Synthesis of porous magnetic ferrite nanowires containing Mn and their application in water treatment

Abstract

Two kinds of porous magnetic ferrite nanowires containing manganese (MnFe₂O₄ and Mn doped Fe₃O₄) have been successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition of organometallic compounds, using nitrilotriacetic acid (NA) as a chelating agent to coordinate with various ratios of Fe(II) and Mn(II) ions. The resultant MnFe₂O₄ and Mn doped Fe₃O₄ nanostructures are superparamagnetic, and have magnetization saturation values of about 45.9 and 48.7 emu g⁻¹ for MnFe₂O₄ and Mn doped Fe₃O₄, respectively. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface areas of the MnFe₂O₄ and Mn doped Fe₃O₄ are 37.8 and 45.4 m² g⁻¹, respectively. The as-prepared porous MnFe₂O₄ and Mn doped Fe₃O₄ nanowires exhibit excellent ability to remove heavy metal ions and organic pollutant in waste water. In addition, these porous magnetic ferrites may be useful in other fields such as biomedicine and Li-ion batteries.