Self-assembled 3D architectures of NaCe(MoO4)2 and their application as absorbents

Abstract

In this paper, various NaCe(MoO₄)₂ 3D hierarchical architectures self-assembled from different building blocks were successfully synthesized by a facile EDTA-mediated hydrothermal method for the first time. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and N₂ adsorption were employed to characterize the as-obtained products. Three important parameters, the amount of EDTA, pH value of the precursor solution and the molybdate resource were found to be important in determining the building blocks and their spacial arrangement in the final products. A plausible formation mechanism for the NaCe(MoO₄)₂ microflowers was proposed based on time-dependent experiments. As enlightened by the intrinsic property and fascinating hierarchical structures of NaCe(MoO₄)₂, a potential application of NaCe(MoO₄)₂ as an adsorbent in water treatment was also investigated for the first time. NaCe(MoO₄)₂ microflowers with bimodal pores exhibited a favorable adsorption performance for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB), displaying a potential application in environmental remediation.