Adsorption of Cu(II) from Aqueous Solution by Porous Mn<inf>3</inf>[Co(CN)<inf>6</inf>]<inf>2</inf>� nH<inf>2</inf>O Nanospheres

Abstract

Prussian blue analogue of porous Mn3[Co(CN)6]2· nH2O nanospheres with a large surface area were prepared by simple mixing K3[Co(CN)6]2and manganous nitrate solution at room temperature. The morphology and structure of the prepared products were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, and BET. The results indicated that the product was composed of nanospheres with the diameter of ~250 nm, which was of porous structure with the pore diameter in the 2.5-4 nm range. The adsorption behavior of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution onto porous nanospheres was investigated as a function of parameters, such as the equilibrium time, the pH, the initial concentration, and the temperature. A maximum adsorption capacity of 140.85 mg g-1of Cu(II) was achieved. Due to the simple synthetic method and its high adsorption capacity, the porous nanospheres had the potential to be utilized as an effective adsorbent for Cu(II) removal. © 2014 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.