a quantitative evaluation of the dispersions, the bare and coated particles were thoroughly characterized. The number densities of polymers adsorbed at the particle surface and of available chargeable groups were found to be 1.9 +/- 0.3 nm-2 and 26 +/- 4 nm-2, respectively. Occurring via a multi-site binding mechanism, the electrostatic coupling leads to a solid and resilient anchoring of the chains. To assess the efficacy of the particles for pollutant remediation, the adsorption isotherm of methylene blue molecules, a model of pollutant, was determined. The excellent agreement between the predicted and measured amounts of adsorbed dyes suggests that most carboxylates participate to the complexation and adsorption mechanisms. An adsorption of 830 mg/g was obtained. This quantity compares well with the highest values available for this dye.