One-pot synthesis of porous magnetic cellulose beads for the removal of metal ions

Abstract

Porous magnetic cellulose beads have been successfully prepared via a facile one-pot wet extrusion by in situ depositing CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles on cellulose beads. Cellulose beads serve as a template to prevent CoFe₂O₄ particles from aggregating. The deposited CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles are tightly entrapped within cellulose beads because of the strong attractive interactions between the cellulose beads and CoFe₂O₄ particles. The functionalized cellulose beads can be easily separated from aqueous solution by the external magnetic field. The encapsulated CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles act as the magnetic substrate and the active sites to adsorb metal ions. An attractive feature of this preparation method is that it is versatile to prepare a variety of cellulose-based functional nanocomposites in the form of macroscopic beads by incorporating functional particles into the pores of cellulose beads.