Preparation of magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@polyaniline composite material and its application in adsorption and removal of tetrabromobisphenol A and decabromodiphenyl ether.

Present study described a magnetic adsorption and removal method with prepared magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@polyaniline microspheres for the removal of two typical BFRs, tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) from water samples. Magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@polyaniline microspheres were prepared by a hydrothermal and two step polymerization method with cheap iron salts and aniline, which were characterized with transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the Fe3O4@polyaniline microspheres earned a clear thickness shell of polyaniline (about 50 nm) and a saturation magnetization of 40.4 emu g-1. The Magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@polyaniline exhibited excellent adsorption capability and removal rate to TBBPA and BDE 209. The adsorption of TBBPA and BDE 209 all followed pseudo-second order kinetics and agreed well to the Freundlich adsorption isotherms model. The negative Gibbs free energy change (ΔG0) and positive standard enthalpy change (ΔH0) for TBBPA and BDE-209 suggested that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. These results demonstrated that Fe3O4@PANI was a good adsorbent and would have a good application prospect in the removal of pollutants from environmental water.