Functionalized sol-gels for mercury(II) separation: A comparison of mesoporous materials prepared with and without surfactant templates

Hee Jung Im, Craig E. Barnes, Sheng Dai, Ziling Xue

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Granular silica gels 1b (7.0 mol% ligand) and 1c (17.0 mol% ligand) containing different amounts of tethered mercapto ligand HS(CH2)3Si(O-)3 were prepared in one step from the co-hydrolysis of HS(CH2)3Si(OMe) 3 and Si(OMe)4. Analyses of 1b revealed that it was mesoporous (pore diameter: ca. 50 Å) with a large surface area (471 m2/g). In 0.5, 5.0, 50, and 500 ppm Hg2+ solutions, 1b was found to have Hg2+ uptake capacities comparable to those of sub-micron mesoporous powders prepared with two different surfactants in the current studies. 1b and 1c removed Hg2+ ions to be below 5 × 10-5 ppm (the detection limit of atomic absorption) from 0.368 and 50 ppm solutions, respectively. The granular 1b and 1c are easier to prepare and handle, and may offer an alternative to sub-micron powders prepared with surfactants for Hg(II) uptake.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-62
Number of pages6
JournalMicroporous and Mesoporous Materials
Volume70
Issue number1-3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 21 2004

Keywords

  • Granular silica gels
  • Hg(II) separation
  • Mercapto ligand
  • Mesoporous

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