Effective separation of Am(iii) and Eu(iii) from HNO3 solutions using CyMe4-BTPhen-functionalized silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles

Abstract

It has been shown that CyMe₄-BTPhen-functionalized silica-coated maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are capable of quantitative separation of Am(III) from Eu(III) from HNO₃ solutions. These MNPs also show a small but significant selectivity for Am(III) over Cm(III) with a separation factor of around 2 in 4 M HNO₃. The water molecule in the cavity of the BTPhen may also play an important part in the selectivity.